Skip to main content

Chronic Itch

Chronic Itch? You Could Have a Skin Disease
An Itch to Scratch

Content Clout: 3.0 out of 5
Rate Content 5 (best) 4 3 2 1 (worst)
Published Nov 29, 2005 by Terri Rimmer
happynews.com, Adoption.about.com Related Content
Are You a Tick Target?
Common Baby Skin Conditions
Homemade Remedies for Psoriasis and Eczema

More by Terri Rimmer View all (142 total)
Classic House Destroyed by Katrina
Study: Circuit Parties Must Address the Spread of ...
The Slow Rise of the Gay Hotel Chain






Did you know?
Certain foods can make you itch?
Takeaways
· On the website there are breakdowns of current treatments.
· A major concern doctors have is the constant scratching from patients.
· Taking shorter baths or showers can help.
Comment | Add your own article to our site

Back in 1988 I developed a bad case of Eczema (Dermatitis) and had it off and on for a few years.
It was maddening. In the winter I had to pull up the sleeves on my sweaters because my arms would itch too bad to leave them down yet I would freeze.

In the summer sweating would aggravate the rash on my arms even more.

The cream I used cost me $50 ore more out of pocket when I had no insurance. Only a little dab was needed but the tube was so dang small!

Then I had to be careful about what I touched or brushed up against. And with my legs, which were also broken out in the rash, I had the same problems with pants that I had with sweaters and the same aggravation in the summer with sweat.

Having a cat on top of all that was no laughing matter.

At livingwithitch.org there are practical approaches to relieving itch in Psoriasis, something I developed later.

On the site there are breakdowns of current treatments for chronic itch along with practical guidelines for reducing the sensation of the itch.

Chronic itch can be extremely uncomfortable and affects people's lives in many ways.

There are four major types of itch: itch that originates from the skin, itch related to damaged nerve fibers or internal diseases such as chronic renal failure or liver disease causing itch, and itch based on psychiatric reasons.

A major concern doctors have with the condition regards the constant scratching on the area or areas.

Low ph cleansers and moisturizers help along with creams. For instance, I had to switch to Aveeno bath soap and bathe with Aveeno Oatmeal Bath Powder. Cooling agents can also assist in relieving the chronic itch. Topical anesthetics such as Pramoxine and EMLA cream affect both pain and itch receptors.

Some suggestions for relieving itch include taking shorter baths or showers and using lukewarm water, using a humidifier, staying away from tight-fitting clothes or wool, keeping your home cool, trying not to eat spicy foods, and minimizing alcohol intake.

Currently, Wake Forest University, who started the Living With Itch website, is conducting a study to see if sleeping on silk bed sheets reduces itch in persons two years old or older.

Steve Feldman knows all about the effects of chronic itch because he's a doctor who sees patients suffering from these conditions and has a son who also has the problem.

1 2 NEXT PAGE »






What's your take?



0 recent comments on this submission




Copyright © 2005 Associated Content. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms of Use | Site Map | FAQ

Popular posts from this blog

Women Using Book To Help People and Animals

By Terri Rimmer Donations from the profits of a new book are going to help people with AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome) and their pets. Following last year’s election, Cathy Conheim and her partner Dr. Donna Brooks were driving to their home, feeling discouraged about current events. There were “dog people” but when they arrived home they discovered a three-month-old kitten living on their property that had been injured badly. Off to the vet they sped with their young charge. An amputation was necessary to save the kitten’s life and they were told that he could no longer be an outdoor cat. They ended up adopting “Henry” and there ensued an incredible journey. Conheim started writing about the cat’s adventures as much for her own healing regarding some bad news politically as for anything else. She sent them to 20 people who sent them on, and today, Henry The Cat has 2,300 emails in ”his” letterbox in the sky. “My cat, Rhett Butler became one of Henry’s teachers and correspond...
Read more

Nature Organization Helps With Katrina Effort

By Terri Rimmer Recently 14 Nature Conservancy staff and two volunteers helped out in Mississippi with Hurricane Katrina relief. The country’s wildland fire management resources were mobilized to help with the government’s response. Although their hurricane-related duties didn’t have anything to do with flames their training lent itself well. During the stay in Hattiesburg, MS the team from the Nature Conservancy was able to have housing, transportation, meals, and other needs met. Within the organization the help was orchestrated by Paula Seamon and Sam Lindblom of the agency’s Global Fire Initiative. The team was involved in a variety of activities from clearing timber to helping evacuees. The Initiative helps teach people how fire can be useful and how it can be destructive. According to a press release from nature.org, the Conservancy’s website, the agency and partners have proposed renewed coastal conservation in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. A September release also stated that ...
Read more

Making Subsidies Accountable

By Terri Rimmer An award winner and author founded Good Jobs First back in 1998. Greg LeRoy, who wrote No More Candy Store: States and Cities Making Jobs Subsidies Accountable and winner of the 1998 Public Interest Pioneer Award of the Stern Family Fund, has made his organization a national leader. Good Jobs First frequently testifies before state legislatures, conducts workshops and training, and appears in the press. Good Jobs first says that the failure of large companies such as Wal-Mart to provide affordable and comprehensive health coverage to many of their employees has been a subject of growing controversy – all the more so because large numbers of those workers not insured on the job are turning instead to government programs such as Medicaid and the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). According to their website, goodjobsfirst.org, Wal-Mart has received more than $1 billion in economic development subsidies from state and local governments across the country. The...
Read more