Toad’s Alarming & Healing 36 Hour Experience With Hives

August 28, 2012 by 40 Comments

Hives

Do you suffer from hives?

I know exactly what you are going through.

Up until August 5, 2012 I went 8,835 days without hives (my entire life). Since August 5 I have seen hives come and go.

My first experience was beyond horrific as you can witness from the photo above. I know the feeling; the constant itch that literally feels like millions of mosquito bites.

Sunday evening: what the hell is that?!

I felt an unusual itch on my back on Sunday evening. I turned around while standing in front of my bathroom mirror to take a look. What a scary site! I had huge lumps on my back and was not sure what it was. For some reason “hives” came to mind even though I wasn’t exactly sure what hives were. At that point, I remembered that same day my hands and feet were unusually itchy, yet I never thought much about it (this is very key).

I decided to do some research that evening. I had LOTS of questions:

  • What are hives?
  • Is that what I have? Hives?
  • What causes hives?
  • How do I force the hives to go away?
  • How do I prevent hives from coming back?
  • Are hives an allergic reaction?
  • Did the hives come out of nowhere or was it a result of something I did?
  • Should I go to the emergency room?
  • Can I die from this?

That evening was not terrible. The hives had just really begun. It turns out that the itching on my hands and feet during the day was hives too. My back just began to itch that evening so I decided to rub on some Made On Lotion Bee Silk. This stuff is made out of 3 ingredients in the following order: beeswax, coconut oil, shea butter.

Oops!

Monday morning: I’m so flipping itchy!!

It turns out that rubbing the Bee Silk lotion on my back only made my condition worse. I woke up Monday morning with massive lumps on my back. Not just my back though. I had lumps spreading all over my upper body. Why? What did I do? I rubbed Bee Silk all over my upper body.

Important note for hive sufferers: When you apply pressure to hives this spreads them. If you want, you are able to literally write your name on your arm if you have an extensive amount of histamine in your body (we will get back to histamine later). So, if you don’t want to manually spread your hives, then you absolutely must do your best to ignore them.

So at this point my entire upper body is covered in hives. I decide to take it easy and do hours of more research about hives. I listen to podcasts while walking around in our backyard with the sun shining down on me.

Why did I think the sun may help my hives? Because sitting in the intense sun for a couple hours that weekend completely healed my bee sting. I learned this did nothing for my hives. The sun did not improve my hives but instead kept me sane. When you are itching like crazy don’t stay indoors.

I discovered a foolproof treatment: Apple cider vinegar

The day went on and in the early afternoon I decided to fill 2 giant zip loc bags with ice. I laid on my stomach and placed the bags of ice on my back. This trick seemed to begin the decline of my hives.

Seemed is a keyword because it was hard to tell. The itching was definitely not as present but came back a short while after I removed the ice.

While researching home remedies for hives, the most common was a cool oatmeal bath. I mentioned this to my father who immediately tossed the idea into the trash because he did not want the drain clogged. Fair enough.

My amazing father then mentioned vinegar. I immediately thought: Apple cider vinegar!

Apple cider vinegar is what did it. I’m 100% certain that apple cider vinegar removed hives from my skin. I’m more certain about this fact than any other fact I’ve ever discovered. You’ll learn exactly why in a blog post next week.

For now, add some apple cider vinegar (ACV) to a paper towel and rub that over your hives. Feel the small itch/burn for a few moments. Look at your hives 20 minutes later. Do you see an improvement? Most likely you will. Wait a full hour before determining if ACV works for you. For me, my hives completely vanish every single time. It has yet to fail in the past 3 weeks.

Scroll up and look at my picture again. Apple cider vinegar removed all those hives from my body. Seriously!

I took no medication. I’m kind of against almost all medications. The only exceptions are if death is a possibility. You’ll learn a lot more about my thoughts on medication soon.

Join the discussion below and ask me for help

I want to know your experience with hives. If you are suffering from hives right now then say so. I know exactly what you are going through and I want to help you. I have no idea if apple cider vinegar will work on everyone but if it literally works 100% of the time on me then why not? It’s a strong possibility that is worth finding out.

I won’t tell you to get off any medication that you may be taking, but I am not afraid to recommend that you rub some apple cider vinegar on your hives. Take baby steps. If you have hives on your arms then start there and see what happens. You’ll find out within an hour if it works for you or not.

