UVB Therapy or Tanning Beds for Cholinergic Urticaria Treatment?
Post by: HiverNation on January 27, 2009, 03:08:22 AM
anyone tried tanning? (In a tanning bed- not in the sun)? Or UVB therapy?
———————–
Title: Re: Tanning Beds for Cholinergic Urticaria Treatment?
Post by: dice on January 27, 2009, 07:35:53 AM
—————-
nope :-X
have you?
————————-
Title: Re: Tanning Beds for Cholinergic Urticaria Treatment?
Post by: HivesGuy on January 27, 2009, 08:00:57 AM
——————————-
I have been to a tanning bed since having Cholinergic Urticaria on one or two occasions. However, I have not tried it in the capacity of seeing if it would have any effect on sweating or the hives. I don’t think I would ever do it again, and if I were going to try something I would go for a sauna over a tanning bed personally. But there are a lot of articles about people using UVB Therapy for hives.
My wife used to work at a tanning salon for a couple of years, and she literally seen many people that came in there that told her about skin cancer they had developed. The problem is that they emit rays that are in an unnatural balance compared to that which we get from the sun. They have been shown to increase skin cancer rates much more than natural sun tanning. So I would not do it due to the big cancer risks.
So based on that I have decided to avoid them and never do it again. Not to mention the first time I tanned, I put on this tingle lotion stuff that made my skin burn like crazy. Sometimes I even wonder if that caused the hives, but it probably didn’t since the hives developed several months after that.
Has anyone else tried it?
——————————————————————————–
Title: My Cholinergic Urticaria story over the past 5 years, and how it is now under control.
Post by: treadsafely on July 13, 2009, 03:20:05 AM
——————————————————————————–
Dear readers,
I hope my story will be of help to you.
My Cholinergic Urticaria started in the summer of 2004. I noticed that I was getting extremely uncomfortable commuting on the London Underground, where conditions were cramped and hot. I found that the only way to make the tube journeys bearable was to stand at the end of the carraiges where I found relief from the ventilation through the windows.
I thought nothing of it at the time – it was more an annoyance rather than a hindrance. My university placement work at a product design agency was extremely stressful, both emotionally and physically, and this in hindsight may well have been the trigger.
I changed my placement job in February 2005 – and took on a much better paid, low stress job as a Web Developer for BT. This environment allowed me to take care of myself much better – I ate good food and regularly went to the gym. My Cholinergic Urticaria was still present but rarely appeared since I learnt to avoid hot places and I carried with me a cooling spray named “Magicool” with me, which i used everytime I felt the Cholinergic Urticaria coming on.
I started my final year at University in October 2005. My Industrial Design course at Brunel University is renown for working it’s students very hard, with plenty of deadlines for big project hand-ins. In addition to the heavy workload, I was going out to the Student Union two to three times per week, consuming lots of alcohol and partying a bit too much. The combination of these two factors sent my Cholinergic Urticaria spiralling. I went to see my GP multiple times; initally she simply thought I had heat hives, and told me to go take antihistamines. During the next 6 months, I tried every antihistamine avaiable to buy over the internet.
At times, I was taking 10 tablets a day. The tablets did not do a single thing. I tried Lacitrex, chinese medicine, acupunture, none of which worked. I restricted my diet to just rice and root vegetables. I slept with the window wide open, and occasionally took drastic measures such as pourring bottles of water over myself, much to the amusement of onlookers.
Somehow, with the help of wearing wet t-shirts and carring Magicool everywhere, I managed to finish my degree. I sprayed myself frequently with Magicool during the exams, and would walk out early out of every single exam as soon as I had finished the last question.
In the late summer of 2006, my GP finally realised that I had something more than hives and sent me to see a dermatologist. I explained to the dermatologist my situation, all the remedies I had tried, all of which had failed. He diagnosed me with Cholinergic Urticaria and sent me to have UVB treatment three times a week at the hospital. UVB treatment consists of standing in a chamber surrounded by long UV vertical light bulbs, much like you would see on a sun bed, but at a much safer, controlled wavelength of 15nM.
My Cholinergic Urticaria became much better until it finally seemed to disappear completely. I stopped having UVB treatment. Three weeks later however, and my Cholinergic Urticaria was back. I realised that the UVB treatment was needed on a regular basis.
