Cholenergic Urticaria - do you know of any natural remedies/ treatments?

My teenage daughter has suffered with heat rash and hives to the point of being disabled with it. She cannot do any physical activity and her emotions (any fluctutation, either happy or sad or mad) will set off an episode. She was very active in sports, and has now become depressed because of her limitations. We have exhausted medications and medical resources: specialists, paediatricians, counsellors, allergists, you name it!

Her rash consists of a prickly, heat rash that covers her entire body except the palms of hands and soles of her feet - she looks 'scalded' from it. The hives then cover her whole body and the itch is unbearable. She takes an antihistimine every day to prevent the hives, and yet she still gets the heat rash.

If anyone has information regarding the causes that they know about (ie: thyroid dysfunction), PLEASE let me know! She is desperate to either treat the symptoms or get to the root of what is causing it.

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Conditions:

Urticaria

Related Terms
鈥?Angioedema; Dermographism; Hives; Prickly Heat
Principal Proposed Natural Treatments
鈥?None
Other Proposed Natural Treatments
鈥?Acupuncture; Food Allergen Elimination Diet; Quercetin; Vitamin B12; Vitamin C

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Proposed Natural Treatments for Urticaria
References




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Urticaria, commonly called hives, is an inflammation of the surface layers of the skin, and is characterized by small, itchy red or white welts (called wheals). Urticaria is usually caused by an allergic reaction; however, the allergenic trigger is often unknown. When a cause can be identified, it is frequently something taken by mouth, such as shellfish or other fish, dairy products, peanuts or other legumes, chocolate, fresh fruit, or medications. Sometimes other allergens such as pollens, molds, or animal dander can produce hives. Hives can also be caused by heat (cholinergic urticaria or "prickly heat"), cold (cold urticaria), pressure (dermographism and pressure urticaria), light (solar urticaria), exercise, and certain infections such as hepatitis B.

In most acute cases, urticaria disappears within hours or days without any treatment. Sometimes, however, it may continue for a prolonged period, or recur frequently. Such chronic cases are often very difficult to treat.

Urticaria is closely related to another condition called angioedema, which involves swelling in the deeper layers of the skin. When swelling occurs in the throat or tongue, angioedema can be life-threatening.

Urticaria and angioedema are also closely related to anaphylaxis, an extremely dangerous condition that can lead to death within minutes or hours. Anaphylaxis is an overwhelming allergic reaction that may lead to swelling of internal organs, collapse of blood circulation, shock, or suffocation. It may be caused by all the same factors that trigger hives; one of the most well-known causes is bee sting allergy.

Conventional treatments for urticaria and angioedema include avoidance of triggering factors, antihistamines, and, occasionally, corticosteroids. When breathing is threatened, epinephrine shots and possibly hospitalization may be needed.


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Proposed Treatments for Urticaria
Food Allergen Elimination Diet

Because urticaria may be caused by food allergies, food allergen elimination diets have been tried as a treatment for chronic symptoms.

There are many forms of the elimination diet. One of the most common involves starting with a highly restricted diet consisting only of foods that are seldom allergenic, such as rice, yams, and turkey. Other proponents of the elimination diet allow a greater range of foods at the outset. If dietary restriction leads to resolution or improvement of symptoms, foods are then reintroduced one by one to see which, if any, will trigger urticaria. (For more information see the article on food allergies.)

The results of preliminary studies suggest that the elimination diet can be effective in some cases of chronic or recurrent urticaria. 1,2,3 However, this is an arduous approach that is not for the faint of heart. Various forms of allergy testing have been advocated to make matters easier; the idea is to identify specific offending foods only, rather than eliminating practically everything. Unfortunately, food allergy testing appears to be somewhat unreliable when it comes to identifying foods that cause urticaria. 4

Acupuncture

In China, urticaria is often treated with acupuncture; however, the evidence that acupuncture works for this condition is far too weak to rely upon at all. 5

Other Natural Treatments

Vitamins C and B 12, and the flavonoid quercetin, have also been suggested, but there is no evidence as yet that they really work for treating urticaria.




http://www.jigsawhealth.com/nat.aspx?&ch...

if doc has ruled out itching as a symptom of liver disease,or occult cancer,,,,,then i'd say this,,,,her doc should have taken skin scrapings for microscopic study and culture,,,,,,,then ,with your help write down 2 weeks of recent diet,,,,10 yrs of gen. diet & health history,as well as yours,dads,and sibling history as well,,,,,,,,then ,,,,,,,what chemicals does she consume,.breath ,whether in make up,lipgloss.nail polish; is there mold.fungus,insects,dustmites or pets in the house,in the bath area.what has she had in the way of antibiotics(often derived from mold) Ive answered a lot of posts here citing docs who might be able to help(they're outside the circle of specialists,insurance companies,medical fraternities,,,,,they are licensed by their respective states and sometimes have traditional credentials too.they're called clinical ecologists(american academy of environmental medicine),,they can refer you to the closest practitioner .the work they do is labor intensive,,,,,,but they may help,,,,,,,ecxema is sometimes a local inflammation to skin because of (hypothetically)allergy to corn syrup,salicylates,one or more of common food protein sources like lamb,beef,chicken,fish,shellfish,,,,,,,t... might be one persons allergic profile.......docs dont like layfolks using 'allergy",as it intereferes with their concept of anaphalaxia,,,throat swelling,hives,fever,convulsions,,,,,,th... want you to be doing the chicken before they'll call it "allergy".unless the doc who treats your soccerkid ,mom with the detail described above,the treatment given is second rate,thoughtless,,,,,,,,and that practitioner oughta be practicing at ice station zebra,where they'll do less harm,,,,,,,another thing,,,,the doc should draw blood,check sed rate,,,and search for antigens to the stuff that you might present to them on the health questionnaire,,,,,,the thorough way is going to pee your doc off,because introducing offending foreign substances into the dermis(this is a bit deeper than rast tests) might trigger a hidden malignancy,or undiagnosed autoimmune disease jwhich,judging by the distress it already causes,it possibly is .the clinical ecologists have been using this technique for years ,and often helps the patient as a tool in their treatment ,