Itch and itching - World Class Holistic Homeopathy Treatment
SKIN – Itch and itching
It is common for people to suffer from itching at one point of time or the
other. That is, under the watch strap, shirt cuff, tight ring, tight belt,
areas where we sweat more, overgrown hairy area or while wearing unclean socks
/ under garments or when exposed to dust / chemical or from creeping insects or
insect bites. These external factors will go off immediately if one eases the
situation by giving a gentle scratch or rub. But the feeling of itchy caused
due to the presence of internal diseases or allergic tendencies will not go off
so easily. Here the itch makes one scratch more, which in turn leads to more itching
and it becomes a cycle. Ultimately, one feels like there is a monster inside
the body.
Commonly, itch refers to scabies infection. But actually, itch medically
means skin disorder. Itching is an unpleasant sensation on the skin that
provokes the desire to rub or scratch the affected area to clear the sensation
or feeling. Itching can occur anywhere in the body other than the internal
organs which do not have touch sensitive nerve fibres. In the nose, the itching
sensation will cause sneezing, in the eyes, it causes watery eyes, in the
throat it causes hawking or cough and on the skin, itching will cause redness
and flare and may lead to eczema or dermatitis. The most common but tough
curable itch (skin disorders) are eczema and psoriasis.
Reason for itching
The ultimate reason for itching is to throw away the irritant (either
internal or external) that annoys the part. The action may be a violent scratch
or gentle rub of the part with or without nails. Since itching causes a very
uncomfortable condition, the brain gives an impulse in a fraction of a
second to the respective authority (hand or leg or the parts involved) to take
necessary action to ease the affected part from the irritants. As all these
mechanisms work to expel the disease force or foreign substance and prevent the
disease from entering the body, itching can also be considered one of nature’s
defence mechanism. In case of disease, itching will occur as one of the major
symptoms. Itching can occur both in the initial stages and in the healing stages
of the disease. In the initial stages, it occurs as a symptom and in healing
stage, itching acts as a defence mechanism to root out the healed part of skin,
since the falling healed swab will be identified as a foreign substance by the
brain due to its loss of blood supply, dryness and peeling nature.
Incidences
Itching can occur anywhere in the body for anyone at any time. Depending
upon the intensity of suffering and circumstances, adults can control itching
without scratching, whereas children scratch immediately as it requires.
Usually, itching tends to be worse in hot temperate climates, at night, after
sweating, after undressing, after bath, etc. The commonest sites for itching
are the scalp (dandruff, lice), beard (barbers itch), anus (pruritus ani),
vagina (pruritus vulvae), groin (jock itch), body itch after bath (swimmer’s
itch), in farmers ‘rice paddy itch’, etc.
Causes
The causes are innumerable i.e. from
using soap, using unclean socks, to life- threating disease like cancer – all
can cause itching. The most common causes are dryness and irritants (either
chemicals or insects). The causes may be internal or external, likewise,
localised or generalised.
·
External causes – insect bites, parasites (lice, mite,
worms, etc.), infections (bacterial or viral or fungal), dust / chemical
allergy, topical drug application, water pollution or contamination,
photosensitivity with exposure to hot sun, UV rays, infra red rays, etc.
·
Internal causes
Skin diseases
Dryness (either due to disease or ageing), urticaria,
eczema, psoriasis, allergic tendencies, lichen planus, prickly heat, acne, etc.
Systemic diseases which reflect itching as one
of the symptoms are – liver disorders (jaundice), diabetes , thyroid
problems, kidney problems (where urea remains high), blood disorders (increased
as well as decreased values), blood vessels disorders (varicose veins), cancer,
AIDS can cause itching and skin disorders. Likewise, allergic tendencies with
diet or drugs can also cause itching.
The causes may also be classified as
·
Physiological – hormonal changes occurring during
pregnancy, menopause and ageing process
·
Psychological – delusions
·
Pathological – due to diseases
·
The chemical cause for the itching in our body is mainly
due to the histamine release in that area.
Symptoms
It may be localised or generalised, i.e. in single part (as in palm or
fingers or head or groin) or throughout the body. The common symptoms are:
·
Unpleasant feeling – tickling, pricking, creeping,
annoying
·
Uncontrollabe scratching
·
Burning pain after scratching
·
Restlessness and irritability, causing disturbances in
work and sleep
Diagnosis
Examination of the skin usually helps only when there is a localised cause.
Also, the itchy part will be seen as scratched, injured, ulcerated part, so the
exact picture of itch presentation will be mostly masked. The cause of itch can
be analysed with skin swab and its culture. The other common investigation
which helps to analyse the cause are – Tc, Dc, Esr, Hb, absolute eosinophil
count, blood sugar, liver function test (especially bilirubin), urea,
creatinine and thyroid function tests.
