My Skin Itches

Itchy skin is a classic allergy or food sensitivity problem. The common food allergy testing, where doctors look for a reddening of the skin with the antigen, tests for IgE antibodies. Most people do not have IgE antibodies. This skin reddening is an immediate reaction such as the one related to a person who is severely allergic to shellfish and has to be rushed to the hospital. If the immune system is under stress, it will most likely react to the common allergens such as mold, dust mites, ragweed, etc¦The body cannot handle these common allergens when the immune system is not functioning well. Most people have an IgG, (delayed reaction) allergic response, where they can react to a food they ate up to 72 hours later. This delayed reaction makes it hard to pinpoint a food allergy or food sensitivity. Although there are allergy tests for these, and they are extremely helpful at times, they are expensive and not 100% accurate. The itching is caused by the histamine irritation to the skin, and possibly eyes, ears, and nose. If an antihistamine medication works to relieve the itching, than histamine irritation is probably occurring. Rather than simply take an antihistamine all the time, it is better to find out why the itching is happening through a proper neurological evaluation.

copyright © 2000-2008 by Dr. Stephen Gangemi