Hives Treatment

Thanks for the suggestion about using activated charcoal for hives. One thing to keep in mind is that hives can be caused by toxicity buildup. If you're not eliminating properly, make sure to take care of that issue with a natural cleanser before taking activated charcoal, as the AC can cause constipation. The whole point of taking the charcoal is to get rid of the toxins, and if you're not eliminating properly first, this could cause problems. You want to move everything toxic out of the body, which requires a free and clear pathway.

I had hives for 3 months straight and I just had to tell everyone- I tried everything and nothing worked from Apple Cider Vinegar to castor oil to claritin. The only thing that has worked is baby oil ( the one with mineral oil). I never post anything online but I am posting this hoping to help someone because the baby oil is miracolous and anyone that has hives knows that they are really annoying.

It does not matter the brand just baby oil made with mineral oil. I am using the store generic brand and I have not had any hives for a whole week! I am so happy I want to shout!

To the person who used baby oil made with mineral oil. Did you just smooth it over the hives? I have chronic hives and have had two shots of a high dose of an allergy medicine, it works for a month after the shot, but it costs $1,200 each time and my insurance denies its use. I can't afford it. I'm now trying the ACV 3X a day. I hope this works. I don't want to continue taking a lot of medicine that can have major side effects.

For months, my husband started having itchy chronic hives (diagnosed urticaria) basically all over, including lip swelling. It mostly appeared at dawn time. A couple of times, it was even accompanied by difficulty breathing and wheezing. We eliminated one thing after the other, with no avail. A blood test showed nothing wrong and our doctor scheduled us for allergy testing. OTC allergy meds helped but only temporarily.

I started doing lots of research on-line as I didn't want my husband to be dependent on meds forever. Finally I came across this website talking about water treatment for hives, and I thought why not. http://www.topix.com/forum/health/hives/T3JE7RJD4S1FFOBUM/p5

Within the first 48 hours, his itching got less. We canceled the allergy appointment. Within a week, the hives still came but less. He also stopped drinking coffee totally (apparently it's very dehydrating). It took about two months of drinking water about 8-10 glasses, and now the hives are completely gone, thank God! The water has also helped his eczema itching as well. We also had liquid oil of oregano at home (search youtube for an easy painless way to take it- it's strong). Please DO give this a try, and I'll post this on a couple of sites in hopes it may help someone else.

This is the 3rd time in the last several years that I have had a hive breakout. The first time lasted for approx. 8 months. I tried homeopathic, etc. And ended up only taking benedryl almost every other day. I had skin testing done by an allergist from the surface skin test to the deep subcutaneous skin test. I had to desensitize myself prior to these tests and you have to wait 1 week in between. It was a total inconvenience and you have to suffer thru the hives. The hives get to the point of angioedema, swelling of lips, eyes, huge welts.

That skin testing showed that I was allergic to dander, dust, dustmites, pollen, mold, cats. At the time, I had a cat and a dog and the cat always slept at the foot of my bed. Every nite. Traumatic as it was, I had to keep the cat out of the room and I proceeded to the nearest Bed Bath and Beyond, purchased a new vacuum that was proven with a hepa filter, no bag. Put a dustmite cover on my mattress and vacuumed the room and under the bed, etc. Like a crazy person. Guess what, no more hives. The problem is now.... My cat is long gone, however, I have a dog who does shed and she sleeps on the end of my bed. I do have a new dust mite cover on the bed, but still waking up in the morning with hives that always appear on the very bottom of my buttocks and the sides and along the armpit area. The problem is once you have hives, your allergic reaction to other things that you normally wouldn't be allergic to is more pronounced. Getting the histamine level down is a chore. Anyone ever have anything like this? The only other thing I haven't done yet, is purchase a new vacuum. Next on the list.

I just had hives so bad they thought it was shingles. the intense itching kept coming back every night. I bought some cocoa butter that had soy in it and that was a mistake, as I'm allergic to soy apparently. The skin doctor gave me two steroid shots. Calmed it down immediately. Zyrtec helped too. The health food store recommended I take acidophilus.

I've just been reading about the health benefits of barberry. That's a possible solution. I have been using some pear soap from France that seems to really keep my skin smooth. I know one thing: Coffee gets your histamines up and so does chocolate. I would avoid them during a breakout.

