Home Remedies for Itching

Itching is something of a medical mystery. It has some relationship to pain whose nerve fibres it shares, but whereas pain is useful in forcing one to withdraw from a painful stimulus, the instinctive response to an itch is to scratch - but to what end? Then there is the curious way that scratching or rubbing an itchy area not only brings relief but pleasure, so there is an urge to carry on, even though it is absolutely certain that once the relief has worn off, the itching will return with a vengeance.

There are four main types of itching. The first is that associated with some recognisable skin complaint such as athlete's foot, eczema, scabies and ringworm, for which the treatment is obviously for that of the underlying condition. Secondly, a generalised itching may be a response to some food or drink or to a change in physical environment. There are reports of people itching after drinking a glass of red wine, going for a run, having a hot bath, or even wearing elasticated knickers. Thirdly, there may be a hidden medical cause for generalised itching. The commonest is undoubtedly a side effect of some medication the patient is taking but both an 'over' — and an 'under' — active thyroid can cause itchiness, as can anaemia due to insufficient iron, and also diabetes, all of which will be diagnosed by appropriate blood tests. Very occasionally itching may be the first symptom of Hodgkin's Disease, preceding its appearance by a year or more.

The final type of itching is 'itching of unknown cause' to which the following remedies apply. Especially common in the older age group, there are two particularly virulent forms involving the anus and the vulva, known respectively as pruritus ani and pruritus vulvae respectively.

The general principle in treating these conditions is that the skin should not be exposed to hidden chemicals, so perfumed soaps and deodorants should be avoided. The skin should be kept moist, so emollient oils can be added to the bath or applied afterwards and these are readily available from local chemists. Lastly, a mild steroid ointment is often helpful, and this too can be purchased over the counter without a prescription.

Water: It is commonly believed that over-frequent bathing can exacerbate generalised itchiness. This now seems to be debatable but it would seem wise to bathe only in lukewarm water rather than hot, which is more likely to dry the skin out.


Hairdryers: Dry rubbing with a towel after a bath can exacerbate itchiness, particularly of the anal and vulval regions. It is recommended that these sites should preferably be dried with a hairdryer.

Gloves: Gloves worn at night will prevent the excoriations of the skin caused by nocturnal scratching.

Clothes: Loose fitting cotton underwear should be worn next to the skin as man-made fibres can cause or exacerbate itchiness. A useful hint for women afflicted with pruritus vulvae is to cut the gusset out of their tights thus improving the circulation of air to the affected region.

Diet: Certain foods may exacerbate itchiness and their exclusion from the diet can bring blessed relief. It is well known that some cases of child eczema may respond dramatically to a dairy free diet. For reasons unknown, coffee is said to be an important exacerbating factor in pruritus ani and less convincingly beer, chocolate and tomato ketchup have been implicated in a similar way.