PREVENTION & MANAGEMENT
Even simple care can prevent itching
i.e. Keep the skin moist and cool. Other do’s and don’ts are:
Do’s
·
Control scracthing
·
Wash / clean the part
·
Use moisturiser to avoid dryness of skin
·
Keep nails short and trimmed
·
Maintain personal hygeine / cleanliness
·
Dry the sweat fast
·
Have a good shower twice a day
·
Wear loose cotton underclothes / dresses
Take
·
A lot of water to keep good body hydration
·
Fresh fruits and vegetables for healthy skin especially
carrot, apple, pineapple, papaya, orange, lime, cherry, ginger, beet root,
spinach, etc.
·
Vitamins A, C and zinc supplements for healthy skin
Avoid
·
Scratching
·
Long time exposure to direct sunlight and hot places
·
Tight fitting / synthetic clothes
·
Undue sweating
·
Allergic substances – food / soaps / pollen / chemicals /
drugs
·
Strong soaps, powders, perfumes
·
Hot bath
·
Stimulants – coffee, alcohol, smoking and chewing tobacco
·
Preservative added tin packed foods / drinks
·
Unnecessary medications
COMPLICATIONS
Itching as such won’t produce any complication i.e. if one resists the
temptation to scratch or manages temporarily with just simple and slight rub,
to stop the itching temporarily. But when itching gets suppressed with
ointments or is scratched with nails or gets infected in the scratched area,
then complications begin. The first and foremost one is burning pain as if the
injured skin is rubbed against chillies. Also, since it arises mostly as a
subjective feeling with uncontrollable character, it won’t let one concentrate
on any other activity. It can also develop into sleep disorder. Itching can
also lead to eczema or other skin disorders. Even though it is bothersome,
unless otherwise suppressed, it won’t lead to serious illnesses.
GENERAL TREATMENT
Mostly no one goes to a doctor just for itching, in initial stages. They
would ignore / manage with simple talcum or prickly heat powders or skin
soothing / smoothening lotions (calamine). But recurrent and persistent bouts
of itching often compel one to opt for treatment. Modern school of medicines
usually prescribe anti- histamines with Vit C supplements. Sometimes, in
violent itching cases, they also prescribe steroids either as a topical cream
or as oral tablets depending upon the localised or generalised presence of
itching. Anyway, each one has its own adverse effects. Phototherapy / UV rays
therapy are also often tried to manage the situation.
HOMEOPATHIC APPROACH
Saying is easy and following is tough. This is wholly true about itching.
Everyone who advises to stop itching does not realise the actual discomfort of
the sufferer. Likewise, the pleasure of scratching (?) cannot be understood by
others as it is felt by the sufferers. The sufferer will be led to great
frustration if one attempts to suppress the temptation to scratch.
Itching is apparently suppressed by the modern school of medicines by just
applying artificial moisturiser or having allergic (anti-histamines) medicines
or supplementing vitamins and minerals. This palliative type of treatment
works for that day only and also usually drives the disease inner or deeper to
cause structural damages. Till the itch remains on the surface, it seems it is
going away, but when it is arrested or suppressed, it will burst inside. This
can be seen in many cases. For example, some may get asthma when suppressing
eczema, some would get fits when suppressing itching rashes, some would have
inner organs affected while suppressing the itch just with ointments or anti-histamines.
In many cases, itching rebounds with greater intensity after being suppressed.
Also, if the suppression type of treatment is followed for quite a long time,
then it is not only tough to cure the case, but also difficult to treat or
manage its side-effects which may endanger life.
Skin complaints are the toughest to treat, since skin is the outer most
part of the body and more prone to exposure to irritants which hinder the
healing process. The rational treatment should always be directed towards the
cause of the disease rather than suppressing or eliminating the effects.
Internal Homeopathic medicines can clear the persisting condition once and for
all, but it needs some time, i.e., one should have patience to enjoy the
benefit. In Homeopathy, Miasm Psora is meant for itch which is the base or
start-up of any disease. With Homeopathy, the whole disease could be
annihilated without any side-effects.
Homeopathic medicines commonly used for itch are Acid nit, Apis mel,
Cantharis, Graphites, Hepar sulph, Merc sol, Nat mur, Petroleum, Psorinum,
Radium Brom, Rhus tox, Sarasaparilla, Silicea, Staphysagria, Sulphur,
Tellurium, Thuja, Zinc met, etc. Even though, there are lots and lots of drugs
in homeopathy for itch, the main stalwarts are Sulphur and Psorinum. These
Medicines should be taken under the advice and diagnosis of a qualified
Homeopath.
for
new hope
Dr. S.
Chidambaranathan, BHMS, MD (Homeo)
Laxmi
Homeo Clinic
24 E.
New Mahalipatti Road
Madurai,
TN 625 001
India
Tel: +91-452-233-8833 | +91-984-319-1011
(Mob)
Fax:
+91-452-233-0196
E-mail:
drcheena@yahoo.com
www.drcheena.com / www.drcheena.in
(Disclaimer
- The contents of this column are for informational purpose only. The content
is not intended to be a substitute for professional healthcare advice,
diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of healthcare professional for
any health problem or medical condition.)