My dermatologist was concerned with the long term effects this UVB treatment would have. He sent me to see a Urticaria expert in St Thomas’ Hospital in London. This lady was extremely understanding and understand fully how detrimental Cholinergic Urticaria was to my life. She wrote a letter permitting me to have indefinite UVB treatment for as long as I needed. This letter has to this day been my saviour.
It is now July 2009 and I am continuing to have UVB treatment once per week. I find that the dosage required increases during the winter and decreases in the summer, due to the amount of sunlight. I found that holidays away either to go skiing or to a hot country have helped my Cholinergic Urticaria considerably – the natural sunlight is plentiful. While skiing, even though the only part of my skin exposed to sunlight are my cheeks, it is enough to get rid of my Cholinergic Urticaria.
I hope my story is inspirational and helpful to others with Cholinergic Urticaria. I am still learning new things about my condition, but it does not worry or scare me anymore as it is kept under control. I am now looking at ways of getting rid of Cholinergic Urticaria entirely – I am now on a mostly gluten free diet and may consider moving abroad to a hotter climate at a suitable time.
——————————————————————————-
Title: Re: My Cholinergic Urticaria story over the past 5 years, and how it is now under control.
Post by: billysielu on July 13, 2009, 04:02:48 AM
——————————————————————————–
That’s a very interesting story indeed. Thanks for sharing it. Now you’ve got me all curious…
What more can you tell us about UVB?
Is it a substitute for sunlight?
What are the other uses of it?
How long is a session?
Are there side effects?
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: My Cholinergic Urticaria story over the past 5 years, and how it is now under control.
Post by: treadsafely on July 13, 2009, 05:05:18 AM
——————————————————————————–
UVB therapy is often called phototherapy and is most commonly used to help psoriasis and eczema.
I normally have to stand in the light box for about a minute or so per week at the hospital.
The side effects are having a tan (which is great imo), and a slight increase in the risk of skin cancer.
Quote from: billysielu on July 13, 2009, 04:02:48 AM
That’s a very interesting story indeed. Thanks for sharing it. Now you’ve got me all curious…
What more can you tell us about UVB?
Is it a substitute for sunlight?
What are the other uses of it?
How long is a session?
Are there side effects?
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: My Cholinergic Urticaria story over the past 5 years, and how it is now under control.
Post by: treadsafely on July 13, 2009, 05:08:37 AM
——————————————————————————–
I would highly recommend seeing if your dermatologist can put you on a UVB course at a hospital.
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: My Cholinergic Urticaria story over the past 5 years, and how it is now under control.
Post by: HivesGuy on July 13, 2009, 01:16:29 PM
——————————————————————————–
Hello treadsafely,
Thanks for that super interesting and informative post! Also, welcome to the forum! I really appreciate you taking the time to share your experience with us all.
I can really relate in many ways to your old experiences. I too have gotten to the point where I just could not hardly stand to live. My hives have been at levels where I basically couldn’t function without an attack.
I find this post very interesting because for a while now I have really been considering the potential for vitamin D and/or UVB rays to play some type of role in cholinergic urticaria. The main reason for this is due to the fact that many of us on here admit to little to no sun exposure, I myself had the hives go away during periods of heavy sun exposure, only to come back later when I stayed away from the sun, and more.
So I find it highly intersting that you too have been able to successfully manage your hives with UVB. To me, it says that there is definitely something related to UVB/vitamin d when absorbed via the skin (as opposed to supplements only), that definitely is interacting with something in the body, which has a direct effect on the hives.
I too would like to ask a few questions:
1. How long did it take for the Cholinergic Urticaria symptoms to disappear once you started the UVB (a week, month, year, etc.).
2. Are your hives 100% gone as long as you continue this? Or do you still get some outbreaks (even if minor) from time to time?
3. Do you sweat normally? Like when you get hot, does your body just go right into sweating as it normally should?
Thanks so much again for sharing your story and taking the time to answer!
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: My Cholinergic Urticaria story over the past 5 years, and how it is now under control.
Post by: treadsafely on July 14, 2009, 06:21:02 AM
——————————————————————————-
Quote from: HivesGuy on July 13, 2009, 01:16:29 PM
Hello treadsafely,
Thanks for that super interesting and informative post! Also, welcome to the forum! I really appreciate you taking the time to share your experience with us all.
