Urticaria: What your doctors won’t tell you about Chronic Urticaria

By Dr Rajesh Shah, M.D.

(For information of patients and conventional doctors.)

If you have suffered from Chronic Urticaria, you are most likely to visit a conventionally trained dermatologist doctor. He or she may have certain opinions about your Chronic Urticaria and its treatment based on the information gathered through medical training and experience. Unfortunately, conventional doctors get exposure only to conventional therapies. As a result, any alternative solutions to Chronic Urticaria are never taught to or learned by conventional doctors.

Also, the mindset of the conventional doctors takes such a shape that they often tend to think that there exists nothing beyond the conventional treatment, especially when it comes to the treatment of Chronic Urticaria in particular and many chronic diseases in general.

As a result, knowingly or unknowingly, they become instrumental in depriving patients of the benefits of other alternatives, especially homeopathy. Let us see what your doctors will or won’t tell you about Chronic Urticaria:

(They will tell you) Anti-histamines and cortisone are the most effective and probably the only treatment for Chronic Urticaria.

It is not fully correct, it is partly correct. Antihistamines do help but are temporary. It treats urticaria on day to day (or to the extent of an hourly) basis. The moment the effect of antihistamine is over the urticaria rash would return. Unfortunately, it is true, even if you have taken antihistamines for even five years. I see patients who have been taking antihistamines for over ten years and they cannot stop it for ten days!

Homeopathy offers an excellent treatment for Chronic urticaria, that your doctor might not know or tell you largely due to ignorance.

(They will tell you) Cortisone will cure chronic urticaria.

Not really. Cortisone will suppress urticaria. In most cases of chronic urticaria, it will resurface on stopping cortisone, which the doctors might not tell you. (Click here for adverse effects of cortisone.)

(They won’t tell you) The use of cortisone makes chronic urticaria more resistant. It can increase urticaria in some cases.

Unfortunately, hardly any doctor will tell you that as you use cortisone for Chronic Urticaria could make it all the more difficult to treat. Cortisone being an immunosuppressive therapy, it suppresses histamine release for some time, without curing the underlying cause. As a result, some eruptions get better instantly after using cortisone. However, more eruptions might appear that too with more intensity and more resistance, on stopping cortisone.

(They won't tell you) When will you be able to stop Antihistamines...

Chronic urticaria patients are prescribed antihistamines. Most patients feel better with antihistamines. However, the challenge lies in stopping antihistamines and still sustaining improvement. Most doctors might not tell you that you may require taking antihistamines for months or years.

(Click here for adverse effects of antihistamines.)

(They won't tell you) Stress has a great bearing on Chronic urticaria.

Very few doctors would probably tell you about the connection between stress and chronic urticaria. Even if they do, not many doctors would review your stress in an elaborate manner and relate how stress management would help treat urticaria. They might give you some tranquilizer, at the most.

(They won't tell you) Homeopathy offers excellent treatment for chronic urticaria

Only those doctors who have personal experience using homeopathy or have seen patients getting treated with success using homeopathy; would suggest you to opt for homeopathy. Most of them would not suggest simply due to a lack of knowledge.

(They might tell you) Homeopathy does not work for Chronic urticaria.

It is very easy for anyone to comment negatively on any science. However, it can be considered valid only if the opinion comes either from professional training or personal experience.

Please ask your doctor, if the opinion is based on his or her personal training. Ask, if the doctor has evaluated clinical studies published in the homeopathic medical world. It is helpful to find out if such an opinion is arising out of serious experience or wishful assumption.

Now, when you visit your skin doctor next time, ask if he or she has studied homeopathy and its role in the treatment of chronic urticaria.

© This article is written by Dr Rajesh Shah, M.D., for the information of patients and conventional doctors.

What your doctor won't tell you about homeopathy!