Perhaps one of the animal kingdom's oldest sources of irritation is an itch that gives you that intense feeling of craving relief as soon as possible. As a matter of fact, one of the oldest forms of torture is tying someone to a tree that is the home of insects (most commonly, ants) and watching them try in futility to find relief from all the crawling creatures on their skin. The inability to scratch themselves usually drives the poor soul insane before the creepy crawlies have made a meal out of them.

So what happens, really, when you have an itch? Pruritus (its Latin name) or itching starts with an external stimuli. The stimuli could be in the form of a bug, fibers, hair or anything that touches the skin. Like many of the body's marvelous built-in self-defense mechanisms, itching alerts your body that there might be something that can cause you harm. For example, if the foreign irritant is a bug (and you can usually feel an irritant based on its behavior when you feel it), the itching will signal that there is something crawling on your skin and it might bite you.

At first, the external stimuli might not bother you, but once it starts rubbing back and forth on your skin, you may start to feel it. There are receptors in your dermis (the inner layer that makes up your skin) that will become irritated. Faster than a split second, these receptors send a signal to your spinal cord via fibers of your skin that will then go up to your cerebral cortex. That is when your brain tells you to scratch. The reason for this reaction is quite simple—your brain is telling you to remove the irritant as soon as possible. Once you've scratched at the irritant, you will then feel a sense of relief. The reason for this is that once the brain has deduced that you have scratched away the irritant, the “itch signal” that was sent to your brain is now interrupted and is no longer recognized by your brain.

Even if the irritant is not removed (say a microscopic organism that has burrowed under your skin), the act of scratching will cause pain that diverts your attention from the itching. Studies have shown that pain, as well as any stimulus that produces it, can inhibit itching. The feeling of pain in this case is due to the nerve endings in your skin being pressured by your scratching.

If you're suffering from an onset of itches, there are several ways you can get relief.

Identify the cause of the itch. There are generally the following four sources of itches:

There are several ways you can find out what caused the itching. For example, the presence of a mark or a welt is almost always an indication that something bit you, causing a reaction on your skin. The location of the itch can also be a source of information for identifying the cause. If the itch is on your head, it could either be a dandruff problem (which is health-related) or you might have a lice infestation (arthropod problem). Also, consider the time when you got the itch problem. Did you get it after spending time outside? Or did you get it after being in the woods? What were you doing prior to getting the itch? In this stage, the process of elimination is a good way to identify the source of your itching problem.

Since itching is a very common reaction to almost any irritant, narrowing down your choices can be an arduous task. However, because the treatment you are going to use to get rid of it will depend on what the cause is, proper identification is very important.

Treat the itch according to the cause. Once you've more or less identified the cause of the itch, treatment will follow. Depending on the cause, methods of treatment may vary.

Most insect-related itches go away on their own after an application of soothing balms or ointments. For those that show no signs of letting up and are accompanied by boils or wounds, a visit to the dermatologist or physician is recommended.

Some household products and personal effects can also cause itching, especially if you're allergic to them. Detergents, soap, clothing fibers, make-up and other cosmetics are the most common suspects. In cases like these, scratching is often enough to correct the itch unless it's allergy-related, in which case, antihistamines are recommended. You have to consult with a dermatologist or doctor for confirmation before you take any medications, though.

For health-related itches, it is strongly recommended that you check with your physician. Itching can be a common symptom to some underlying, more serious condition like diabetes, thyroid or liver disease and shingles. There is also at least one mental disorder that has symptoms that cause the patient to feel itchy, making them scratch themselves wantonly. The condition, delusory parasitosis, is having an irrational fear of insects invading the body. Patients who suffer from this condition report that bugs crawl under their skin, invading their eyes, ears and other areas of their body. Needless to say, such a condition must be reported to a physician for treatment.

Change your environment. A change in your environment may stop the itching, especially if the itch is caused by things around you. For example, fumigating your place can get rid of small insects like lice or fleas. Regular cleaning will also take care of any irritants that may cause you to itch, like dusts and small particles. Anti-static sprays can get rid of static electricity that increases the attraction of tiny, charged particles to your exposed skin. Static electricity can also make your body hair move, giving you the sensation of things “crawling” on them, causing you to itch.

Use cold application. The nerve fibers that cause you to itch also cause you to feel cold sensations. Therefore, using cold applications on the area affected by the itch can “jam the circuits,” deadening it. There are several ways for you to apply cold application. You can apply a cold compress on the affected area, take a cool shower or just run cold water over your skin for several minutes.

Use anti-itch creams or lotions. Several anti-itch creams and lotions are available on the market. Some of these lotions work by killing fungi and other bacteria that take root in your skin, causing you to itch. Some, like menthol and camphor, numb the nerve endings on your skin, which deadens your skin to the itching.

It is not often advisable to scratch every itch, as sometimes, excessive scratching can leave you with irritated skin that can still be itchy. Too much scratching can also cause your skin to break, leaving it wide open for infections. Prolonged itching usually means that there is a more serious underlying condition, so if you experience itching that persists for weeks, go see a physician. An itch to scratch may well save your life.