Readers of this blog know that I have lived with chronic itching for over a year. Some moments are really yuk, but I continually remind myself to be thankful to God for the good days, for the simple fact that I’m able to walk, talk, see, hear, and eat.  And write. And take classes. And walk Michigan Avenue. And the list could go on.

And, today, was an especially good day as an article in the New York Times addressed chronic itching. Dr. Lynn Cornelius of Washington University School of Medicine was quoted as saying chronic itching is a “huge clinical problem and a huge unmet market.”  Amen.

I do not subscribe to the New York Times, but friends here in IL and in MI and NC sent me the link. I am grateful!

Unless a person suffers from chronic itching, I think it’s impossible to know what it’s like to live with bees attacking you or fire ants hosting parties on your body. As in other diseases, the sufferer knows best the experience of living with the symptoms.  And sufferers, in general, know best the feelings of hopelessness and the importance of hope.

Articles such as this one in the New York Times give hope. The article affirms that the study of chronic itching is a relatively new science. It affirms, for those of us living with chronic itching, why we’ve desperately plodded through the medical and alternative medicine community only to come up with few to no answers. It affirms through description of research findings that there are legitimate causes for our symptoms.

It says, what we knew all along, we are NOT hypochondriacs. Or a bit off our rockers.

Please take a few minutes to read the article: Itching: More Than Skin-Deep – NYTimes.com. And please share the link with your friends and/or social media sites cited under comments. I can assure you that someone will know someone who, like me, will be grateful for the information.