Hives, also known as urticaria, is characterized by an outbreak of swollen red bumps on the skin. It may cause symptoms of itching, burning or stinging. The disorder can affect any part of the body including the tongue, throat and face. The size of the bumps can vary, they may join together to form plaques. The bumps or plaques appear and disappear until the disorder runs its course. In case of chronic hives, the bumps can last up to six weeks.

Symptoms
The symptoms of this disorder are formation of bumps on the body, severe itching and pain resulting from the bumps. The symptoms can get aggravated by stress, heat and exercise. You may also experience dizziness, chest pain and a swollen throat.

Causes
Chronic hives can be caused when specific cells in the body release histamine in the blood. The exact cause of this disorder is not known. This reaction of releasing histamine in the blood can be triggered by factors like: 
1. Insects
2. Medications to control pain
3. Scratching
4. Exposure to cold and heat
5. Excessive consumption of alcohol
6. Heavy exercise

Being a female and being young raises your risk of being affected by this disorder.


Ayurvedic Treatment
The first line of treatment for hives is the use of home remedies. The doctor will aim to treat any underlying condition, if any. Ayurvedic remedies for hives are holistic and free from side effects. They are based on natural ingredients that do not cause any adverse effects on the body.

The Ayurvedic treatment for this disorder are

Herbs: Certain herbs like turmeric are very effective to treat this condition. It is known for its anti-inflammatory properties that help relieve its symptoms. A mixture of rock salt and mustard oil can be applied on the affected part to foster speedy recovery.
Diet: You need to follow certain dietary guidelines so that the symptoms do not get aggravated. Avoid taking foods that are sour and salty. Include plenty of buttermilk as it has a cooling effect on the body.

Chronic Hives - How Ayurveda Remedies Helpful in Treating it?

Urticaria, also known as Hives and Nettle Rash. It is an allergic disorder. It is similar to the rashes that are caused due to touching a nettle plant. This allergic reaction can be caused due to a variety of reasons, thus increasing the difficulty in identifying the exact cause of the allergy. Homeopathic medication has proved to be very efficient in treating urticaria. Some of the best homeopathic remedies include:

1. Apis Mellifica: Described as one of the best solutions to urticaria, this medication is commonly prescribed with regard to treatment. The characterising symptoms of this medication is eruptions accompanied by inflammation and sting. It is similar to the sting of a bee where there is redness and swelling. Exposure to heat in any form is intolerable as the eruption are aggravated. The slightest of touch can cause burning or itching and the patient usually remains thirsty.

2. Dulcamara: This is a medication that is usually prescribed for Urticaria, caused due to cold air or wet weather or dampness. Consumption of sour food or indefinite diet can cause the eruptions. Even though the skin is often dry, there is redness and itching.

3. Natrum Mur: One of the frequently used medicines for urticaria, this medicine is prepared from common salt. It is used in cases where the eruptions are triggered by exposure to the sun, thereby resulting in intense itching. The skin has an oily or greasy feel. Most likely locations of occurrence include margins of hair or bends of joints.

4. Ledum Pal: This medication focuses on the eruptions that occur on the legs and feet. There is a possibility of the infection spreading from the lower to the upper regions at a later stage. Increase in itching can result from the warmth of bed or on scratching. Colder conditions provide a soothing sensation

5. Astacus Fluviatilis: This is an effective medication that be used to treat, both acute and chronic urticarial forms. Rashes are visible on the entire body and are at an increased sensitiveness to air. It is recommended for liver diseases and liver-related symptoms that are accompanied by urticaria.

Best Homeopathic Remedies for Urticaria

 Hives , also known as urticaria, is the outbreak of pale red, swollen bumps on the body. It can occur on any part of the body including the face, back, arms or legs. It is a type of hypersensitivity reaction in which the cause for the reaction is idiopathic (unknown). Also, it can come in various shapes and sizes. Hives can be associated with redness, itching, and a burning and stinging sensation. These can last for more than a minute or even more than that; up to days.

What causes hives?
Most of the times, hives are idiopathic, i.e. the reason that causes this type of hypersensitivity reaction is unknown. The bumps are caused by the action of histamine that makes the plasma in the blood leak out of the small blood vessels. Histamine is a substance that is released from a specialized cell and is what causes allergic responses in general. There are three types of hives- namely, acute, chronic urticaria and physical urticaria. Acute urticaria is when the hives last for less than six weeks. Chronic urticaria occurs when the hives last for more than six weeks. 

