In some circumstances, stress causes hives, ask any Year 12 student. But generally skin hives are an autoimmune response to a perceived invader. That is, most often it is a type of autoimmune reaction that causes hives on the skin.
An allergic reaction like hives can be caused by inhaling air borne materials, or by ingesting foods or medicines to which we are allergic. Hives are strongly linked to food intolerance. Typical culprits are nuts and seafood.
However, hives can also be a caused by food intolerance to things like Dairy, Gluten and Yeast.
FACTS ON WHAT CAUSES HIVES
Did you know that chronic itching skin and hives is a telltale sign of food intolerance? There are only four kinds of Food Intolerance (not to be confused with Food Allergy) and they are widely suffered:
To narrow the possibilities, look in the Symptoms Matrix (must register first).
If you are one of the 75% of people who are affected by food intolerance, it makes sense to investigate - doesn't it? Untreated food intolerance is the cause of many serious Health Risks later in life.
There is only one failsafe and accurate way to identify food intolerance and that's by doing an Elimination Diet.
How food intolerance causes skin hives
The trouble is we may not know we are allergic to something, if we hardly ever come into contact with it. A surprise allergic reaction can happen when we eat something for the first time (food allergy).
An allergy to the humble peanut causes hives in some people. Now peanuts and peanut products are fairly common, so you would probably become aware of your allergy quite early in life, as a baby. Parental care would ensure you avoid peanuts.
But if you have an allergy to pistachio nuts or crustacean seafood you may not discover it until later in life - say at school age. In that scenario finding out what has caused your hives may be more difficult. It may be a process of elimination as with an elimination or detection diet.
In very rare cases, the second and subsequent contacts with an allergen are critical. These are acutely allergic people. Because the first encounter has 'primed' their autoimmune systems their so-called fight or flight response is set to the level of a hair trigger.
Coming into contact with the allergen for a very allergic person can be life threatening - the anaphylactic response.
But if you just get skin hives all the time it could be a food intolerance. To find out if your hives are caused by a food allergy or a food intolerance, look in the Symptoms Matrix (you must register first).
Millions suffer with hives
As you can see from the table above Food intolerance is not rare. Lots of people have it but don't realise. Itching skin and hives are signals from your body. Don't ignore signals.
The best and quickest way to positively identify your food intolerance is with the Detection Diet. This excellent publication is only available through The Tuesday Club.
Remember - for great tips and info on Food Intolerance subscribe to our newsletter - it's free!
More information
Symptoms Matrix (must register first)
The Tuesday Club.
Author: Deborah Manners B.Sc.(Hons) Dip.Ed. is not a medical or healthcare professional. Ms Manners has multiple food intolerances and presents information from the point of view of the consumer.
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Date modified: 23 March 2008
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