Selects: How Itching Works | STUFF YOU SHOULD KNOW

uh hi everybody Chuck here it's May 9th. 2017 and podcast time I know it's really. 2025 but we're going all the way back to. May of 2017 to talk about itching oh boy. just seeing that title probably makes. you itch and that's one of the deals. with itching if I remember correctly so. I hope you dig it and I hope you're not. too itchy right. now welcome to stuff you should know a. production of iHeart.

Radio hey and welcome to the podcast I'm. Josh Clark there's Charles W Chuck. Bryant and there's Jerry Roland so this. is stuff you should know scratching. Edition yeah this is one of many you. remember when we did uh yawning yeah. um well that's the only one I can think. of where just researching something. makes you do the thing researching this.

definitely happened with this one yeah. well we ran across that and Poison Ivy. and scabies for sure oh yeah uh and. talked about some of this stuff but I. think itch we had a itch we needed to. scratch yeah with this particular topic. well I'm glad um I've been wanting to do. this one for a while yeah you did a. video about this right yes a short video. no it was three four hours long okay if. I remember correctly does that mean we. have to do this do I have to be here for. the next four hours yeah we have to just.

play the whole thing and then we'll talk. about it for an hour after sounds good. okay I think it was a brain stuff video. wasn't it yeah I watched it did it. scratch your it yeah I watched it. yesterday oh okay nice work thank you. very much you're just like now we. finally arrive at what I was after what. compliment yeah no it was great thanks. man um so I guess the the point of all. that is to say you guys are going you're. going right my videos are the best uh.

that you're going to scratch you're. going to feel an itch which is one of. the great mysteries of itches it turns. out we only very very recently have. started to get a handle on what itches. are yeah um and there's still plenty of. mysteries left to it like for example. it's bizarre and there's really no. evolutionary reason as far as anyone can. tell why just hearing about itches or. seeing someone else scratch can make you. itch right that's that's odd that's.

that's weird or seeing a video of an ant. crawling up an arm will make you itch it. will but I mean think about it if. somebody is sitting there um you see a. video of some Schmo who's got his hand. like near an oven and he pulls it away. really quick doesn't hurt your hand it. doesn't make you feel like your hand is. burned that doesn't happen I don't even. think that would excite miror neurons. like a leg break would no you're just. like what a stupid idiot that's what it. excites you know I hope that guy hand.

just burns clean off that's what I think. right right yeah uh you sourced a couple. of well we had our own article on house. storks.com yeah but you also sent this. great New Yorker article um written by. Dr Atul Gand one of the best names in. writing today yeah that may be my new. hotel name well you may be thronged by. science right science fans CU that guy's. pretty pretty well known actually I. don't I've never used to Alias at a.

hotel that's dumb and I don't even know. if you can can you I guess if you're a. big shot you can yeah but you have to be. like I'm not Brad Pit I'm a tool goand. right uh but the we'll get to some of. the uh more interesting aspects of that. article later specifically a very. specific patient that's quite. distressing so calm down for now a. Tool's mom but um we'll get to it. eventually he did include a couple of. neat historical tidbits.

uh like in 1660 there was and Germans. are all over this thing for some. reason yeah you know researchers that. they're they're all German they had the. itch to explain the itch I guess so yeah. the itch right uh but there was a. physician in 1660 named uh Samuel hoffen. refer actually that's my new hotel name. yeah that's a good one uh he kind of. well he defined it um by saying an itch. is an unpleasant sensation.

that provokes the desire to. scratch pretty simple yeah but right on. the money it is and actually it's so. it's so on the money that anywhere you. look in the medical literature whenever. they Define itch word for word that's. the the definition they use the H refer. yeah although poor hoffen refer doesn't. get credit for it all the time but. that's the one the only expansion of. that that I've seen is that can occur. anywhere on the body which apparently is. true I think hoffen refer.

he felt that was implied right you know. he's like it goes without saying yeah uh. and I'm scratching right now by the way. yeah it started I don't know if I just. noticed more because as I was doing it I. was thinking well now I'm scratching I. thought do I always scratch this much or. itch this much oh I hadn't thought about. that I'm pretty sure that I was I don't. think I scratch as much as I don't know. you raise a really good question maybe. we can get an intern to follow us around.

