HIVES

HIVES are among the most common kind of skin allergies. Hives usually appear in the form of one or more raised light red patches called wheals. They have clearly defined edges, and they itch. Sometimes the join together to form larger patches. Hives are annoying, even embarrassing, but they are usually harmless and often disappear within a few hours. The only time hives demand serious immediate attention is when the tissue around the larynx swells and breathing is obstructed.

While everyday hives, also called urticaria, are not life-threatening, they can be disruptive and, when they occur frequently, and you should investigate to learn the cause. A number of things can cause hives, the most frequent in adults being medications or foods whereas children most often develop most often develop them in reaction to foods and food additives or to infections. Some people develop hives from exposure to cold, sunlight, heat, or even water

Medications, particularly aspirin and penicillin are common causes of hives. Most people who are allergic to aspirin will develop a reaction immediately after ingesting it. The same thing will happen with penicillin except that sometimes people don’t realize that the source of the penicillin is not the pharmacy but the dinner table. Penicillin found in minute amounts in milk, soft drinks and frozen dinners has been the cause of hives in particularly sensitive people. Obviously, if you develop hives after taking penicillin or any medication, you should let your doctor know. If you have recurring hives and can’t pin down the cause, particularly if you know that you’re allergic to penicillin, you should consider your food, especially dairy food, as a possible source.

I’ve found in my practice that people who regularly suffer from hives have developed them as a result of hidden food and food additive allergies. Milk, soy products, and yeast products are common culprits. Often the offending food is easy to recognize, as the hives appear a few minutes after ingestion. Shellfish, strawberries, milk, fish, beans, and nuts are common allergenic foods. Obviously, if one of these foods gives you hives, you should avoid it. Sometimes people can suddenly have a reaction to a food that they’ve eaten in the past without problem. I had one very dismayed patient in her mid-forties that began to develop hives whenever she ate lobster, a food that she’d often enjoyed in the past. She was eager for some medication that would enable her to go back to her favorite seafood, and I had to disappoint her and tell her that she must give up lobster.

Some patients have come to me because they have recurring hives that they can’t connect with any particular food. Many people develop hives in reaction to food additives. Here are some common additives that can cause hives in sensitive people.

FOOD COLORINGS: Tartrazine (FD&C Yellow Dye No. 5), a food dye, has been long known to cause hives, particularly in children. This dye is added to nearly every packaged food as well as to some drugs. People who are sensitive to aspirin are especially likely to be sensitive to tartrazine. Foods that commonly contain tartrazine include ice cream, margarine, cake mixes, cloves, jam and jelly, bakery goods except plain bread, Jell-O, candies, gum, hot dogs, oil of wintergreen, toothpaste, mint flavors, lozenges, mouthwash, and lunch meats such as salami and bologna. The following liquids also commonly contain tartrazine: cider and cider vinegars, wine and wine vinegars, Kool-Aid and similar beverages, soda and soft drinks, gin and all distilled alcoholic beverages (except vodka), all tea, beer, diet drinks and supplements, and birch beer.

FLAVORINGS include those found in puddings, cake mixes, ice cream, chewing gum, and soft drinks. Sometimes vanilla, cinnamon, menthol, and the artificial sweetener Aspartame can cause hives.

SALICYLATES, found in aspirin and some over-the-counter drugs, are also naturally occurring substances found in foods. Salicylates commonly cause reactions in people who are also sensitive to tartrazine (above). Foods containing salicylates include almonds, apples, apricots, blackberries, boysenberries, cherries, cucumbers and pickles, currants, gooseberries, grapes or raisins, nectarines, oranges, peaches, plums or prunes, raspberries, strawberries, and tomatoes.

FOOD PRESERVATIVES: Benzoic acid and benzoates, the most commonly used food preservatives, are likely to cause hives. BHT and BHA can also be allergenic. Sulfites added to many processed foods and most beers anti wines can also cause hives. Sulfites and benzoates are commonly used on fish and shrimp to help keep them fresh, which explains why so many people develop hives after eating these foods.

EMULSIFIERS AND STABILIZERS: These substances are used in processed foods to ensure that the oils and solids don’t separate. The polysorbate in ice cream and the vegetable gums found in other foods including acacia, gum arabic, tragacanth, quince, and carrageenan can be allergenic.

If you are a woman with a history of frequent vaginal yeast infections and chronic hives Candida albicans can be the cause.

Children can sometimes develop hives from bacterial infections. The child may have a fever and be obviously ill but suddenly hives appear, frightening the parent as well as the child. Hives in this case are nothing to worry about (as opposed to the bacterial infection), and they’ll disappear when the ailment is treated.

There’s no practical way to subvert the effects of allergens that cause hives: Elimination is the only sensible approach. If you have an occasional case of hives, you should simply be alert to the probable cause and eliminate the offending food or medication. If, however, you regularly develop hives, you should seriously investigate the possible causes in a systemic way, watching your diet and medications for a reaction, eliminating as many problem foods as possible along with food additives and preservatives, and then gradually reintroducing them.

Finally, vitamin C and vitamin E and selenium can help cases of chronic hives.

NATURAL TREATMENTS FOR HIVES

• As common hives usually disappear in an hour or two, there’s no immediate treatment needed. For long-term treatment, the only answer is avoiding the trigger that causes your hives, investigate the following possibilities:
• Medications such as aspirin and penicillin
• Food allergies
• Food additives and preservatives
• Candida albicans
• In children: infections
• As tension and stress usually make hives worse, practice stress relaxation.
• Chronic hives may be helped by taking the following in addition to your daily basic supplements:
• Vitamin C: 1,000 mg. daily.
• Vitamin E: 4J)O I.U. dally,
• Selenium: 100 meg. daily

IN ADDITION: Benadryl, an antihistamine available without prescription, can provide temporary relief from the itching of hives. Seldane, a prescription medication, is also helpful.