Please Help! Hives Breakout? Mind/Body Connection?

[Cleo]

Some times, especially in the winter, I can get rashes all over the body as well, although it is likely something else then idiopathic urticaria or chronic hives. Although I'm not sure yet. Haven't quite figured out what causes it. What I do notice though, is that it is much worse in winter times. Have you found some patterns as well, like it becoming more extreme in certain times of the year or in specific circumstances?

I notice in the winter, my eczema seems to get worse on my hands.

Fwiw, I remember reading in the thread, Helichrysum Italicum - a truly essential oil that this particular essential oil can help with hives. Two winters ago, I mixed the essential oil with jojoba and coconut oil when I had a bad case of eczema and it really seemed to help. Maybe it could help with hives?

From the thread:

SKIN HEALTH

This multi-faceted oil is instrumental in promoting the health of your skin. An antifungal and antibacterial, helichrysum oil helps to efficiently heal wounds and combats skin irritations such as rashes and infections.

To prevent such skin conditions as shaving irritation, rashes, hives, blemishes, and redness, simply combine a few drops of helichrysum oil with a carrier oil such as coconut oil or jojoba oil and smooth on to the face.

If you are experiencing itching from poison ivy or a rash, apply helichrysum oil cut with lavender oil to the affected area and experience cool relief.

Also, as mentioned in the thread above, the type and quality of the essential will determine its effectiveness.

 

[Gaby]

So for the past couple of days I've been doing cold baths twice a day, and today I woke up with no new hives just a few subtle traces.

That is interesting because urticaria or eczema often worsens in Winter for most people. I think it was Jack Kruse who said that it was probably due to the unhealthy oxidized polyunsaturated content in the body and those who had urticaria after cold therapy needed to increase their intake of healthy fish sources and eliminate unhealthy fatty sources. That can take two years or so.

Maybe your past efforts only bear fruit now in the context of cold adaptation?

 

[Laura]

Louise Hay related hives to "small hidden fears" and "making mountains out of molehills."


Years ago when I was working for HRS in FL, toward the end of my time there I started breaking out in terrible hives every morning at about 10 am. After taking antihistamines, taking cortisone shots, and a whole raft of other therapies, I realized that I was simply becoming allergic to my job. The stress was really getting to me. So, I resigned and the hives stopped.

 

[Renaissance]

Does it go away with the steroid shots or is only the discomfort reduced due to the shots?

After the first shot, the hives went completely away for about three or possibly four days. After doing an early morning airport run (waking up at 3am) they came back after I got home and went back to sleep. So for me at least, it seems strongly related to sleep patterns. When they came back they weren't quite as intense. I got a lesser dose of steroid on the second visit and they came back after about two days even with good sleeping patterns.

If it reduces it, it might be interesting to look deeper into what steroids do, in order to find out what might be the problem and how to treat it with less drastic remedies. It is interesting that the cold therapy seems to help the most so far. Another thing that could give some clues on what is going on.

Yeah, I'm not going to be doing any more steroid shots. I was pretty resistant in the beginning, but after dealing with the hives I figured it was worth a shot...no pun intended, in hopes it might break the cycle.

Some times, especially in the winter, I can get rashes all over the body as well, although it is likely something else then idiopathic urticaria or chronic hives. Although I'm not sure yet. Haven't quite figured out what causes it. What I do notice though, is that it is much worse in winter times. Have you found some patterns as well, like it becoming more extreme in certain times of the year or in specific circumstances?

This is the first time I've ever had hives. I know my skin is super sensitive. I've had eczema and psoriasis before doing the diet. I also have hyperhydrosis, which is a condition that makes me sweat profusely and I get flushed and turn red easily. This was worse before ever working on my diet but I still sweat quite a bit when doing physical activities and get hot easily. I think this may also relate to my reaction to poison ivy. I don't even need to touch the stuff and I get it. If I'm a few feet away from it, I usually get a nasty rash. It quickly spreads through my system and I have severe rashes all over my body. The sensation is actually quite similar to when the hives peak. It's like a very strong physical anxiety. One interesting thing the allergist said was that one in five people have this hive condition, but it is not always as severe. And cold temperatures can be a trigger for some. So, you might have the same issue but just not as bad.