I broke out with a small hive cluster on June 19, 2012 on the back of my right thigh. It wasn't major, but the hive spot appeared out of no where. I've experienced rashes before, but never really had hives. I saw a dermatologist a few days later who looked at the spot for a couple of minutes and then pronounced I had an auto-immune disease and prescribed a steroid ointment which was useless. Little do I know what I was in for in these coming weeks. It is now 5 weeks later and I have broken out severely in hives on both legs. The right leg has the most clusters and is much worse than the left leg. I have been to two dermatologists because I thought I had scabies and started treating for that. I am now under the care of a naturopathic doctor who told me I am dealing with urticaria.

The naturopathic doctor has given me two rounds of supplemental IVs containing B vitamins, selenium, and high doses of vitamin C. I am now trying to alkanize my body through a fast and drinking a lemon/lime concoction throughout the day. I also take 13,500 mg. Daily of ascorbic acid powder in water. Unfortunately, everything has become worse. The night itching is unbearable and every morning I wake up with more spots. I am desparate to clear this up because in 8 days I leave for Belize which has a hot, humid, tropical climate.

I'm thankful I found this site, and will try some of the recommendations here. I am so discouraged and depressed right now. I hope I find something that works.

Hi Zarahlin, Can you get yourself to a good Traditional Chinese Medicine/ Acupuncturist right away? They will be able to take care of this for you. They see the body very differently in this ancient method of healing. I am certain of its efficacy. See if you can get it resolved before you leave to Belize so it doesn't make you miserable during your holiday! Try not to be discouraged, Lisa

I have suffered these awful things myself. After reading up on the subject I would highly recommend antihistamine intially, I feel for you knowing the distress they cause. Alkalising my diet help immensely too. I used tropically and interally ACV with BS. Of course these were diluted in water. Good Luck and enjoy your trip. These tips will bring instant relief but keep up with them for a while after the hives have gone usually 2-3 days. BTW. I also take tumeric daily now and that address a lot of internal issues.:)

The hives have become worse. I have not found relief from using any of the suggestions here but will not give up on them altogether. I'm very discouraged and wonder how I will be able to cope on this trip. I have not had more than 2 hours of sleep a night for several weeks now. I've been feeling like I'm in a black hole and wonder if I'll ever get rid of these hives.

When I used to get hives for many years, I took 50 mg of Benedryl several times a day, as directed. They seemed to come out more at night, probably from the heat of the bed covers, especially on my hands on feet which would swell and felt like I was walking on big rocks. To get some sleep, I would fill the bathtub with cool water and pour some blue liquid starch into the water until it felt "starchy. ". A nurse told me to do this and it helps, at least temporarily. Sometimes you need almost a whole bottle of starch but it is inexpensive. If you wake up and don't want to do the bath, just fill the sink with cold water and some starch and put your hands or feet in for a while until your skin isn't hot and you can feel the hives stop itching. Let them air dry. Good luck! By the way, the stress and excitement of the trip may be a contributing factor. I would get them if I was worried and under stress and also when I was very happy and excited.

The only thing that helps my son with hives is ZYRTEC allergy medicine.

I get hives every single day and have been getting them like that for 16 years. I know that it is from the cold and from being nervous. I'll be starting college this year and I'd really like to go without sitting in class itching my arms and legs. The only thing that seems to help is benadryl but I take so much of it that my body is almost immune to it. I dont know what else to do to get rid of them.

Hi Ashley, I would venture to say that it is most likely your diet. You didn't mention anything about that. Remember the skin is also an eliminative organ- our largest one actually. Hives in Chinese medicine are also an indication of too much heat in the body. My suggestion would be to first look at your diet and clean that up. And Benadryl is just throwing off your body ecology anyway. Not only is it damaging topically but the body absorbs whatever you put on it too. I can assure you, if you clean up your diet and begin detoxing, you will see this change.

If you can get to a Traditional Chinese medicine doctor, they can help you with this condition as well. Even still, it is imperative you clean up your diet because those hives are an indication of toxins that want to get out. By the way, the cold and nervousness are just things that aggravate the body. Hope this information helps. Lisa

Hi Lisa from Thousand Oaks. Not sure if you're still on this site but I would like to ask you if you know of a reputable TCM practitioner that deals with hives?

