Talk:Itch

message: Treatments?
:Thank you for your suggestion! When you feel an article needs improvement, please feel free to make whatever changes you feel are needed.  Wikipedia is a wiki, so anyone can edit almost any article by simply following the  link at the top. You don't even need to log in! (Although there are some reasons why you might like to…) The Wikipedia community encourages you to be bold. Don't worry too much about making honest mistakes—they're likely to be found and corrected quickly. If you're not sure how editing works, check out how to edit a page, or use the sandbox to try out your editing skills.  New contributors are always welcome. JFW | T@lk 20:47, 8 Jun 2005 (UTC)
thread_title: Old talk

message: I believe (based on my experience) that nerve damage, such as spinal cord injury, can cause itching, but I don't know the first thing about it, and the spinal cord injury article doesn't mention it.  Is that generally the case?  Does anyone know enough to add some information about nerve-based itching?   Thanks.  -- Creidieki 4 July 2005 18:29 (UTC)
I have been reading the pages on itching, allergies, vomitting & diahrrea and cannot find anything connecting them. The reason I am searching is that I have had three episodes that began with severe itching of the palms, then the soles of the feet, within a minute of the start of the itching-dizziness and violent bouts of vomitting & diahrrea. The first episode was the most severe and included loosing consciousness, extended abdominal cramping and a trip to the emergency room. No doctors have been able to tell me what it was. I have learned more here than anywhere else on other issues so I'm hoping someone has heard of this. Thanks
I would say it looks like the body needing calibration due to altered nerving. My advise is then to touch or scratch lightly on the place of itching so that the body can recalibrate. When recalibration is done the itching should disappear. I also wish someone to try this claim scientifically. Davidjonsson (talk) 18:15, 5 January 2008 (UTC)
thread_title:  Q: Nerve damage can cause itching, right? 

message: The Risk Factors section comes entirely from the NCI page here. Their site policy says: "This material is in the public domain and is not subject to copyright restrictions. Therefore, no special permission is required to use it or reproduce it. However, any reproduced material should contain proper acknowledgement of NCI as the originator and the NCI Web site, www.cancer.gov, as the source".
I'm not sure how such a proviso squares with Wikipedia policy, which assumes no restrictions or authorship conditions. Tearlach 18:38, 6 August 2005 (UTC)
replies: text: Just mention the URL as a source. JFW | T@lk 22:55, 6 August 2005 (UTC)
thread_title: Risk Factors source

message: "It can occur in people who have cancer or in those who have received cancer treatment."
*It can occur in people who are obese or those who are on a diet.
*It can occur in people with diabetes and people without diabetes.
Seriously, that sentence about cancer should be removed, unless other causes of itch are given proportional attention. The statement about "Pruritis can be related to anything from dry skin to undiagnosed cancer" should be the last thing said about cancer in an introductory summary. Detailed information about cancer's relation to itch should come later.
:You are correct - I removed a lot of cancer stuff that was clearly over the top. Most people with itch do not have cancer; they should use less soap and use a neutral deodorant though. JFW | T@lk 00:11, 2 October 2005 (UTC)
thread_title: Cancer Overemphasized

message: I think there should be a disambiguation page for this and Radiohead's Itch. Cryptic C62 13:24, 16 March 2006 (UTC)
replies: text: Done! -- Rmrfstar 23:19, 16 March 2006 (UTC)
thread_title:  Disambiguation Page 

message: Wow, I am suprised to see how little there is about such a universal physiological function. Somebody out there with a good amount of knowledge of biological/health/physiological information needs to add lots of important information to this article. I don't have the capablitiy to write about these things, but I feel they are important. For instant, what about the strange interection between itching and scratching? Why does an itch provoke a scratch? How can this be explained scientificly? And also, why do certian drugs like narcotics (opiates) cause intense itching sensations? Something to do with histamine. there are many more unexplained questions regarding itching, please, lets try to answer them!Icculusioso 10:44, 29 March 2006 (UTC)
thread_title:  Help This Article! 

