# Science behind itching **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [March 28, 2024, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/science-behind-itching/999505 "2024-03-28T14:24:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![HoneyBadgerDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/honeybadgerdc/32/1033_2.png) [@HoneyBadgerDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HoneyBadgerDC)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2024, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/science-behind-itching/999505/1 "2024-03-28T14:24:17Z")
I am not talking about serious health issues where there in an obvious cause but instead I am referring to those little pesky itches that just seem to come on for no reason and leave just as quickly. I can’t imagine a lot of study has gone into this because it is not serious enough to worry about. I was watching my dog scratch a few minutes ago and I started thinking about the mechanism that causes us to itch. Just thinking about it set off a series of little itchy spots from the top of my head to the bottom of my feet. Not all at once, just a little itch here and a little itch there. How much is really known about itching? Could something as mundane as this be a viable subject for a thesis? ---
**Author:** ![Llama\_Llogophile](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@Llama\_Llogophile](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Llama_Llogophile)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2024, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/science-behind-itching/999505/2 "2024-03-28T14:45:30Z")
[This article by Atul Gawande](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2008/06/30/the-itch)goes into great detail about itches. It may be paywalled though. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2024, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/science-behind-itching/999505/3 "2024-03-28T14:59:58Z")
As my doctor once defined it “An itch is a low-grade pain.” ---
**Author:** ![HoneyBadgerDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/honeybadgerdc/32/1033_2.png) [@HoneyBadgerDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HoneyBadgerDC)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2024, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/science-behind-itching/999505/4 "2024-03-28T15:04:58Z")
> [@Llama\_Llogophile](#): > > [This article by Atul Gawande](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2008/06/30/the-itch)goes into great detail about itches. It may be paywalled though. Very good read, thank you. > [@CalMeacham](#): > > As my doctor once defined it “An itch is a low-grade pain.” They have ruled this out.This was the most common accepted theory for a long time. ---
**Author:** ![Jasmine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jasmine/32/2964_2.png) [@Jasmine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jasmine)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2024, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/science-behind-itching/999505/5 "2024-03-28T16:10:17Z")
Like many things, there are probably multiple causes depending on the situation. I honestly think one cause is psychosomatic because the parts of me that itch are usually inaccessible. My back is the prime culprit. I have a stick with a claw on one end at home to thwart that kind of itch but, once I get to work, I have to grin and bear it if an itch occurs. ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2024, 8:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/science-behind-itching/999505/6 "2024-03-29T08:55:01Z")
> [@Jasmine](#): > > I honestly think one cause is psychosomatic because the parts of me that itch are usually inaccessible. There’s definitely some psychological aspect to random itching, because just reading this thread, I had to scratch my face again and again. ---
**Author:** ![Pardel-Lux](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pardel-lux/32/20182_2.png) [@Pardel-Lux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pardel-Lux)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2024, 9:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/science-behind-itching/999505/7 "2024-03-29T09:36:15Z")
Some of our avatars are lucky that they can use all four legs for that. That leaves few inaccessible body parts. Ufff… what a relief! ---
**Author:** ![Mrs\_Fairway](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/47e85d/32.png) [@Mrs\_Fairway](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mrs_Fairway)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2024, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/science-behind-itching/999505/8 "2024-03-29T18:22:56Z")
I wish someone would figure it out. I have been itching for over 20 years. Started on the backs of my hands and the tops of my feet, gradually spread everywhere, and I do mean everywhere. Been to all the doctors, done all the treatments. One antidepressant helps, but it is sedating so I take it at night and it mostly gets me through the night without scratching. I have done the elimination diets, all products are fragrance fee. I have an appointment with a neurologist soon to see if it is neuropathic itch, which I’ve recently read about. I do have neuropathy and they don’t know the cause of that, either. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2024, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/science-behind-itching/999505/9 "2024-03-29T20:05:33Z")
I’m itchy. I’m T1 diabetic, as a disclaimer. But my doctor says my pale skin, my anxiety, my propensity toward eczema patches and probably some underlying allergies all creates a perfect storm. I take prescription oral medication and a Claritin for it. I have a place above a surgery scar on my lower back that drives me bonkers. Aaaaacccckkk. ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2024, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/science-behind-itching/999505/10 "2024-03-30T00:26:57Z")
> [@HoneyBadgerDC](#): > > > [@CalMeacham](#): > > > > As my doctor once defined it “An itch is a low-grade pain.” > > They have ruled this out.This was the most common accepted theory for a long time. Interesting. I’ll have to look this up. What I’ve heard is that itching is not pain, but the signal for an itch travels the same nerve paths as pain, but actual pain signals have much more urgency. So the reason scratching relieves itching, at least temporarily, is because the scratching creates a bit of pain which, though mild, is still strong enough to block out the itch impulse. ---
**Author:** ![Dogginit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dogginit/32/16920_2.png) [@Dogginit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dogginit)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2024, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/science-behind-itching/999505/11 "2024-03-30T17:20:46Z")
> [@solost](#): > > Interesting. I’ll have to look this up. What I’ve heard is that itching is not pain, but the signal for an itch travels the same nerve paths as pain, but actual pain signals have much more urgency. The article cited in Post 4 disabuses this notion - they were able to isolate nerves that responded to itching, and they were distinct from nerves registering pain. When I detoxed after 25+ years of heavy drinking, I developed a consistent body-wide itch that was almost insufferable. My liver doctor prescribed a powder that you dissolved in water or juice, and it really worked to bring that back down to normal. Unfortunately I can’t remember the name of it, and the container is long since gone, but it did the trick.