I can really relate in many ways to your old experiences. I too have gotten to the point where I just could not hardly stand to live. My hives have been at levels where I basically couldn’t function without an attack.
I find this post very interesting because for a while now I have really been considering the potential for vitamin D and/or UVB rays to play some type of role in cholinergic urticaria. The main reason for this is due to the fact that many of us on here admit to little to no sun exposure, I myself had the hives go away during periods of heavy sun exposure, only to come back later when I stayed away from the sun, and more.
So I find it highly intersting that you too have been able to successfully manage your hives with UVB. To me, it says that there is definitely something related to UVB/vitamin d when absorbed via the skin (as opposed to supplements only), that definitely is interacting with something in the body, which has a direct effect on the hives.
I too would like to ask a few questions:
1. How long did it take for the Cholinergic Urticaria symptoms to disappear once you started the UVB (a week, month, year, etc.).
2. Are your hives 100% gone as long as you continue this? Or do you still get some outbreaks (even if minor) from time to time?
3. Do you sweat normally? Like when you get hot, does your body just go right into sweating as it normally should?
Thanks so much again for sharing your story and taking the time to answer!
Dear HivesGuy,
Thank you for your welcome.
I do not know whether it is a vitamin D deficiency or whether it is something else in the sunlight – the effect it has on our bodies – that stops Cholinergic Urticaria from appearing. I found the following from another site which explains the science of UVB therapy:. It is most commonly used for psoriasis treatment.
“UVB inhibits DNA synthesis, which may, in turn, inhibit the overgrowth of skin cells seen in psoriasis plaques. UVB also promotes the self-destruction of T lymphocytes, the immune cells that gather in psoriasis plaques and trigger inflammation. Finally, UVB increases cellular production of several substances that reduce inflammation. Some combination of these mechanisms may explain how UVB exposure controls psoriasis.”
It may well not be vitamin D at all – do you know of any studies or personal accounts that have evidence to state that vitamin D tablets alone have any effect on getting rid of Cholinergic Urticaria?
To answer your questions:
1. My UVB treatment started off 3x per week with gradually increasing UVB dosages to let my skin acclimatise. After 3 – 4 weeks of acclimatisation, I estimate I was receiving about 6-7 Joules of UVB radiation per week, which was enough to get rid of my Cholinergic Urticaria entriely.
Once my Cholinergic Urticaria was under control, I worked with the Phototherapy nurses at the hospital to gauge what was the minimum dosage I needed per week to keep Cholinergic Urticaria away. We worked out that it was exactly 2.3 Joules per week. Any less and my Cholinergic Urticaria would reappear.
Today, 2 and a half years on, the UVB dosage I need is reduced to 1.2 Joules per week during the winter, and 0.9 Joules per week in the summer.
2. I get no outbreaks whatsoever so long as I continue my UVB treatment (now once per week). If I skip a session, I get a minor outbreak or two in the following week, but it’s not strong enough to affect my day to day life.
3. I don’t sweat much at all, but I can induce a sweat without breaking out in Cholinergic Urticaria. Before UVB treatment, there was no way I could sweat a drop without having the most horrific outbreak.
Hope this helps.
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: My Cholinergic Urticaria story over the past 5 years, and how it is now under control.
Post by: treadsafely on July 14, 2009, 07:22:21 AM
——————————————————————————–
Before I begin, I just want to say I am not trained in medicine or biology, but I am simply stating what I believe to be true, from a mixture of the following sources:
1) My own personal experience of Cholinergic Urticaria
2) Speaking to two dermatologists and an urticaria expert at St Thomas Hospital (PM me for her name if you wish)
3) My own studies on the internet
Many of my statements may well be scientifically iffy, but this is how I understand Cholinergic Urticaria.
Why does Cholinergic Urticaria occur?
Cholinergic Urticaria occurs when a person has too many White Blood Cells – I believe T Cells and Mast Cells. This causes the immune system to be over-reactive, reacting to both heat and stress by emitting histamine and other substances which cause our Cholinergic Urticaria symptoms.
You may notice that if you have Cholinergic Urticaria, you get ill very infrequently. This is because your immune system is very (too) strong.
