The following article was submitted by a reader:
I’m an 18-year-old boy from Australia, and recently I have been experiencing cholinergic urticaria (approx 4-5 months), also known as heat hives. Australia itself is a very dry country, and at summer–which is now–it can go up to 40 degrees. To you Americans it is around 104 degrees Fahrenheit. At the moment I have been using anti-histamines which has an effect but at times it is useless.
I’ve done some research and yes, it is an on and off thing, but I think I might know a temporary cure–some say that it cured them completely. But it has not been proven, as I am undergoing this process, and I will try to keep you updated as many times as possible. I know living with heat hives is a struggle, but my symptoms aren’t as bad as the ones I’ve read. The stinging feeling really gets to you and usually interferes with your daily life.
The cure that I believe might solve Cholinergic urticaria is vitamin C. Yes, many people have been eating oranges, and believe it has helped them significantly. Through my research there has been no explanation in why we experience heat hives, but I believe it has something to do with our immune system. From different sources I have read that there have been many people saying oranges don’t help at all, and in some cases (depending on how bad your condition is), it may trigger an attack. This is because sour fruits (e.g. oranges) are citrus fruits and like spicy food which may cause an adrenaline rush which is a trigger towards heat hives due to the increase in body temperature. In this case I advise you to find vitamin C tablets.
The reason why I believe vitamin C tablets help are because of its benefits as it benefits your immune system which I believe is the cause of heat hives. As a result, I know I might be wrong, and it might not help at all. But through the research I’ve done I think it will benefit/ease the triggers of your condition, as everyone is different. If it doesn’t work, I’m sorry, and if it does, please keep me posted.
It is a very hard condition to live with,a nd I read that some people eat 2-3 oranges a day. Also, what is the harm is eating a few oranges even if they don’t help? Haha, I hope you try this out, and thanks for reading.
-Danny
Ali says
Personally, I feel that food has nothing to with it for me. When I eat spicy food I don’t get hives. I only get them when my body wants to sweat but when my body does sweat it stops. I feel like if they make a pill that opens the sweat holes in your body then that will be a cure.