Fwiw, I remember reading in the thread, Helichrysum Italicum - a truly essential oil that this particular essential oil can help with hives. Two winters ago, I mixed the essential oil with jojoba and coconut oil when I had a bad case of eczema and it really seemed to help. Maybe it could help with hives?

Thanks, I'll check it out. I use Dr. Bronner's peppermint soap, and I know that's been helpful in cooling off angry hives. It's been good for relief.

So for the past couple of days I've been doing cold baths twice a day, and today I woke up with no new hives just a few subtle traces.

That is interesting because urticaria or eczema often worsens in Winter for most people. I think it was Jack Kruse who said that it was probably due to the unhealthy oxidized polyunsaturated content in the body and those who had urticaria after cold therapy needed to increase their intake of healthy fish sources and eliminate unhealthy fatty sources. That can take two years or so.

Maybe your past efforts only bear fruit now in the context of cold adaptation?

That's hopeful! I remember having some minor eczema show up when I first did the cold baths. Same happened when I started sleeping in total darkness. I took them as flareups with my body adjusting to things.

I also remember how healthy my skin was when doing the cold baths and that's pretty much what prompted me to try the cold baths again. I've had some very minor hives over the past couple of days, but nothing as bad as they were. I also got a call today that I qualify to get the asthma shot that they use for this condition (the one that costs $3000 a pop) for free. So that's good news.

Louise Hay related hives to "small hidden fears" and "making mountains out of molehills."


Years ago when I was working for HRS in FL, toward the end of my time there I started breaking out in terrible hives every morning at about 10 am. After taking antihistamines, taking cortisone shots, and a whole raft of other therapies, I realized that I was simply becoming allergic to my job. The stress was really getting to me. So, I resigned and the hives stopped.

I do make mountains out of molehills, so this is a good thing for me to examine.

I know your reference to a stressful job was just an example, but it's funny because after doing the neuro-optimal sessions, I've become more keyed in on the types of stress at my job. It's not that I notice that these stresses are affecting me more (it's actually less, I think), but there was a deeper sense I had after one of the initial sessions and after a day at work was that it wasn't healthy. Could also be something in how I respond to these stresses with 'people pleasing' and such. That said, I don't feel a pressing need to find a different job either. I'll look at this in other areas that might relate too. Thank you.

 

[Renaissance]

Well, I got the fancy Xolair (omalizumab) shot last week and it didn't do anything. If anything I'm in worse condition...but I've also been experimenting with a number of things as described below. I've had the worse flare ups over the past few days. Yesterday was a bit overwhelming. My entire lower back and sides were covered by an almost continuous giant hive, and they've been all over my entire body the past three days. They do seem to be calming down at this point. I'm thinking the massive attack on my lower back was probably from working outside without a shirt the previous day, which is where I got the most sun. I read vitamin D was good for hives so I thought it would be a good idea. Nope! The following morning (when I woke up to the major flare up) I took a dip in the (very cold) creek, and that helped some but I was a bit freaked out seeing the previous days hives (which had subsided) turn purple, which faded a bit after a few hours). The allergist I went to now wants me to go on prednisone. I'm not taking them that since it suppresses immune function in all organs, allows infection to grow, as well as parasites. I do understand now why people do go this route though. When things flare up it can be plain awful. And when it is constant, it's maddening. It's like a physical anxiety that puts you on edge.

I'm leaning more and more to parasites being a core issue. I've also started an anti-parasite cleanse and am thinking this might be the core issue.

What seems to be happening is that I have an over activation of my mast cells which are producing an inflammatory response by releasing high amounts of histamine. Some doctors group chronic urticaria in with Mast Cell Activation Disorder (MCAD) or Mastocytosis, but I think the official diagnosis requires at least two organs affected by the mast cell activation. So far, and as far as I know my skin is only being affected. The usual treatment are anti-histamines and steroids. I've read they can go away on their own in two to five years.