So, what do we need to do?
We need to increase our exposure to UVB radiation, either naturally through exposure to the sun, or artifically through phototherapy. The UVB narrow band wavelength I have found successful is I believe 311nM or 315nM, I can’t remember which.
What does UVB radiation do?
UVB radiation causes T Cells to self destruct. I will try and find a scientific reference if I can.
This causes the immune system to be regulated and so therefore you keep Cholinergic Urticaria under control.
I do not know what happens if you overdose on UVB radiation. In my experience, at one point I was taking in 6-7 Joules of UVB per week with no unwanted side effects.
Are there any other ways of getting rid of Cholinergic Urticaria?
Through my research, immune system supressant drugs have worked for some but these have significant side effects. If I have time I can try and find some scientific references.
What causes Cholinergic Urticaria in the first place?
I do not know. It could be linked to perhaps an allergic reaction from the past which has left the body imbalanced, or through a trigger such as extreme stress, and therefore the body’s way of saying “no more”.
Do vitamins help?
I do not know, but I seriously doubt it.
I hope this helps you guys. Again, I want to state that this is not a professional opinion but merely my thoughts on what happens.
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: My Cholinergic Urticaria story over the past 5 years, and how it is now under control.
Post by: billysielu on July 14, 2009, 10:39:55 AM
——————————————————————————–
That’s a logical explanation for it all. That’s not something I’ve considered before.
I can confirm that I don’t get ill very often. I’ve only been in bed ill once in my entire life. I don’t get colds and such.
I used to get a lot of ear infections as a child (about 5yrs) and was given my maximum allowance of antibiotics within a single year.
—
My honest view of Cholinergic Urticaria:
1. Your body is hotter than the environment.
2. Tries to cool itself.
3. Releases some oily substance instead of sweat – something chemically different to sweat. – Which may be explained by your post above.
4. That substance irritates the skin.
Remedies centre around keeping yourself cooler than the environment.
– A hot day, the environment is hotter than you.
– Less excercise, keeps your temperature down.
– Relaxation, avoids stress-related temperature increases.
It’s a little vague at this point, but that’s the explanation I’m exploring. One thing I do know is I can consciously control the symtoms by regulating my breathing and heartrate.
I’m also humoring the possibility that there’s something in my lungs, or something in the air. In all the situations above you are breathing more heavily, so you could be exposing your blood to something you have taken into your blood through your lungs – increased heartrate worsening the symptoms.
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: My Cholinergic Urticaria story over the past 5 years, and how it is now under control.
Post by: HivesGuy on July 14, 2009, 01:08:21 PM
——————————————————————————–
Thanks so much for your reply Treadsafely!
That is very interesting that you can even sweat without an attack, and that it remains completely gone as long as you continue treatment. That is so inspiring to hear!
About your theory, I have to admit that I agree with you and it makes a lot of logical sense. I too seem to have a super-charged immune system. I used to get strepthroat yearly before I got Cholinergic Urticaria. Since having Cholinergic Urticaria, I haven’t had 1 antibiotic or even doctor visit for an illness (with the exception as a checkup and testing for my stomach problems).
I agree with you as well regarding the vitamin d. While there have been some posts on the forum that indicate vitamin d supplementation has helped some in terms of the hives, no one that I can remember has been able to totally eliminate their hives by supplementation alone. I have always been an advocate of getting it from the sun due to other known benefits of the sun exposure that will also be gained.
UVB produces vitamin d, that is for sure. Vitamin D is actually a hormone (which is strange considering it has the word “vitamin” in its name) and it it responsible for controlling the regulation of some 2,000 genes.
I think that while it may have some level of involvement, the actual UVB radiation itself may be even more important on some level as you pointed out. Especially if the radiation itself reduces the number of mast cells and t cells in the skin. The exact process could be complicated. I have always felt as if I have too many of something (mast cells, etc.) that causes this. I even once thought that I had a condition called mastocytosis, but I don’t think that any longer.
The most important thing is this: It seems to be working in your situation. So the UVB seems to be directly responsible, and this has been consistent over the course of years. So I am definitely sticking with my plan of getting sun. One thing that would be interesting to know is how long it would take to get that much UVB from the sun (rather than the machine).