just record our scratching right I'm. surprised that that's not already a TV. show. frankly Josh and Chuck scratch just. being followed around yeah oh you know. no one wants to see that well that's. probably why it's not you're scratching. see that's what I'm saying I don't think. I scratch this much uh I don't notice it. all right moving on um to Dante's. Inferno uh it was in Dante's Inferno the. burning Rage of fierce itching that.

nothing could relieve is how falsifiers. were punished yeah do you know what a. falsifier. is. us I no really like isn't that is that. somebody who like Bears false witness or. somebody who falsifies a document or I. know is it just a fancy name for liar. maybe Oh I thought you were going to. tell me you were just wondering yeah I. don't I don't know all right well I. don't know what Dante meant but they're. they're bad people sure apparently. there's a special place in health for.

him literally well I guess actually not. literally figuratively sure literarily. oh very nice uh so itching um. scientifically is known as uh purtis P. Ru r i t i yeah it's one of those tough. to pronounce things for me at least um. and for well actually they still believe. that the evolution of the itch was to. help humans um survive basically because.

so many things that can kill you uh and. in. nature are things like mosquitoes or. flies or spiders or fleas yeah that can. have like malaria or the plague or any. number of diseases attached to their. tiny little insect bodies right so hey. human um you've got a mosquito on your. neck that could kill you you might want. to slap it or scratch yeah and that's. still as far as I know the the um. evolutionary hypothesis is for why we.

experience itching yeah and it's not. just us either Bo you're scratching like. crazy it's found throughout the animal. kingdom um from us to apparently fish. have shown scratching Behavior yeah. that's crazy fruit flies how does a fish. scratch you might ask it rubs up against. rocks yeah it's kind of cute it is a. little cute it's like I remember my dad. uh did like the uh who was the baron. Jungle Book was that beloo yes he would. do the beloo where he would get up. against tree or a wall and then I did it.

probably because of that I'm sure that's. where I got it and realized that it. works and I still do it every now and. then oh yeah yeah I look kind of silly. but do you sing while you do it yeah. Bare Necessities right that's still my. favorite what else are you gonna sing. like Mambo Number. Five I'm gonna start doing that. actually like think something's wrong. with Chuck yeah so like you said though. it was up until.

almost what was it 1987 the mid to late. 80s yeah that another German ho handw. worker uh and his gang sure of. toughs um they started to do actual like. research about it they were puzzled and. wanted to solve it right because up to. this point up to actually 1987 everyone. thought that an itch was just a lowgrade. pain stimulus yeah I guess happy with.

that that's just what they thought it. was and hanker said you know what let's. let's find out if this is actually true. I'm tired of sitting around just. assuming this is fine I'm a handker and. he got to ver her with his hands uh. testing this right so what he I know. like Jonathan Strickland level f um what. he did was this is just awful yeah he. introduced you using like um electrical.

stimulation I guess he introduced. histamine to skin cells right and. histamine is a natural I don't know if. it's a protein but it's it's a natural. compound natural chemical right that the. body releases uh in response to certain. stimuli say for example like a mosquito. bite or something and it triggers the um. inflammation and immune response in that. area right so histamine is associated. with itch and it had been for a very. long time so this guy was using.

electrical stimulation to introduce. histamine in increasing amounts in these. poor study participants and it went from. barely noticeable to this is a quote the. maximum imaginable. itch and they never felt pain yeah like. even though they ramped it up to 11 no. one ever said like holy crap that hurts. they said please please for the love of. God stop let me out of this and hanker. just C and cackled right these men with.

like black leather gloves were holding. the participants down yeah they said. this is not worth the five deuts marks. that I'm getting for this lousy study. yeah that's nice man that's this would. have been pre- Euro I think oh yeah even. though the EU was around I don't think. the Euro was around in ' 87 right no no. because 90s I traveled uh I traveled to. Europe in. 1997 and there was I was still on all. that weird money oh okay yeah so it was.

a while after that so now scientist uh I. think this sort of um introduced an itch. to the scientific Community because. after hundreds and hundreds of years. hanoka sort of disrupted the the thought. process of the itch and the scratch. right and all of a sudden scientists. were like oh well maybe we should start. looking into this maybe we can actually. isolate the nerve. and figure this thing out yeah because I.