Also understand that in order to prevent hives from forming you need to remove histamine from your system. I’ll discuss this in another post. If you want help then feel free to email me. I want your suffering to end. You may want to check out this page with a list of histamine rich foods/substances right now.

What caused my hives? I’m not 100% certain but I have a grand idea. You’ll learn more about this in a post in September. Stay tuned!

Do you know someone that is suffering with hives? Do you think my personal experience and foolproof (for me) treatment can help them out? Please tell them about this post. Use the buttons below to share it on facebook, tweet it, pin it on pinterest and plus one it on google plus. Email it too.

photo credit

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About Toad

Is my name Todd or Toad? I'm a world traveler seeking true wellness. I'm not a fan of labels but the following describe me best: minimalist, foodie, entrepreneur, adventurer, writer, cook.

  • Jolene

    Wow, that’s an impressive outbreak of hives. Glad the ACV cleared them up, thanks for the tip. Hope you figured out what was causing them though, that would be key, i’ll be interested to read your theory. I have never had hives but my 11 y.o. Son had them once on his upper body. We treated with antihistamine (would have preferred to use ACV if I’d known about it then) and never did work out what caused it.
    P.s I am new to your blog, I think I found it via MDA.

    • http://primaltoad.com/ Todd Dosenberry

      I have good ideas as to the causes which you will learn about soon if you keep reading my blog :) I’ll post a hives essay every Tuesday I think for the next 2-4 weeks. When you son gets hives again do try ACV! It’s truly magic for me.

      Thousands discover my blog through MDA :)

  • http://twitter.com/Brazilian_Body The Brazilian Body

    Quite the picture! Really cool post too, who knew ACV had that type of power??

    • http://primaltoad.com/ Todd Dosenberry

      I definitely did not! Thankfully I read a little about ACV online, then my father mentioned it to me and I had some on hand! What a blessing.

  • The K Spot

    I am so happy you mentioned the itching hands. If I’ve eaten something unwittingly that I’m allergic to (meaning in incorporated into a dish without my realizing it’s in there) my palms become extremely itchy. Then my legs start itching until I’m itchy all over. I have not, thankfully, had the reaction that you experienced (which looked horrific btw, how ever did you stand it?). Thanks for the ACV recommendation. That’s great to know. http://www.therantingsofshirleyvalentine.com

  • http://primaltoad.com/ Todd Dosenberry

    That itching may be hives then or at least related to it! Give ACV a shot and let me know how it works for you. How did I stand it? Being outside in the sun while listening to podcasts helped a lot. And just realizing that if I apply pressure then it will get worse.

  • http://www.facebook.com/zkotlyar Zorik Kotlyar

    Great Article!! I also get hives/rashes from time to time. So I will definitely try the apple cider vinegar! And thanks for the food list of histamine rich foods. I definitely eat a lot of sardines and canned tuna so might want to remove that. But I don’t know if I would drop fruits like it says on their list. I droped them before for a lot of months and no big difference. Can’t wait till your next acticle!

    • http://primaltoad.com/ Todd Dosenberry

      Do try it and let me know how it works for you! I think with fruit, the key is to not eat it way overripe. I did this with bananas!

  • Michelle@Chalk&Chi

    I’m definitely keeping this trick “in my back pocket”. Every now & then I’ll get a mystery outbreak ranging from rash to hives. I will certainly try this next time & report back :)

    • http://primaltoad.com/ Todd Dosenberry

      Please do and good luck with it! I am very curious to see how ACV works on others.

  • http://www.facebook.com/stella.sampson.5 Stella Sampson

    I’m so glad to see you do a story on this. I’m 46 and have never had hives before. About 6 weeks ago they started. First it was these welt looking things on my abdomen that itched like crazy. Always started after eating dinner. Since it’s summer, I wrote it off as some kind of bug bite reaction. Then I started to get them on the inside of my wrist. Then my inside upper thigh area. I figured this was more than a bug bite reaction so I started looking at food. I thought I had it nailed down to dairy but I guess not. I’ll still get one sometimes after eating something I think is totally harmless. I’ve never broken out in a large area like you did, (which I’m thankful for because I wouldn’t have been as cool-headed as you), and the welt(s) only last about an hour and they’re gone. Looking forward to reading more from you on this subject.