Thanks again for all of the interesting info!
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: My Cholinergic Urticaria story over the past 5 years, and how it is now under control.
Post by: treadsafely on July 15, 2009, 12:23:42 PM
——————————————————————————–
Quote from: HivesGuy on July 14, 2009, 01:08:21 PM
The most important thing is this: It seems to be working in your situation. So the UVB seems to be directly responsible, and this has been consistent over the course of years. So I am definitely sticking with my plan of getting sun. One thing that would be interesting to know is how long it would take to get that much UVB from the sun (rather than the machine).
Thanks again for all of the interesting info!
Hi HivesGuy,
I remember going to Malaysia last year where the sun is very strong. I remember several times on the plane there being really uncomfortable as my Cholinergic Urticaria was on the brink of coming out ( and it wasn’t even hot at all)
The first day was tough in the full sun at about 30 degrees C (86 F), and I had to really take it easy otherwise my Cholinergic Urticaria would break out. I spent about 4 hours in direct sunlight on the first day.
The second day onwards was absolutely fine – no Cholinergic Urticaria whatsoever, not even the feeling like it could come.
The same happens when I go skiing. The first day is difficult as I’ve got lots of layers on. The sunlight reflects off the snow though, so even though only my cheeks are exposed to the sun, one day of skiing in the sun is enough to get rid of Cholinergic Urticaria for the rest of the holiday.
Because there is more sunlight abroad, I find that when I go on holiday to a hot country or go skiing, I do not need to have my weekly UVB treatments and can go for a week or two without it after I get back from holiday.
One way of providing temporary relief is maybe to use a sun-bed at a tanning salon, but I would use this as a last resort because its not that safe for skin cancer etc, whereas UVB treatment is narrowband at 315nM which is the most effective and safest wavelength from medical studies.
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: My Cholinergic Urticaria story over the past 5 years, and how it is now under control.
Post by: kluger on July 16, 2009, 04:33:04 PM
——————————————————————————–
This is very interesting indeed!
If my Cholinergic Urticaria returns this winter I will look into UVB treatments. [I am doubting my insurance would cover this…but, maybe.]
Cheers!
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: My Cholinergic Urticaria story over the past 5 years, and how it is now under control.
Post by: Cass58 on July 21, 2009, 09:42:03 PM
——————————————————————————–
Wow! Thanks for the great thoughts in here. It is really interesting to read about. I do concur – that I also do not get ill that often. Most of my body complaints are due to allergies – stuffy nose, itchy throat, etc.
I’ve also noticed that when I go to the beach or go tanning – the hives aren’t apparent! That was always odd to me…as I thought that any type of heat was what caused my body to break out! Now, I see that it occurs when my body is hotter than the environment! Very interesting…and good to know.
Thanks for sharing…and now I have a great excuse to go tanning! 😉
——————————————————————————–
Title: Cholinergic Urticaria and me!
Post by: waynebulley on April 27, 2010, 11:03:47 PM
——————————————————————————–
Hi, My itching began about 4 years ago after joining a gym for the first time. I became extremely itchy following each strenuous session where I started to heat up and sweat. The sensation is of a stinging, prickly itchy feeling which makes me scratch myself with anything I can find.
This now occurs everytime I get hot through any form exercise or activity that results in me raising a sweat. In fact it appears to arise as the first beads of sweat begin to emerge. Scratching seems to intensify the sensation and drives me to want to scratch more – insatiably. It is confined to primarily on my back, back of neck and chest. never anywhere else.
Generally I force myself to stop scratching ( it can get manic) and I sit/lay down until the sensation gradually passes and I get back to normal as I cool down.
I have little to show for this in the way of hives, wheals, bumps or rashes (except some pretty severe scratch marks). There is some reddening and minute hives/lumps appearing at times.
I have seen the doctor with these symptoms and been referred to dermatologists twice. The first (well respected) dermotolgist recommended UV light treatment and prescribed “solarium” UV treatment 3 times a week for 3 months. besides a nice winter sun tan this did nothing to relieve the symptoms. This specialist seemed to lose interest in me after that other than to prescribe a mild “antihystemine” which I took daily for several years. This I felt, reduced the symptoms a little but certainly didn’t stop them.