But back to mast cells:

https://healinghistamine.com/parasites-trigger-mast-cell-histamine-release/

Mast cells are a key player in the immune system response. They release histamine and other inflammatory agents into the bloodstream to fight viruses and bacteria, parasites, and promote wound healing. Pretty much any invader can cause this mast cell activation, or a perceived intrusion, by food and beauty products for example, when the immune system is on a rampage. There’ll be a root cause for many dealing with mast cell/histamine related symptoms and inflammation, and resolving it will hopefully lead to recovery once the immune system is able to rest easy knowing its work is done.
(...)
Mast cells are a kind of army barracks that house histamine and other inflammatory soldiers till they’re called into battle for our survival. These cells release inflammation like histamine into the bloodstream as a first line of defence against parasites. Mast cells can control parasites in a number of ways, one of which is by regulating gut permeability (causing or fixing what some may know as leaky gut).

Histamine released by mast cells can also happen via IgE immune system response (like in allergies). There are many causes of a high overall IgE level, but parasite infection is definitely one of them.

Interestingly, the shot I took is an immunoglobulin E (IgE) blocker, and one of the side affects is increased susceptibility toward parasites. I won't be trying that out again.

Also found this while searching (although they give a low percentage of parasitic infection as a cause at the end of the article):

Connection between Parasites and Chronic Spontaneous Urticaria

A review in Allergy suggests a strong connection between some cases of chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU) and parasite infections (PI). This connection has been suggested for more than 65 years, but this exhaustive review collects significant evidence for the presence of PI in some cases.

The finding is important, because in a startling 90% of CSU cases, the search for underlying causes is unsuccessful. Potential underlying causes include autoimmunity, food intolerance, and infections.

As of now I'm doing regular coffee enemas, cold baths every day, an all meat diet, high doses of liposomal vitamin C and collodial silver, using bentonite clay internally and externally, baking soda and water before bed, and today I added Lactobacillus GG . I'm also doing a parasite cleanse. First I tried food grade hydrogen peroxide. After the second day is when I had the first major flare up. Shortly before that I started some anti-parasite herbal tinctures. Had a die-off reaction yesterday as well - felt nauseous, had a headache, and like I had the flu. I backed off the hydrogen peroxide. I started off slow but still that seemed like it really stirred things up. It could have been something else since I've been experimenting with different things.

I'm also looking at these suppliments which are said to be stabilizers for mast cells:

https://healinghistamine.com/natural-mast-cell-stabilisers-for-histamine/

Khellin is a plant-derived mast cell stabiliser from the Egyptian Amni visnaga (Khella) plant, research on which “inspired” the creation of sodium cromolyn, the aforementioned mast cell stabiliser. I have found Khella in liquid form – the wonderful Herb Pharm grows their own Khella and produces a tincture from it, but have yet to try it. I have however tried many of their other products, including the holy basil.

Quercetin is a bioflavonoid found in many brightly fruits and vegetables and is more effective that sodium cromolyn in blocking mast cell cytokine release (histamine is a cytokine). Quercetin also works prophylactically, so unlike cromolyn, it doesn’t need to be taken before meals. Also in the bioflavonoid family are luteolin and apigenin, the latter of which can be found in parsley, celery, rosemary, oregano, thyme, basil, coriander and artichokes. These foods and those high in quercetin and luteolin have formed the basis of my diet for many years now and I partially credit them with my recovery. Dr Theoharides at Tufts has led most of the bioflavonoid for mast cells research and ended up creating a supplement specifically for this. This supplement,Neuroprotek is what I take now.

(...)

Epigallocatechin gallate: certain studies find that this green tea compound can inhibit the release of histamine from mast cells. I was told not to drink green tea initially, but eventually found that white tea, which is the same leaf but less fermented, went down really well and definitely did something good for my body. I’m not a caffeine person anymore, the days of waking up and knocking back two cans of Pepsi Zero to get by on a few hours sleep while in the field as a journalist are far behind me now, so I tend not to ingest caffeine often. I have considered decaffeinated, but studies suggest that it may have lost 15-25% of polyphenols.

Silibinin from milk thistle prevents histamine release as well as other inflammatory cytokines from mast cells.