message: I would like to see something added to this article about the purpose of itching (and the desire to scratch) from an evolutionary context.  Any reflex as strong and widespread as the itch-scratch reflex has to have some sort of strong selection pressure causing it to be so dominant.  In our society we are often taught "not to scratch" but isn't there a greater purpose for itching, in the wild?  For example, to dislodge thorns or parasites?  This is just speculation though...I think this article would be greatly improved by looking up and citing some scientific articles that address this question. 
:How about you Google for it and enlighten us? Given that itch and pain share roughly the same neural pathways it may be a warning sign that, like pain, may be misinterpreted. JFW | T@lk 11:58, 2 July 2006 (UTC)
replies: text: The article does now mention it. -- Beland 00:16, 1 August 2007 (UTC)
thread_title:  Purpose of Itching 

message: How does itching powder actually work? JFW | T@lk 07:01, 8 September 2006 (UTC)
thread_title:  Itching powder 

message: I was wondering about itching...
I understand that the natural state of the nerves is to generate pain impulses and that this is naturally regulated so that we don't feel it. If we were to become heroin dependant so this regulation was taken over chemically we would suffer excrutiating pain on withdrawal until the natural regulation re-tuned.
Can it be that itching is really a very minor pain reflex, and that scratching, which would naturally be pain inducing, just stimulates the pain regulation technique?
This would explain how "Tiger balm" type treatments work, they give the IMPRESSION of heat and generate a real response.
As someone who as a child suffered from very painful eczema I strongly remember putting a very hot hot-water-bottle on the affected area and gaining great relief. I often pinch painful itches even now, do others?. Contra thought, is "cold turkey" skin pain? I guess not.Geoff Clout 10:07, 20 February 2007 (UTC)
thread_title:  Leyperson speculation 

message: Since there is no article on Wikipedia about scratching, perhaps this should be renamed 'Itching and scratching'. Both subjects seem equally important, though it could also be simply be left as 'Itch' but expanded slightly to deal with scratching. Richard001 02:35, 26 January 2007 (UTC)
thread_title: Scratching

message: Histamine makes you (or a dog?) itch.  Which makes you scratch.  But then, what makes the itching stop?  What makes the scratching stop?-69.87.200.24 23:38, 5 May 2007 (UTC)
thread_title:  What makes itching stop? 

message: Is poor hygiene (being covered in sweat, dirt, etc.) also a potential cause for itchiness?  -- Beland 00:16, 1 August 2007 (UTC)
thread_title:  Poor hygiene 

message: Itch#Mechanism says "pathway" several times. Please combine the sentences.  —Preceding unsigned comment added by Jidanni (talk • contribs) 03:48, 6 September 2007 (UTC)
thread_title:  "pathway" several times 

message: Is the difference between pruritis and pruritus, itching and the cause (sensation of discomfort in skin) of the itching?  Or is that being too simple?  —Preceding unsigned comment added by 65.126.124.83 (talk) 01:07, 10 January 2008 (UTC)
thread_title:  Is the difference between pruritis and pruritus, itching and the cause of the itching? 

message: "Surgical removal of those skin layers removed the ability for a patient to perceive itch.[citation needed] Itch is never felt in muscle, joints, or inner organs, which show that deep tissue does not contain itch signaling apparatuses"
i have been for nearly 6 months now experiencing what i call joint itch. in my left shoulder, which travels down to the elbow and in my lower back, which travels down the left leg to the knee...this causes severe restless leg (and arm) and causes me many sleepless nights. is it pain or is it itching or is it both?  if it is itching, then the muscle CAN feel an itch.  —Preceding unsigned comment added by 69.77.219.166 (talk) 07:26, 8 January 2009 (UTC)
replies: text: "if it is itching, then the muscle CAN feel an itch." It may be a psychological thing rather than physical, like when amputees experience an itch where their limb used to be. meinsla talk 07:06, 13 March 2009 (UTC)
thread_title:  where is the line drawn? 

message: I'm not sure if this is something that should be changed or anything, but I found the language in this page strange. I have never in my life heard an itch referred to as an article-less object; e.g. "itch" used in the same way as "pain", "nausea", etc -- one doesn't say "I have a nausea!". But at the same time, nobody ever says, "I have itch." It's always, "I have an itch."
Now, certain types of itches don't need articles; such as jock itch, joint itch, etc. But "itch", as itself, undefined as a specific subcategory of itchiness, sounds very strange to me. Is this simply a regional thing, where assigning it an article is limited to my area, or has anyone else ever actually heard someone say "I have itch"?  —Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.237.95.151 (talk) 18:50, 3 June 2009 (UTC)
thread_title:  Indirect language..? 

