Hives—a raised itchy skin rash that can appear anywhere on the body—affects 15 to 20 percent of the population at least once in their lifes. In most cases, symptoms disappear within 24 hours, never to return. But for around a third of sufferers, hives, or "urticaria" as it's also known, is a persistent problem for months or even years. Hives is considered chronic when attacks occur at least twice a week for six weeks.1

The usual treatment is oral antihistamines or steroids, but as you know, the drugs don't always work,2 and, especially in the case of steroids, they can cause a load of well-known side-effects.

Ultimately, the best way to treat chronic hives is to work out what's causing the condition, but this can be extremely hard to do. Most cases of chronic hives are considered "idiopathic," i.e. having no known cause.3 But research is mounting to show that a variety of fixable factors, such as diet and nutritional deficiencies, may help to solve the puzzle of this distressing skin condition.

Ideally, consult with an experienced functional medicine practitioner, who can help you with the detective work and organize appropriate testing. But here's our guide to the best solutions for hives.

We can accumulate toxins by ingesting or inhaling chemicals from household cleaners, beauty products, air pollution, pesticides, heavy metals and even additives in our food.