Itching a an unpleasant sensation which we attempt to relieve by scratching. A certain amount of mild itching is normal for everyone. It becomes serious only when it is persistent. Many conditions lead to itching. These include insect bites, hives, contact dermatitis, food allergies and heat rash.
Other causes of itchiing may be diabetes, uraemia, jaundice, pregnancy, drug allergies and various types of nervous conditions. Constant scratching may produce swellings in the skin with deep scratch marks and small ulcers into which germs have found their way.
Itching due to drug reactions are common following the use of certain medicines such as, aspirin, phenobarbital, penicillin and many others. Medicines applied to the skin may also cause certain amount of itching. Some people are allergic to nylon, others to wool and still others to dyes and various other materials of the cloth.
Prickly heat or heat rash is an irritating eruption on the skin due to obstruction of the sweat glands over certain areas of the body. In this condition many small sized swellings occur in the skin, accompnaied by severe itching. The areas most involved are the chest, back, waistline, armpits and groins.
When two skin surfaces are rub together such as under the breasts or between the thighs, one or both surfaces may become red and irritated. This gives rise to infections. Burning and itchint then follow, especially in the armpits around the anus, between the fingers and the toes, and the groins.
Scabies is an intense form of itching caused by an itchmite. It mostly occurs in war conditions or other forms of the disaster, when large number of people are displaced from their homes and crowded together under unhygeinic conditions. The itching is usually worse at night. Often it involves the genital areas as the well as the spaces between the fingers, the front surface of the wrists, around the elbows, under the armpits, around the nipples, along the belt line and on the lower part of the buttocks.
Contact dermatitis is an infammation of the skin due to contact with some particular substance to which an individual may be sensitive. Any part of the body may be affected, but certain parts are more likely to be involved. These include the sex areas, and exposed areas as the eyelids, forearms, face and neck.
- Try to keep the itchy area cool and wet. Apply cloths soaked in ice water, or get in a cool tub or shower.
- Take an oatmeal bath or hold an oatmeal-soaked wet cloth on the itchy blisters for 15 minutes.
- Wrap 1 cup (0.2 L) of oatmeal in a cotton cloth and boil it for a few minutes until it is soft. Use this as a sponge and bathe in cool water without soap.
- Make a paste of baking soda with water. Apply it on the affected area.
- Avoid excessive sun rays and remain in a cool place. Heat increases itching.
- Use gentle soaps, such as Dove, Oil of Olay, or Basis. Avoid using strong soaps and deodorant soaps around blisters or a rash.
- Take 2 tsp. of salt in 1 qt (1 L) of cool water and prepare a solution. Wet a cloth with the solution and apply to the skin. This is one of the useful home remedies for itching.
- Wear cotton clothing. Avoid wool and acrylic fabrics next to the skin.
- Do not scratch the blisters. Scratching leads to more scratching and may cause a skin infection to develop.
- For itching cure, cut nails short to prevent scratching and possibly opening up the blisters.
- Wear cotton gloves at night to prevent scratching. Put mittens or cotton socks on the hands of babies and young children to prevent scratching.
- Make a powder by adding equal amounts of Variyaali and dhaana and one and half times of sugar. Take 1 tablespoon of this powder with water 3 times a day.
- Prepare a solution by adding 2 cups water, ½ teaspoon each Echinacea root and marshmallow root,1 teaspoon chamomile flowers,½ teaspoon peppermint leaf, ¼ teaspoon ginger rhizome. Combine water and Echinacea and marshmallow roots in a saucepan and simmer for about 5 minutes. Turn off heat and add remaining ingredients. Steep for 15 minutes, then strain out herbs. For a 50-pound child, give 1 to 2 cups daily. This is also very effective home remedy for itching.
- Take 1 cup boiling water, 1 teaspoon each calendula flowers, chamomile flowers, Echinacea root, elder flowers and yarrow flowers, 3 tablespoons baking soda. Pour boiling water over herbs and steep for 15 minutes, then strain out herbs. Stir in baking soda. Apply to irritated skin with a soft cloth or a sponge until itching is reduced. This is one of the best home remedies for itching.
- Get a few green acorns, cut them open and apply the green juice from the acorn onto the affected area, and within a couple of days, the rash or ring-worm would be dried up and gone
- Coat the inside of watchbands and some bracelets with 2+ coats of clear nail polish. Make sure each coat is completely dry before applying next.
- Mix equal amounts of honey and cinnamon powder and apply to affected area. One of the useful home remedies for itching.
- Take some vegetable oil or sunflower oil, mix sugar to make a kind of loose paste, apply to hands and just sit for a few minutes. When you wash it off, on a rag or something, hands will become super smooth and super soothed.
- For itching cure, avoid eating tomatoes, shellfish, strawberries, or citrus fruits while you have hives.
- Wash the skin several times a day with vinegar water. Make a solution by adding ¼ parts of apple cider vinegar and ½ parts of water and wash the skin.
Reference:
Clifford R. Anderson, M.D. : Your Guide To Health. Second edition.
The Editors of Time-Life Books. The Medical Advisor: The Complete Guide to Alternative and Conventional Treatments. Alexandria, VA: Time Life, Inc., 1996.
The Consumer's Medical Desk Reference. Ed. Charles B. Inlander. New York: Hyperion, 1995
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