Despite the saying “happiness is having a scratch for every itch,” itching often makes the itchy skin condition worse. So why is the instinct so strong? In a study with mice, researchers from the ...

Medically reviewed by Sarah Richards, DPM Key Takeaways Itchy hands and feet can be caused by dry skin, eczema, or ...

Scratching an itch can bring a contradictory wave of pleasure and misery. A mouse study on scratching, reported in the Jan. 31 Science, fleshes out this head-scratching paradox and could point out ...

Add Yahoo as a preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Itching, and the subsequent urge to scratch, can make eczema worse. Kinga Krzeminska/Moment via Getty Images Itching can be ...

When you scratch an itch, something tells your brain when to stop. That moment of relief, when scratching feels "enough," is not accidental. Scientists have now identified a key molecular and neural ...

What’s common between a scratchy sweater, a mosquito bite, and poison ivy? A brush with any of them guarantees an itchy spot on the skin. Scratching that itch is extremely tempting because of how ...

Journalist Annie Lowrey has a rare disease that causes a near-constant itch that doesn't respond to most treatments. She likens the itchiness to a... Chronic itch is miserable. Scientists are just ...

One of the greatest pleasures in life is to scratch an itch — in both the real and figurative sense. Although scratching an itch provides immediate (albeit temporary) relief, it may actually trigger ...

Seeing other people scratching can cause your brain to trigger your own. Patients who suffer from chronic itch employ creative techniques to alleviate their itch, often using painful thermal stimuli, ...

Itching can be uncomfortable, but it's a normal part of your skin's immune response to external threats. When you're itching from an encounter with poison ivy or mosquitoes, consider that your urge to ...