Causes and Treatment of Itching

Posted by sanjay on Saturday 02 May 2009

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Itching is an irritating sensation on your skin that gives you an urge to scratch. It is quite annoying as well as frustrating. This is also known as pruritus and can occur in any part of the body causing spots or rashes. If left unattended it could cause bruises on the skin that will cause more pain and soreness.

What causes Itching?

Itching occurs due to various reasons. Most common reasons are as follows:
Allergy to plants, foods or pets, Anxiety/ stress, blood diseases, cancers like lymphoma, chemicals such as detergents and soaps, cold weather, excessive exposure to hot baths and water, continuous exposure to UV rays in the sun, diseases such as chickenpox, dry skin – mainly in elderly people because of skin getting dehydrated, eczema, exposure/ contact to chemicals, women’s hormonal changes, jock itch – groin area fungal infection, liver/ Kidney disorders, medications – reaction to certain medicines, parasites such as lice in the body or head, skin infections, STD and stings/ bites from various insects such as flea, mosquitoes etc.

What are the symptoms for Itching?

• Blisters
• Bumps
• Dry and cracked skin
• Feels like scratching often
• Patches on the skin
• Red spots appear
• Scaly/ leather like texture on the skin

• Skin becomes red in the affected areas

• Vigorous scratching results in scraped skin

What are the natural home remedies for Itching?

It is possible to treat Itching at home using natural remedies. Some of the natural home remedies for Itching are detailed below.

Apply on the affected area aloe vera gel, lemon juice, cod liver oil, wheat germ oil, vitamin E oil, witch hazel tea etc. Apply on the itchy area weak solution of carbolic acid or baking soda. Add cornstarch in your bath water or spray on the itchy area.

Peppermint/ yellow dock in bath relieves itching. Add 2 tsp of apple-cider vinegar in your bath water. Apply cold compress on the affected area. Application of Burdock root oil heals itching and rashes.