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?

Did you know that milk can cause acne?

Including cheese, milk, and ice-cream etc into your daily meals maybe the reason behind the painful acne on your face. Processed milk and other dairy products negatively affect your skin and trigger the formation of whiteheads, blackheads and pimples. 

Here s how milk causes acne and what you can do to get clearer skin.

How does milk cause acne?

1. Milk contains a growth hormone IGF-1 (responsible for the growth and strength of calves) in large amounts. This has an adverse effect on your skin, and is responsible for its inflammation, which results in acne. In fact, this hormone can even increase the size of the acne.
2. Consumption of milk and other dairy products also result in a sharp rise in the amount of insulin present in your body, which initiates more IGF-1 production by the liver, thereby increasing acne.
3. Excessive sebum (oil) is secreted by your skin due to the consumption of milk, which results in more number of clogged pores, causing an acne breakout. Additionally, an increase in sebum helps the acne bacteria to grow and breed, which further causes skin inflammation.
4. Consumption of milk can render your skin unable to get rid of dead skin cells, causing more acne due to clogged pores. This happens as milk sticks dead cells together inside your pores, interfering with their natural process of falling off.

What can you do to get acne-free skin?

The best way to get acne-free skin is by trying to limit your consumption of milk and dairy products. You can do so in two ways:

1. Discontinue Milk Intake: Stop consuming milk and its products completely for at least 30 days and observe the changes. If your skin improves after 30 days, you can add small amounts of high-quality dairy, like organic yoghurt, to your diet. If eliminating milk does not show any positive effects, try observing other triggers of acne and look for appropriate methods of removing them. 

2. Switch to Organic Milk Products Only - If you find it difficult to totally cut off milk from your diet, try reducing the amount of milk intake and totally avoid processed milk products. Switching to raw, grass-fed dairy products will also be beneficial.

What are the alternatives to milk which can be consumed without harming your skin?

You can also replace milk with the following products in your diet chart to prevent the occurrence of acne.

1. Organic almond milk without added sugar
2. Organic coconut milk containing no artificial sweeteners
3. Natural coconut cream

Warning: Do not consume soy milk as a milk substitute as it contains omega-6 fats, which cause skin inflammation and swelling of acne.

If you would like to consult with me privately, please click on 'Consult'.

Did you know that milk can cause acne?

Atopic Dermatitis is a specific type of eczema which occurs when the epidermal layer of the skin is affected by eczema causing bacteria and other microorganisms. These eczemas are treatable and homeopathy finds a simple and natural solution to this disease. It not only helps to contain the disease from spreading it to other parts of the body but also helps in curing it of the root itself. There are some quick and effective remedies towards atopic dermatitis through homeopathy. Some of these are explained below.

Antimonium Crudum: People who have eczema which manifests as thick and hard boils are often given this medicine. In fact, it is administered both to children and the elder people. It has been seen that those who show symptoms of irritability in their behavior, get angry very soon and are most likely to be left alone, are the ones who are given this treatment to cure their eczema.
Arsenicum: Sometimes eczema is formed where boils turn thick and hard and have pus oozing out of it. For such skin infections, Arsenicum is the most widely used medicine that the homeopathic practitioners rely on. People who face such kinds of skin diseases are often seen to be depressed or melancholic in their lives. Thus, their mental feelings are often manifested in the form of eczema on their body.
Calcarea Carb: Eczema not only occurs on the body but also on the scalp. There are a few kinds of infections which have their roots on the scalp and then it starts spreading all over the face. For such kinds of infection, Calcarea Carb is the best form of homeopathic medicine which can be administered. In fact, patients with this problem are mostly children.
Graphites: Seems to be a very powerful and effective medicine against eczema which resembles ars. It is given to those patients whose skin becomes very hard and rough and there seems to be pus formation within the infection. Eruptions may be occurring in the eyes, behind the ears, and on the cheeks. Such infections are treatable with graphites.
Thus, if you are showing signs and symptoms of atopic dermatitis, then you should immediately consult your nearest homeopathic practitioner and get the proper medicine prescribed for yourself. Eczema would only spread and cause irritation in the skin if not timely treated and homeopathy offers one of the best types of treatments for this purpose.

