What to do if your body is itchy due to food allergy

If you experience itching due to a food allergy, stop eating all suspected allergenic foods as soon as possible and stop scratching. If there are no contraindications, take regular oral antihistamines first. If you have difficulty breathing, swollen face, and tight throat at the same time, go to the emergency department without delay.

Not long ago, my cousin went to eat Japanese food with a friend. She greedily ate three pieces of sea urchin. Before she left the store, a wheal started to form on her neck. It was so itchy that she rubbed it on her friend. At that time, she was thinking of going to a convenience store to buy a cooling ointment. Fortunately, the person traveling with her had Ebastine in her bag. After taking it for more than 20 minutes, most of the itching subsided, and it did not get worse later.

When it comes to home remedies to relieve itching, everyone has different opinions. Many people think that scalding with hot water, washing with salt water, and applying toilet water can relieve itching. I have also tried applying a hot towel to the itchy area before. It was so comfortable that I wanted to sigh for a few seconds. But within ten minutes, the itching doubled, and the rash spread from the arms to the lower back. Later, after asking a dermatologist friend, I learned that hot water will dilate the blood vessels in the skin and release more histamines that cause allergies. It is completely like drinking poison to quench thirst.

There are also many people who say that they use warm and cool salt water to relieve itching. This actually depends on the situation. If you only have a rash without ulceration, apply cold salt water at about 20 degrees to wet gauze for three to five minutes. It can indeed temporarily relieve the itching by constricting blood vessels. However, if you have scratched the skin and the skin is bleeding, the irritation of the salt water will make the wound more painful and easily lead to infection. It is not recommended at all.

There are also people who feel uncomfortably itchy and apply glucocorticoid ointments at home. You must know that this type of ointment is not a panacea. If it is applied on the face for more than a week, it is likely to cause hormone-dependent dermatitis, which will rot the face. It is best to ask a doctor before using it on the body. Don’t apply it on your own. If after eating food that you are allergic to, you feel not only itchy but also feeling tight in your chest, like your throat is stuffed with cotton, and you can't breathe. Even if the itching is not severe, you have to go to the hospital immediately. When I was helping at a community hospital, I met a patient with laryngeal edema caused by an allergy to peaches. His face was purple when he was sent here. If he were ten minutes later, something might have happened.

If you know that you are allergic to a certain food before, it is best to carry an antihistamine with you. If you accidentally eat it, you can take it as soon as possible. It is more reliable than any other folk remedies. When you feel itchy, you can't help but just pat it twice. It will leave scars all over your body for several months. It is really not worth the gain.