Why does scratching stop an itch? I’m not talking about bug bites or one of the poisons…ivy, sumac or oak. I’m talking about a simple itch.
I think Cecil did a column on this.
Scratching disables the nerve receptors in the skin that are causing the itch.
But, too much scratching can get the body to release histamines, which make you itchy, which means you’ll want to scratch that much more, which means you could end up with hives/welts on your skin and have to make an urgent call to your doctor for a strong prescription histamine blocking drug which will knock your on your ass for 4 hours then you’ll wake up and consider not scratching so much next time. Or so I’ve heard.