Hi all, totally know what you're going through- I have had hives for about 14 years now.

It started off as a reaction to aspirin (face swells up) in my teens. It gradually got worse and worse (I was eating really badly at the time), till the point where I was 'lumpy' all day, every day. I was practically addicted to an anti-histamine (Piriton) and felt sick and miserable.

I went vegan in my late teens, and the allergies started easing up and I was able to break my Piriton reliance.

I then cut out ALL e-numbers and went high raw vegan about 2 months ago. In the first week, I didn't get any allergies at all. I believe that a liver flush, parasite flush and a 95%-100% raw food diet will keep me clear. That sounds kind of hardcore, but when you think of how you have treated your body in the past, it's only fair to put a lot of effort into it to repair it. In my early teens, I was practically living on chocolate, diet coke and junk food. I actually believe that being bought up on Aspartame was the catalyst for my allergies in my teens.

The thing with hives, is they can be so hard to pinpoint and it's so frustrating keeping food diaries and other things. This week, I had to speedwalk to catch my bus on time. This alone made hives come up on my hands and feet.

There are hive-enducing e-numbers/additives in your toothpaste, your body wash (watch when you sweat!), your shampoo and other household products!

Sodium benzoate is one of the worst.

Start afresh, keep clean and only put natural things in your body :) It can take a while to detox so don't be disheartened by a natural diet, stick with it and see how it goes.

Good luck :)