Hi Coco, Well, actually any good Traditional Chinese medicine Dr. should know what to do for hives. Because of the way TCM works, there are many reasons for hives. The Dr. would know from checking your pulses, your tongue and sometimes palpating your stomach. This tradition works very differently from western medicine. In western medicine hives would just be seen as hives. In TCM, it is a symptom of some organ/s not working correctly. They would then treat you accordingly. I have had this symptom myself and through both acupuncture and herbs it was corrected.

Through the years, I have had several Chinese acupuncturists of which, all of them have been really good. I have been with my present Dr. though for 9 years. Interestingly, my previous Dr. had to move and it was a Saturday in which I was desperate for a treatment so I did a search for certified acupuncturists in my area. This is how I found my present Dr. and I trust him completely. I have sent him over 30 people and everyone has had successful results. Anyway, my point is, do a search for certified acupuncturists in your area and then decide accordingly. Once you've gone, I think you'll know if they're right for you. Hope this info helps. Lisa

Lisa: who do you see in thousand oaks?

Hi Jme, I have been seeing Dr. Kim at Bodhi Acupuncture for many years now- about 8. He is located in the shopping center where the DMV is. His phone number is 241-7775. I'm not sure what you're going for but he has helped numerous friends and family I have sent to him. The one thing I tell my friends is, he is a quiet, serene man but don't be afraid to tell him everything you are concerned and/ or are dealing with. He's also a Chinese herbalist and has made me many tonics over the years. Hope this info helps. If you have any more questions, let me know. Lisa

Hi there, I ve been having a lot of itching the last two years, eventually went to see a skin specialist (before that many doctors and homoepaths), the last guy told me to stay away from anything containing aspirin, or fruits and veggies containing pips (which is just about every fruit or juice (also wine), Im still on prednizone and danzit. havent had hives for about a month (probably thanks to prednizone). I hope to leave it behind me (prednizone) . Maybe it will help someone, be carefull of certain medicines...

Be careful with prednisone, it can be hard to get off-of and can be deadly if used in large doses for long periods of time!

I've had a form of hives for the last 4 years which started after taking antibiotics. I've been taking Allegra every day for it but still suffer with hives almost every single day. I just started seeing a Chinese Medicine Doctor and am taking a mix of herbs and have had 4 sessions of acupuncture. It's been about 3 weeks of treatment and I definitely see an improvement. The outbreaks are more controlled/less severe. But I also have been drinking about double or triple the water I usually drink because I have to wash down 6 herb pills after every meal. So I'm wondering if that has something to do with the decrease in the severity of the hives. Hoping to see more improvement! (Western medicine pretty much abandoned my case! )

I have a history of urticarial but haven't had it for years. I've had to keep on eliminating foods from my diet to the point where I'm now gluten free, sugar free, diary free, no chocolate (I cheat - it's 90% seriously dark) no processed foods, no soy, no foods containing lectins, or salicylates, all I drink is filtered water and one black coffee a day. Most of my food is organic bought from local farmer's markets.

A few weeks ago my hives started coming back! I get them around my mouth, a different place each morning, this morning I woke up to find my top lip so swollen I looked like I'd overdosed on botox or that someone had punched me. I get them in clusters on my arms, at the bottom of my buttocks, palms of my hands, near underarms. today, I've started drinking more as my system feels sluggish and slow and I need better elimination. I'm hoping it will work as I don't take pharma drugs, only vitamins and supplements/minerals/herbs.

Syn, have you watched "Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead"? Joe Cross cured his urticaria by juicing vegetables. Perhaps this could help you too.

Hello-

So sorry for all your redness and itching and all that goes with it.

I have been trying to find the solution for chronic hives for about 40 yrs, started at 8 years old.

If you can see a functional medicine doctor in your area and attempt to change your foods and possibly some therapy, you may find some really good results. I do still get them, they have decreased in duration especially, I would get them on my face and it would take almost 78 hours for them to be gone and some times just feel really sick like I had the flu.

Make sure you have an epi pen as you may need it, I have.

Many blessings to you.

I am new to this hive experience and I've felt like I'm going a bit crazy trying to deal with the hive breakout and itching as well as reading as much as possible and educating myself from all angles; allopathic and alternative approaches. I had been diagnosed with Hashimoto's disease about a year ago but haven't been bothered much by it. This hive break out might be the result of this; an autoimmune disease process where the body's immune system believes it must attack itself. Hives are a symptom of this.

