Hives And Mental Health Tension

By Author: Jill Cohen
Total Articles: 79
Comment this article

Hives, or to use their medical term Urticaria, is an itchy red skin rash, which often looks similar to an insect bite. Hives tend to appear as a result of an allergic reaction; they can occur anywhere on the body and can affect both sexes and people of all ages. The rashes tend to vary in terms of how long they affect an individual, ranging from hours to days. The rash is caused as a result of the body releasing a chemical called Histamine. The chemical is released by the body to tackle the perceived problem and causing the redness, itchiness and swelling.

Hives can be caused by many ‘triggers’ but common factors include allergic reactions to food (such as seafood, dairy products and nuts), medications; antibiotics in particular can cause this problem, insect bites and chemicals; such as cleaning powder and make up. Another primary cause of hives is stress and anxiety. Hives due to anxiety are a little bit more difficult to treat as you cannot simply resolve the problem by simply removing an environmental factor.

Hives due to anxiety can be caused by excessive worry, stress at work or problems within your family ...
... or peer group. Increased stress and worry can caused our immune system to become confused, which can lead to the release of Histamines; which in turn cause the hives. If you find yourself repeatedly suffering from hives and you feel this is due to anxiety, you should consider what is going on in your life that is causing the anxiety.

If the issue is something that can be removed then you should try to take that action as soon as possible. If the problem is an ongoing issue and situation that you cannot remove yourself from, it may be worth taking further advice in terms of stress management. Your physician will provide you with a recommendation based on your particular circumstances.

You can treat the symptoms of hives effectively with antihistamines such as Zyrtec or Phenergan. You should be aware of the side effects of this type of medication such as drowsiness, which may be an issue if you need to drive or operate machinery.

In addition you can apply Corticosteroids such as Presdniolone, which will help reduce the swelling and rash. Lotions such as Calamine will also help reduce the overall itchiness of the rash and affected area.

Learn more about Stress Rash Problems and Diabetic Rash Signs .