Do I have hives? If so how do I get rid of them?!

Hives are a sudden skin rash. Usually a result of an allergic reaction your body had, usually to food, medication, your environment and sometimes even stress.

Allergic reactions are basically your body's version of friendly fire, your body is defending itself against a non-enemy. Your body's weapon of choice for this battle is histamines.

Your body releases histamines in order to fight against what it thinks is the enemy. When your body over reacts and too many histamines build up in one spot you end up with what's known as hives.

Hives usually spread around the torso, upper thighs, and arms. It's very rare to have hives appear around the head or neck area.

Some things you will want to do to start getting relief from the discomfort of hives are:

* Avoid scratching the affected areas - although it can drive you crazy, scratching your hives will only make it worse.
* Stay away from alcohol
* Avoid tight fitting clothing - the pressure on the skin will just intensify the urge to scratch
* If the affected area is only in one small area you can apply ice wrapped in a towel to the area to relieve the discomfort.
* Taking cool showers or baths will also help with the itching
* Take an antihistamine to relieve the itching and eventually reduce the swelling

Typically, antihistamines such as Benadryl are taken to treat allergic reactions. The problem with using products like Benadryl is that they also include some not so pleasant side effects.

In this case the side effects include dizziness, drowsiness, coordination problems, heartburn, insomnia, tremor, nausea and vomiting, constipation, diarrhea, dry mouth, and dry cough and others.

I think you will find the natural or homeopathic alternatives to be more favorable since they go to work without causing drowsiness or any of the other negative side effects.

Often times nature has a fix for the ailments we have, the problem is we've been trained to believe that they don't work.

What You Can Do To Get Fast Relief From Hives
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