Do I have candida and is it the cause of my urticarial?
I’m 19 and I’ve had urticaria since I was 15 . I have always eaten a lot of processed foods and bread.
I have developed extremely dry skin (so bad I’m going to the GP about it). I have read that a candida (yeast) infection can cause huge build up of dry skin, and when you get rid of the dry skin, it just comes back (like mine!!)
I know candida infections have been linked with some people’s urticaria, and once they’ve cured that, their urticaria has gone away.
I hope this is the case for me, and I just wondered if any of you guys have the same problem? Do any of you have extremely dry skin ? I hope I do have candida so that I can find a cure. This is so depressing, and it’s getting me down big time at the moment.
I don’t know how much longer I can live like this. I can’t enjoy my life. I’m basically a prisoner in my own body ( I love sports). It’s painful. Thanks for reading and sorry for it being so long.
-Ryan
Hivesguy says
Ryan,
I’m sorry to hear that you’re feeling down lately, but I know exactly where you’re coming from. I’ve felt the same way many times. Having chronic hives of any kind can make you feel like life isn’t worth living, but it is. I’m glad I didn’t give up, and I’d advise you to keep fighting. Life will get better in time, so believe it–even if you have to accept that by faith at this point.
In my personal opinion, Candida is not the cause of most people’s hives/cholinergic urticaria. A lot of homeopath people and internet marketers have written very convincing articles with a vague list of “symptoms” of Candida so that nearly any disorder could seem as though Candida is the culprit. If you have a common cold, you’d probably find symptoms that match Candida overgrowth on some website!
I was once so convinced that I had Candida, that I took Diflucan, a prescription drug that fights yeast. It did absolutely nothing for my hives. Eventually, I realized that Candida is just an over-hyped diagnosis that people use to try to sell their homeopath products/books. It is a real condition, but it can easily be treated with prescription medications in the rare cases of true overgrowth, which mostly only happens to people with compromised immune systems (such as HIV patients).
Also, keep in mind that many people report feeling better after cutting out wheat/gluten/processed foods. My guess is that it’s because wheat is one of the top allergens in the world, and most people probably have some sensitivity to it.
Also, several other people with cholinergic urticaria have tried anti-yeast diets/products, and seen little or no benefits. You can always ask your doctor about Candida to rule it out, but it wouldn’t be something I’d suspect was a major factor for most people.
Regarding dry skin, yes, my skin would often get fairly dry/scaly. What helped a lot with that was Eucerin Calming Crème and a good shower filter. Eucerin has excellent reviews on Amazon, and in my opinion was the best lotion I’ve ever used. There are other goods ones out there as well.
Lastly, if I was in your position, I’d be far more concerned with potential food allergies/sensitivities in your diet. When I finally cleared out all of the food sensitivities/allergies I had, my hives went away and my dry skin issues got dramatically better (although, dry skin can happen during drier months, so I still use lotion then).
I hope that helps. Hang in there, Ryan. Don’t give up on it. If you give up, the hives win. As long as you keep fighting, you win. It may take time, but you’ll figure it out eventually. It took me roughly 10 years to overcome my hives, but I did.
God bless,
Hivesguy
Ryan says
Thanks a lot hives guy it will keep fighting, my diet is bad so I’m gonna change it and I’m definitely seeing my doctor about candida because I’m pretty sure I do have it but dw I’m not pinning my hopes on that being the case of my itching because nothing in my life ever seems to be that easy unfortunately
Hivesguy says
You’re welcome, Ryan. If/when you go to the doctor, please keep us updated and let us know how things turned out.