There are numerous threads on this forum about people who have cured their cu and the rather large thread on cu. For those of us who are still suffering, this would be helpful. So i'm going to rummage through the forum and quote solutions that have worked for people as well as provide a faq and basic information for those with cholinergic urticaria/heat hives/ stress-induced hives. For those who don't have this conditon, but are clicking this thread to learn about it. Cu is characterized by red welts appearing on skin, along with an intense itching in affected areas.


From what I have gathered...


Basics:
a)chinese medicine/acupuncture seems to help, but not cure cu.

B)homeopathy doesn't seem to work, although there are advocates for it.

C)antihistamines keep the cu at bay, not a definite cure for cu.

D)exercise/steam room/hot showers and baths will deplete the body of it's histamine levels and keep the body from having attacks for /- 24 hours, varying from person to person.

E)staying away from histamine releasing foods will greatly reduce attacks. Common ones:
* alcohol
* bananas
* certain nuts
* chocolate
* eggs
* fish
* milk
* papayas
* pineapple
* shellfish
* strawberries
* tomatoes
f) for most people, an atomsphere with high humidity will reduce attacks and make sweating easier.

G)some have found taking a multi-vitamin, vitamin e/b pills can make this condition less sevre.
H) not every antihistamine works for everyone, some people will have better results with one as opposed to another.

I) hydroxyzine (very commonly prescribed antihistamine for cu causes drowsiness and a very hard time concentrating, most people who have taken this antihistamine have switched/ gone off it because the side effects are too unbearable.)
j) cu seems to be stress related (in terms of developing the condition, it usually develops during a time of great emotional stress.)

faq:
1) how did I get this condition?

No one is sure about how or why people get cu. It seems to be affected by stress as many people who get c.U are usually going through an unusually stressful time when they develop it. Personally for me, my family was having financial problems, I was switching schools, schoolwork, etc.


2) what triggers a cu attack?

Histamines in your body, when released, triggers a cu attack. Heat is the stimulis, the actual precipitating cause is sweating (inability to sweat). Red welts begin to appear on areas including but not limited to arms, neck, chest, arms, back and sometimes legs. After sweating is induced, the itching should go away.


3) is there a cure for cu?

There is no sure cure for cu, it seems different things work for different people depending on the sevrity of the attacks and other factors. Cu is a relatively rare disease that effects a small % of the population which is part of the reason why there isn't a definite cure.


4) is cu contagious?

No, cu is not contagious.


5) will cu ever go away?

The average duration for cu is 7 years, cu will spontaneously go away eventually for most people.


6) is there a demographic of people who are more likely to get cu?

I, unfortunately, cannot answer this question. Part of the reason being that cu is such a rare disease. However, I have traveled halfway around the world (i'm in the us) and met someone with cu.


Now for solutions I have found from these forums, from various people.

cdz said his cu is 95% better and hasn't had a serious attack in a long time, he suffered cu for 2 years .


sean has been doing much better (90%) and continues to take 5mg xzyal and vit. B supplement everyday.








follow up post by jimmi56


many posts have been deleted by mods. I'm not exactly too sure why, but we lost some valuable and informative posts. There is a very bad spellcheck that seems to uncapitalize a lot of things on this forum, meh.


Feel free to correct me if I have gotten any information wrong and if possible, mods, please sticky this thread so that people who are suffering from cu can do something about their lives. Thanks to all of those who have given me hope with their posts about how they have found their cure and hopefully, i'll find mine.