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 I read, someone mentions CU, a guy by the name of Andy in NC, posted that an anti yeast (candida) product cured him.
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.
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 and a lot of what I have read online, alternative treatments are probably a waste of time & money–at least for many people with CU.