I usually break out in hives when my skin gets extremely cold, or if I come in contact with some allergen. If it's allergic, then perhaps a non-drowsy antihistamine. If it's some other trigger, you can try avoiding that trigger.

I've been tested for allergies twice, and every single test came back negative. I've been tested for liver and kidney and other internal abnormalities. I'm not at all sure what is causing them. I've added things to my diet, taken things out, avoided cold and warm temperatures when possible, and still nothing. They started suddenly a little over a year ago and I haven't been able to figure it out. Grrrrr. It's been frustrating trying to solve this puzzle.

I mean, it very well could be, but I'm not sure how to find out. I do work at what is considered one of the most stressful jobs in the world. Even then though, I've only been doing it for six months. Before then, I led a pretty uneventful life with not a whole lot of stressors in it. You're not the first to suggest it either.

Literally. They have gotten a little less severe over the last few months, but they occur all over my body. I have found them at the top of my head, to the bottom of my feet. They seem to be worst though between my shoulders, chest, and back.

When they first were introduced, I tried them and spent a month with a miserable rash.

Hives are an immune response. You've got something that has either built up in your system over time or else something that was added to your system whenever the hives first began. If you've tested negative for allergies (I assume it was something your docs did) I've got to wonder about either a reaction to a perfume, soap, lotion, laundry soap, fabric softener or even shampoo or maybe a reaction to a food/consumed item that you don't maybe usually think of as an allergen.

Since hives are classified as an auto-immune response, my first question was how much nutrasweet do you drink? If you are drinking a lot of diet drinks you may have come to a point where dropping the sweetener habit will allow your system to clear and it might be that the hives are a response to long term exposure to the chemical bath that Nutrasweet gives us. If you google urticaria + nutrasweet you'll find some reading on the subject. You might find it helpful (or you might think I am nuts!)




Good luck! I'm sorry you feel frustrated!





Laura

I've tried many alternative treatments, none of which worked for me, although some say (in the health forums) that they worked for them. You should also take vitamin B-12 (sublingual is best) because the condition depletes this essential vitamin for some reason. There is more that Medicine doesn't know about urticaria, than what it does know. I suppose what we need is a celebrity with this condition so we can raise awareness. And money. :-/

Hives runs in families too. Like mine. Also, you should know that urticaria is more than just cosmetic. Improperly treated it can spiral out of control. Your immune system begins to overreact to things it previously handled with ease. It's like your body decided to stop killing flies with a swatter and began using a sledgehammer instead. Except you're the fly in this scenario.

I believe this condition to be like so many other immune disorders we're beginning to see. Over the past fifteen years there has been an uptick in the instances of breast cancer, testicular cancer, Type-2 diabetes and autism to name a few of the major problems, and all having a connection with the functioning of our immune and hormone system's regulation. I also think that most of these problems are directly related to the food we eat, the air we breathe, the personal care products we use, and the water we drink. (You might want to see what I mean here.)

Internally, urticaria can wreak havoc upon you internal organs over time. So too will the most effective and last-resort treatment for urticaria: corticosteroids like Prednisone (also called Deltasone), which you can't remain on for too long because the cure becomes worse than the disease. I know this first hand. In some people urticaria can be life-threatening making the lungs fill-up with fluid.

I'm now a vegetarian and have taken my health/food decisions back into my hands. Reconsidering your lifestyle is a must. And you'll want to attend to this as soon as you can, because like I mentioned above, it can spiral out of control and take over your life. I know this first hand too. There are also some forums out there where people share information and misery stories.

Here are a few more links that I hope help:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chronic_idiopathic_urticaria
http://www.earthclinic.com/CURES/hives.html
http://www.botanical-online.com/urticariaremedies.htm
http://www.botanical-online.com/urticariacure.htm
http://www.urticaria-relief.com/index.html
http://wn.com/urticaria (interesting videos)
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15736714
http://www.webmd.com/allergies/guide/hives-urticaria-angioedema
http://www.gihealth.com/html/education/drugs/prednisone.html
http://www.urticaria-relief.com/index.html (for profit)
http://www.hives.org/hives-pictures.php
http://www.dermnet.com/images/Urticaria-Acute
http://www.dermnet.com/images/Urticaria-Vasculitis
http://www.dermnet.com/images/Angioedema
http://www.dermnet.com/moduleIndex.php?moduleID=19

drink nettle tea or take nettle capsules?

If you want to explore the homeopathic route, look into this remedy.

http://www.homeremedycentral.com/en/homeopathic-remedies/homeopathy/urtica.html

Last edited Wed Jan 23, 2013, 09:57 AM - Edit history (1)

it's called for. How many times do you shower? Someone I know had this issue & sometimes showered multiple times a day. If that's the case with you, limit showering and be careful with soaps and shampoos, moisturize, moisturize, moisturize. Stay away from dyes, esp. your sheets (use white sheets), and launder with washing balls (you won't need detergent, they use ionization to clean).

Stay away from GMO's and processed foods, use healthy oils (cocunut, grapeseed, olive) and be careful with citrus. Vitamin D is important in fighting imflammation, the B's are important for any and all skin issues. You may want to supplement with minerals, selenium, magnesium, etc., a good multi-mineral is helpful to most every body. Experiment with dead sea mineral products.

Stress can be a factor, hard to control when you are dealing with this kind of thing and it feels like it's overtaking your life, but be aware of your stress levels, compensate, treat yourself with TLC. HTH, (((take care))).

(Also, be careful with extremes of sun, heat or cold, extremes in exercise.)

Urticaria result from the overproduction of histamine by mast cells. Regardless of the cause for the dysfunction, anything that either inhibits histamine production or counteracts its effects should help you. Here are some of the herbs that Dr. Jame Duke (the Green Pharmacy) recommends based on both experience and their chemical constituents:

Jewelweed (impatiens capensis) topically, even by just crushing the plants. The effective compound is lawsone.

Chamomile and wild oregano: contain 7 known anti-histamine compounds. Can ingest as tea or use topically. In very sensitive people, chamomile may also cause histamine reactions, so he recommends try and see approach. Actually that approach will work best with everything I list here; either it will work or it won't.

Basil, echinacea, fennel, fig, oregano, tarragon, and tea: all contain 5 anti-histamine compounds. All can be used either topically or orally.

Parsley inhibits histamine production (oral).

Essential oils of chamomile, caraway, clove and lemon balm topically are anti-histamines.

since the plants are related.

Question: would any of the herbs you recommended help with pollen allergies, Magical thyme?
I am in the middle of the yearly tree pollen season, and can't stand using the asthma inhalers. Among other things, they give me insane carb cravings and I end up gaining weight.

James Duke recommends:
stinging nettle (Urtica dioica) contains a potent antihistamine
fennel, cardamom, ginger, anise contain compounds that loosen bronchial secretions
licorice
ginkgo extract
tea (good ol', ordinary caffeinated tea) contains at least 6 anti-asthma compounds. also cacao, cardamom, onion and purslane

Also, Dr. Joel Fuhrman's Eat to Live program dramatically reduces allergic symptoms, especially avoiding fried foods and wheat or anything else w/gluten.

I've been thinking about trying a couple of weeks without wheat.