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Listers,

Thanks to everyone who replied to my query about itchiness, possibly
in connection with Nature's Way Echinacea and Golden Seal.

Once again, the list has proved not only a great resource, but one
populated by kind and helpful people. Some of the questions people
raised prompted (shamed?) me into doing a little research on the
internet about echinacea and goldenseal. A summary of those results
follows in another post.

Listers suggested the following causes of my mostly legs/arms/feet itchiness:
-low Vitamin B12
-psoriasis
-allergy
-histamines released into the mast cells of the body by wheat and/or
milk allergy
"The mast cells are activated by higher than normal
levels of anti-bodies.  Probably in response to some kind of antigen in the
blood."
-too much gluten
-winter dryness
-histamines in seafood and/or soy
-kidney problems related to celiac cause itching
-low thyroid
"There are a number of reasons one might suffer
generalized itching: allergies, possible malignancies,
viral infections, bacterial infections, kidney
disease, liver disease, and many more, I'm sure. To my
knowledge, I suffer only from allergies, so I take
Allegra, and for the most part my itching is much
improved."
-bacterial die-off in the gut associated with Goldenseal

one person said Vitamin C capsules made them itchy

suggestions for relieving itchiness:
bath followed by lots of lotion
Claritin
Benedryl
good old Calamine (or Caladryl, I imagine) Lotion

For me Allegra softened the symptoms without entirely banishing them.
I had stopped taking the echinacea/goldenseal combo by the time I
wrote my original post, but even now, some days later, I still have
some redness and itching. Seems logical to assume that mine was an
allergic reaction, probably to the Goldenseal, which can cause skin
irritation, according to internet sources. Also it seems that
Goldenseal builds up in the body so that there is a cumulative effect
over time. Perhaps it takes a while to dissipate as well.

Thanks again, everyone.

Mary B.
NYC

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