title: Alternative therapy in pruritus.
abstract: Because of its multitude of origins, the symptom complex of pruritus has a plethora of purported remedies and few therapeutic indications. Very few topical and systemic FDA approved medications have the indication of pruritus. Specific therapy still awaits a better definition of the exact physiologic events in chronic pruritus. Hence most medications actually focus on the central nervous system--the peripheral receptors--and the lack of specific physiologic targets has inhibited pharmacologic development. The resulting gap has opened the door to a variety of alternative therapies.
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Tulane University Health Sciences Center, New Orleans, Louisiana 70112, USA. millikan@tulane.edu
authors.forename: Larry E
authors.initials: LE
authors.lastname: Millikan
mesh_terms: D001452:Balneology; D006801:Humans; D018529:Nutritional Support; D008517:Phytotherapy; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D010946:Plants, Medicinal; D011537:Pruritus / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000628:therapy; D012028:Reflexotherapy
chemical_list: D010936:Plant Extracts