Ellagic acid in pomegranate and mango kernel (among others not considered low histamine foods) stops histamine and other pro-inflammatory agent release from mast cells.

Reservatrol found in grapes, pistachios, blueberries and other higher histamine foods, was found to suppress inflammatory cytokines linked to mast cell disorders, specifically tumour necrosis factor and interleukins.

Curcumin from turmeric presents with anti-allergic activity, mast cell stabilisation (thereby preventing histamine release and others),

Garcinia mangostana (mangosteen) is something I’ve taken as a supplement for years. I’m always more in favour of eating the whole food – but in this case the good stuff is found in the skin. It inhibits histamine release and also prostaglandin D2 sythesis which has been linked to hair loss.

Theanine is another win for green tea. This amino acid can prevent histamine release from cells at a “low concentration”.

I've read that quercetin is pretty effective, so I might try out the Neuroprotek mentioned. If I can stablize things with an all meat diet, I'll probably move to a low histamine diet after a period of time. Interestingly, there are some foods that aren't high in histamines, but can cause the body to release it:

All About Histamines | Paleo Leap

Then there’s a second category of foods that don’t contain histamine themselves, but can cause your body to release more of it. These foods include:

• Fruits and vegetables: citrus fruit, papaya, strawberries, pineapple, tomatoes, spinach
• Meat: Fish, shellfish, and pork
• Other foods: Chocolate, nuts, and raw egg white

One other thing that may or may not be related is that, if my memory serves me, this started after getting some strong shocks while reading Inside the Criminal Mind. Since these buggers like to mess with dopamine and serotonin, I'm wondering if maybe these shocks sent them into overdrive. Just a thought, and the issue may not be related to parasites at all.

 

[Gaby]

I've had the worse flare ups over the past few days. Yesterday was a bit overwhelming. My entire lower back and sides were covered by an almost continuous giant hive, and they've been all over my entire body the past three days. They do seem to be calming down at this point. I'm thinking the massive attack on my lower back was probably from working outside without a shirt the previous day, which is where I got the most sun.

At this stage, probably the way to go is to take a good anti-histaminic (e.g. Benadryl) for one week straight and continue the efforts to address several possible factors. I would try to wind down with some neurofeedback.

My worst allergic dermatitis was when I was in medical school studying skin diseases and going through a rough stage in my life. The dermatolgist teacher back then suggested an ansiolitic which I refused. It was so severe that prednisone cream would make it worse. The skin looked like cardboard after so much chronic itching. It made me reflect on the psychological aspect and eventually, the dermatitis calmed down. I was a vegetarian back then. That definitely didn't help. But above all, it was a highly stressful period of time when I had abysmal emotional regulation resources.

 

[Renaissance]

This morning I woke up much, much better. I'm hoping the three day flare up is done. I still have some hives but they're not nearly as severe. They are minimal compared to what they were before. My best guess is that the parasite cleanse stirred things up quite a bit. I also got some Reiki last night and that seemed to have helped.

At this stage, probably the way to go is to take a good anti-histaminic (e.g. Benadryl) for one week straight and continue the efforts to address several possible factors. I would try to wind down with some neurofeedback.

I am still taking antihistamines. I take Benadryl and cetirizine (Zyrtec) before bed and Allegra during the day. I've been doing neurofeedback throughout having the hives. I'm now over 20 sessions and have spread them out a bit more, so I'll try increasing the frequency again. When I had the severe reaction, I was a bit emotional. I just felt beat-down and overwhelmed. I've read that a parasite cleanse can bring out some emotional releases so that also might have had something to do with it. I took some Gabba Calm, and that did seem to help.

I called out of work yesterday, but today I'm okay to go back. While working, I'm thinking of taking it easy on the parasite cleanse. I did it for six days, and was planning on going for ten days, but I need a break and need to function at work.

My worst allergic dermatitis was when I was in medical school studying skin diseases and going through a rough stage in my life. The dermatolgist teacher back then suggested an ansiolitic which I refused. It was so severe that prednisone cream would make it worse. The skin looked like cardboard after so much chronic itching. It made me reflect on the psychological aspect and eventually, the dermatitis calmed down. I was a vegetarian back then. That definitely didn't help. But above all, it was a highly stressful period of time when I had abysmal emotional regulation resources.

