Hives: What is the Best Treatment?
If you suffer from hives, then you’ll know that they develop on the skin as round, raised, very itchy welts on the skin. Most of the time they show up on your arms, stomach, chest and legs.
They can last from a few hours to weeks at a time. Usually hives are not serious unless they occur on the throat, tongue or lungs which can cause difficulty breathing – however that only occurs in very severe cases.
Hives are actually pretty common with up to 20% of people suffering from them at one time or another in their lives. They can occur at any age and any race.
Usually they appear either from an allergy or from stress. Therefore it is important to know which is your cause so you can choose an effective treatment.
The usual allergens that can cause hives are insect bites, pollen, certain foods, medications (especially if you’ve recently changed the one that you were taking) and stress as I’ve already mentioned.
Treatment
Often your doctor will prescribe an antihistamine to get relief from the symptoms of hives, and occasionally when antihistamine’s don’t work then you may be given a course of oral corticosteroids.
You can also purchase low dose antihistamines over the counter yourself such as Benadryl or Claritin without needing a prescription.
While you are waiting to for any medication to work, or if you would like to try and treat the hives yourself then apply a cold damp cloth to the area can relief itching and redness to the affected area. Try and keep the skin cool and dry and wear cotton clothing and sleep in cotton bedding so that your skin can breathe.
Many people say that taking a cool bath with a handful of uncooked oatmeal or baking soda can relieve the skin quickly of any itchiness.
And of course if stress makes your condition worse practice some relaxation techniques such as deep breathing, meditation and yoga. These also have the benefit of improving your immune system to help it deal better with your hives.