message: The description of itching as an inherently unpleasant sensation seems a little dubious to me. Sure, it is considered unpleasant far more often than not... but its not always the case is it? Just as an example... itching induced by opiates can be a pleasant sensation for some. I have no reference as far as this subject is concerned but wanted to know if anyone had any thoughts on the issue.  —Preceding unsigned comment added by 74.80.58.186 (talk) 01:13, 17 October 2010 (UTC)
thread_title:  unpleasant? 

message: A citation is not needed for this: it is simply incorrect. People feel a sensation that they describe as an itch inside muscles. I have it right now in both my thighs (quadriceps). Whether it is in the muscle, or fascia between them, I don't know, but it is deep beneath the skin. 192.139.122.42 (talk) 18:27, 27 September 2012 (UTC)
thread_title:  Itch not felt in muscles? 

message: --from the MEDMOS. Lesion (talk) 14:06, 13 March 2014 (UTC)
thread_title:  Names of researchers 

message: I think this article could benefit from a reference to tests that check for the causal variable of the itch, such as skin prick tests and patch tests.--Epeefleche (talk) 01:05, 9 April 2014 (UTC)
thread_title:  Tests 

message: I think I know that guy. Barbara (WVS) ✐ ✉ 20:25, 30 March 2017 (UTC)
thread_title: Love the photo!

message: I don't feel qualified to make the correction, but isn't this section title wrong? Based on the content of the section, it seems more like "Itching inhibition by pain", but I'm not sure if that is how it should be phrased. Anyone with native English and/or medical training? :) 80.98.218.37 (talk) 04:12, 4 August 2018 (UTC)
thread_title:  "Pain inhibition by itching" 

message: One of the references is to https://books.google.com/books?id=QhWgKgiT6FoC&pg=PA329, and it's really not clear why.  — Preceding unsigned comment added by 2.31.138.50 (talk) 10:16, 23 December 2018 (UTC)
replies: text: Metal-working fluids can be a physical irritant to some people who come into contact with them. CV9933 (talk) 11:48, 23 December 2018 (UTC)
thread_title:  Odd citation 

message: I just happened by this article, and I have to say, it reads very awkwardly. There are no articles ("a", "an", or "the") attached to the word "itch", and that just sounds weird. I think this is more than just idiomatic, like, for example, people in the UK often say "university" while in the US we say "the university". I never hear people from anywhere refer to an itch, when used as a noun, as simply "itch".
I believe this is because the word is predominantly a verb, and a transitive verb to boot. When used as a noun it becomes a participle, in which case the article gives the indication that the verb is being used as a noun. 
For example, "steel" is normally a noun, so we can use it as such in most cases  without the need for an article, but "alloy" is derived from a verb, so it's always "an alloy" or "the alloy". And since encyclopedias are about defining things, we should be using the word in its noun form. Perhaps Tony1 could chime in here, because I'm sure he'd know far more about it than I, but I do know it sounds weird to my ears and as such looks unprofessional and possibly untrustworthy. (First impressions being what they are.) Zaereth (talk) 20:58, 19 February 2020 (UTC)
thread_title:  Strange grammar 

message: I would like some help with filling up the infobox. I dunno if it's good enough, but I did my best; after all, I'm just a Wikipedia editor and am trying to do what I think is constructive. Qwertyxp2000 (talk | contribs) 05:17, 19 April 2021 (UTC)
thread_title:  More infobox stuff 

message: Add more cases of when and when not to scratch. 
https://www.quora.com/If-you-dont-scratch-a-mosquito-bite-does-it-go-away-faster
Jidanni (talk) 19:21, 14 September 2021 (UTC)
thread_title:  E.g., mosquito bites: should I scratch? 

message: Hafenreffer S. Nosodochium, in quo cutis, eique adaerentium partium, affectusomnes, singulari methodo, et cognoscendi e curandi fidelisime traduntur. Ulmae(Westphalia) Kühnen; 1660. p. 98–102. 49.184.195.195 (talk) 05:55, 7 May 2022 (UTC)
thread_title:  Citation needed, this document defines itch. 

message: Hello. I apologize; my browser does not copy and paste. The second sentence at the start of the article "Itch has resisted many attempts..." does not make sense to me. I feel as though it (maybe) was written by an ESL editor. Maybe it's just lack of understanding on my part. In any case, I don't know how to go about changing (if anything is wrong) since I don't understand the sentence's intended meaning. Help? Thanks. 63.248.183.70 (talk) 12:23, 11 December 2022 (UTC)
thread_title:  "Itch has resisted many attempts..."