Traumeel and Naturopath Helped my Cholinergic Urticaria

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