mean if it's not if it's not just a. lowlevel pain sensation then that means. it's its own thing and if it's its own. thing it probably has its own system and. we need to know more about it so they. got to they got the study in it yeah. what I wonder if all of this was under. the notion that they were trying to uh. cure itching I don't know because from. what I was reading um and all this was. pretty recent stuff yeah there is a real. unmet medical need in dealing in.

addressing like chronic itch sure. because you know most people who go. through life just experiencing itch. under normal circumstances right like. say you or me we're like an itch yeah. they suck for a second and then it goes. away imagine it not going away ever. whether you're asleep or awake or um. swimming or in outer space or doing. whatever you're itching constantly. supposedly it um it has as much of a PR. Ed effect on a patient's life um as.

chronic pain does it's constant. persistent and agonizing and it's not. it's not being met or treated because. it's not understood so they're just now. starting to get into pain re or itch. research yeah I saw um that somebody put. it where pain research was about 20. years ago so it's starting to really. heat up but we're still just starting to. understand it so I would think that they. weren't looking to cure it I think it. was just poting out that there was this.

whole branch of Neuroscience that was. totally not understood so get to work. neurologists I wonder I never really. thought about it until just now but I. wonder what happens when a a. performer or somebody like that is in. the public eye or on TV or on stage or. like the president giving a uh address. like what what what do they do if they. have poison ivy or some other kind of. contact dermatitis like have you ever. thought about that like what if lyel.

Manuel Miranda uh has like really bad. case of I guess they can get an. understudy in that case sure but you. can't have an understudy as president no. which is too bad you just go out there. with your hands bandaged up just holding. them up like how do you fight that. poison I on camera or like a news anchor. when they're just like oh my God I'm. dying I don't know I guess a news anchor. can tape things but I'm talking about. live what does Tom Petty do for God's. sakes Tom Petty Grins and bears it he.

had a hard scrubble childhood he did. prepared him for that I'm going to see. him tomorrow night oh yeah nice said. we're meting for coffee he's not. performing um anyway I was just curious. about that um well it's a good question. thanks do you remember when costus had. red eyee at the Olympics and he was so. dedicated to to to being the commentator. the anchor for the Olympics they finally. were like you have to stop and no one. can look at you people riding in you're. disgusting them it was gross uh one.

thing that made me think of that is I. had um recently you can still kind of. see it on my forearm the scars but I did. a cement job was building this fence. putting in a gate at my house right and. um Scotty you know Scotty sure he and I. built huh Pippen not Scotty Pippen uh he. and I built this uh thing together and. we sank these huge posts for this gate. and I didn't know that cement uh could.

cause contact dermatitis or even burns. never knew this yeah and we were it was. kind of a tight spot and we couldn't get. shovels in there in the hole so we were. literally mixing the stuff like up to. our elbows with our arms and I was like. this kind of feels good I even said like. you know like oatmeal or something and. then two days later my right arm was. just covered in the nastiest dermatitis. I've ever seen wow and then he got it. yeah it's still like kind of hanging. around so I went and got um a.

prescription for steroids uhhuh which. made me a little crazy for a week and a. half okay um did you trash the gate and. have to start over Roid Rage no I think. I was probably not the best husband. though I see over that time period yeah. um judging from Emily saying hey you're. a real a-hole get off the steroids. gotcha um get off the juice and I was. like shut up watch this watch me hit. this homer so long story short I. experienced this recently and it was.

awful and I can't imagine like shooting. the TV show or something or like doing. anything on or performing live yeah like. I would have to address it because I. would scratch and smack it was what I. usually do that's what you're supposed. to do not scratch I guess we'll just cut. to the chase here this is why everyone's. listening how do you scratch a niche. correctly you rub. it yeah I didn't do I did you know what. really did it was the. uh we have a a handheld uh Implement in.

