Before explaining what can be done to reduce itching, burning sensations, and the feeling of needles under the skin, it is important to understand the internal process that creates these symptoms.
According to Traditional Chinese Medicine, chronic urticaria is not only a skin problem. The skin is only the place where the internal imbalance becomes visible.
To understand this process, I usually give my patients a simple example: a car engine.
A car engine can overheat for two main reasons:
- Excessive activity or effort (Yang)
- Lack of water or cooling capacity (Yin)
They are two different causes, but both lead to the same final result: excessive Heat.
The human body works in a similar way.
The body can develop the internal conditions for chronic Heat to appear, or what I prefer to call an internal source of Heat.
This can happen due to excessive physical activity, excessive emotional pressure, or a combination of both. It can also happen because the cooling system of the body — Yin — becomes insufficient.
When I talk about lack of Yin, I am not simply talking about people who do not drink enough water.
I am talking about people who have developed an internal source of Heat (Yang).
The effect of Heat over water is simple: it dries it.
Inside the human body, excessive Yang consumes Yin. This relationship between Heat and the disappearance of fluids is one of the clearest examples of the Yin and Yang relationship.
Why Does This Internal Heat Develop?
The human body is obviously much more complex than a car engine.
Besides activity and hydration, we also need to consider two extremely important factors:
- emotions
- food choices
Both can become sources of internal Heat.
They can also become balancing factors when different choices are made.
The situations we expose ourselves to, the situations we choose to leave, and the food we consume all influence our internal balance.
Another important factor is the ability of the organs to perform their functions correctly and eliminate what the body no longer needs.
According to Traditional Chinese Medicine, organ dysfunctions and internal imbalances are often created after years of emotional patterns associated with the Seven Emotions.
Where Do We Start? Reducing Yang
The first step is usually reducing excessive Yang.
It is easier and faster to increase or decrease Yang than to rebuild Yin.
Creating fire is fast. Creating ice takes longer.
For this reason, when there is excessive Heat, even when that Heat comes from Yin deficiency, the first objective is usually to reduce Yang because it produces faster symptom relief.
This does not mean that reducing Yang is the entire treatment.
It is simply the first step.
What About Cold Urticaria?
Even in some cases of cold urticaria, depending on the duration and intensity of the condition, treatment may still need to begin by reducing Yang.
This happens because an extreme excess of Yin/Cold can eventually create internal Heat as a reaction.
A person may have organs that need to be warmed, but at the same time have Heat that needs to be eliminated.
A simple example:
If we place a flame against the skin, we get a burn.
But if we place ice against the skin for too long, we can also get a burn.
Extreme Yin and extreme Yang always move toward the opposite.
This is also why drinking ice-cold water is usually not recommended for people with urticaria, especially cholinergic urticaria.
The body needs to create Heat to warm that water, increasing Yang activity.
Why Diet Is Usually the First Step
I usually start by reducing Yang because it is the fastest way to decrease the intensity of symptoms.
This is extremely important.
Most people who come to Traditional Chinese Medicine have already spent months or years fighting urticaria.
They are exhausted.
If they do not experience some improvement, it becomes very difficult to maintain the discipline and lifestyle changes required during the process.
Many people are also searching for the same thing they searched for before:
A miracle pill.
A miracle diet.
A fast solution.
But the first message they receive is the opposite:
There is no universal protocol.
Every case is different.
The only thing they have in common is that rebuilding internal balance takes time.
Diet Is the First Tool, Not the Entire Treatment
Diet is usually the first step because it is accessible and can create faster changes.
It is much easier to change what we eat than to immediately change complex life situations.
Changing food choices is easier than leaving an unhealthy relationship, changing a stressful job, solving serious family problems, or processing emotional trauma from the past.
For this reason, diet becomes our first weapon.
But the center of treatment is not food.
The center is understanding which emotional patterns affected the organs, restoring internal balance, and making the necessary changes in life.
Traditional Chinese Medicine uses different tools for this process:
- emotional guidance
- diet
- Chinese phytotherapy
- acupuncture when necessary
- lifestyle changes
Yin and Yang Foods
According to Traditional Chinese Medicine, foods also have Yin and Yang properties.
Yin foods reduce internal Heat and slow excessive activity.
Yang foods increase Heat and stimulate activity.
Among the foods that create more Heat, animal protein is one of the strongest. Eggs, in particular, can be problematic in conditions strongly associated with Heat.
Other foods that usually need to be removed in the first stage include:
- alcohol
- coffee
- artificial additives
- industrial sauces
- processed foods
- spicy foods
- peppers and strong spices
- palm oil
- tobacco
- roasted foods
- canned foods
- milk and dairy products
However, this does not mean every person should simply remove everything without guidance.
Every case is different.
Someone with cold urticaria, low body weight, diabetes, cardiovascular problems, autoimmune diseases, or other conditions may need a completely different approach.
Diet must be adapted to the person.
Are These Restrictions Forever?
One of the most common questions I receive is:
“Will I need to avoid these foods forever?”
The answer is no.
The objective is not to create permanent restrictions.
The objective is to use diet as a therapeutic tool during a specific stage of the process.
Later, after restoring balance, the goal is to return to a normal life with a completely different understanding of food, emotions, and health.