I’ve had hives a few times throughout my life due to various allergies. But after a majorly stressful event happened to me, a month later I got a whole hive reaction that lasted eight months – chronic urticaria. Mine was triggered by water, heat, friction, pressure, stress and exercise. Fun!
The first day my body was completely covered in hives – head to toe. I had two cold sores. I went to the doctor and he told me I had an allergic reaction and gave me anti-histamines. They didn’t go away and the cold sores multiplied. Over the next four weeks I went to seven doctors because the hives didn’t stop and the cold sores were out of control – I had a full goatee! As a female, this was seriously messed up! But the doctors gave me steroids, more anti-histamines, anti-depressants and cold sore medication. The cold sores slowly faded but the hives continued.
And being on that much medication, I felt like a train wreck all day, every day. Doctor after doctor, I was told it was just an allergy and to get of the chemicals in my house/skin care products because that must be the cause. I kept taking their medications and got rid of all chemical products. After five months of hell I was desperate – I went to my Naturopath.
To be honest I waited that long because I thought maybe my Naturopath and her supplements had actually triggered the hives in the first place. But as I said, I was desperate and none of my research indicated it could be caused by anything she had previously given me, so I made my appointment and off I went.
Now I had done a lot of research during this time and scientific think-tanks speculated that chronic hives are caused by the release of a chemical that exist around the nasal cavity. This sounded crazy to me but I didn’t have any other theories. My Naturopath, on the other hand, had her own idea.
First, she put me on Traumeel tablets and slowly weaned me off the steroids, anti-histamines and anti-depressants. I did this and I felt…human again! I felt zero side effects – no fatigue, heaviness, exhaustion, zombieness, etc. – all that was gone. Yes, when I stopped taking the pills the hives and crazy itching came back but it stopped the symptoms without adding more pain to my problem. Traumeel is based on Arnica, a natural anti-inflammatory. It was also my new best friend.
Next, my Naturopath told me that my hives were caused by my gut. We had a long discussion/argument and after a while, I thought, why not – what else did I have to lose? Mainstream medicine hadn’t worked for me so far and it didn’t really seem concerned that I was in pain, so why not give it a try? She ran some tests that showed I was high in candida and leaky gut. So she put me on a regime of supplements and homeopathic remedies. And I had to change to a healthy diet that avoided my allergies/food sensitivities to improve my immune system.
Over the next few months my hives slowly reduced in frequency and severity. Well, whenever I stopped taking my Traumeel I would try to notice any changes in my hives before I quickly took my next pill (that itching can drive you crazy!). I wanted to make sure that her method was actually doing something and getting results which is why sometimes I would delay my dosage by a few hours. I was still a bit skeptical.
Finally, after being on my Naturopath’s plan for three months my hives were completely gone and I stopped taking Traumeel! The relief/exhilaration was amazing! I was back to feeling like a normal person again!
Before there’s dancing in the streets, let me clarify one thing. I do sometimes get a bit of itching on the back of my legs once a year or so. When I reach down, I can feel tiny little raised hives. So I quickly grab my bottle of Traumeel, pop a tablet and schedule an appointment with my Naturopath for a check up. And it never gets any worse and I only have to take that first pill and it goes away but my Naturopath gives me a few supplements to get my body back on track again and I have to watch my diet, avoiding my long list of allergy foods that drop my immune system. Oh and get rid of stress – that’s a big one too.
So that’s my story – eight months of hives. Seven doctors that nearly drove me to the nut house. One Naturopath that saved my sanity. And a very happy gut. I hope this helps some of you suffering out there – you’re not alone, you just have to keep trying and eventually you’ll find the solution that works for you. But whatever you do – don’t stop, because healing your hives is totally worth it!
xoxo
-Gia
Steve says
Hi Gia,
Thanks for sharing! I’m glad you found something that has worked well for you. I’ve had hives on and off for 16 years. I’m looking up Traumeel it’s very interesting, would you mind sharing what brand you use? I’d prefer to try a brand I know has worked for someone else.
Mary says
Just wondering what other supplements and protocol your Naturopath used. What food allergies do you have and how did you test for them? Basically can you give more specific details? Thanks a million – trying to navigate CU with my 16 year old son.