Scott and SadieA new study found your mom was right when she said don’t scratch that itchy rash. But if it’s bad for you, why does it feel so good?
Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh finally figured it out . . . and say there actually is one BENEFIT to itching it.
They assumed that if scratching felt good, there must have been some evolutionary reason for it. So they used allergens to give mice a rash on their ear to find out exactly what happens when you itch.
Some of the mice were allowed to scratch it, and others weren’t. One group wore a cone around their neck, similar to the “cone of shame” your dog has to wear after surgery.
They found that itching a rash makes it worse because your pain-sensing neurons release a compound called “substance P” that makes everything even more inflamed and swollen. That part wasn’t surprising.
But scratching also reduced the amount of STAPH bacteria on their skin. It’s the most common bacteria that leads to nasty skin infections.
Scratching off some of that staph could potentially help protect you from more serious issues. So they think that’s why we evolved in a way that makes itching a rash feel so good.
They still say you SHOULDN’T itch a rash. Yes, there might be a minor benefit to it. But in the end, your mom was right. It does more harm than good.
(EurekAlert / NY Post)
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