Perhaps the hives could be related to some fears that I indulge in. I'll put some more attention into this and see where it leads.

 

[Renaissance]

I'm getting a handle on these hives. Haven't had any major breakouts for the past month. It's been much more manageable. I still have them, but they're no longer overwhelming or spread all over my body. I've had a good handful of days where I only have a handful of small, non-itchy hives, and those days are growing in number.

There have been several things that I think have been of major help.

First, I was doing mega doses of glutamine. I took between 20-50 grams a day (25 grams most of the time) for about a month. I couldn't do this much with pills and needed the powder form. I took this before bed on an empty stomach.

I also started taking some bifidobacteria probiotics. Most of the lactobacillus probiotics produce histamine, while bifido actually helps counter histamines. I also take prebiotic chicory root inulin to feed the biodifida. This could be a good course for people with bad histamine reactions of various sorts (and I've found there are many variations!). I take the bifido right after meals so the stomach acid produced from eating is already partially absorbed by food and gives the probiotic bacteria a fighting chance of surviving.

Lastly, one of the big things that I think has probably helped the most is time restricted eating. If the hives flare up, I try to stick to eating no later than 3pm. If they're pretty stable I can eat a little later. In general I try (not always successfully) to eat no later than 4-4:30pm. Eating too late on a consistent basis seems a major cause of setting off the hives. Eating early seems to allow the digestive system to completely digest all food and leaves no allergens in the system over night when the body is trying to repair itself. I think this also helps the anti-histamines that I take before bed to be more effective.

Good sleep also seems to help. If I eat well, but don't sleep when I'm tired, that seems to aggravate things as well.

I've also been doing mega doses of vitamin d, and it's possible that may have been helping too.

All and all, I feel like I'm definitely over the hump and in recovery mode!

 

[Beau]

I wanted to bump this thread in light of the C's session and specifically because @Ant22 asked about Renaissance's protocol with dealing with his skin issues in the session thread. Since this post was in the private board, I couldn't just link to it there. The above post details his protocol that has been successful. Maybe Renaissance could also reply to the question in the session thread writing basically what he wrote above.

 

[Renaissance]

I wanted to bump this thread in light of the C's session and specifically because @Ant22 asked about Renaissance's protocol with dealing with his skin issues in the session thread. Since this post was in the private board, I couldn't just link to it there. The above post details his protocol that has been successful. Maybe Renaissance could also reply to the question in the session thread writing basically what he wrote above.

This thread should be accessible. I wrote a summary in the sessions thread, but if anyone wants more info they can check out the latest posts. Thanks for bumping!

 

[Ant22]

I wanted to bump this thread in light of the C's session and specifically because @Ant22 asked about Renaissance's protocol with dealing with his skin issues in the session thread. Since this post was in the private board, I couldn't just link to it there. The above post details his protocol that has been successful. Maybe Renaissance could also reply to the question in the session thread writing basically what he wrote above.

Thank you for bumping the thread and bringing it to my attention @Beau I was worried I was being a tad too nosey

Hives isn't my main skin problem, in fact, until I read the session I didn't know what it was so I googled it. And it looks like I do get hives sometimes! The area affected is usually very small and given the variety of random spots and skin issues I get, this one never seemed to be bad enough to look into specifically. As my friend has put it, I may in fact be allergic to food and air

Thank you for sharing your protocol @Renaissance It must have been really unpleasant to deal with and it lasted quite some time too, I'm really glad you found a solution that has helped you!

I'll read through this thread and your post in the session thread later on today (I'm at work now) thoroughly and I'll follow your protocol too. The supplements will arrive tomorrow so that's my start date. I'm not exactly looking forward to the time restricted eating but I'm definitely willing to give it a try.

In all honesty, that mental and emotional cleansing sounds like a much more difficult thing to do and there are no pills for this! I saw Laura's post about that meditation technique to try out too, I skimmed through it due to lack of time, I'll read it more thoroughly when the day slows down a bit.