    • http://primaltoad.com/ Todd Dosenberry

      So you are saying that you only get them after Dinner but they go away within an hour without you doing anything at all? Any chance that you only consume alcohol in the evening? All alcohol is histamine releasing…

      Another post is coming next week with further details on ACV. Then I’ll discuss why I think I got hives and how now they are completely non existent! And I’ll explain how to pinpoint what is causing it.

    • Ramon

      Hi Stella,
      I just posted my recent bout with hives or urticaria & how I discovered apple cider vinegar as remedy. It seems our case is similar excepth mine was severe.

  • hannahwillette

    My son gets hives from certain foods and it gets scary/dangerous. I am surprised you lasted that long! I have the understanding that hives occur when your IgE levels (antibodies) are excessive because your immune system thinks there is something foreign or harmful in the body. You clearly ate or came across a certain thing that your body doesn’t like. I would go on a hunt to figure that out! Glad that the apple cider vinegar worked. It is a natural remedy we have used in non-threatening cases. However, once your body is exposed to a certain allergen and the body detects it – then next time in comes in contact with it the reaction becomes more severe. Please, find out what the hives are from or else apple cider vinegar might not do the trick.

    • http://primaltoad.com/ Todd Dosenberry

      Oh trust me, I have definitely been hunting! It’s been quite a challenge. Whenever I was certain it was this or that I would get hives again. I’ll be publishing a post in September discussing what may have caused my hives and why. And how to determine what causes an individuals hives. I have not had any over the past 4+ days. I always used ACV but this last time I forgot I had them and they just vanished! First time ever! And now I am hiveless :)

    • Ramon

      Hi Hannah,
      I just posted a narration of my recent bout with hives or urticaria & what I discovered might interest you for your son

      • Hannah

        Will check it out. Thanks.

  • SCA

    I get a reaction that looks like hives when ACV touches my skin :( So this wouldn’t work for me. I don’t know if what I get are hives because they only occur occasionally and not anywhere near the severity that you had. If I eat something with vinegar (BBQ sauce, mustard, etc) or anything with cloves or cinnamon in it I get them on my face, neck and chest. It’s super attractive. How I get all the boys.

    Anyway they always go away within a few hours, it would be more of a problem if my reaction was anything like yours. Something that helps me when they get really itchy (like if I do an ACV rinse in my hair and it gets on my neck) is a mix of calcium bentonite clay with just plain water or maybe a tiny bit of coconut oil. I always have it mixed up and in the fridge so it’s nice and cold when I need it to draw anything out of my skin. If you use coconut oil it eliminates the itchy feeling when the clay starts to dry. I’m glad you found that ACV works for you though, that looked so uncomfortable!!

    • http://primaltoad.com/ Todd Dosenberry

      This is quite interesting. Are you 100% certain they are hives? And are you 100% certain that you get hives when ACV touches your skin? If you were to spread it on your arm then hives would appear?

      Thanks for that tip! The coconut oil for me just spread my hives around but I guess one cold use it after you get rid of the hives.

  • Emma Watterson

    I broke out in hives really early this morning and was trying to search for any natural remedies. I had remembered that you had come down with hives recently and suggested using ACV. Luckily I had a big bottle from Trader Joe’s (organic/unfiltered), poured a small amount on a paper towel, and rubbed it over my welts. Within 10 mins, itching was mostly gone and now, 2 hours later, no itching at all and my welts are almost gone :)
    I read through the rest of your hives experience and about the foods with histamines. Yikes! Yesterday, the histamine foods I had:
    breakfast: bananas, avocado (in my smoothie)
    Lunch at a restaurant: a small amount of bacon from my son’s BLT, seafood gumbo, mixed green salad
    Snacks: walnuts (WAPF-style)
    Dinner: red wine, a small piece of pumpkin quick bread (made from a mix our friends gave us as a gift)
    This morning I had banana and avocado in my green smoothie before reading your post… and had just made some crispy walnuts (WAPF-style) yesterday and just had them as a snack (hopefully WAPF-style makes them more digestible and less-likely to cause hives).
    Thanks so much for posting about this and other wonderful remedies!!! So excited about your walk around the states :)

    • http://primaltoad.com/ Todd Dosenberry

      Hey Emma! That’s awesome that ACV works for you! I made a shocking discover this past weekend… there is a perfect correlation between my hive breakouts and cold exposure. This includes water and wind. I’ll be publishing a post soon on my experience. I have yet to get to the bottom of this but my hives seem to have nothing to do with my diet (or it’s an indirect relationship).