the shower along with the regular shower. head okay yeah and put that sucker on. the the tightest hardest most. penetrating flow right and just put that. hot water on it man and that was like I. I think I spent half my days in the. shower yeah over that week and a half. were you biting down like a broomstick. while you were doing that no it felt so. good man I was just like I couldn't get. enough of it huh and then the Cortisone. and all that junk too so we we'll we'll. talk about this cuz this you're raising.

some great points here well I just kind. of did ruin the spoiler no no this is. good stuff we're going to analyze what. was going on with your arm after this. break how about that sounds good. [Music]. [Music].

so Chuck you had contact dermatitis. right I thought it was poison ivy. because that area has some poison ivy. but each of us Scotty and I had it just. on the arm that we sunk in cement right. and then we researched and found out. that could happen yeah so lesson learned. on that yeah so what happened was you I. something in the cement and I'm not sure. what it was reacted chemically with the. um Mass cell in your skin yeah and.

histamine was released right apparently. and so the histamine um sent a signal. through specialized uh nerve cells. called sea fibers yeah which um sea. fibers aren't just limited to itching I. think only about 5% handle that and. right most of the rest are for pain. right right so they use the same type of. neural pathway as pain but for itch it's. it's basically it's just like no these. these are just for itches only yeah and.

it sent a signal through your spinal. column and in your spinal column it. released a a. neurotransmitter called um gastrin. relasing peptide receptor and so at the. skin the histamine would have released a. neurotransmitter called uh what natur. uretic polypeptide B okay so that says. itch signal coming your way along those. ca fibers yes okay uh it makes it to the. spinal col and I guess in about 2007.

they found that there's another. neurotransmitter in the spine that I. guess um accepts the the uh nppb the. invitation and says I'm going to. transfer this along up to the brain. that's gastron relasing peptide receptor. that shoots up to the brain and it. starts this Cascade of activity right. yeah because when they like after. handker said hey you know itching is its. own thing these other researchers went. to town and traced and figured out there.

that there were specific um specific. types of itch receptors that were. dedicated just to itches right more. Germans more Germans and swedes in. couple of swedes but mostly Germans for. good measure yeah yeah and what they. found eventually from tracing this. pathway they were able to follow it uh. into the Wonder machine and apparently. they made some people itch and would not. let them scratch it and then they had. them lay down in an MRI and they they. took a brain scan and they found that. there's this whole uh Galaxy of stuff.

going on in your brain that. combined is the itch sensation yeah it. was pretty interesting too there's a. there's a signature pattern in the brain. when you get an itch and uh a few. specific areas light up one is a cortex. and it all makes sense when you put it. together right uh the. cortex uh in this case just sort of. geocat where on your body you're getting. that sensation right so that helps it's. like uh left elbow yeah or in my case.

from right elbow to wrist right and then. a little bit in other places but not too. bad that that was the main area is this. your cortex still saying this yeah very. complex conversation going on uh and. then the region I thought this was. interesting the region that governments. uh governments that governs emotional. response um so basically this is your. brain saying like I don't like this this. makes me feel bad yeah it's the worst. thing ever do something uh and then.

finally the limic and motor areas and I. thought this was the most interesting um. those areas process irresistible urges. the same ones that say I want to smoke. crack or I want to eat too much cake. right says you have an itch that is. unbearable and you need to scratch it. right and maybe go smoke some crack and. eat some cake while you're at it because. that'll help right so I just I don't. know I thought that was all very super. interesting when you combine that. pattern yeah that's the that's an itch. and then then followed by the.

irresistible urge to scratch it which. apparently research has shown those two. do not happen in independently they're. they're part of a cycle yes there's. something called the itch scratch cycle. right and so you have an irresistible. urge to scratch the itch it's it's weird. if you think about it like on the one. hand it makes sense where you you sense. that there's a a really hot heat source. that your hand is really close to so you.

have an irresistible urge to pull it. back but it doesn't feel like an urge it. almost feels like an involuntary reflex. yeah I think it's that quick a scratch. is almost like I'm going to kill this. itch I can't wait to scratch it like. you're almost exacting revenge on the. itch for itching you right so it. scratches it's an irresistible urge. whereas like pulling your hand back from. a a hot hot Source or something is like. an involuntary reflex it just feels. different like it a a scratch is its own.

