It’s got to be one of the most itchy, irritating and frustrating skin conditions! Hives usually cause a burning sensation at first, which soon gives way to intense itching that is so hard to stop once you have started. Medically, hives are referred to as urticaria. But take heart, there are quite a number of natural remedies for hives, but first lets just find out the symptoms and causes and then we’ll talk about how to treat hives.
Symptoms of hives:
They are raised white bumps surrounded by red, inflamed, burning or itchy patches of skin. The rash may erupt suddenly and then disappear almost as quickly, or it may linger for weeks or even longer. It most often appears on the arms, the legs, or the trunk, but it can develop on any part of the body; sometimes it erupts in one place and then just like magic it vanishes, only to appear somewhere else. It’s a very unpredictable skin condition. Another, less common, name for hives is nettle rash. It really doesn’t matter what you call it, if you are suffering from it, you just want it gone, and now. 
When your skin breaks out in hives, it is your body’s way of allowing toxins to pass out of the body. This is comparable to when you have the flu, you develop a fever and then the virus is expelled from your body via your skin through a cleansing sweat. In the same way poisons leave the body through sweating, they can also leave via skin eruptions like hives.
Causes of hives:
A breakout of hives is most frequently a response to an allergen or an irritant which produces a toxic response in your body. Some possible allergens and irritants include…
- Certain foods: Including shellfish, dairy products, nut, berries, tomatoes, chocolate, meat and poultry. Any food made with additives, preservatives, or pesticides may also produce a reaction.
- Drugs and viruses: For example, antibiotics, especially penicillin, cause hives in some people. Aspirin and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS) can also be culprits for causing hives.
- Cosmetics: Including soaps, perfumes, and lotions can also cause reactions that result in hives.
- Nickel found in cosmetic jewelery.
- Latex found in plastic gloves and condoms.
- Contact with plants like poison ivy or stinging nettles.
- Contact with fungal spores or pollen.
- Insect bites.
- Contact with animals or creatures, such as stinging jellyfish.
- Pregnancy: Hives often appear late in pregnancy.
- Friction: About 5% of the population is prone to develop skin rashes after quite gentle rubbing or scratching of the skin.
- Candidiasis (yeast infection) may be a factor in persistent hives.
- Other factors: Heat, cold, sunlight, stress or anxiety. In rare cases coffee, alcohol, and tobacco are sometimes identified as triggers - people who suffer from chronic hives often report that these substances make their symptoms worse.
If you are one of those people that suffer from chronic or recurring hives, it’s possible that your digestive system may not be functioning properly, thereby forcing the skin to excrete toxins that would normally be excreted via the intestines. In a case like this a close look at your dietary and lifestyles is in order.
Although hives are very irritating and itchy, they rarely pose a significant health threat. Given time they will usually disappear without leaving a scar or mark, and they do not damage any other organs. To avoid hives, the best thing to do is to identify the allergen or irritant and then try your best to avoid it.
One thing you should be aware of is that in some very rare cases, hives can cause the tongue and the throat to swell up and breathing can become difficult, if not impossible. If you experience this then you have a medical emergency and you should call for medical help immediately.
Chronic or recurring hives might mean you’re being repeatedly exposed to a trigger, or it might be a sign of underlying disease. Lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, and thyroid disorders are diseases likely to cause hives to appear.
Treatment for hives:
- Homeopathy: If you’re looking for a safe, natural solution to relieve the miserable symptoms of hives, and want something that won’t make you drowsy or cause other negative side effects, then this is the number one choice for treating hives. Homeopathy is the way to go to help relieve multiple symptoms of hives safely and effectively.
- Topical applications and drinks: Aloe vera can reduce inflammation and is soothing to the skin. You can gently apply an aloe vera cream or lotion directly onto the hives for temporary relief; to address your body’s imbalances more directly, drink aloe vera juice as directed on the bottle. Another treatment that is a good all round tonic for hives is chamomile. It can be used in a cream or you can drink it as tea, it eases stress, another possible trigger of hives.
- Diet: Everyone with hives should make it a priority to follow a high-fiber diet that way you will improve your digestion and reduce the necessity of expelling toxins through your skin. If your hives have been triggered by sunlight, eat lots of deeply colored vegetables, they are high in carotenoids and will improve your skin’s resistance to the sun. Essential fatty acids reduce inflammation, so eat cold water fish several times a week. Drink a glass of water every 2 waking hours, this way you’ll flush out impurities and encourage the health of nearly every body system, including your skin.
- Detoxification: A detoxification program will encourage a faster elimination of toxins. One suggestion would be to go on a juice fast. Concentrate on green drinks, especially those with barley, spirulina, and blue-green algae, as well as carrot, apple, and beet juices. As you fast, you may find that toxins rise to the skin at an increasing rate. Don’t be concerned, it’s normal for hives to get worse before they get any better.
- Acupressure or reflexology: These are other alternative treatments for hives, but again you need to consult with a qualified practitioner in your area.
- Stress Reduction: It’s been recognized for a long time that anxiety and hives are linked, and there have been quite a few scientific studies that seem to confirm this. If you get hives frequently then you should consider seeking out a relaxation therapy and practice it regularly.
- Bach Flower Remedies: The Bach flower philosophy considers allergies a manifestation of emotional intolerance. Check out the different remedies at your local health store to find the one best suited to you. There are 38 remedies to choose from, each one for a specific emotional feeling. You could do more research on which one is best for you at www.bachflower.com
- Medication: Antihistamines are the most commonly used group of medicines for hives. They relieve itching, reduce the rash from a severe to a mild outbreak and can make the rash disappear quite quickly. They may be administered as tablets or injections. One major disadvantage of antihistamines is that they can cause drowsiness, but the plus side to this is that they are useful at night if one has trouble sleeping.
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