I took myself to the emergency room on Monday night and they administered a steroid shot. The hives mostly disappeared but reappeared last night and then today they were all over my body again. I spoke with an allergist who prescribed heavy doses of antihistamines to dampen the histamine production and slow down the hive outbreak. It's helping address the symptoms which is what I need to do right now. The itching is gone and the hives are slowly disappearing. Here's what he recommended:

Claritin non drowsy during the day time: 10mg

Allegra Allergy non drowsy at bed time: 180 mg

Benadryl: 50 mg at bedtime

Drink lots and lots of good water. Avoid spicy and oily foods, caffeine, and alcohol.

I am new to this site and am finding everyone's posts extremely interesting and compelling. It's amazing that there are so many different approaches to managing and curing hives. Thank you all for your willingness to share this information. I had my first hive outbreak ever in my life this week. I am a 61 year old woman and have been very lucky with my health in general. Last year I was diagnosed with Hashimoto's disease which is a thyroid autoimmune process. I went off of Gluten for about 6 months, kept retesting my thyroid panel and things were back in balance. At least I have thought this. On Sunday night a started to break out with hives. I had no idea what they were; thought I was having an allergic reaction to something I had eaten over the weekend. I took a Zertec to help me get to sleep and the hives seemed to be gone throughout the day on Monday. Monday night-Tuesday morning I woke up around 1:30 itching; the hives were in my scalp, on my neck, all over my back, stomach, legs, arms, buttocks, ....you get the picture. I went to the ER where they gave me a steroid shot in my thigh which sent me into a blood pressure crash and then had to have an IV with saline to raise my BP.....the story goes on but the steroid shot did calm down the hives all day on Tuesday and Wednesday. Wednesday night they started to reappear and today, Thursday, I had them all over my scalp again, my neck, my shoulders, etc. I felt like I was losing my mind!

I spoke with an allergist who agreed with me that these hives were an autoimmune process and not an allergic reaction to anything I had eaten. His recommendation has been to flood my body with antihistamines to calm down the histamine production and slow the hives from emerging. The antihistamines are definitely helping but I know they are not good for me. I would like to find a way to address the Hashimoto's and strengthen my immune system to avoid these outbreaks altogether. I am open to suggestions that will be economical. Thanks for your suggestions!

Paula

My assumption is that if taking Benedril or another antihistamine blocks the hives then you are experiencing an allergic reaction to some agent; and diet is not the only agent that might incur an allergic reaction.

Have you recently changed your laundry detergent; or bought new bed-linens or new curtains, new carpet, etc. I wonder because it would follow from your descript that your reaction is occurring when you are in your bedroom or in your bed.

Hope you find a way around this. BTW, if you google, say, "there is no such thing as an autoimmune disease" then you may be surprised at what pops up.

I am familiar with allergies and all that is included with them. Dr. Batmanghelidj wrote a book on your bodys many cries for water. I drank a lot of water but read the book anyway. I found out that I was low salt and other minerals that hold water in place and that was creating a lot of my problems. Hope you find your answers.

Hello Paula,

I have a friend who travels on cruises all the time. I think he and his wife have been on 50 cruises and they like excursions. They's gotten into lots of ocean related caves doing exotic rafting trips. There have been lots of speculation on the possibility of catching some exotic disease from inside cave environments. He started coming down with extensive hives...they would let up and then reappear. Quite debilitating and he was on a medication that cost nearly 4,000 dollars a month. That wasn't working.

Moving rashes (as well as non-moving) can be caused by blood born infections and my friend after giving up on doctors, tried taking colloidal silver twice daily on empty stomach. Over 6 months the rashes left him. He'd been plagued with the condition for about 5 years, getting worse and worse. Now he is perfectly OK; about 2 years after the last manifestation. He credits the CS.

Dear Paula,

20 years ago or so I was having trouble with hives. The doctor said it was, "stress." He said it would probably just go away.

Around the same time I was diagnosed with a blood disorder (ITP) that was considered autoimmune and I was told there was no cure. (But if it got "really bad" they said they could remove my spleen. I was 28 at the time.)

I also had symptoms of low thyroid for a very long time, but never had enough blood work to confirm that it was also autoimmune (though it seems likely.)

Through trial and error and lots of reading and wisdom from others and the mercy of God, I no longer have symptoms of low thyroid and my incurable blood disorder is cured. I haven't had hives in years.

