Chronic Urticaria

[DeSwiss]

9. I've had chronic idiopathic urticaria since 2003.

I've tried many alternative treatments, none of which worked for me, although some say (in the health forums) that they worked for them. You should also take vitamin B-12 (sublingual is best) because the condition depletes this essential vitamin for some reason. There is more that Medicine doesn't know about urticaria, than what it does know. I suppose what we need is a celebrity with this condition so we can raise awareness. And money. :-/

Hives runs in families too. Like mine. Also, you should know that urticaria is more than just cosmetic. Improperly treated it can spiral out of control. Your immune system begins to overreact to things it previously handled with ease. It's like your body decided to stop killing flies with a swatter and began using a sledgehammer instead. Except you're the fly in this scenario.

I believe this condition to be like so many other immune disorders we're beginning to see. Over the past fifteen years there has been an uptick in the instances of breast cancer, testicular cancer, Type-2 diabetes and autism to name a few of the major problems, and all having a connection with the functioning of our immune and hormone system's regulation. I also think that most of these problems are directly related to the food we eat, the air we breathe, the personal care products we use, and the water we drink. (You might want to see what I mean here.)

Internally, urticaria can wreak havoc upon you internal organs over time. So too will the most effective and last-resort treatment for urticaria: corticosteroids like Prednisone (also called Deltasone), which you can't remain on for too long because the cure becomes worse than the disease. I know this first hand. In some people urticaria can be life-threatening making the lungs fill-up with fluid.

I'm now a vegetarian and have taken my health/food decisions back into my hands. Reconsidering your lifestyle is a must. And you'll want to attend to this as soon as you can, because like I mentioned above, it can spiral out of control and take over your life. I know this first hand too. There are also some forums out there where people share information and misery stories.

Here are a few more links that I hope help:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chronic_idiopathic_urticaria
http://www.earthclinic.com/CURES/hives.html
http://www.botanical-online.com/urticariaremedies.htm
http://www.botanical-online.com/urticariacure.htm
http://www.urticaria-relief.com/index.html
http://wn.com/urticaria (interesting videos)
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15736714
http://www.webmd.com/allergies/guide/hives-urticaria-angioedema
http://www.gihealth.com/html/education/drugs/prednisone.html
http://www.urticaria-relief.com/index.html (for profit)
http://www.hives.org/hives-pictures.php
http://www.dermnet.com/images/Urticaria-Acute
http://www.dermnet.com/images/Urticaria-Vasculitis
http://www.dermnet.com/images/Angioedema
http://www.dermnet.com/moduleIndex.php?moduleID=19