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Itchy legs… look what I found!

*** What is Exercise Induced Anaphylaxis (EIA)? *** By DaveH – MuscleTalk Member Exercise-induced anaphylaxis (EIA) is a distinct form of physical allergy resulting in hypotension and syncope. **How Do I know if I suffer?EIA occurs during exercise particularly fast walking and moderate jogging/running over an extended period. You will know if you suffer as after a short while you will feel a mild itching sensation that within a short while manifests into complete, uncomfortable itching. It is common that you will have to stop. During this time the itching will calm down. Particularly if you scratch yourself. However, upon continuing the run you will feel the itching at the same, uncomfortable intensity within seconds. You can’t run through it. On a recent run after 10 minutes I got unbearable itching. I stopped completely, let it calm down and continued running. Within 10 seconds it came back worse. **What Causes It?For the past few months while running I experienced the above itching particularly in the thigh area. Many times it can be in the calves, love handles, but mostly thigh and inner thigh. It became incredibly frustrating to me so I decided to find out what causes it. Mast cell degranulation with the release of vasoactive substances appears to be an inciting factor for the production of symptoms in both cases (see www.aafp.org/afp/20011015/1367.html). Vasodilatation causes the itching. The reason I get it in the thighs mostly as they are the primary movers and this is where the blood is heading. **Why Does It Happen Only When I Run/Walk?If you ever suffer from the above, you probably wondered why, like I did, does it not happen on the stationary bike? Why can I use a stair master and not get the itching? The common answer is because on all other activities your feet produce no impact on a surface. They are continually in the same place. They are placed in one spot and you train. Now when you walk fast or jog your feet are hitting the floor many times at quite a hard rate. This produces the vessels to crack and releases histamines into the bloodstream. I get the itching in the thighs as they are the primary movers and the blood is heading there with these toxins. Therefore I am allergic. **What Can I Do – I Want To Run?There is something we can all do. Obviously we should all be drinking water like fish to ensure we don’t suffer from dehydration. Over at www.runningnetwork.com I found out that people are taking antihistamines, in particular clarityn 3 hours prior to running and found no itching present. Alas, I am not one to look to pills and I don’t believe you should either but it’s good to know there is a sure fire way to stop it. Other things to lessen the sensation is to run on softer surfaces. I have ran on treadmills and found the springy ones to produce less impact.

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    Thank you so much Allyson for the new stuff you found . I know now what to tell my doctor . I just had another bad day today . My car is at the garage, and I had to take my daughter to the day day . it was a nightmare . I almost wanted to jumd on a car, so the paramedics would take me home. this is how desperate I am . please keep me posted . I live in Switzerland.

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