You might try nettle infusion first. It is a natural anti-histamine and has cured hives in my children in short order. Buying a pound of dry nettle leaf in bulk will last you a while.

At night, bring a quart of water to boil. Pour that water over 1/4 cup dry nettle leaf. Let the water and leaves sit all night. (No more heat.) In the morning, strain out the nettle leaves. Chill the strong tea and try to drink the quart over the course of the day. This is a very healing infusion with lots of nutrients and natural anti-histamine. I know people who take this because it helps their energy levels. I think it would help your hives. You may not need that much nettle tea each day, but it is a great way to get quality nutrients into your system.

I also think that using 2-3 Tablespoons of extra virgin coconut oil daily helped my autoimmune situation a lot, to the point of healing it. (Long story but this supports the theory that autoimmune diseases have a viral root. Coconut oil is an anti-viral.)

I also took/take iodine with companion nutrient, but there is a lot of controversy about whether or not people with Hashimoto's should use it. It would be something to read about to make an informed decision.

Keep reading here at EC. You will be encouraged and I suspect find solutions to your health issues that will leave you feeling much better!

~Mama to Many~

I used to suffer with hives too. I know how awful they the burning and itching and it can get sore all at the same time. If I had them again, I would take collodial silver and you can buy a cream with that in it. I always felt my blood was too hot. Thought I would give you my thought on this. Hope you find a cure

I know this reply is long after the question asked, but make small travel containers (about 1" diameter x 1") filled with a coconut oil & tea tree mix. Use this to put on hives, paper cuts, gum eruptions, dry spots, itchy spots. I always have one in my bathroom and one in my travel bag. Always carry activated charcoal as well. Just make sure you hydrate extremely well so it won't constipate you.

To Nathan: Hi, I am Elle from Portland (I already have left a comment about hives). Please see below.

I believe that you need 1 -10mg.Zyrtec in the morning with the recommended baking soda and water and the same 12 hours later. You can buy the above Zyrtec over the counter now. I tried the recommendations from Ted alone, but found that I still needed the Zyrtec twice a day also. I have had terrible hives for four years, but because of finding this site and Ted, now, I am almost hive-free. Maybe once or twice a month I may get them, if I forget to take the above approximately 12 hours apart. If I get the timing wrong, I find that the hives will then get me with a vengence. Good Luck, Nathan."

In response to Nathan. I hope your hives have subsided since you posted in March. But if not you should ask your allergist to do a scratch test on you to determine what you are allergic to. Food allergies are the most common.
But you could have also developed an auto-immune disease which is what happened in my case. Your allergist can test for that as well. They have no idea what causes the auto-immune and there is no cure but it can go away as quickly as it's come.
The absolute only thing that gives me any relief from an especially bad break-out is a medication called Cyproheptadine (your allergist can prescribe it). For temporary relief I would bathe in a tub with oatmeal and cornstarch. Aveno has a product or you can mix it yourself. Good luck.

I want to respond to the very 1st question.. re: person paying the 16.97.. for the recipe to get rid of hives.. and i almost did that also hey thanks for the recipe - i actually broke down this am.. and i know stress brings on hives.. but.. in 10 mins after the ACV - and some of the suggestions on your site. my itching went away.although i still had welts. they went away in about 3-4 hrs.. I had non stop hives for 2 mos now which ive suffered all my life with. but. never this long. so yes. getting a cure like this.. that made it stop and give me a break. was a prayer answered.I was in actual pain.. anyone that suffers hives..will know what im talking about. . thank you and god bless you.. martha

When I increased my iodine/iodide to 2 drops of Lugol's 5% (12.5 mg) my face, throat, and the skin on my sternum started to break out in a rash and some hives. Itched like mad. I had built up to 2 drops in a matter of a few weeks, but it seems the 2 drops is just too much for my system to handle at this point. I'm lowering it to 1 drop (6.25 mg) of Lugol's 5% to see if my skin calms down, and if not, I will go back to taking World Organic liquid potassium iodide equalling 3 mg until I can safely increase w/o the rash symptoms.

I have also been taking vit C, E, A, a multi, and an assortment of liver and kidney-supportive supplements. I believe my rash is a detox reaction of bromide from taking Lugol's.

ACV has helped a great deal with the breakout and the itching. I am consuming and using diluted ACV topically. It has soothed my skin considerably in a matter of a few days.