The second dermatologist came up with the Cholinergic Urticaria diagnosis but was confused by my lack of obvious visual symptoms eg hives.
He prescribed 2 x 10ml Zyrtec daily (which is double the recommended dose). This again has provided some relief – reducing the symptoms but far from eradicating them.
I am a naturally active person and as I live in extremely hot South Australia I have a daily battle with the Cholinergic Urticaria symptoms. This is distressing and I am getting a reputation amongst friends and work collegues as the “itchy/scratchy man”, which is disturbing and embarassing.
Coming across this site has been quite revealing and somehow I feel glad to know that this isn’t “all in my head” as I believe some suspect. Even I was wondering if maybe I was losing it! Thanks for listeneing.
Wayne
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: Cholinergic Urticaria and me!
Post by: Joeshep on April 28, 2010, 02:57:38 AM
——————————————————————————–
Hello!
Let me re assure you that you are not going crazy. Believe me, I have been there, and I have had it as a possible suggestion that it is all in my head. I, like you, do not have any visible symptoms either.
I remember when I first experienced it. I was 12 years old. I am now 22. I can actually pin point the day when it first happened. I remember being in a rush to get ready for school and it happened. I actually don’t understand myself why I never asked for help back then. I think it was because I thought people would think I was making it up. I also considered it back then as a quite trivial thing to go to the doctor about. I thought the doctor would laugh at me if I went and told him I was itching uncontrollably. I learned to live with it in the hope that I would grow out of it. Unfortunately that has never happened, and it is only recently I have been to see doctors/dermatologists.
I remember when I used to go to gym every day, and I would be running on the tread mill and I would literally just have to force myself to run through the pain barrier until eventually I started sweating. There have also been times when I’ve been so de-motivated to excercise knowing what was going to happen.
I have only ever had antihistimine treatment, and like you have pointed out, it provides some relief, but for me, they are no where near beneficial enough for me to want to continue them. As it happens, I go back to see the dermatologist today, so I’ll see what his next plan is. Probably more antihistimines, which I will refuse.
Try to stay positive. I know it it’s hard but unfortunately I don’t think we have much choice.
Joe.
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: Cholinergic Urticaria and me!
Post by: waynebulley on April 29, 2010, 12:32:11 AM
——————————————————————————–
Hi Joe, thanks for the feed back. I agree that it something that I’ll have to put up with for a while. I’m quickly realising , via this interesting forum, that there is probably no magic or quick fix with this – at this stage anyway. We can keep hoping! good luck! Wayne
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: Tanning Beds for Cholinergic Urticaria Treatment?
Post by: LookMaNoHives on January 27, 2011, 09:26:04 PM
——————————————————————————–
Hello fellow Cholinergic Urticarians! I am writing to ask if anyone has tried tanning beds to help treat this? I know they cause cancer and whatnot, but being a working college student I don’t have time to be in the sun and I do enjoy a good tan, not to mention tanning is very relaxing! Any feedback would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: Tanning Beds for Cholinergic Urticaria Treatment?
Post by: HivesGuy on January 28, 2011, 09:02:55 AM
——————————————————————————–
I recall 1 post a year or so ago where a person was using UVB treatment, and had some success with it. But then again, I think they use a different UV range than tanning beds, and this was done in a medical setting once per week (I think). My personal opinion is that a tanning bed probably wouldn’t do much of anything for the hives. But I suppose you could always try. It may be painful if you have an attack in it though lol. Oh, and absolutely DO NOT use that tingle/warming lotion. I used some of that stuff before and it made my skin go crazy, and that was before my hives started.
And I am not going to preach to you since you already know the risks, but my wife used to work at a tanning bed salon during college part time, and she could tan as much as she wanted for free. But after seeing what it does to people 5-10 years down the road (skin aging, people getting skin cancers removed, etc)–well, let me just say she never used her free passes! Ever. 😉
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: Tanning Beds for Cholinergic Urticaria Treatment?
Post by: LookMaNoHives on January 28, 2011, 09:15:07 AM
——————————————————————————–
I did actually go back and look at the previous posts about it but if I remember right there weren’t a whole lot of responses. Most people talked about being in the sun and how that helped them. I know there are tanning beds that only emit UVB rays, but they are really expensive. I have actually had UV radiation treatment (not for cholingergic urticaria but for pityriasis rosea) about 10 years ago and it made that condition worse. About the lotion, I KNOW! Last year I bought this frosted hemp lotion and I got this awful burning rash every time I tanned! It was also before I got hives. Worst decision ever.
