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Itching, Rash After Return from China

10 days after returning from Sichuan, China last June I developed mild, intermittent itching in my hands that was worse at night and that slowly spread proximally to involve my forearms. In a few weeks my lower legs developed similar symptoms. After about a month I began to notice some urticaria and dermographism. The itching and urticaria, while mild and intermittent, continued and eventually spread to include my torso. I decided to see a dermatologist in September. She spent all of 3 minutes with me and sent me away with a Rx for cortisone cream. Shortly after this I spoke with a friend who had been with me in China who told me she had developed the same symptoms. We stayed in the same hostel and shared many meals together (no body fluids, just friends!). She reports being prescribed Cipro after developing some lesions on her inner thighs (I should mention she had a bout of MRSA the previous year). I have not had any such lesions, but it's six months and my symptoms persist. I have been under a tremendous amount of stress this past year, losing both my elderly parents in the first half of 2009 while finishing up graduate school. But I have never had skin issues before in my life. So, given what I've described, what is the likelihood that the itching and urticaria have an infectious etiology? Do you think I should pursue testing for this? If so, how do you recommend I go about it and what tests should I have done? If you don't recommend this route, can you give me some suggestions for how to proceed? I realize many cases of chronic urticaria never get diagnosed but this is rather distressing and if possible I'd like to see it resolved. Thanks in advance for your advice.
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Drink plenty of water to flush the body

1.Potassium sorbate  Is It a Harmful Toxin?
WARNING/CAUTION
While research is still being done on how toxic potassium sorbate is, we already know many of the adverse side effects it can cause.
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For example, using skin creams or other beauty products with potassium sorbate can cause skin irritation, redness, rashes, burning or watery eyes, and other reactions. This is more common in people with potassium allergies, although using an excessive amount of beauty products could lead to some of these reactions.
However, it is potassium sorbate in food that poses more of a problem. Potassium sorbate dangers can be significant and have a damaging effect on our health. Eating too much potassium sorbate preservative over a long period of time could lead to symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, upset stomach, and diarrhea.
Furthermore, long-term dietary intake of potassium sorbate can cause nutritional deficiencies, which is when your body does not absorb nutrients, vitamins, and minerals properly. Digestive problems can often lead to nutritional deficiencies. Nutritional deficiencies are linked to a wide number of serious heath complications, which means that eating too much potassium sorbate can pave the road for bigger health problems later in life.
2. Sodium carbonate: Warnings About Using the Compound
MedlinePlus notes that symptoms of poisoning with sodium carbonate can be quite severe, and may include diarrhea, vomiting, and difficulty swallowing. Because the compound is so caustic, MedlinePlus warns not to induce vomiting but instead to seek prompt medical treatment. While it is possible to use very small amounts of sodium carbonate in food—actually, this is done in some cases in which base is a desirable addition to food—in large amounts, sodium carbonate is toxic.
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• Signs of an allergic reaction, like rash; hives; itching; red, swollen, blistered, or peeling skin with or without fever; wheezing; tightness in the chest or throat; trouble breathing, swallowing, or talking; unusual hoarseness; or swelling of the mouth, face, lips, tongue, or throat.
• Signs of high calcium levels like weakness, confusion, feeling tired, headache, upset stomach and throwing up, hard stools (constipation), or bone pain.
• Mood changes.

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