 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 or hives are red, raised lesions that occur anywhere on the body, usually around the trunk, hands and legs. They appear as small round rings or large patches that changes shape, may itch and be surrounded by a red flare. They can be acute or chronic, with acute almost always being an allergic reaction. It is often due to unknown causes, ranging from chronic irritation to parasitic infection to temperatures to water types.

Homeopathy treats diseases as a whole, and similarly, when treating urticaria tries to identify associated symptoms and thereby treat the cause also. After a detailed discussion about predisposition and associated symptoms, a customized remedy will be prescribed, which may include one of the following common homeopathic remedies.

Apis Mell: The hives consist of isolated patches that are painful, tender, itch at night, feel like bee stings, become purple. There is burning pain, slight fever, and warmth of the surrounding skin. It is worsened by changing weather and exercise, causing severe itching and burning. The patient may already have asthma.
Arsenic Album: The urticaria is caused by eating shellfish and causes burning and restlessness. The condition gets worse being at the seaside and by getting into sea water. Arsenic is also useful to treat urticarial symptoms during the recession of the lesions. The person also could be down emotionally with depression, despair, indifference and irritability. If the lesions are more severe, the restlessness is also severe. It is worse after midnight, from 1 to 2 a.m.
Rhus toxicodendron: Prepared from the leaves and bark of the plant poison ivy, Rhus works on multiple body systems including skin, joints, eyes, extremities, and overall vitality. In addition to urticaria, it is also used in cellulitis, arthritis, fevers, etc. It is effective if the urticaria has a burning sensation, inflamed reddened rash that is worsened by cold and improved by warmth.
Urtica urens: Made from a plant called stinging nettle, which itself has a tendency to produce urticaria, it is used when there is urticaria from bee stings or after eating shellfish. The lesions are red with severe burning and itching, recurring every year, could be associated with weather changes.
Natrum Muriaticum: The common salt sodium chloride is potentized, and its inner healing power activated. It is used for chronic urticaria, where the lesions develop after severe irritation.
Dulcamara: The lesions develop followed a general prickly sensation setting in and at night when it is cold and damp. The hives are irregular white patches surrounded by a red area that itch badly. The hives are associated with violent cough, swelling of the lymph nodes, fever, restlessness, sleeplessness, decreased appetite, nausea, vomiting, bitter taste, and intense aching in pit of stomach.

Urticaria - 6 Homeopathic Remedies For Hives Disease

Hives, also called urticaria are swollen welts or bumps that appear on your skin suddenly.

They itch, burn and sting and can happen anywhere on your body. You can get them on your face, lips, tongue, ears or chest. And in size, they can be as small as an eraser to as large as a plate. They also form plaques and can last for hours or up to several days.

Types

Acute urticaria - These type of hives last less than six weeks. The most common causes are allergies due to certain foods and medications, or infections. These hives can also happen due to diseases or insect bites.
Chronic urticaria - Hives lasting more than six weeks come under this category. What causes them is usually more difficult to identify than what causes acute urticaria. In some cases, chronic hives are caused due to thyroid disease, hepatitis or even cancer. This type can affect your internal organs like lungs, muscles, and the gut. Thus, symptoms include muscle soreness, shortness of breath, vomiting, and diarrhoea.
Physical urticaria - These types are caused due to direct physical stimulation of the skin due to cold, heat, sun exposure, vibration, pressure, sweating, and exercise.
What causes hives?

Hives happen mostly due to allergies. Some of the common hive triggers are-

Certain foods, especially peanuts, eggs, nuts and shellfish- Fresh foods are more likely to cause hives as compared to cooked foods. Certain food additives and preservatives can also play culprits. Medicines like penicillin and sulfa- based antibiotics, aspirin and ibuprofen which are non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medications, high blood pressure drugs like ACE inhibitors, and painkillers such as codeine can also trigger hives. Other things that may cause it are:

Insect bites
Latex
Transfusion of blood
Bacterial infections, including urinary tract infections and infected throat
Viral infections- common cold and hepatitis
Pollen grains
Plants like poison oak and poison ivy
Sunlight
Cold weather
Pet dander 
If you wish to discuss about any specific problem, you can consult a dermatologist.

What Are Hives? What Causes Them?

Wisdom teeth are known to be the final molars to grow out and they complete the set of permanent teeth. They generally start to erupt during the late teens or in the beginning of twenties. 

In case of some people, there is a possibility that the wisdom teeth may never erupt, while others may even grow four and more wisdom teeth. 

Do all wisdom teeth create dental problems?
No, if a wisdom tooth has completely erupted through the gum and tissue, without actually harming the teeth next to it, it does not require to be extracted. But, this is only if the individual is able to clean and brush it thoroughly. The wisdom teeth should be properly examined and dental care is necessary to prevent any complications. 

When do wisdom teeth need extraction?
Proper oral care of the teeth will keep them healthy and clean. But there may arise a situation, in which the removal of the wisdom teeth is quite necessary:

1. In certain cases, the wisdom tooth may erupt at a weird angle, compromising the teeth next to it. This may make it difficult to clean the teeth thoroughly, thus resulting in the onset of bacterial growth and periodontal disease. In this case, the wisdom teeth should be removed as soon as possible. 

2. While the wisdom teeth grows out, it may happen that there is not enough space for it to grow properly. As a result the adjacent teeth may face pressure due to crowded teeth, leading to headaches, toothaches and jaw pain. It is best that the wisdom teeth is extracted in this situation.

3. In case a wisdom tooth develops a cavity, it should be extracted. 

4. An impacted wisdom tooth, that is, if it has only partially grown out of the tissue, should also be extracted before it can cause serious complications.

All About Wisdom Teeth

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

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!

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