What is Urticaria?
Urticaria also known as hives or nettle rash is a temporary skin condition characterize by irregular red patches over the skin with or without severe itching.
Urticaria generally occurs due to some allergic reaction to some particular food, additives, drugs or rarely due to some underlying systemic cause.
Urticaria can be localized to a body part or wide spread on body with swelling and redness. Urticarial rashes and symptoms can develop quickly and get resolve within 24 to 48 hours or can also persist for weeks to heal.
Who can get Urticaria?
Urticaria is more commonly seen in women and children compared to men but anyone can get affected by this condition. It is also more commonly seen in people with atopic conditions.
What causes Urticaria?
Though the cause of urticaria can be hard to identify in some of the cases, the most commonly seen triggering factors can be
- Food: nuts, eggs, some fruits etc.
- Medications
- Insect bites or stings
- Temperature stimuli as heat or cold
- Skin contacts
- Emotional stress
- Underlying auto immune disorders
- Idiopathic where no cause can be found
What happens in Urticaria?
During the reaction, histamine from the mast cells and other mediators are released causing increased capillary permeability and accumulation of fluid in the surrounding tissue under the skin causing swelling of the parts and the vasodilatation occurring causes redness of the parts. The person having urticaria can experience
- Irregularly shaped raised rashes over the body
- Intense itch
- Swelling of the parts
These symptoms can be very disturbing for patient. At times, the severe swelling of deep cellular tissue may lead to medical emergency. Acute Urticaria can lead to
- Sweating and pallor
- Hypotension
- Anaphylactic shock
- Collapse preceded by bronchospasm causing obstruction of respiratory tract.
Investigations for Urticaria
In acute cases, diagnosis is usually been made clinically and on history and no particular test are been done. However in chronic recurrent cases, the doctor may suggest certain test as
- Complete CBC and ESR
- Thyroid antibodies
- Ig E test for some antibodies
- Test to rule out underlying viral infections
- Biopsy and others
Treatment for Urticaria
Urticarial rashes can be controlled by
- Avoiding the triggering factors
- Itch relief
- Conventionally drugs as antihistamine, cortico steroids, epinephrine are been used as needed.
Role of Homeopathy in Urticaria
Urticaria can be very effectively treated using homeopathic medicines. The medicines are been selected on the basis of symptoms similarity, causation and personility of the person. Homeopathy raises the power of body immune system for self healing to fight against the cause leading to permanent effective cure. Homeopathic medicines can be taken along with prescribed medicines which then can gradually be tapered under the supervision of the physician.
Common Homeopathic Medicines for Urticaria
Apis Mel: Nettle rash occurs especially when the weather is warm. Skin is sensitive after insect bites with swelling and edema. Skin is red and hot with burning and stinging pain of the parts.
Arsenic Album: Urticaria with great burning and itching of the parts, accompanied with swelling and edema, restlessness: complaints are worse from cold and better by warmth.
Antim Crude: Urticaria with great itching leading to soreness of the parts. Sun heat can lead to itching and urticarial rashes; does not like to be washed in cold water
Natrum Mur: Large red rashes with violent itching, stinging and pricking sensation of the skin, urticarial rashes developing after exercise, at sea shore
Pulsatilla: Urticarial rashes after eating rich fatty food, summer rashes with itching more during night. Burning and itching of the parts accompanied with diarrhoea
Rhus Tox: Urticaria with intolerable itching of the skin. Small red rashes all over the parts. Complaints gets more in cold air, getting wet. Redness and swelling of the parts with great burning
Triosteum Perfoliatum: Hives from gastric derangements with redness of the parts accompanied with great burning and itching
Urtica Urens: Red blotches over the skin with great itch and burning. Burning stinging pain of the parts with edema. Nettle rash may alternate with joint pain.
For best results contact Anju Gupta of Homeopathy Health Care and we can help you to overcome the complaint of Urticaria. We serve you from three locations within GTA—Brampton, Etobicoke and Scarborough. Give us a call at 416-854-5941 and we will work with you to get relieve and lead a normal healthy life