Hi Sheila, I belong to an iodine group on yahoo and they have a recommended protocol to follow when taking iodine. You should make sure to take these supplements daily:

Vitamin C - 2,000-5,000 mg

Magnesium - 400 mg

Selenium - 200-400 mcg

unrefined sea salt (Celtic, Himalayan) - 1/2 tsp

For the bromide detox symptoms you can use another 1/2 tsp unrefined salt in 1/2 cup of water followed by 12 oz of water every 30-45 minutes until urination begins. The chloride binds to the bromide in the blood and carries it out through the kidneys. Taking 12.5 mg of Lugol's is actually quite a small dose and some recommend taking a minimum of 50 mg. Don't give up on taking it. I hope this helps you.

Thanks, Lisa. I'm already a part of the same group if you mean the one with Victoria and Stephanie moderating. I'm new to the iodine protocol, and am reading through all of the files. I did have the info you mentioned, and appreciate you posting it.

The saltwater cleanse works, but it takes getting used to. It helps. With the severity of the bromide detox I'm experiencing, I'm contemplating now how long I've been so toxic.

My 5 year old son, has urticaria. He get his hives mostly when scratching. The welts/hives appear and then disappear (if scratching is stopped) within mins. As far as the ACV, Iodine.. etc. What amount should I give him? Any advice is greatly appreciated.

Could I have had a pH imbalance? Iodide is an element that is listed as acidifying. Is there info on it possibly balancing out?

It was really awful last year, going through the major rash, and I'm wondering now if I had monitored my pH if I could have avoided it by making sure I was pH-balanced enough to handle dosing.

I was suffering from total body hives for a year, and taking heavy prescription antihistamines which put me to sleep and tired all day. I went to an allergist and he put me on over the counter Zyrtec and Pepcid. (which by the way are both antihistamines.) I buy the generic form of each to save money, and I haven't had a single outbreak in over 60 days.

What exactly do you do with Apple cider vinegar? Drink or bathe with it?

EC: Poster from 2016 probably drank it.

Dear Blossom, So sorry to hear about your hives! My son, when he was only 3 or 4, had terrible hives that we cured with Nettle Tea. Nettle tea is very safe. You could buy the tea bags and drink 3-4 or even more a day. Or you could take nettle leaf powder in capsules - 4 of them 4 times a day.

Turmeric is also a great anti-inflammatory and I have seen it help a number of inflammatory skin conditions in my children. Try 2 in capsules several times a day. Safe to take with the nettles. Works best with a little pepper and a little fat. Some like to mix a teaspoon of it in milk. Personally, I can't bear it that way. :) Be sure to take plenty of water with turmeric, it can be constipating.

An epsom salt bath may also be helpful. 1-2 cups epsom salt in a bath. This can be done with the turmeric and the nettles.

Let us know what helps you!

~Mama to Many~

Teri, check out the possibility of food sensitivities.

I have AIPD autoimmune progesterone dermatitis, aka, allergic to my hormones and it seems the only relief I get is from ACV my outbreaks are so bad that I can move... Try it... I use organic with the mother just 2 tsp in about 6-8 oz of H2O horrible taste but by morning it's 80% better!! Good luck

I have a family remedy that my parents have saying, wash grains of rice (it has to be raw rice) then with your mouth, chew until it it becomes a white paste- this only works on acute hives though.

Good nite, my daughters 16 and 4 yr old both have hives. I need help- could Ted please help?

Yes! Finally something natural that helped with my chronic hives!! I started getting hives in Feburary of this year, was put on a few different antihistamines; prednisone was the only thing that would suppress my daily, out of control hives. I gained 25 lbs in 2 months, moonface, etc. I tried H202 therapy for a month, mangosteen juice, Vit B... I came across this site and saw that some people had luck with ACV. I went out and bought some with the mother. I took 5mg of Prednisone last on July 8th, started ACV (2tsp 2x day) on the 10th. I've only had very mild hives since then. 90% of the time since the 10th (18 days now), I haven't had any hives!! I am so thankful. Thank you Earth Clinic!!

To Jeff in Atlanta, GA. I have suffered from the same condition on and off for the past 6 years. I am in the middle of a terrible time of hives right now. I stumbled across this web site yesterday and I bought my ACV today. Can you tell me how much and how many times you took this per day? Thank You.

