On Tue, 20 Aug 2013 13:42:23 -0700, "Bill Graham"
wrote:

Mack A. Damia wrote:
On Tue, 20 Aug 2013 13:21:58 -0700, "Bill Graham"
wrote:

wrote:
On Tuesday, January 20, 2004 3:06:23 AM UTC+5:30, Marek Williams
wrote:
When I was a kid we had a dog. This was a very long time ago, long
before flea medications. The dog had a flea collar, but still had
fleas, and there were fleas in the house.

I recall my mother and my brother constantly complaining about flea
bites. I remember them showing me their ankles with red spots all
over. In the meantime, my father and I never had a single flea
bite. Since leaving home I have always had cats, and they would
sometimes have fleas, in spite of flea collars. Nevertheless, in
all my life I can't remember ever having a flea bite myself.

This has always made me curious. I have a couple questions that
someone might be able to shed some light on.

1) Is it possible for humans (or animals, for that matter) to
possess a natural flea repellent? Like maybe fleas take one whiff
of me and go "phew, stay away from that guy, he really stinks!"

2) Or maybe I'm atually being bitten, but don't display any
reaction. What I'm getting at is what is it about flea bites that
makes them itch? For example, my understanding of mosquito bites
is that the mosquito injects a blood thinner agent to help it suck
up the blood; and humans have an allergic reaction to the agent
which causes the itching and swelling. What exactly is it about
flea bites that make them itch? Is it possible for humans to be
immune to this?

My cat gets Revolution and seems to have no flea problem, so it's
just my own curiosity here. Does anyone know of any scientific
information about flea bites?

--
Bogus e-mail address, but I read this newsgroup regularly, so reply
here.

http://fleabitesonhuman.com/

A better question is what makes anything itch? Oh sure, they say,
"allergic reaction" and all that stuff, but what really causes the
itch, and why? Many years ago, I picked up an eye infection at my
local community swimming pool. I went to an eye doctor and said, "I
think I have a fungus infection or something on my eyelid that ic
making it itch. He got angry with me and said. "Why do you think its
a fungus infection? - Its a bacterial infection!" I didn't say
anything to him then, but today I would say, "Why does it itch? I
know he wouldn't have been able to give me a straight answer. Not
then, and not now. Like many doctors, he thought he knew everything.

It's the sensors in your tissue. Same with any cut or wound. It
hurts, but in the case of a bacterial or fungal infection, you get
itching.

Think about intense itching when you get poison ivy, etc.

But this doesn't explain the exact mechanism that causes an itch. I get
itching in (on) my ankles. It does no good to scratch it, because allthough
the itch goes away while I am scratching, it comes back almost immediately,
and is worse. So, I haqve just learned to put up with it and pay no
attention to it. What is the exact cause of this? I have no infection or
rash there. And when I get an itch any other place, scratching it makes it
go away for a long time. What is there about my ankles that makes them itch
for no reason, and not be relieved by scratching? And I am not the only one
with this problem. I have a friend about my age who has the exact same
problem.

I can't explain the exact mechanism that makes it itch. Skin and
tissue age and get dry as we age. Dry skin itches. Same as leather
when it gets old and dry - it cracks.

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