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How to cure HivesHives Treatment » How to Cure Hives
If the condition of hives persists more than 6 weeks, then it is termed as chronic hives. Sometimes, severe forms of hives are visible as face and the tongue might swell up a great deal. The person may find it difficult to breathe and may also choke while swallowing. This debilitating condition is called angioedema. Treatment of hives Hives are generally harmless skin reactions that disappear after some time on their own volition. One need not take any medication for hives to treat it in such cases. If the itching and burning sensation continue to irritate a person for more than a week, then it is better to seek the advice of a doctor. While handling hives treatment the doctors first tries to identify the causative factor that might have triggered the hives rash on the skin. For that the patient may need to undergo several allergy tests, blood tests, family history analysis and diet survey to understand what might have triggered the allergic reaction. If it is found that the hives reaction is due to any food allergen, then a systematic approach of eliminating the allergen from the food is the important step to lower hives rash. Most of the hives reactions respond well to anti-histamine drugs and even non-prescription medicines such as benadryl. Thin applications of Milk of Magnesia or Calamine lotions on the affected area are also one of the beneficial ways to treat hives. These lotions contain zinc which is necessary to heal the hives welts on the skin. Though Benadryl is a popular anti-histamine medication which can be obtained without any prescription over-the-counter, it induces lethargy and drowsiness among the patients. During the course of treatment, doctors may ask the patients to take non-lethargic anti-histamine drugs such as Claritin or Loratidine. In severe cases of hives, doctors may prescribe steroids or corticosterones to the patient. Steroids have an immediate impact on the levels of histamine in the blood stream. However, steroids are known to have their associated side-effects that can be detrimental for the patient. That is the reason why they are administered with caution. Sometimes, anaphylactic shocks can be life-threatening. Doctors administer injectible solutions of epinephrine in these cases and there is considerable relief to the patient suffering from such a condition. Popular home remedies can be tried to control hives rash. It can be puzzling to people facing the dilemma of how to cure hives naturally. Natural home-made remedies are cheaper and have no side-effects. Stress induced hives can be tackled by taking herbal teas. If you are sure that the hives have been induced by anxiety or emotional turbulence, then it is advisable to sip nerve-calming teas made of chamomile, rosemary or Red Alder leaves. You can also boil the bark of these herbs and add a pinch of mint to it. Herbal teas are known to relax the nerves and de-stress a person. The itching and stinging sensation on the affected area would reduce considerably if you hang a poultice of boiled and crushed rosemary leaves wound in a cloth. Apart from the above mentioned care during hives rash, a person with hives must avoid wearing very tight clothes and even scratching or rubbing the affected area. This might just aggravate the problem. Taking very cold or hot baths also must be avoided. If the weather permits, then patients with hives rash can take a cool water bath and pat the area dry with a soft towel. That can be followed by application of anti-histamine lotions. In severe cases of hives, a person may feel breathless and even face problems of choking and difficulty in swallowing. This could be due to angioedema, where the face and tongue have swollen considerably. A person may also get anaphylactic shock due to hives reaction that might have been triggered owing to wasp sting or insect bite. In such conditions, the person may even collapse owing to constriction of the wind pipe of the food pipe. Doctors may administer injectible solutions of epinephrine in the blood stream to solve the problem. Causes of hives While treating hives, doctors try to find out what might have triggered the onset of hives. Hives can happen due to any allergen that stimulates the auto-immune system of the body to produce antibodies IgE. These antibodies adhere to the mast cells of the skin surface and trigger the production of histamines. Histamine over-load in turn produces allergic reaction of hives on the body. In mild cases of hives, histamine load in the blood reduces on it sown. However, in severe to chronic cases of hives, this does not happen and the patient may suffer from persistent hives for a longer period of time. As has been discussed earlier, hives could be triggered due to any food allergen or food additive. Common food allergens that are known to cause hives are eggs, chocolates, soy, shellfish etc. People are known to get hives rash if they are under certain medications or drugs. Sulfa drugs, penicillin, aspirin etc are other drugs that produce allergic reaction of hives. They must be immediately stopped if a person is known to be suffering from hives allergy. Apart from food allergens, there are certain non-food substances that might trigger the allergic reaction, such as animal dander, old carpet, wasp sting, insect bite, emotional stress, wearing very tight fitting clothes and even profuse sweating.
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Hives is a skin allergic reactions which appear as raised skin welts appearing as pale and red mosquito bites on the skin. The area affected by hives is known to produce continuous stinging, itching and burning sensation. On vigorous rubbing, the hives appear to inflammate causing severe stinging sensation on the body. Hives appear in clusters and also change their location and shapes. They are generally found on arms, legs, back, torso, face and even tongue. The question regarding how to cure hives can be answered by first examining the severity of hives, the causative factors that might have triggered the onset of hives and the age of the patient suffering from hives.