A friend sent me a link to this site, and I decided to try ACV and Baking Soda for my hives. I mixed 2 teaspoons of ACV, 1/4 teaspoon Baking Soda and 1 cup filtered water. We'll see if they are any better later in the week. I started spraying a mixture of 1/2 ACV and 1/2 Filtered water on my hives 6 days ago. They have "gone down", but seem to come back within a few hours. This stuff smells awful! But the scent does go away after a while and is worth it to me! I have suffered from the hives for over a year now. They cover my back, my torso, and my arms and shoulders. They itch horribly at times. I have been to doctors, who just give me an antihistamine, a shot of cortisone and a cream, but they come back within 2 weeks! I have also gained nearly 30 pounds, and feel it has been from the cortisone. I have tried Neem Soap, Cream, Sulfer, Valerian, and anything else that I have found could possibly heal them naturally. So hopefully it is just a Ph thing and ACV will heal me! That would be awesome! Does anyone know how long it can take to get rid of the hives with ACV?

Hi,

I have had episodes of hives/rash since the 1980's. I read about L-lysine here on Earth Clinic and I decided to try it. Thankfully my episodes are a lot fewer now with the help of L-lysine. I only take L-lysine as needed and of course if possible at the onset one 1000mg. My hives/rash has not gotten full blown since I started taking L-Lysine.

Before L-lysine my hives/rash would follow a defined pattern (nerve endings) on my upper body, my neck, hairline down to both elbow creases, down to the back of my knees.

I would feel hot to the touch and very fatigued but wouldn't run a temperature or so they told me at the doctor's office. It would run it's course and fade away. I hated wearing mock turtlenecks during the summer.

After several doctor visits I stopped going they couldn't give me any answers one doctor brought out a medical book, one wanted to do a punch biopsy.

I also had a thumb nail that got 100% better after soaking in Apple cider vinegar again I credit Earth Clinic. It really looked bad before treating with Apple Cider Vinegar in fact my mother noticed my improvement and began soaking her finger and she had improvement too it's not 100% yet but it works. It didn't take months to see the improvement.

Hopefully by sharing my story it may help someone.

Thank-you Earth Clinic and to all the contribute their experiences.

I suffered with hives for over a year; they kept coming back. I went to doctors and they gave me prescriptions which didn't work. Believe it or not, I was so desperate that I had heard about toothpaste and I tried it and it worked. I used Aquafresh. I haven't had hives in a few months now.

EC: Allergy to fluoride in toothpaste appears to be a common hives trigger: http://www.nofluoride.com/allergy.htm

Also research "toothpaste and hives" on google to see more search results.

I was not allergic to toothpaste. I rubbed toothpaste on the hives and they went away and didnt come back.

EC: Thanks for clarifying!

Helen, I was wondering if you had facial swelling with your hives as well? If so, did you rub toothpaste on your face?

I have never had hives before but two weeks ago I started getting them first on my legs. Then on my arms. At the beginning they were small in size. Later they appeared on my upper arm, underarm, neck and even face. It was itching crazy. Immidiately after I scratched them, they was growing in size and was looking like raised flat topped bumps.

I was searching everywhere for some remedy and decided to try using tooth paste. I rubbed it onto hives and minutes later itching disappeared!! Hour later the hives were not swollen any longer and started to dissappear fully.

I don't know if it will help me to get rid of them fully, cos I tried this today, so I just have to wait and see. At least it helps to get rid of itchiness for sure.

Please read... BAKING SODA MAKES HIVES WORSE BY INCREASING CARBON DIOXIDE... pH NOT A FACTOR...
http://www.jci.org/articles/view/100402/files/pdf

What they found was that adding baking soda to the wheal (hive) slices actually made the wheals worse by increasing carbon dioxide, even though baking soda shifted the pH to alkaline. They increased and decreased the pH using an acid (similar to vinegar) or base (similar to baking soda) but the hives still flared because of carbon dioxide, CO2.

I've had hives for 13 years. Tried every medicine out there and even experimental ones. The only one that works for me now is Methylprednisolone.

I found this forum when searching for things to treat a minor hive flare up I had recently. I was browsing here and read about ACV and Baking Soda being helpful because it changed pH toward alkaline. I decided to try Baking Soda because it was the only thing I had around late at night. I took 2 tbsp's. An hour later I ended up having one of the worst attacks of hives i've ever had. Racing heartbeat, dizzyness, headache, trouble breathing, itching like mad, weakness. It lasted for 2 days straight. I only slept one day for 4 hours.