I know tanning is bad for you, but I enjoy it (unfortunately). After tanning last year I vowed to never tan in a bed until my wedding. I guess I am looking for a good excuse to tan. Having this condition is probably a good excuse not to tan though. Thank you for your advice!
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: Tanning Beds for Cholinergic Urticaria Treatment?
Post by: nico1021 on February 28, 2011, 02:23:57 PM
——————————————————————————–
I use to tan too when my meds were working correctly and it would create an easy fast sweat. But now that they are not working oh my god does it hurt. I tried my best to fight with it so that I could sweat and then the pain usually goes away but my whole body felt like it was lit on fire, especially my back. So I think depending on your specific case of urticaria this could be helpful or not so helpful.
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: Tanning Beds for Cholinergic Urticaria Treatment?
Post by: Batavan on December 04, 2011, 01:47:45 AM
——————————————————————————–
Interesting.
The first time I ever got cholinergic urticaria symptoms was actually in a tanning bed, so I have a theory that it could have been the tanning bed that brought on my cholinergic urticaria. Or it could have been the tanning lotion I used.
——————————————————————————–
Title: My Story – 15 years
Post by: Tim on March 11, 2012, 09:18:03 AM
——————————————————————————–
So glad to have found this website.
I started with the needle pricking hives around the age of 16. During my teenage years, it always resulted in small hives on my arms. Only the touch of something cold or going out in the cold would stop it. I went to a psychologist who sincerely tried to help, but we could never trigger an episode in his office.
For most of my twenties, I tended to experience it most during seasonal changes. Winter to Spring, Summer to Fall. Emotional stress is a horrible trigger during these times…embarrassment, tension, etc. Fortunately I do not experience hives anymore, but the needle pricking is still there, and it is the most uncomfortable feeling. My head, neck and arms tend to be the worst places.
When Winter changes to Spring, the only thing that has helped me adjust to temperature changes is to force myself to lay in the sun and get a good tan. Since the needle pricking seems to precipitate a sweat, laying in the sun and experiencing a good sweat early in the season seems to force my body to a quicker adjustment. Stepping outside in the heat from the air conditioning, or getting into a hot car is no longer a problem if I have been tanning. This has been my only successful approach.
I’m wondering if anyone else approaches it the same way. Glad to see I’m not alone in this.
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: My Story – 15 years
Post by: TooMuchForYa on March 14, 2012, 03:27:13 AM
——————————————————————————–
hey your not alone and if you look at my post you can see my story
The winter cold months is when Cholinergic Urticaria hits me the most because I am not as active during the Winter then the summer.. Through out the whole summer I am fine with no itching.. But when winter hits its HELL.. I’m trying to find a solution that will help me cure my itchiness and hopefully will help others as well. I found prescription pills helped people but then after a couple months they stop. I’m trying to find a natural way to stop mine such as vitamins,herbs,tea,diets,exercise Because I honestly don’t want to take prescription pills for the rest of my life or majority of my life feeding myself drugs.
I’ll stay updated with this website as long as it takes me to cure my itch.. This website is my homepage now. Because I’m not going to stop tell I find a solution and hopefully help others.
Stay strong man there is a solution for everything, you just have to find it. And for me I’m not a quitter I’m not going to let some itch ruin my life.
——————————————————————————–
Title: Re: My Story – 15 years
Post by: HivesGuy on March 15, 2012, 07:08:00 AM
——————————————————————————–
Hey Tim,
Great post and welcome to the forum.
I appreciate you sharing that information. In the past, I used to stay in the sun to try to sweat and also hoping to get some vitamin D and a bit of a tan. Sometimes the sun helped, other times (when my hives were most severe), not even that would help.
Eating a special diet removing foods that reacted with my body, and also regular exercise was what worked best for me, but it is somewhat similar to the strategy you are doing (especially the exercise part).
Honestly, the diet is the biggest factor by far. I’ve actually been sick several times this winter, and was unable to exercise for a few weeks. When I started back up, I was able to sweat just like normal.