Hives also called as urticaria is a painful and itchy inflammation of the skin characterized by welts. It often occurs as an allergic reaction after contact with some toxic substance that reacts badly with the body. The biggest culprits for hives are food products. Certain foods can be highly offensive and people are known to be allergic to them. The most common allergic foods are strawberries, chocolates, prawn and certain dairy products.
Stress and insect bites too can bring on a full-blown attack of hives. In most cases physicians treat hives using anti-histamines and anti-allergens. However, some natural cures can bring you timely relief and alleviate the intense itching caused by hives.
Ways To Cure Hives Naturally
Cold Milk Compresses
Apply cold milk compresses on the affected areas of the body. Milk has cooling and soothing properties that helps to give relief from itching on the body. Apply the ice-cold compresses for at least 15 minutes at a stretch and do this several times in a day until medical help arrives.
Baking Soda
Baking soda is a great cure for all skin related ailments. Make a paste of baking soda and water and dilute it well. Now apply this paste on the welts. This should immediately subside the itching. You can alternatively also take a bath with baking soda.
Oatmeal
Oats are great for soothing redness and itchy welts. Take a cup of raw and uncooked oatmeal and put in a bucket of water. Now bathe with this water. The oatmeal relaxes the skin and will temporarily alleviate the redness and irritation on the skin. It also restores the softness of the skin.
Wear Gloves at all Times
Until the welts or the urticaria subsides, wear gloves or mitts. This is to prevent you from scratching and breaking open the welts.
You can also wrap the affected area with cool gauze that has been soaked with cold milk. These cool compresses are a great way of preventing infection due to scratching.
Vitamin C
In case of frequent bouts of uritcaria or hives, ask your doctor to give you a prescription of vitamin C. Vitamin C in high amounts is said to enhance immunity in the body and reduce the amount of histamine levels in the body, which frequently lead to allergic reactions.
Avoid the Triggers
One you have identified the allergen; make sure you avoid it completely for the future. This can be done by individually isolating thefood culprits until you know which one causes an allergic reaction in the body. If an insect has bitten you in your home, you will have to inform your local pest control agencies to get rid of it from the house. Ants are known to be probable culprits.
Aloe Vera
Pure aloe Vera gel can be quite soothing on the skin. It not only reduces the inflammation caused by hives but also provides a protective coating on the surface of the skin.
Ginger
Ginger in any form is said to reduce the sudden rush of blood to the capillaries, which eventually causes the hives to occur. It also acts as a natural anti-histamine. You can have the ginger in the form of soothing ginger pops or crush some ginger in your tea and sip on this tea throughout the day.
Apply Calamine Lotion
Calamine lotion is helpful as it helps to reduce the allergic response in the body by shrinking the capillaries and preventing them from leaking too much of histamine into the blood stream. It also has a very soothing and cooling effect on highly irritated and itchy skin.
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Witch Hazel
Witch hazel is another lotion, which acts as an astringent and reduces burning and irritation of the skin. You can apply witch hazel evenly over the affected areas of the body..
Vinegar
The acidic effect of vinegar is helpful in diminishing the swelling caused by the welts seen in typical cases of urticaria. Take a teaspoon of white vinegar and put it in a tablespoon of water.
Now with the help of cotton apply this solution on the affected areas of the skin. This will give you a lot of respite from the itching caused by urticaria.
Fish Oil
Take fish oil capsules, which are rich in omega-3 fatty acids. These fatty acids are very helpful in reducing inflammation as they have anti-inflammatory properties. You can also eat some of the varieties of fish that are high on these fatty acids. These include trout, tuna and salmon. Mackerel too is a great option.
Chamomile Tea
At times, stress too is known to trigger an attack of urticaria or hives. In order to relieve stress, drink a few cups of chamomile tea, which is known to provide a soothing effect and is helpful in giving mental peace and equilibrium. In order to make the tea, boil some water and brew the herbal tea leaves in the water for a few minutes. Strain the tea leaves and have this tea with sugar or honey.
Meditation and Yoga
In order to banish stress, meditation and yoga too can be practiced on a daily basis. Yoga helps to provide calm and mental peace. Do some deep breathing exercises, which help to reduce internal trauma or stress that you may be experiencing. This can be helpful when you encounter very stressful situations.
Green Tea
Green tea has anti-histamine properties so make sure you have a cup of green tea every day. It will help to reduce the severity and frequency of the bouts.
Eat Probiotics
Eat a lot of probiotics especially those that are rich in acidophilus bacteria. These bacteria enrich the intestinal gut and reduce offensive reactions to environmental allergens. Eat live cultures especially those found in curd and cottage cheese. These help to enhance the active cultures of the bacteria present in the intestines.
With the help of the above remedies, you can easily overcome hives and urticaria in conjunction with allopathic intervention. It is important to curtail and reduce the environmental stressors and triggers that lead to the occurrence of urticaria on the skin.
Caution: Please use Home Remedies after Proper Research and Guidance. You accept that you are following any advice at your own risk and will properly research or consult healthcare professional.