Hello.
I would like to know if there is a natural remedy for chronic hives. Even though I have taken several different antihistamines that my doctor has prescribed for me over the past few months, the problems persists. According to my laboratory tests, I am not allergic, but I have autoimmune thyroiditis that they say is probably psychosomatic.
Thank you,
Laura

Dear Laura,

I suggest that you take a look at the right hand column (related articles) where you will find the many discussions that we have already dedicated to this subject.

You will find that hives, like any other allergy, is an alarm signal sent from a body that is suffering. Therefore the skin and its manifestations cannot be the primary object that a naturopath examines. Instead, he must consider the body as a whole and especially its general inflammatory responses.

Naturopathy emphasizes the importance of working on the origins of the problem (causalism) instead of suppressing the effects. This is the same non-pathology oriented approach that the naturopath takes with regard to autoimmune thyroiditis, which represents a further, powerful message that is sent from an imbalanced immune system.

The regulation of any existing dietary overloads often makes it possible to stabilize immune reactivity. As a matter of fact, there are almost always one or more classes of foods that are responsible for the insurgence of allergic reactions such as hives.

Statistics have even shown that there is a fairly strong correlation between some foods and hives symptoms: often, someone who suffers form hives also has a hypersensitivity to salicylates, yeast or nickel. In this situation it's useful to perform a test for intolerances, together with a weekly rotational diet based on the foods to which one manifests excessive sensitivity and perhaps enlist the support of hyposensitizing remedies.

Often, this not only solves the problem, but it also helps to reestablish a correct sensitivity towards foods in a short time. Among the various tests available for identifying intolerances, now it's possible to perform a specific DRIA test or mini DRIA, which are limited to a smaller number of substances and are focused on specific situations.

The hives DRIA was expressly designed for those who suffer from chronic hives. For a temporary period, it could be useful to follow a low histamine diet. This regime limits your intake of foods that contain a significant amount of histamine (especially fermented cheeses, cold cuts and some fish), as well as those foods that induce the release of histamine in the body (the so-called histamine-releasing foods such as chocolate, strawberries, exotic fruits, and oily seeds).

There are also various natural remedies that are helpful. These aids are not specifically aimed at curing hives as such, but instead they are useful for modulating the inflammatory response. With this type of corrective logic based on individual terrain, trace elements such as manganese, zinc, copper and lithium, vitamin C, the amino acid methionine (a true “antidote “for histamine), as well as vegetable products like blackcurrant, in gem extract or oil form can be used.

However, you must not overlook emotional components and psychophysical stress. These mental states affect the immune system as much as food and can make one overstep the threshold level beyond which allergic reactions explode. Attention to diet and a better management of emotional states represent the “keystone” of the immune rebalancing strategy and the physiological solution for disturbing skin irritations and allergies in general.

Best regards,

Dr. Luca Avoledo
Naturopath