Physical urticaria refers to the condition when the hives are triggered due to causes such as heat, cold, sun exposure, sweating, pressure and exercise. Although, this condition is mainly idiopathic, there are common causes that may trigger this condition such as:

Foods such as nuts, fish, chocolates, milk and milk products
Environmental triggers such as pollen grains, dust etc
Medications such as ibuprofen or paracetamol
Insect bites
Latex
Blood transfusion
Bacterial infections including strep throat and urinary tract infection
Pet dander
Plants such as poison oak or poison ivy
What are the symptoms of urticaria?
Hives are usually self-diagnosable. The various symptoms of urticaria are:

Swollen red bumps known as weals
The red bumps can occur suddenly and subside all of a sudden as well
 Blanching which is characterized by the whitening of the swollen red part.
They occur on any part of the body and can change shapes, and sizes. It can become larger or it can reduce in size; it can also move around in the body.

Hives - Most Common 9 Reasons Behind It!

Urticaria, commonly known as hives, usually occurs due to an allergic reaction. Sheetapitta is a similar condition in Ayurveda, as the symptoms are similar. Sheetapitta is comprised of two words-  sheeta  (cold) and  pitta  (warm). The condition occurs due to dominance of cold (existing in kapha and vata dosha) over pitta dosha.

Causes of Sheetapitta/urticaria-
Ayurveda believes, sheetapitta is caused due to the following reasons-

Excess intake of pungent (katu) and salty (lavana) food, mustard
Over consumption of sour gruels
Sleeping during the day
Contact with cold substances
Exposure to cold wind
Improper emesis (vomiting)
Insect bite (keeta damsha)
Coming in contact with poisonous bugs and insects (krimi samsarga)
Effect of seasonal changes on the body
Due to the factors mentioned above, especially because of exposure to cold wind, kapha and vata doshas become aggravated, and inevitably combine with pitta dosha. These spread all over the body and produce rashes on the surface of your skin.

Symptoms-
A person having sheetapitta/urticaria will encounter these symptoms-

Itching/pricking sensation
Nausea/vomiting
Fatigue
Tastelessness (aruchi)
Thirst (pipasa)
Lethargy
Reddish discoloration of the eyes (rakta lochanata)
Fever
Ayurvedic approach to cure Sheetapitta-

Ayurveda focuses on eradicating the doshas and purifying of the body toxins with Ayurvedic medicines & Panchkarma procedures. This is the essential part of Ayurvedic approach to cure urticaria. Abhyanga (massage), svedana (fomentation), vaman (induced vomiting) and virechen (induced lose motion) are very effective in treating Urticaria.

Ayurvedic treatment for Urticaria (Sheetapitta)-
Ayurvedic treatment for urticaria involves body purification therapy like Samshodhana, and oral medications. Some popular, effective techniques used in the treatment are-

Applying mustard oil all over the body
Applying mustard oil mixed with Saindhava lavana and Yavakshara
Use of a herbal powder named Eladi choornam that contains natural ingredients like elaichi
Applying medicated paste prepared from Haridra and Doorva, Kushta and Ghee over the rashes
Apart from these, herbs such as Guduchi, Yashtimadhu, Amalaki are recommended in the treatment of sheetapitta
Although urticaria is not a fatal condition, it can seriously affect one s quality of life. Many people suffer from urticaria for several months or years. Continual intake of conventional medicines reduces body s immunity. Moreover, the incidence of recurrence of this condition is often found. Thus, Ayurveda has an upper hand in treating hives, as it offers a comprehensive and permanent solution for this problem.

Sheetapitta - Causes, Symptoms & Ayurvedic View On It!

 Hives  or  urticaria  can be defined as an outbreak of reddish swollen bumps on the skin surface. This happens because of the body s response to involuntary histamine release by the skin s blood vessels (which in turn, cause a leakage of blood plasma). The infection generally lasts for about 5-6 weeks, varying significantly in sizes and shapes. Although it is not a serious medical condition, hives can posit considerable discomfort to the affected person (coupled with severe itching and a constant burning sensation near the spot).

Although the exact reason behind the development of this condition is still unknown, researchers suggest that there are some factors that initiate the disorder.