If it doesn't work for me, oh well, it won't be the first protocol that didn't. But if it does work, I'll totally be like:

 

[Meg]

Hi Renaissance, I was looking at the chart of spinal misalignments in Louise Hay's "Heal Your Body" book. Under 9T she lists hives as an effect of misalignment in that area of the back. I wasn't sure if you were having treatments on your entire spine, including 9T, but thought I'd mention it in case you want to target that section. The link below is the same chart she used in her book.

http://www.dressenchiropractic.com/effects_of_misalignments.pdf

 

[Ant22]

I wanted to share a slight addition to Renaissance's hives protocol that worked very well for me.

A couple of weeks ago I developed a really bad rash on my head, face and neck, and when I went to see my doctor I was told it was dermatitis. I was prescribed antifungals, antibacterials and a steroid cream. Unfortunately, the treatment made the rash much worse and it spread to my entire body. When I went to see the doctor again, I was told they were wrong, it was not dermatitis, but they had no idea what it was. I was told it looked like I had 3 different types of rash: one on my scalp, one on my face and another one on my entire body. She suspected that the rash on my body could have been hives but she had doubts.

I was told that since they had no idea what it was, the only option was treating symptoms and I was prescribed even stronger antifungals, antibacterial and steroids.

Given that those types of creams made it worse before, I chose not to buy the expensive prescription. I decided to use the approach described in this thread: How my family Stopped a Chronic MRSA Infection When Conventional Medicine Failed

Above, Renaissance suggested using bifidobacteria and this is what I used in my fermented tea. It took a couple of days for it to be ready. When it was, I applied the fermented bifido tea on my entire skin and let it air dry. I wouldn't wash it off until the next morning. I applied the same bifido probiotic (but diluted to avoid being smelly at work) on my entire body in the morning too.

The rash started to disappear very quickly. My face is now clear, patches on my body show up only occasionally and don't itch. The only area that is still quite badly affected is my scalp, but I haven't been applying the tea on it as often and it seems to be an entirely different type of rash anyway. If anyone has any tips for scalp sores that don't respond to antifungals or anti bacterials I'd be interested in trying them out. My go-to medicine, an iodine rinse failed to get rid of them.

I stopped following Renaissance's protocol around September, I thought 3 month of following it quite religiously was enough. I have been doing intermittent fasting since then but I skipped the l-glutamine and I kept forgetting to take the probiotics. Well, needless to say I'm back on the protocol now!

And if this was a case of my body telling me something - I failed to decode the message. This is a skill I am yet to develop I'm afraid, but I'm really glad the nasty rash is gone!

Without the forum I'd probably be scratching myself to this day, rocking the look of a ladybug that got slapped. So yeah, thank you

 

[Maat]

And if this was a case of my body telling me something - I failed to decode the message. This is a skill I am yet to develop I'm afraid, but I'm really glad the nasty rash is gone!

Maybe take a look at this. Don't misunderstand me, I don't mean it's this or that, it's just to maybe give you an idea of what could be in play, with all the things that are listed. You're the only one who knows

Hang on !

 

[Anthony]

In the last few days I've developed a rash all over my body, and could barely sleep last night. I've noticed that it was aggravated after having a meal. My diet is basically meat (pork, beef) and fat (lard, butter), sometimes chocolate and green tea, I also take apple cider vineager after a high protein meal (which I found out is a terrible idea if you have histamine issues), so I though it had something to do with histamine or oxalates. This thread helped a lot in finding things that help. Vitamin C and vitamin E are of great help, so is not eating after 3pm as Renaissance suggested, coffee enemas help, salted water, potassium and magnesium citrate, and working on emotional and mental blocks. Also cutting out teas and chocolate helps.

My body doesn't seem to tolorate meat that well currently, so I think I'll try finding some quality rice and try out egg yolks for a couple of days and see if that works. I don't think that meat is the issue per se, but the quality of it, since I buy it in a supermarket (another bad idea if you have histamine problems), and I'll reintroduce it after a couple of days, and try to get better quality at a local farmer's market.