Nail!
Scratching a itching rash can feel great – this is because rubbing creates a mild sensation of pain that distracts the brain from itching. Pain causes the brain to release serotonin, “the hormone feels good”.
A new study reveals itching of a rash has a part – along with the weaknesses your mother warned you.
“Scratch is often pleasant, which suggests that, in order to have evolved, this behavior must provide some kind of benefit. Our study helps to solve this paradox, ”said the Senior author of the study Dr. Daniel Kaplan, a professor of dermatology and immunology at the University of Pittsburgh.
For the research, the Kaplan team was able to imitate the allergic contact dermatitis in the mice ears.
The condition occurs when the skin comes into contact with a substance that causes an allergic reaction, such as poisoning or metals like nickel in jewelry.
Some of the rats were allowed to scratch their rash. Their ears were franched and filled with neutrophils, a type of white blood cell that helps the body fight the infection.
Mice that could not be scratched had much less inflammation and swelling, confirming that the scratch further worsens the skin and slows healing.
Researchers also observed that itching makes neurons who feel pain to emit a Chemical called P substance, which activates mastic cells.
Mastic cells are immune cells that release chemicals when they encounter allergens. Chemicals include histamine, which causes swelling and redness at the site of allergic reaction.
“In contact dermatitis, master cells are active directly by allergens, which directs inflammation and small itching,” Kaplan explained. “In response to itching, the release of the P essentially activates the master cells through a second path, so the reason that itching causes more inflammation in the ski is because the master cells are synergistically activated through the two paths.”
On the plus side, researchers noted that mastic cells protect against bacteria and other pathogens.
Further experimentation showed that the scratch reduced the amount of staphylococcus aureus on the skin. Bacteria, also known as Staph, are the most common cause of skin infections and can lead to food poisoning, pneumonia and well infections.
Kaplan’s results were published on Thursday in Science magazine.
“The finding that scratching improves protection against Staphylococcus aureus It suggests that it can be useful in some contexts, “Kaplan said.”
Kaplan is being built on this knowledge to investigate new therapy for inflammatory skin conditions such as dermatitis, rosacea and hives.
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Image Source : nypost.com