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Curious about Flea Bites
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/ |
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Curious about Flea Bites
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. -- |
#16
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Curious about Flea Bites
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. |
#17
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Curious about Flea Bites
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. -- |
#18
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Curious about Flea Bites
Mack A. Damia wrote:
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. The interesting thing to me is that there are different kinds of itches. My psoriasis itches, but the itch goes away when I scratcvh it. and sometimes for quite a long time. But I don't have any psoriasis on my ankles, and yet they itch and scratching doesn't help. It only makes it worse. What is the difference between these two itches on the cellular level? |
#19
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Curious about Flea Bites
On Wed, 21 Aug 2013 18:13:50 -0700, "Bill Graham"
wrote: Mack A. Damia wrote: 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. The interesting thing to me is that there are different kinds of itches. My psoriasis itches, but the itch goes away when I scratcvh it. and sometimes for quite a long time. But I don't have any psoriasis on my ankles, and yet they itch and scratching doesn't help. It only makes it worse. What is the difference between these two itches on the cellular level? There has to be a cause for the itch - some kind of irritation of the cells. I guess it depends upon the intensity and type of irritation. As you know, some itches can last a long time while others go away with a slight scratch. -- |
#20
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Curious about Flea Bites
Mack A. Damia wrote:
On Wed, 21 Aug 2013 18:13:50 -0700, "Bill Graham" wrote: Mack A. Damia wrote: 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. The interesting thing to me is that there are different kinds of itches. My psoriasis itches, but the itch goes away when I scratcvh it. and sometimes for quite a long time. But I don't have any psoriasis on my ankles, and yet they itch and scratching doesn't help. It only makes it worse. What is the difference between these two itches on the cellular level? There has to be a cause for the itch - some kind of irritation of the cells. I guess it depends upon the intensity and type of irritation. As you know, some itches can last a long time while others go away with a slight scratch. In response to your original question: Yes. Some people are not bothered by insects at all, and go through li8fe without feeling or even knowing if they have flea and/or mosquito bites or are hardley bothered at all by hornets and other biting insects. My father was one of these, and I too asm relatively immune to insect bites. My dad would trap a bee in his cupped hands and feel it crawling around inside trying to find a way out. Then he would open his hands and let it fly away. He said no bee ad ever stng him when he did this. Other people, however are bitten by anything that flies and get large swollen spots all the time, especially in the Summertime, when the insects are not in hybernation. Our cats have fleas, and we are always trying to get rid of them, but as far as I know, I have neer been bitten by one. |
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