Hives can occur as a result of insect or parasite bites.
In some cases, this disorder might occur as a side effect of painkillers or anti-inflammatory drugs.
Excessive intake of alcohol or foods rich in proteins such as eggs, fish, nuts, chocolate, berries etc. might also cause hives.
Excessive exposure to the harmful UV rays of the sun or high levels of stress can also result in hives.
Also, suffering from serious underlying medical conditions such as cancer, hepatitis or thyroid disorders might drastically aggravate chances of chronic hives as well.
Symptoms

Development of numerous reddish welts around the face or the arms along with a severe itchy sensation, recurrent feeling of tightness around the chest and constant dizziness.
Oral inflammation
If not treated immediately after diagnosis, this disorder might cause life- threatening allergic reactions such as Anaphylaxis (a condition which narrows down the bronchial tubes and causes significant breathing troubles) and auto-immune disorders such as rheumatoid arthritis.

The homeopathic preparations useful for treating hives have been mentioned below:

Apis mellifica: This medication works best for a case of hives that has resulted from insect or parasite bites. Other symptoms that are taken care of by this medication include severe itching and a stinging sensation that worsens at night or with exposure to cold, coupled with mild fever.
Arsenicum album: This homeopathic preparation is effective to cure hives that include symptoms of a burning sensation, abnormal swelling, and constant restlessness.
Ichthyolum and Astacus: This preparation is effective to cure chronic hives caused due to serious medical conditions such as uric acid, tuberculosis, or excessive alcohol consumption. People suffering from this particular type exhibit symptoms such as a large appetite, irritability, and a constant itchiness.

Can Homeopathy Treat Hives?

Schnitzler s syndrome is a very rare condition described by a reddish rash that looks like hives (urticaria) and lifted levels of a particular protein in the blood (monoclonal IgM gammopathy). Symptoms connected with the Schnitzler disorder may include increased levels of fever, joint inflammation, joint pain (arthralgia), bone agony, and different discoveries, for example, swollen lymph nodes (lymphadenopathy). It also causes weight reduction, discomfort, exhaustion, and broadened spleen and liver. This condition should be treated in terms of taking care of the symptoms so that they do not become debilitating.

Some of the other symptoms include the following:

Urticaria (hives) depicts red raised patches of the skin. These are once in a while irritated. They may last for about 12 hours to 3 days. This may become severely painful if not treated in time.
80% of such patients suffer from painful or swollen. A few patients experience bone pain as well.
High fever might be there accompanied by chills and night sweating. This can give rise to further uneasiness and is usually caused when the immune system is attacked by the ailment.
One of the main symptoms of the Schnitzler disorder is monoclonal gammopathy. This mostly means a raised level of immunoglobulin M (IgM)
Reasons behind it

The main cause behind the Schnitzler syndrome is unknown. Specialists believe that particular parts of the immune system may not work appropriately in the end because of the Schnitzler syndrome. Individuals with the Schnitzler disorder additionally have monoclonal IgM gammopathy, in which abnormal production of immunoglobins result in elevated levels of immunoglobulin M (IgM) in the body. Immunoglobulins are proteins delivered by the white blood cells. A few analysts believe that IgM antibodies accumulate in the skin (epidermis), setting off a reaction that causes the rash. At the time of diagnosis, IgM levels may just be somewhat raised and may stay stable for quite a long time.

Diagnosis

The diagnosis of the Schnitzler disorder is based upon an intensive clinical assessment, patient history, rejection of different other disorders and proof of fever, joint pain or aggravation, bone pain, discernible lymph nodes, amplification of the liver or spleen, lifted quantities of white platelets (leukocytosis), raised red platelet (erythrocyte) or anomalies, which can uncover expanded bone thickness (osteosclerosis).

Treatment: 
Anakinra is a successful treatment for Schnitzler syndrome. It is also very commonly used to treat rheumatoid joint inflammation. The following medicines and therapies have been proven to be successful for treating the Schnitzler disorder over a period of time. These are as follows:

Antihistamines
Nonsteroidal calming specialists
Systemic steroids (prednisone)
Hydroxychloroquine
Colchicine
Dapsone
Pamidronate
Thalidomide
Pefloxacin
Phototherapy
Immunosuppressive specialists (ciclosporin, methotrexate, cycloposphamide)
Biologic specialists (tocilizumab, rituximab)
The Schnitzler disorder is a long-term infection, so stopping a promising treatment can tend to cause a relapse and may cause the disease to reappear. Also, the medicines mentioned above should not be taken without consulting a doctor as they can have sever side effects, if not administered under the guidance of a physician.

Schnitzler Syndrome - Things You Must Know About It!

Don't wait any longer, manage your Ear Image online with a Lybrate doctor today

Consult for Ear Image - Online and Easy!

FilterClear All

COMMON SPECIALITIES

COMMON ISSUES