Book excerpt: Find relief from acute or chronic itch in this comprehensive guide—now completely updated! When should you scratch—and when should you let an itch be? Living without Itch offers the millions of people suffering from itch an essential and updated guide on how to find relief from their suffering. Researcher and clinician Gil Yosipovitch, MD, draws from his decades of experience caring for patients to share a treasure trove of easy-to-understand information to educate readers on how to manage their itchy conditions. This book comprehensively covers both acute and chronic itchy conditions, from hives, psoriasis, and eczema, to systemic and neurologic diseases, as well as recommendations for treatment options. Patients share their lived experiences and advice, while contributions from multi-disciplinary experts in nursing, psychology, and alternative medicine provide unique approaches to managing itch. This new edition includes: • Updated information about the itch pathway—why it occurs and the cascade of events that result in itch • Newly available FDA-approved treatments • Special considerations for populations such as individuals undergoing immunotherapy for cancer • Recommendations for lifestyle interventions, including nutrition, psychotherapy, allergy medications, and behavioral changes Completely revised and updated to include important developments in the field since the last edition's publication, this guide provides the information you need to understand, prevent, and manage itch. Contributors: David Baker, Rachael Bronstein, Kyle Bruner, Denis Eirikis, Juan Gonzales, Peter Lio, Chip Newton, Christina Schut