thing well it is you know they kind of. found that out and and goand Dr goand. day um pointed out something interesting. too that I never thought about is that. you can have like that short collar rubs. against your neck all day and you might. never notice it but if there's like one. little string that's just poking one. little area that might trigger an itch. right and so you would think that you. know itch receptors are super finely. tuned and they they cover just this one. tiny like that's what it would seem like. Micron of skin as a matter of fact no.

apparently an itch receptor can sense. itch stimuli like three inches away from. it on the screen yeah so they're really. sensitive yeah whereas pain receptors. are that specific right uh down to like. you know millimeters yeah um and the. other thing they found out too is that. not only can they sense it from a few. inches away but it's a very slow acting. thing right which um as opposed to like. heat on the hand like a candle on your.

hand almost said Candle in the Wind uh. that's super fast but um that that. explains why an itch like is kind of. slow to come and then slow to resolve by. scratching yeah it's not like you. scratch it you're like oh it's all. better now yeah it helps a little bit so. so the itching is a it's a good strategy. if you think about um say you're you're. there's a mosquito on you and that's. what's making you itch when you go to. scratch it you're getting rid of the. mosquito maybe even smooshed it or.

something like that the the problem's. taken care of the issue is is that that. itch scratch cycle eventually becomes a. vicious cycle because when you scratch. this is what they think is going on this. is another mystery with itches we don't. understand how scratching alleviates an. itch right or why we scratch really. right what they think the current. hypothesis is that when you scratch an. itch um you're stimulating other.

receptors in the area that aren't itch. receptors yeah so I I got that but what. is that do to sort of like say hey body. don't worry about that for a minute so a. pain receptor is now active right. exactly it's it's sending feedback to. the brain saying it's being taken care. of you can settle down with the itch. gotcha right I think the problem is is. that neurologically or neurochemically. when you scratch and itch you're. activating those pain receptors in the. area pain pressure that kind of thing.

you're causing um serotonin to be. released right natural pain reliever. right yeah or at least mood enhancer and. what they found is that serotonin among. other neurochemicals actually. exacerbates the itch sensation so your. itch not only comes back it gets worse. ah so you go to scratch it again and. then same thing happens over and over. again that's the itch scratch cycle. which it's not the best cycle around no. you think a better Cycles not a bad band.

name yeah it's okay A Little Too Cute. maybe. Prague folk progue they well they'd have. to be German probably German folk prog. okay. yeah uh another interesting thing they. learn too was that. um I guess we're kind of jumping around. but who cares right if you scratch you. don't have to scratch the point of the. itch to relieve it apparently right like. if you have had that itch on my right uh. forearm and I could scratch maybe it.

doesn't have to be the left forearm so. it's not like you have to mirror it um. but I could scratch like my neck and. apparently that might help relieve it. yeah I tried it it didn't work for me no. no but I think the reason why there. that's it's possible that it could have. that effect is. supposedly scratching also. um activates like your pleasure Center. yeah you bet it does but there's. different. different places where you're scratching.

on your body um have different amounts. of pleasure associated with them did you. know that I mean I guess I guess so but. yeah interesting yeah but I mean think. about it it's like if you scratch. your scratch your like your clavicle who. cares it's nothing right but then you. scratch like your head right above and. behind your ear it's great well and they. I think they did find that like uh your. back and your ankles supposedly are some. of the most rewarding places to scratch. exactly and I I I don't know I've never.

really thought about the ankles but. um my mom would give me back scratches. when I was a kid that's nice and it was. always like one of my favorite things. ever sure and so I don't get those. anymore now that I'm a grownup because. that's. gross M I'm scratching my back right I'm. 46 years old lay. down uh but yeah it was like I I think I. preferred a back scratch to a back rub.

even oh yeah when I was younger but now. you know massage is probably way better. sure but if they if a masseuse could. include a little back scratch in there. yeah get ready for a huge tip for me. yeah I guess so or does that what is. that sexual I think it crosses a line. once they're potentially clawing away. skin cells I think that's it's no longer. in the masseuse range or mour range yeah. I I get that one SK cells are involved. you know under the nails sure then.

you're a murder suspect right. exactly uh all right well should we take. another break yeah and talk a little bit. about one of the most. distressing uh articles I've ever read. [Music].