  • Suzanne

    I used to get these hives as a teenager all over my body. Had allergy skin testing done, turns out MOLD was the culprit. I did not know then what I know now, but I got allergy shots for a long time and was on Seldane (now Allegra) However the shots did work and I was able to get off all allergy meds, but I wish I would’ve known more natural ways to help them back then.

    • Suzanne

      Oh and the oatmeal baths always helped immensely for me and being in the cool water, anything hot like the sun would spread them like wildfire! Glad the sun helped for you though.

      • http://primaltoad.com/ Todd Dosenberry

        It turns out that I am allergic to the cold. I’ll be publishing an essay soon more about this. It’s called Cold Urticaria. The other day it was Sunny and 64 degrees but I had a small breakout.

  • http://twitter.com/DianeGacha Diane Gacha-Bell

    Nice to know that i’m not the only one. I got my first hives in November of 2011. I was absolutely terrified. I thought I had an std or something. haha. I have a few right now too. But during the summer, I started this diet and exercise regimen, and was eating very healthy. I think I made up for the lack of vegetables in my entire life. I then stopped getting them. And they came back yesterday. I have been studying for finals and eating HORRIBLY for the past month.
    I get them in between my thighs and around my ankles. The thighs I think because they rub together and my ankles when I wear sneakers and they’re tight around them.
    My hives can last up to twelve hours. I usually take an anti inflammatory and ibuprofen almost immediately, but I will try the vinegar.

    • http://primaltoad.com/ Todd Dosenberry

      So do you know what causes your hives? I found out that I have Cold Urticaria. It sounds like this is a possibility for you too. Yes, that means being allergic to the cold. Feel free to email me if you want to discuss further – Todd@PrimalToad.com.

  • LReece

    im definitely going to try this!

    ive been suffering from hives and facial swelling for about a year and a half now. the only time it goes away is when they put me on steroids.
    i have been to 5 allergists, the ER, a dermatologist, my gyno, my general practioner, etc. and they all keep telling me different things and telling me i am allergic to something. or that it will always be like this because finding the cause may be impossible! please send positive thoughts my way in hopes that the ACV works!!! i am MISERABLE.

    • http://primaltoad.com/ Todd Dosenberry

      When do you breakout in hives? Is it random or do you think it could be the cold for you too?

      ——————————————–
      Q: Why is this email five sentences or less?
      A: http://five.sentenc.es

      • LReece

        It isn’t really random or from the cold… I live in TX. It does get too cold for long. Lol.
        And it’s not random because I have hives every single day. all over my body. They change and get better and worse, but they’re always there and itchy!!! Luckily the facial swelling is a lot less often.
        It is so frustrating.

  • Jan

    Before I even read your post I tried the apple cider vinegar about a half hour ago…..tried it straight, then wondered if I should have diluted it…..so I rinsed it off after a few minutes. Then I googled “vinegar and hives” again and found your page. Even with that short term dose, they seem to be a little paler. I have been suffering from hives for a little over 3 months….treated with anti-histamines and prednisone which helped greatly. Now doc wants me to stop prednisone, which I did….but hives are back….just not as bad (yet). Mine are there in the morning….usually on forearms and legs…..warmth seems to cause mine….being under covers. By afternoon they are nearly faded…then start all over again the next morning. So, should I use the vinegar straight? 1/3 dilution? Should I rinse off? What did you do? Thanks

    • http://primaltoad.com/ Todd Dosenberry

      Are you constantly covered in hives then? I don’t dilute the ACV. I simply apply it to a paper towel and then gently rub on the area that has hives or that is red and itchy. It has never failed me. I think it may have prevented hives from coming the one time I tried it and I will be trying this again soon – applying ACV on my body before I go out in the cold or for a swim (or right after the swim), etc.

