What would be causing Hives?

What is causing my hives?

• I have had hives daily for about a month. It started one morning, when I woke up with what I thought were bug bites; the bumps were on my sides and faded after being awake for 4 hours. The next morning I had these bumps again, except they were also on the back of my thighs. I then thought that it must be something in my bed, I washed all of my bedding, and slept on the couch that night, with my clean blankets. The next day I woke up with the same amount of hives. My sister and I went out for sushi that night, where I had shellfish and peanuts; i do eat these things on a pretty regular basis however. On the way home in the car my lip swelled up at least 3x its original size. I took benadryl and woke up with a lip that was still swollen. The swelling didn't go down until about noon. I cut out foods that I suspected for about a week but still had this hives everyday upon waking up. I get a swollen lip at least 1x a week I currently have an unusually lrg amount on my back and neck help!

• Answer:

  Long but worth the reading. Make the connection....This is the best allergy info. Being a nurse with over 25 years experience, I have seen a lot of patients with various illnesses and disorders. Many allergies are caused from common everyday chemicals and fragranced products as well as VOC's in homes, schools and workplace. This is a growing problem for many people and most are not even aware that it exists as more and more chemicals are being introduced and used on a daily basis. Many people believe that because something smells good or cleans well and it is on a store shelf that it is tested, approved and safe for use. Think again ! We are now seeing more and more children and adults with skin disorders, nausea, dizziness, puffy swollen eyes, itching, Chronic Rhinitis, Chronic Headaches, Sinusitis, Migraines, Sinus Infections, Asthma, Allergies, Hives, Chronic Hives, Eczema, sinus / respiratory illnesses and Hormone related disorders. I can not emphasize how important it is to educate yourself about MULTIPLE CHEMICAL SENSITIVITY (MCS) and the harm you may be doing to your health by using chemicals and fragranced products. If you or a loved one has symptoms of or suffers from Asthma, Allergies, hives, chronic headaches, Migraines, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Lupus or Fibromyalgia, you need to read further and learn about the signs and symptoms of MCS - Multiple Chemical Sensitivity. Most doctors will not inform you about this because patients as a whole like to walk out of a doctors office with a prescription for some magical medicine and they do not want to be told that their expensive new perfume or newly installed carpet may be the culprit. So, the doctor will give you medications and many of these meds either do not work or cause other health problems. Chemicals and fragranced products are often the root of many disorders and illnesses when it comes to your health. Many of the below mentioned items are common triggers to sinus, asthma, itching, headaches, Migraines and allergy problems amongst other health issues. Get rid of them and your immune and respiratory system will thank you and you will breathe easier. And, it is not only personal body or cleaning products causing havoc on your health….many people become ill after wearing brand new clothing, dry-cleaned clothes, installing new carpet, painting, buying a new mattress or after home renovations because of the Flame Retardants, Antimony, Benzenes, Formaldehydes, etc. used in these products. So the answer is NO, you are not imagining that 2 weeks after your home, office or classroom got renovated you started to become ill, get dizzy or have headaches. This is happening more and more these days and adults as well as children are becoming sicker and sicker. Unfortunately, too many doctors compound the problem by prescribing chemical medications to try to alleviate the symptoms of an already chemical overloaded body and they rarely tell the patient to eliminate the chemical offenders. How many times have I seen people in the grocery store with Bounce, Glade Plug-Ins and Febreeze in their shopping cart along with a bottle of Benadryl , Migraine Excedrin and a box of Allergy Tablets ? Why don't they make the connection? Keep in mind that your skin is the largest organ of your body and what you put on your skin gets absorbed into your body. Then ... well... then it has to be filtered by your organs which are already working real hard. BIG NO-NO's ---- I would SERIOUSLY recommend removing all of the below from your living / working area. No Bounce or dryer sheets - these are VERY toxic No Febreeze - your pets will even thank you for this No Glade Plug-ins - VERY toxic No Scented candles No Scented Dish Detergents No Fragranced Products on Body, Hair or Clothing No Smoke No Newspapers and Magazines - The ink is a huge irritant. No Dander No Sprays No Sharpies (marker pens) New Cartpeting, mattresses, paint, contain toxins that can trigger severe respiratory disorders as well as headaches and Asthma flare-ups. And remember, it is NOT the smell it is the Chemicals that make up the smell. So, even if something is "Fragrance Free" these products often mask the smell with another chemical ! There are plenty of safe healthy products out there that work well and do not have added chemical fragrances. More and more workplaces & schools are implementing Fragrance Free policies and creating "Fragrance Free Zones"… why do you think this is? Make the connection, your lungs , immune system and your general health will thank you.