Cholinergic Urticaria (Chronic Heat Hives)-Cholinergic Urticaria.net I Get Itchy Heat Hives (Cholinergic Urticaria) When I Get Hot or Exercise

Hello Everyone!

Well it looks like tomorrow the diet is going to come to an end. I am still getting itchy, although not quite as intense. But it looks like I will stop the diet tomorrow for sure. I am thinking of possibly trying a few more things before diet is completely ruled out, however.

In my last post, I talked about the possible connection between Candida (yeast), and whether or not it could be the cause of Cholinergic Urticaria (or other hives) at least in some individuals. So today I will post some anti-candida type of foods based on some info I gathered on the web.

First, just let me point out that I am not really convinced whether it could be caused by Candida or not. I have seen some reports online where people with cholinergic urticaria have tried it, and it did not help at all (or helped very little).

Then again, there are a couple of instances where people have reported it helped. Again, I am not really entirely convinced myself, and I don’t plan on trying any type of “anit-candida cleanse” or anything. I may incorporate a few “anti-candida” foods into my diet. Or possibly try an anti-candida diet (although I am going to take a break from diets first!).

There is a thread right now on the Cholinergic Urticaria forum, and Duper made a great follow up & let us know that he has tried it & didn’t see any huge benefits from an anti-candida treatment. Again, this may work for some, and not for others. Who knows? But I thought I would share some of the resources of where I found some good & bad reviews: First, on our forum we have already had a response of it not working. Second, there is another website in which a CU sufferer tried a candida cleanse, and it didn’t cure him either: http://catcubed.com/2007/04/. There are also some posts on the ehealthforums.com site, in which some people indicated it helped/but didn’t cure it.

There are a couple of references that I found where it did help. One is just a small comment left on a blog: http://chris.quietlife.net/2001/10/01/this-is-what-i-have/. The person simply states that they had CU, and tried some anti-candida/yeast product, and that it went away the next day.

The other is a site on ehealthforums:http://www.ehealthforum.com/health/cholinergic-urticaria-treatment-t147798.html

This person claims they are 99% better after trying an anti-candida diet/cleanse.

So there are mixed results with trying to eliminate candida. Personally, I am not going to rush out & buy a candida treatment. However, I may try to eliminate candida naturally by diet (although not until I have had a break from diets for a few weeks).

What is an Anti-Candida Diet/Candida Cleanse?

An anti-candida diet is simply a diet which is supposed to help reduce the amount of Candida (yeast) in your body or intenstines. As I mentioned in the last post, some people can have a problem with an overgrowth of yeast.

So what foods do you eat on an anti-candida diet? Candida lives off of sugar mostly. So if you plan to reduce the amount of candida, you may want to cut down or completely remove sugar consumption. Most anti-candida diets list that you should also avoid foods containing yeast (pizza crust/bread, beer, etc). Also, most diets say to avoid starchy foods (such as white potatoes, white rice, etc.).

Of course, I am not expert on nutrition, so you need to talk to a nutritionalist to make sure you still get proper nutrition for your diet if you decide to try an anti-candida diet. Also, you need to monitor blood sugar levels if you are a diabetic. Here is a list of foods to avoid & foods recommended to eat while on an anti-candida diet:

Foods to Mostly Avoid on an Anti Candida Diet:

• Excessive Carbohydrates (white rice, pasta, white potatoes, etc.)
• Excessive sugar (honey, processed sugar, snack foods, etc.)
• Alcohol and vinegar
• Foods containing yeast or fungi (breads/pizza, and mushrooms contain yeast & fungi)
• Too much fruit

Foods to Eat to Help Reduce Candida (yeast)

• Raw or cooked vegetables (broccoli, cucumbers, greens, green beans, etc-most any veggies that taste bland)
• Garlic & onions (warning: raw garlic can interfere with some medicines or be unsafe for some individuals)
• Meat (fish, chicken, red meat, etc)
• Nuts

So to sum up the diet, I suppose the idea is to eliminate most sugar & yeast based foods, and instead focus on low sugar veggies and meat. Most websites recommend following the diet for at least 2 weeks, others recommend up to a few months. Again, If you plan on trying this type of diet I would recommend you work with a nutritionalist.

This is somewhat similar to the diet I am on now. The main difference is that I have consumed a lot of rice on a daily basis-which probably isn’t very good.

What is a Candida Yeast Cleanse?

A candida yeast cleanse is somewhat different. This is where you rely on supplements or homeopathic type products that are supposed to have anti-candida/yeast properties. For example, some candida treatments contain a lot of garlic, etc.

There are a variety of products on the market, and again I don’t necessary endorse running out & trying to do this. But some people claims it helps, and some people with CU say that it hasn’t helped.I have not personally tried a candida cleanse, so I can’t comment on it.