When I couldn't sleep, or barely move, I started looking up how Baking Soda could mess up my hives. I read that one of its normal function in the body is to release CO2. Then I found the study above.

My hospital, Mass General, now has an online system where I can check all my records back to 1993 when the hives started. This includes blood tests, xrays, reports, etc...

I started looking through my blood tests and the weird thing is that I found in ALL my blood tests i've always had PERFECT pH. BUT , I've also had high CO2 levels since 1993. Which is strange because high CO2 should make blood pH acidic especially over the course 13 years. The baking soda should have helped becaue I have high CO2.

So.. I browsed around and read that any Vinegar, even ACV and Baking Soda cancel each other out when mixed. That's why they fizz. That's means they can't both have an effect. That must mean that there is something in ACV only that is helping people, even if they take both ACV and BS.

I started looking around and found that there are 3 very powerful Anti-Inflammatories in ACV... Caffeic Acid, Ferrulic Acid and Ursolic Acid. Ironically I have already tried all of those supplements two years ago. I didn't know they were in ACV at the time. I found them when I read in different Allergy and Immunology journals that they help reduce Inflammation and are in trials for different diseases.

Caffeic Acid is in Coffee, but didn't know that until recently. Coffee always helps my hives. I thought it was the caffeine at first, but then tried caffeine alone as a pill and it made my hives worse. Last night I found an article that says Caffeine increases sensetivity to CO2. Amazing.

I bought the Ferrulic and Ursolic Acid as isolated supplements not in any food or herb. They are actually popular in Bodybuilding. They all helped me some, but I needed enourmous amounts which I couldn't afford to keep buying. In the large doses I had some terrible side effects anyways. In the end I just went back on Methylprednisolone.

I haven't read every reply so I probably missed it, but to me it seems like ACV isn't changing pH at all but it is just the delivery medium for the anti-inflammatories Caffeic, Ferrulic and Ursolic Acids. At first I read that people take ACV and BS to make the pH alkaline. Then I got confused because i've read most patients with allergic disorders have high copper levels. Which means ACV souldn't be needed. Then I read that ACV helps digestion but if in order to help digestion it needs to be acidic to break down food. Then I read that it kills bacteria, but if we had bacteria the immune system wouldn't attack us and cause hives, it would be focused on the bacteria. This actually happens to me if I stay out all night and party. I get run down, get a cold and the hives clear up. :)

Do people take ACV because of the anti-inflammatories in it? Or to try to lower or raise pH? Or is it something I missed? Confussed.. :(

How exactly are you supposed to use the ACV and baking soda? Do you mix it and apply it topically? I'm breaking out in hives for the first time in my life, and my last outbreak was massive and all over my body. I'm not a fan of medication so I'm trying to find a natural cure.

Aloe rubbed on hives helps calm the itch and a friend brought me sublingual Hives (from Hyland) which seemed to help. My mother used baking soda and water paste on mosquito bites; have heard a cool bath withh baking soda eases the itch too, so perhaps. Years ago had a bad case after eating shellfish, the hives were as big as my palm. ER doc injected me with prednizone, antihistimines and steroids. Calmed the hives but the pills caused me to act irrational and crazy. There were even a couple moments of thinking more serious thoughts (that I never had before or after that incidence). Thank goodness a neighbor who was an ER doc recognized the signs; came over to look at the prescription bottles. I was given dosages for 180# person while I'm 106#. She had me stop the prescriptions immediately. As miserable as hives are, I'd try everything natural before using drugs again. Just not worth it.

THANK YOU for suggesting toothpaste! I didn't have ACV on hand but that would have been my next thing to try. I only have Crest, not the type you tried, but it seemed to calm the itching almost immediately. I'd already tried lavender oil, tea tree oil, eucaliptus oil, peppermint oil, and camomile lotion. (all separately on different days.) Along with benadryl. Nothing was working and the itchiness was so bad I couldn't sleep.

I don't know if this will be cured by toothpaste, but at least I can rest now. I'll try to remember to report back to let you know if it's a cure. If it matters, my hives were caused by an insect bite I was mildly allergic to, and the toothpaste doesn't sting like I assumed it would.