The Practice Pointer on Insect Bites [ BMJ 2020;370:m2856 ] addresses the risks of infection and allergic reaction but confirms that little treatment is available for swelling or itchiness. However it may be helpful to share a personal journey.
Stung by a Weaver fish on my heel, I accepted a lifeguard’s advice to put my foot in water as hot as I could bear and was surprised to get relief of the severe pain within a very few minutes. Subsequent reading explained that the venom was denatured above 40 °C. When next suffering from troublesome itchiness from mosquito bites, wondering whether the responsible substance might also be thermolabile, I tried applying a teaspoon taken out of a near-boiling cup of tea to the swelling: it quelled the itch within a minute or two and it did not return.
The Web revealed that nothing is new as battery-powered gadgets have been developed to replace the dripping teaspoon and raise overlying skin temperatures to 50° C. A treatment series in 2011 suggested effectiveness against bee and wasp sting pain as well as itch and swelling from other insects’ attentions [ref].
The omission of heat application from your article suggests the remedy has not been recognized widely as yet. A GP vocational trainee summer attachment in the Scottish Highlands could provide an ideal opportunity to collect outcomes and publish the first really successful outcomes trial treating the miseries of midge bites. Perhaps worth a prize of Lagavulin, awarded by VisitScotland, for the first to publish.
Ref : Müller C,, Großjohann B,, Fischer L (2011). The use of concentrated heat after insect bites/stings as an alternative to reduce swelling, pain, and pruritus: an open cohort-study at German beaches and bathing-lakes. Clin Cosmet Investig Dermatol. 4: 191–196. Published online 2011 Dec 15. doi: 10.2147/CCID.S27825
Rapid Response:
Re: Insect bites
Dear Editor,
The Practice Pointer on Insect Bites [ BMJ 2020;370:m2856 ] addresses the risks of infection and allergic reaction but confirms that little treatment is available for swelling or itchiness. However it may be helpful to share a personal journey.
Stung by a Weaver fish on my heel, I accepted a lifeguard’s advice to put my foot in water as hot as I could bear and was surprised to get relief of the severe pain within a very few minutes. Subsequent reading explained that the venom was denatured above 40 °C. When next suffering from troublesome itchiness from mosquito bites, wondering whether the responsible substance might also be thermolabile, I tried applying a teaspoon taken out of a near-boiling cup of tea to the swelling: it quelled the itch within a minute or two and it did not return.
The Web revealed that nothing is new as battery-powered gadgets have been developed to replace the dripping teaspoon and raise overlying skin temperatures to 50° C. A treatment series in 2011 suggested effectiveness against bee and wasp sting pain as well as itch and swelling from other insects’ attentions [ref].
The omission of heat application from your article suggests the remedy has not been recognized widely as yet. A GP vocational trainee summer attachment in the Scottish Highlands could provide an ideal opportunity to collect outcomes and publish the first really successful outcomes trial treating the miseries of midge bites. Perhaps worth a prize of Lagavulin, awarded by VisitScotland, for the first to publish.
Ref : Müller C,, Großjohann B,, Fischer L (2011). The use of concentrated heat after insect bites/stings as an alternative to reduce swelling, pain, and pruritus: an open cohort-study at German beaches and bathing-lakes. Clin Cosmet Investig Dermatol. 4: 191–196. Published online 2011 Dec 15. doi: 10.2147/CCID.S27825
Competing interests: No competing interests