Homeopathic Treatment For Atopic Dermatitis!

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!

Eczema is something which can really blight the quality of the life of a person. Sometimes, even the most mundane of things can cause our skin to have a reaction, resulting in allergic eczema. However, while it is annoying and painful, there are ways to go about treating it.

It is quite important, though, to understand what exactly eczema is. Simply put, it is a condition which occurs when the skin of the person suffering from it is inflamed.

Among the various groups of people who suffer from eczema, a lot of them are actually babies. However, they thankfully are able to grow out of the issue by the time they become adults. While it is true that eczema can strike any part of a person s body, among the places it strikes most often are the face, the neck and behind the sweat spots of the body i.e. the area behind the knees and around the ankles.

What causes allergic eczema?
Eczema is a lot of the time, a condition which is genetic. That being said, there are certain things which can go a long way into making it worse, which include stress and dry climates as well as external materials which irritate the skin touching it, like soaps which are just too strong.

What are the Treatment Options?
When it comes to things, which have the potential to make the situation a lot better, there is a group of medicines which are part of the antihistamine group which can work wonders. An interesting thing when it comes to the treatment of allergic eczema is the fact that a lot of the treatment for the issue involves a management of the inflammation that occurs along with an attempt to take better control and manage the immune system of the person who has eczema.

Depending on the severity of eczema a person has, a possible course of treatment involves making use of corticosteroids, which are strictly a prescription based way to go about treating eczema. Keeping this in mind, it is of the highest importance to make sure that whenever the steroids are being taken by mouth, there is a full adherence to what the doctor has recommended or directed.

As a last ditch resort, if the condition is really bad, there is a possibility of going for Ultra Violet Therapy in order to make it better. However, if one is looking for ways to reduce the intensity of their eczema sans higher doses of medication, stress management in something that can work well. In addition to this, a humidifier can do a lot to improve the situation.

Allergic Eczema - Ways You Can Contact It!

Having a cosmetic surgery is quite a big deal. It is an expensive surgery, which causes alteration of your body features. Although cosmetic surgeries are usually effective and provide satisfactory results, you should keep several things in mind before a cosmetic surgery. You should know all important facts about cosmetic surgeries, their procedure and results before undertaking one.

Here are the things you should consider and keep in mind:

Cosmetic surgeries are permanent: You would like the idea of perfecting several features of your body using a cosmetic surgery. However, you must keep in mind that such a surgery is permanent and your features would be altered forever. You should not undergo a cosmetic surgery half-heartedly and must think over and over before finalizing.
You should know why you are having a surgery: You need to have proper reasons why you want to undergo a cosmetic surgery. You should consider the exact reason why you feel that a cosmetic surgery is required. There are several physical and emotional changes which occur after a surgery and you should be prepared for the same.
You should know the results you want: Before having a cosmetic surgery, you should know exactly how the results would appear. Having a rough idea will not do and you should know beforehand how you are going to look post-surgery. You must make the doctor understand your requirements and desired results perfectly so that he or she can give the best results. You may use pictures and illustrations to explain your objectives to the surgeon.
You should know about the outcomes: Knowing about all the possible outcomes of the cosmetic surgery, which you have opted for is very important. For this, you need to surf the internet and do some research. Read from trustworthy medical care websites and also consult people who have had a cosmetic surgery before. You should also keep in mind the consequences which may arise if you do not like the results of a cosmetic surgery and be prepared mentally, in case some complications occur.
You should choose the best surgeon: Choosing a capable and efficient surgeon is an important thing to do, before thinking of having a cosmetic surgery. You should consider the location, experience and approach, while choosing the right surgeon. You should also make sure that the surgeon is qualified and registered to practice.
A cosmetic surgery is a serious surgery, which will change the way you look in certain ways, depending upon the type of cosmetic surgery you have chosen. Before deciding on having a cosmetic surgery, you should consider the above-mentioned factors and then only go for it.

Going for a Cosmetic Surgery - Things You Must Consider Before it!

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