Itches
Medical Jargon Baffles, Demeans and Damages Pati…
I hate jargon. I especially hate medical jargon. It creates a barrier between patients and health care professionals. An article in JAMA Network Open (Nov. 30, 2022) is titled "Accuracy in Patient Und…
How to Prevent and Stop the Itch of Mosquito Bit…
Some people are mosquito magnets. They attract mosquitoes like honey draws flies. A bunch of people can be sitting around the back yard enjoying themselves and not being bothered by mosquitoes. That 
Stopping Antihistamine Leads to Unbelievable Itc…
Every so often, doctors discover something from their own experience as patients that they didn't learn in medical school and haven't heard from their colleagues. Often, the symptoms of withdrawa…
Can Listerine Cure Itchy Scalp Symptoms?
Have you ever experienced an itchy scalp? It can be unbearable! It’s not always due to dandruff, and medicated shampoos don’t always solve the problem. What about Listerine? Can this old-fashioned…
Pharmacy Refused Return of 28 Unused Tubes
Have you ever received a new prescription only to discover that you could not tolerate the drug. Perhaps it caused diarrhea or a horrible headache. You cannot return the bottle of pills for a refund. …
Hot Water for Itches
We have been writing for many years about a simple remedy that works extremely well. At first, we knew merely that heat could relieve itching. We had no idea why hot water stops itch instantly. Over t…
Do Doctors Know About Zyrtec Antihistamine Withd…
We first heard about the cetirizine – Zyrtec antihistamine withdrawal phenomenon a decade ago from a reader of our syndicated newspaper column: “I have had terrible trouble trying to stop taking Z…
How Can You Ease Scalp Itchiness?
Itches anywhere, but particularly scalp itchiness, can be maddening. So many different problems could lead to persistent scalp itchiness. Doctors might diagnose lice, dandruff, psoriasis or a yeast ov…
Bug Bites that Blister Respond to Hot Water
Most people get itchy bug bites. Mosquitoes, chiggers, fleas, flies, lice, midges and mites can all trigger an itch for a few days. Some people are so sensitive to the saliva of biting insects, howeve…
Why Would Vicks VapoRub Soothe Poison Ivy Itch?
Did you know that Vicks VapoRub has been around for more than a century? It can be found all over the world. We have been collecting Unique Uses fo Vicks for decades. Here is one that we never heard b…
Rediscovering How Hot Water for Itches Works for…
We love it when people discover a home remedy on their own. It’s doubly sweet when renowned experts support the treatment. It’s triply sweet when we have an explanation for why hot water for itche…
How Can You Keep Mosquitoes Away?
Summertime, and the livin' is easy, or so the song goes. (Here's the magnificent Ella Fitzgerald singing it.) But summertime also brings its share of biting insects, and keeping them away is not alway…
The Zyrtec Itch is Unbearable | Where’s th…
We first heard about the Zyrtec itch over eight years ago. A reader reported horrible itching within three days of stopping Zyrtec (cetirizine is the generic name for this antihistamine). He reported …
How Can You Prevent Chigger Bites and Itching?
You might as well call chiggers “no-see-ums.” That’s because chiggers are so tiny you rarely, if ever, see them on your body. They are also known as red bugs, berry bugs (because they seem to ha…
How Can You Get Rid of the Awful Itch of Scabies…
What causes itching? There are any number of causes, including allergic dermatitis (think poison ivy or poison oak) and drug reactions. Nonetheless, some of the most common and most persistent itches …
Stopping Cetirizine Led to Itching Like Crazy
Who would guess that stopping an antihistamine taken for allergies could lead to dramatic hives and itching? Although it may seem improbable, scores of readers report that they developed dreadful itch…
How Drinking Buttermilk Could Relieve Itchy Bott…
What could be more embarrassing than an itch in a private place? You can't scratch it, yet the constant itch is extremely distracting. This is the dilemma that drives people to find a way to relieve i…
Heat Eases Itchy Mosquito Bites
Itchy mosquito bites can drive you crazy. But what can you do about the itch? Some people are devotees of Vicks VapoRub to relieve the itch, while others like to apply hydrogen peroxide. We think, how…
Itchy Rash Responds to Soothing Yogurt
What could be more infuriating than an itchy rash that won't go away? Perhaps that is why people have applied so many improbable remedies to itchy skin to soothe it. Sometimes, though, an approach tha…
Using Greek Yogurt to Ease an Itchy Bottom
It can sometimes be difficult to figure out the cause of an itchy bottom, and without a clear diagnosis, treatment can also be challenging. One woman came up with an ingenious--if potentially messy--s…
Old-Fashioned Face Cream Soothes Itchy Bottom
Q. I've been plagued with external hemorrhoids for years. They weren't particularly painful, but the itch was unbelievable and kept me awake at night. I tried every hemorrhoid cream on the market, si…
Unorthodox Home Remedies Ward Off Chiggers or Ea…
Chiggers are the bane of berry pickers, hikers, gardeners and farmers. These tiny, almost invisible mites hang out in grasslands, forests, parks and around berry bushes. They have been called red bugs…
Hot Air From Blow-Dryer Can Ease Itching From Ch…
Q. Our backyard backs up to the woods and we have a huge chigger problem every year. Here's my remedy for the terrible itching. If you try this, be very careful and don't burn yourself. I turn a hair …
Preparation H to Stop an Old Scar from Itching
Q. I had a lumpectomy 15 years ago. The scar still itches and is painful at times. Do you know of any remedies? A. One implausible-sounding approach is the original-formula hemorrhoid ointment, Prepar…
Cetirizine (Zyrtec) Withdrawal & Unbearable…
Cetirizine (Zyrtec) and its close chemical cousin levocetirizine (Xyzal) are popular antihistamines for allergies. They both used to be available only by prescription. Zyrtec became available over the…
Lavender Oil Eased Persistent Itch
Q. I had a localized rash on my back (about 2 inches by 4 inches) for 15 years. It itched and became inflamed if I scratched it. A dermatologist called it "notalgia paresthetica" and said there is no …