Sorry about this late reply; yes, you assessment of extreme fire/heat sounds about right to me. ;)
Last night it (the itching) got horrible, after eating raw almonds, with, er, some of the worst gas I've ever had in my life. Funnily, I tried eating raw almonds again tonight, and there's much less itching, and no gas. Though, I did take digestive enzymes and Betaine HCl with them, and some quality coconut oil.
I'd love, if I could afford it, to see a herbalist/TCM practitioner. We actually know one personally, but I'm not sure if he'd see me "pro bono".