[Music]. all right so we've referenced this. article from The New Yorker from Dr Atul. gande and um he talked a lot about. itching and just had good information on. the science of it all well that's what. he does but most of the article was. focused on uh a patient a woman in. Massachusetts uh that they named M for. the article just m the letter M right in. other words you know she's Anonymous uh.

and I think she was anonymous because. she kind of had a rough go uh after her. divorce um she end ended up getting uh. HIV from uh getting on heroin kind of. spun out it seems like but then got her. life back uh by all accounts but ended. up getting shingles as a result of HIV. complications right and the shingles. went away but the itching did not to say. the least yeah I think the itching came. after after the shingles even and at.

first her her Physicians were like well. I mean you must have you damag some. nerves in there. so Ts for you I guess yeah um and then. eventually after treating it like all. these different ways and it's still. being scratching they said okay you're. crazy how about that right and she said. well whatever I still have this itch do. whatever you need to to treat it because. I'm literally scratching this itch in my.

sleep it was on her scalp wasn't it yeah. it was on her head and she um she kind. of managed to to control it during the. day but like you said at night she. couldn't control it right to the point. where I think she was like restrained in. her sleep that came after oh okay after. they realize it's a problem because your. brain is oozing out of your head yeah. can you believe that she scratched her. scalp so much that she scratched through. her skull and she went into her doctor. one day and said they've got like this. green fluid coming down and the.

apparently the doctor didn't even say. anything he was just she or she was like. excuse me went and called an ambulance. and came back and said please lay down. and don't talk or move or do anything. else and they finally told her after she. was at the ER you scratched through to. your brain like that's your brain you're. touching right now the doctor's like. very interesting um just give me a. second here or I um please oh God. uh well they gathered up all the other.

doctors and nurses was like sure yeah. you got to come see this she said also. in this article um she said that she had. a uh a what do they call a roommate at a. a okay a roommate yeah so um she had a. roommate while she was like they treated. it gave her a skin graft and then she. she itched she scratched away the skin. graft oh man and and then um they. finally were like okay you're going to.

an asylum and she's like do they even. call it that anymore and they're like. just shut up yeah and they put her in. this Asylum and restrained her like you. said while she was sleeping and she had. a roommate in there she said in the. article she she heard didn't survive he. had scratched through his kateed artery. and died blood death yeah um so they. never really got to the bottom of this. she finally got a a doctor like the. doctors are like it's something that had. to do with the shingles this is what we.

think happens that are doctors that the. the nerve endings around the area where. she had shingles were so devastated by. the shingles that there were just a. couple of nerve endings left and it just. so happened that they were itch. receptors or itch itch um yeah itch. receptors bad luck and that those were. like really exacerbated by the fact that. there was no other competing Sensations. oh ipsofacto there's your problem right. so they said well let's we'll just cut.

the main nerve to the to your face and. that should solve the problem they cut. the main nerve to her face and um she. said thanks a lot yeah and then the itch. came back and she's like you have to be. kidding me so finally she met a doctor. who said I don't think it's your uh your. receptors or the nerve transmission I. think it's your brain yeah not. psychologically I don't think it's a. psychosis I think there's that the. actual itch signal in your brain is. being set off without any stimulation or. transmission going on yeah and um.

apparently she was right po but then. they were like good luck treating that. right you know I didn't see much. followup on this I did read one article. that um a followup with Dr Gand because. there were a lot of Skeptics after that. article came out that said it's. impossible with your fingernail because. she said she didn't use an Implement. it's not like she got out of metal file. right to scratch through your skull. right and he said that his theory was. that bacteria it became infected had. eaten it away such that the skull became.

soft turned into mush yeah yck uh and. then people also said you know you don't. have men and women in the same room in. hospitals or asylums that's that's false. and he said uh that it was like the the. room next door um and quit being. pedantic yeah really man I think people. just didn't believe it so all these. folks rote into the New Yorker so all. these Coastal Elites right said no way. they said a tool a tool come on on so. the the idea though that even if this.

