Urticaria

In fact, it is so common that 1 in every 5 people have experienced it at least once in their lifetime. That’s more than 20% of the population, announced the British Association of Dermatology.

It’s a serious problem even for the Canadian population, affecting more than 1% of people with spontaneous or chronic symptoms, stated Biomed Central. Even though conventional treatment can ease the symptoms and calm the discomfort, many people are turning their attention to an alternative form of treatment – traditional Chinese medicine.

But, can it really treat Urticaria? If you are interested in giving Chinese medicine a try, you’ve come to the right place. We’ve decided to compile all the relevant research on this alternative treatment for managing Urticaria and whether or not it will work.

What Is Urticaria?

Urticaria, commonly referred to as hives, is an outbreak that results in swelling, wheals, and red pumps on the surface of the skin. People may experience it due to a reaction in the body in the form of an allergy, or other undetermined causes.

When our bodies experience an allergic reaction like this one, it starts to emit histamine, a protein present in our system.

When the protein enters the blood vessels, it immediately creates a fluid that starts blocking the vessels. The longer it accumulates, the more uncomfortable it becomes for the skin, eventually resulting in a red rash. According to Medical News Today, that’s why we experience Urticaria.

Symptoms

Whether you are dealing with a chronic or acute condition, the signs will vary, advises the Mayo Clinic. But, overall, people can experience:

• Mild or severe itching sensation
• Uncomfortable lumps in the throat, eyelids, or lips
• Red welts (or in the color of the skin) appearing on any area of the body
• Sudden flare-ups (with triggers being stress, physical activity, and heat)
• Pressing the affected area makes it turn white
• Persisting symptoms for a span of 6 weeks

These symptoms are very unpredictable and difficult to control. They can reoccur at any place and anytime. In acute cases, the disease only lasts a couple of weeks, but for chronic conditions, they can persist well over a couple of years.

Conventional Treatment

The primary focus of treatment is avoiding the triggers. For acute cases, doctors can recommend antihistamines with non-sedating properties. These are regular medications taken for a few weeks.

The goal of conventional treatment is to block the histamine effects and reduce the onset of flares. However, antihistamines are often addressing symptoms but not the root of the problem. Therefore, recurrent flare-ups affecting patient’s quality of life significantly. Frustration, low self-esteem and lack of confidence, interrupted sleep due to discomfort and itchy skin impact physical function, relationships and general well-being. In addition, the side effect of the medications such as drowsiness, dizziness or impaired urinary flow in older people made people look into alternative modalities.

That’s why a lot of people have decided to try ancient Chinese medicine. According to statistics, 37,386 urticaria patients sought help from Chinese medicine practitioners in Taiwan in 2009. Chinese medicine is affordable, popular and has a solid theoretical basis rooted on two thousand years of experience.

How Can Traditional Chinese Medicine Help?

When we experience certain skin problems, they are often caused by heat pathogens. These pathogens pop up on the upper layer of the skin and create swelling and redness. The reason for that is our own body heat.

When we are allergic to something, the body will consider it a foreign invader and result in a massive outbreak. Chinese medicine relies on treatments and herbal practices to reduce the heat and calm the inflammation.

According to the National Institutes of Health, ancient Chinese practices expel any toxicity in the body that is causing the heat. By doing that, the treatment allows the system to regenerate itself without the use of chemicals. Simply put, the body will heal on its own.

Why Choose Traditional Chinese Medicine for Urticaria?

According to Hindawi Journal, acupuncture can help with numerous skin conditions, including Urticaria. Due to its therapeutic properties, the treatment could prove efficient for soothing the symptoms in chronic conditions. Based on their statistics, acupuncture has less side effects than conventional medication and much safer for managing chronic Urticaria.

Combining conventional treatment and Chinese practices can also be beneficial, stated the Hindawi Journal in another analysis. Modern research shows that balancing out the Qi via Chinese treatment can help improve the immune system, strengthen the skin cells, and lessen the allergic reactions while conventional medicine provides excellent sedation and soothes the discomfort.

The National Library of Medicine also supports the use of acupuncture for hives. In 17 out of 24 studies, acupunctured proved effective for soothing various skin conditions, like Urticaria, acne breakouts, dermatitis, and more.

Another research published by Frontiers also decided to analyze this ancient treatment. Researchers studied 56 volunteers who obtained various forms of traditional Chinese medicine. They received Chinese herbs, clear wind pills (Xiao Feng San), and the Siler Combination (Qing Shang Fang Feng Tang). Based on records, these treatments were incredibly tolerable and could have the potential to help with Urticaria.

According to the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, Chinese herbal medicine has long been used for dermatological purposes. Therefore, it could have the potential to manage hives in the long haul. However, the research on this alternative treatment for Urticaria is still limited, despite it’s popularity in Asian countries.

Even though more clinical trials are necessary to understand the full extent of this treatment, ancient Chinese practices could have the potential to manage Urticaria. Some evidence shows that Chinese herbs and acupuncture can soothe the symptoms, therefore it’s worth a try.

Sunrise Neuro-Acupuncture Integrative clinic provides care for  urticaria. If you would like to receive more information about this treatment or to book an appointment, you can call us at 613-853-9099.