      I hope this helps. I have yet to take any drugs for it but I may try taking Benadryl on Thursday before I go for a swim just to see what it does for me if anything.

      • Jan

        Thanks for your reply. Not constant. But I do wake up with them….this morning just on my legs. Not covered (like your back picture) but more than I like! Tops of my thighs and on my calves. Going in right now to apply the vinegar! I’m off the prednisone, but still on Allegra 180 and Zyrtec. I think they are beginning to get better because I am generally healthier…been taking daily walks and dropping a few pounds. May take a Benadryl (instead of Allegra 180) this a.m. because I think it works faster. I have dealt with allergies all of my life (and usually try not to think about them…..but having hives is hard to ignore! They are better…….

        • http://primaltoad.com/ Todd Dosenberry

          I’m curious to find out if the ACV works.

          ——————————————–
          Q: Why is this email five sentences or less?
          A: http://five.sentenc.es

  • Ramon

    Todd,
    I
    suffered from severe URTICARIA or HIVES for several months, almost a year. I have consulted doctors specializing on allergies. I have suffered mild urticaria since I was
    very young that does not last longer than 30 minutes. But the attacks I suffered for several months last for hours and happens everyday.

    1. I was told it could have been triggered by almost anything like dust, molds, dander etc. but food is normally the cause.
    Unfortunately, anything I eat starts my hives especially at night. I limit my meals slowly to what I believe are not triggers until n the last 4 weeks I just eat rice, pork, beef & vegetable with only rock salt for seasoning. The attacks did not cease but continue everyday especially at dinner time. I was feeling desperate!

    2. Two weeks ago, I tried drinking green tea together with my meal. It helped a little because the severity of the HIVES attack in the form of lumps & angio edema was lessened but the discomfort is still there.

    3. I thought the green tea was the real remedy & the HIVES should disappear after sometime.
    4. Upon further analysis of what’s happening within my body, I was convinced that my my hives was being cause by some problems in my stomach. Angio edema is traceable to “LEAKY GUT” & my bowel
    movement has become more frequent during the day & I am producing a lot of abdominal gas or dispepsia.

    5. With said condition, I am convinced that I am not completely digesting my food intake & my doctor suggested I try a “proton
    pump inhibitor” medicines. It did help somewhat but I am not very happy with the result.
    6. I learned that if I am not completely digesting my food, then I m not producing stomach acid of sufficient volume & strength. If that is the case, it follows that the bacteria in my gut are proliferating at a rate that’s not good for me, the balance is not in favor of beneficial bacteria.

    7. With the information in my possession, I truly believe that I need to support my digestive system to be able to digest the food I eat & decrease the number of bacteria that are not beneficial in my gut.

    8. I then started searching for the stomach aid that I need to take. That’s when I came across Apple Cider Vinegar as a remedy
    for acid reflux & indigestion. True enough it worked immediately and the relief is almost instant. Its like a miracle happening to my body.

    9. Since a few days ago when I started taking Apple Cider diluted with tap water, my stomach gas (dyspepsia) diminished dramatically starting on the first day & completely disappeared. But more importantly, I have not had hives attack no matter what food I eat.

  • Ramon

    I hope those suffering from urticaria or hives can learn something from my experience.

  • Gisele

    I have suffered from hives for the past 6 months. The only trends that I noticed is that I get bad hives after.a night of drinking or after sexual intercourse. I also get angioedema. Nothing seems to work so I’m praying that ACV works. Thanks for posting your findings. God bless.

    • http://primaltoad.com/ Todd Dosenberry

      Please let me know if ACV works for you!

  • CraigOwens

    I can relate.

  • Heather

    Todd, What were your hives from? I think my sons, age 14 at the time, were from cat feces. One day fine the next day he looked like he had been whipped with the cat nine tales! I have picture and video. I would like to show everyone that needs help how bad they were. When I was looking to see if I could find pictures in 2008 – 2009, there were none. Your rash is as close to the one my son Nick had. No doctor or hospital could tell me what it was specifically or why. The blood tests that we asked for came back Immunoglobulin 461! Dermatophagoides pt (D1) IGE 1.37 and Farinae (D2) IGE 3.65. It has been a mystery since 2008. Where can I send the pictures? Thank you for your help