woman was hypothetical I think a tool gu. is pretty upstanding cat and didn't make. this up but even if say she was. hypothetical her problem what the. doctors initially thought it was was. that she had a neuropathic itch type of. chronic itch but then the the Doctor Who. apparently figured it all out said no no. no it's a neurogenic itch another type. of chronic itch and it has to do with. whether it's the brain going off or the.

nerve Transmissions going off either way. you don't actually have an itch although. you're experiencing the itch sensation. well and they also then said at some. point she had a psychogenic itch right. so they basically covered three out of. the four kinds of. itches uh the last one being uh man I. have such a hard time PR receptive and. that's what you get from like a mosquito. bite yeah or if you have a skin disorder. like eczema or something. so they basically ruled out the most.

common one and at various stages said. you've got this other one for the other. three right finally and then again they. said we don't there's really nothing we. can do to treat it the one that they've. got down pretty well is pre-receptive. we've got all sorts of stuff to treat. that because that's that's basically. histamine is being released and your. your skin is itching so you can treat. histamines with antihistamines yeah you. can reduce that response and then your. itch will go away well I took benad dril. at night M and they also make this.

badril spray uh a topical spray that. just it really helps right so between. that and Cortisone and then the badril. at night I I did okay right and those. awesome showers so the like the pr recep. aich we've got treatment for basically. yeah the other three you're you're in. trouble it turns out as far as it stands. right now maybe 5 or 10 years from now. there'll be something apparently there. is a lot of movement right now on. treating this stuff but it's like.

they're having to figure out how to. block some really otherwise important. chemicals in the body like that nppb. right yeah that one what do it can help. can regulate your blood pressure as well. right so they can't just switch that off. right yeah just turn off the gene that. produces that you won't itch but you. might die early right not worth it right. the one that really I mean they're all. sad but the psychogenic um when you have. a mental illness where you feel like you. have parasites and bugs on your skin um.

you remember our morgons disease yeah. how did you said it more gallons right. and I said Mor galons I can't remember I. I know that I said it the way everyone. else else says it. though that's all I remember Mor. galons that's right that's how I said it. man but all this stuff it just had so. much empathy for M yeah and wanted to. follow up so bad to see how she was. doing. you know yeah and she kept scratching.

holes in her. skull I I don't know geez so there's I. read another article called accidental. therapists uh it's by a guy named Eric. brodman and it was published on a. website called stat and it's all about. delusional Paras. parasitosis but how it's treated. sometimes by um. entomologists you know like those um. extension services at univ ities yeah. here in the US like State universities.

have where it called extension services. where like a um a scientist will just. basically be there for the public to. come talk to about whatever usually it's. like household stuff or Farm stuff. something like that um and apparently. entomologists frequently are approached. with people who are like I've got these. bugs like crawling all over me here's a. sample of them and it turns out it's. like carpet fiber or something like that. and these people just can't stop itching. or whatever but it turns out they have a. delusion they don't actually have.

parasites my question is is is that our. understanding of it now and in five or. 10 years we're going to know that they. had neurogenic itches and we just. treated them like they were crazy even. though they weren't yeah and it's going. to be like a real blemish on the history. of Neuroscience May or will this idea of. psychogenic itches you know hold up yeah. I wonder did you ever see the Todd. Haynes movie safe with Julian Moore no. was one of his first movies after the. Karen Carpenter thing he did uh that.

wasn't like I mean it was a real movie. but it wasn't released um but safe was. very disturbing it was about a woman who. kind of slowly drifted into madness from. uh believing that the world was. poisoning her wow and like household. chemicals and everything and it kind of. started slow and eventually she ended up. at this kind of safe camp for people. like her right um very distressing movie. and some one of her first movies too. I'll have to check it out yeah it's. really good oh it's old yeah it was it.

was early 90s I think I know you're. talking about no it's the called the. road to. wellville is that what you mean no it's. called safe okay I'll check it out yeah. it's good very distressing I'm trying to. think of anything and that wasn't. necessarily itching but it was just like. that psychogenic thing of like I think. everything in my house is killing me. yeah I mean have you ever like stopped. and thought about something and thought. there's there's the path to Madness. right there I'm staring down it right. now I should probably not keep thinking.

