Itching to Scratch

I finally have been beaten into submission. That’s right… after the millionth person has asked me about chronic itching, I’m going to tell you my best advice. Scratch. No actually that isn’t my best advice.

Skin itching can happen for all kinds of reasons, but aside from the common things like dermatitis allergy, bug bite or nasty creeping poison ivy, there are a few that you should consider when trying to figure out mysterious itching.

Itching that creates immediate redness - this means that the skin isn’t receiving enough blood flow. So simple things like sauna, sweating, massage therapy or running down the street will get the blood pumping to the skin. You can also consider soaking in hot water or even doing alternate baths or compresses, beginning with hot, then cold, then hot and continuing for about 15 minutes, ending with hot.

Itching that moves around the body - this is a nutritional issue. Certain essential fatty acid chains protect the skin from sunburn and from excessive dryness. So increasing your essential fats can make a big difference such as coconut oil, flaxseed oil, black currant seed oil in the diet daily should do the trick (or try Standard Process Cataplex F perles or tablets).

Itching of the thighs and legs - this is a hormonal estrogenic issue and is more common in peri-menopausal women. Chaste Tree or Black Cohosh can help with this, but I like to use MediHerb FemCo which also has Shatavari (“libido of a 1000 horses”!).

Itching and flushing of the skin, prone to fevering - this is an ionizable Calcium issue as the skin uses more calcium than any other tissue (bones simply store calcium). I recommend Standard Process Calsol or Calcium Lactate Powder (which I also give to children that run high fevers).

Itching of the bum - OK, I hate to tell you this but it’s either internal hemmorhoids or it’s parasites. Parasites can happen to anyone at any time and we are delusional if we think that’s only in Vietnam or the outback of Australia. Children especially are prone to parasites because of their love of the dirt and puddles, not to mention the animals. You can read more about our treatment of parasites on our online magazine The Herbal Advisor.

Well, that should give you some ideas to try. Remember that dehydration is one of the most common reasons for itching of the skin, so increasing your minerals especially during periods of dry heat, winter heating systems or wind exposure. Minerals keep moisture in the skin and support healthy skin reproduction.