Urticaria, Hives Allergy Symptoms and Treatment Information

The word urticaria literally means nettle rash, an appropriate description since the changes in the skin are usually similar to the itchy red bumps that form after a nettle sting. However, with urticaria much larger, raised red areas of skin can also occur.

Urticaria is a very itchy complaint, and if you develop the larger, raised areas it can also be quite painful. When urticaria occurs only around the mouth and throat, it is often in response to food and can make breathing difficult. In these cases it may be referred to as angioedema.

Symptoms of Urticaria or Hives

If you develop urticaria it is important to try and keep your skin cool in order to reduce itchiness. Try some of the following suggestions to ease your symptoms:

Staying out of the sun and avoiding rooms that are too hot.

Wearing cotton clothes and using cotton sheets on your bed next to your skin.

Applying ice cubes, or ice wrapped in wet cotton material, to the affected area, for 5-10 minutes (no longer, to avoid frostbite), then using calamine lotion or a dressing of zinc oxide paste (available from a pharmacy).

Taking a cool, soothing bath, and add a few drops of an oil that doesn't cause your skin to react, or instead some oatmeal, baking powder or cornflour (cornstarch). Avoid soap. Wrap yourself in a towel, but do not rub yourself with it, and then apply aqueous cream or an other perfume-free moisturizer, even if your skin is not completely dry. Homeopaths use a number of medicines including Apis mellifica, Urtica urens, Natrum muriaticum and Dulcamara. Take a 6c dose every 30 minutes, decreasing the frequency as relief occurs. If there is no relief after six doses the medicine should be changed.

Herbal remedies for urticaria include calendula, chickweed and aloe vera ointments for sore, dry or itchy skin, and camomile lotion to relieve inflammation. But remember that you may be allergic, or sensitive, either to the plants themselves or to the other constituents of a commercial preparation.

Chinese medicine recommends cooling foods, such as sunflower seeds, aubergines (eggplants), lettuce and tofu, but always check with your doctor before taking Chinese herbs.

Naturopaths suggest eating plenty of raw foods and excluding sweet ones, including honey and dried fruit.

Urticaria or Hives Treatment

If you are certain that you have urticaria, take an antihistamine (from your doctor or pharmacist) and/or use one or more of the home remedies. Consult your doctor if your symptoms persist for more than two weeks or if you develop other symptoms, such as wheezing, joint pains or a fever. If you experience any swelling around the face, lips, tongue or throat, take an antihistamine, if available, and seek immediate medical help. See also anaphylaxis. Identify the cause, if possible, and avoid it. Common causes include:

• A recent infection: the urticaria will disappear as this resolves.
• Recently started medication: stop taking it and consult your doctor.
• A food item or drink taken in the 24 hours preceding an attack.
• Being stung or bitten by an insect or animal such as a jellyfish.
• Recent contact with plant sap.
• Exposure to the sun or a sunlamp, or extreme heat or cold.
• Emotional upset.

Strengthen your immune system by improving your diet and reducing stress.

Consider adopting a low salicylate diet, or avoiding foods that contain or release histamine or contain other additives.

Causes of Urticaria

Urticaria occurs when specialized cells, known as mast cells, release powerful chemicals, including histamine, following exposure to an allergen. The allergen responsible in any particular case can be difficult to establish.

Although the rash is often brief, some people are unlucky enough to have a form of chronic urticaria that comes and goes over months or even years. This can be triggered by food allergy or intolerance, by specific chemicals in food, such as salicylates or histamine or occasionally by recurrent thrush infections.