So here are a couple of survey/poll questions below. Have you tried an anti-candida diet or candida cleanse? Did your CU start after taking antibiotics? Take the poll below & see the results:

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Did you have antibiotics before getting CU? Antibiotics are drugs that are used to treat bacterial infections such as strep throat, etc.

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When you have a condition such as Cholinergic Urticaria (heat hives), in which there really is no cure (only Cholinergic Urticaria treatments
/managment) through standard medicine, it is often tempting to try an “alternative medicine” approach to see if you can cure it.

First, again let me give my little disclosure here in case anyone stumbles upon this page via the web. I am NOT a doctor of any kind, or nutritionalist, or expert on hives. Just a guy that has suffered with cholinergic urticaria for a while now. Please do NOT take anything on this site as medical advice, or 100% accurate information. See only a licensed doctor for medical advice. With that being said, let’s take a look at alternative medicine.

What Is Alternative Medicine?

Alternative medicine simply  encompasses any healing practice “that does not fall within the realm of conventional medicine.” Usually it is not a regularly followed practice given by most medical doctors. Some common forms of alternative medicine can include any of the following (especially in the form of treatment for cholinergic urticaria):

• Acupuncture
• Naturopath/Homeopath treatment
• Herbal treatment/Dietary supplements
• Candida cleanse/Colon cleanse
• Liver cleanse, etc.

These treatments could be any of the above. It could be as simple as trying to tune your diet & adding supplements, or it can be as complex as cleanses & acupuncture treatments.

So Is Alternative Medicine Worth it for Cholinergic Urticaria Sufferers? Does it Work or Not?

Obviously, everyone is different. Perhaps one thing may work for some people, and others may see absolutely no benefit whatsoever. Is alternative medicine worth it? That is your own personal decision. My own personal opinion is that it may have its place in treatments, but probably isn’t the answer for many people with cholinergic urticaria.

Again, there are some homeopath treatments, etc. that can be done & actually work well. For example: I was out of cough medicine one winter (I had a very bad cough), and read online that vinegar can help. So I tried a teaspoon of vinegar. It actually worked quite well & really opened up my lungs & airway and I quit coughing so badly. So I guess this is just one of many examples of how some “home remedies” can definitely work.

However, you also have to watch out for the “miracle cleanse or cure” type of propaganda. You can end up spending a lot of money on these things, and still have the hives (or whatever other condition).

For me personally, I have never tried some of the above common alternative medical treatments. I have never tried acupuncture, simply because I have talked to others with CU and it didn’t cure them (and the idea didn’t sound too exciting). I have tried some vitamins/supplements, I am on a strict diet which is somewhat anti-candida and cleansing in nature, and so forth.

But I haven’t actually tried all of the forms of alternative medicine out there. Personally, I view it in the same way I view a trip to my real medical doctor for my CU–a waste of time & money. Simply because at this point I have realized that most antihistamines won’t work very well. And as far as the extreme treatments (steroids, etc.), I am just not interested in that.

I say this not because I want to discourage anyone here. It is great to go to the doctor so they can help you manage your hives.  Also, let me point out that some people really manage CU quite well with medication (such as antihistamines), and perhaps even alternative medicine.

But I am just sharing my personal experience & personal opinion that for most cholinergic urticaria sufferers, alternative medicine may not be worth the money. But that is your own personal choice.

I can give examples of cases where some people with cholinergic urticaria online have claimed that by doing anti-candida treatment the hives went away. On one web page where someone mentions CU, a guy by the name of Andy in NC, posted that an anti yeast (candida) product cured him: http://chris.quietlife.net/2001/10/01/this-is-what-i-have/

But then, at the same time, another CU suffer stated on his web page that he has experimented with “candida cleanses” as well, and seen no benefits from it: http://catcubed.com/2007/04/28/wikis-hives-and-cholinergic-urticaria-oh-my/

I myself have followed a diet that is supposed to be mostly anti-candida, and didn’t really see huge benefits, and certainly no cure.

So perhaps it helps some people, and perhaps it doesn’t help some people. Maybe it is just a “placebo effect” where people think it is curing them, when in reality it isn’t working. Or perhaps some people have different things causing CU symptoms, and it does work on some?? Who knows?

Conclusion:

Always seek a licensed medical doctor for any medical problems you may have. Talk to your doctor about possible treatments, including alternative medicine. I also encourage people to try different things to see if it helps them. Maybe antihistamines don’t work well for me, but perhaps they can help you totally manage your CU. But I think based on my own experience & a lot of what I have read online, alternative treatments are probably a waste of time & money–at least for many people with CU.

Tell me what you think: Take a quick vote in the poll below on alternative medicine. Do you think it is worth it? Has it helped you? Or do you think it is a complete scam & waste of money? I will go ahead & vote first. I vote that it didn’t help-at least in my own situation & experiences based on the things I did try.

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