about this I don't really get like that. oh no no I'm I'm very easily kind of LED. on to the next shiny thing I got you oh. like a bird yeah yeah basically that's. probably for the best it is it has its. drawbacks though uh what else you got. well one thing it says in here is that. um having someone else scratch your itch. does apparently does not do the trick so. you have to scratch your own itch yeah I. mean somebody can like obviously like.

you know if you're like a little left a. little left up up up yeah see I agree. with that oh man not you the them saying. Oh right like I think it definitely. helps I think what they're saying is is. it doesn't have quite the same relieving. properties as if you do it yourself oh. yeah and if you could reach that area of. your back it would be better than that. yeah I guess so I got a pretty good back. scratcher now though oh yeah what's it. made of bamboo. no it's it's metal but it's uh te.

telescoping so it's not you know two. feet long gotcha but it can be but it's. metal yeah it looks like a like what are. the a bear claw not the pastry but a oh. a real bear claw which actually looks. like the pastry yeah I guess it does. that's why they call it that I never. thought about that why'd you think it. was called that I'm just kidding I. actually should call it a bear paw it. looks more like a bear paw than a bear. paw I'm going to try and bring that. bring that around unless you get. somebody who like really goes the extra.

mile and puts almonds on the tips to. make it look like the claw yes and not. just haphazardly scattered about the. Bearpaw exactly yeah that's the. difference between a baker who loves. their job and one who's just in it for. the money. yeah uh couple more things Charles like. we said there's um still plenty of. mysteries around itches yeah why say. does a feather tickle sometimes but itch. other times uhuh big question they don't.

know right but I'd like to know well. maybe the Germans will get active on. this again yeah they're the only ones. who can solve it though only the Germans. can save us you got anything else no I. don't I don't either itching nice work. thanks man same to you thank you and you. haven't scratched in a while so no I'm. actually um I've been scratching in the. same spot and it's starting to get a. little tender so I'm stopping man.

there's nothing worse in a movie and. I've seen I feel like I've seen this a. few times in movies where someone is. compulsively like scratching until it. becomes a sore and then they're. scratching it it's just like H I can't. their brain well yeah so I guess the. moral of this one is what would Tom. Petty do I'll ask him. tomorrow if you want to know uh more. about itching or what Tom would do you. can type those words in the search bar. house storks.com and since I said search.

bar it's time for listen or. mail uh I'm going to call this one of. the many emails we got on the swearing. episode did you notice that people. really seem to like that one yeah they. did got a lot of response yeah from. Mostly from uh fellow potty mouths mhm. which were very filthy emails too which. were great yeah and I responded in turn. by cursing at them sure in my replies.

sure which I hope they enjoyed and all. caps no I didn't want to be too. aggressive um so this is from uh Emily. Allen hey guys longtime listener first. time writing in um writing about. swearing I should start by saying that. it's funny I'm writing about this. episode because I almost never curse and. when I do it's normally not a very. offensive swear uh however your intro. made me think of something interesting I. wanted to share you talked about how you. really sensor yourself during recording. in order to keep your show. familyfriendly it got me thinking about.

how our jobs really shape our vocabulary. how we express ourselves uh I noticed a. major change in the way I speak since. becoming a teacher primarily teach. kindergarten to second grade students. and I found this really change the way I. expressed myself uh for example I try to. avoid uh even saying things are dumb or. stupid around kids will often say well. isn't that silly instead uh this works. in the classroom but I often get laughs. from friends and family when I refer to. a situation as silly like a disagreement. with a colleague or something a.

politician. does there are other Expressions I use. with the kids that often slip into. regular conversation as well the most. embarrassing when I out and excuse. myself to go potty that always gets a. laugh anyway I just wanted to share and. thank you for all the great work you do. learned so much from listening each week. and I'm always excited to see the new. episode offerings every Tuesday and. Thursday that is from Emily Allen thank. you Miss Allen very. silly uh that was a very nice email yeah.

uh if you want to get in touch with us. like M Allen did uh you can send us an. email stuff podcast howstuffworks.com. and as always join us at our home on the. web stuff you should know.com. [Music]. stuff you should know is a production of. iHeart radio for more podcasts ihart. radio visit the iHeart Radio app Apple. podcasts or wherever you listen to your. favorite shows. [Music].