When I am sitting or sleeping, I feel as if an army of ants are crawling all over me, especially my arms and legs. What can I do? Doctors are at a loss.
The symptom you describe is called formication, from the Latin formicare, meaning to creep like an ant. If you are a woman in midlife, it could be related to the hormonal changes of menopause. I've heard the incidence of formication during perimenopause described as "rare," but I have also read that as many as 20 percent of all women experience it. It's no surprise that your doctors are stumped because there are no scientific studies on treating this unpleasant sensation.
The symptoms are thought to be a manifestation of menopause, much like a hot flash, and the cause is believed to be a reaction of estrogen receptors in the skin to reduced levels of this hormone. The good news is that formication usually does eventually disappear on its own. According to the North American Menopause Society, hormone replacement therapy and antihistamines may help. I've also read that acupuncture and traditional Chinese medicine can help, so you might explore these options.
Sometimes, severe itching also occurs among menopausal women. If this is part of the problem, consult a dermatologist. Formication also occurs in alcoholism and can be a symptom of drug toxicity, particularly from overuse of cocaine and amphetamines.
Andrew Weil, M.D.
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译文:
对付可怕的皮肤足爬感？
当我坐着或是睡着的时候，我老觉得似乎有一个蚂蚁军队在我身上爬啊爬，特别是在胳膊和腿上。我该怎么办呢？医生们对此束手无策。
你描述的症状我们称之为“蚁走感”，是从拉丁文formicare演化而来的，意思是感觉像蚂蚁爬过一样。如果你是一个中年女性的话，那么这有可能和更年期体内激素的改变有关。我听说在更年期出现蚁走感是非常少见的，但我也在资料里了解到大约有20％的女性会经历它。你的医生会被难住一点也不奇怪，因为现在还没有针对这种讨厌的感受而进行的科学研究或治疗方法。
我们认为这些症状是更年期的表现，就像是生理性潮热那样，是由皮肤内的雌激素受体为了降低激素水平而作出反应引起的。好在蚁走感多半最后自己就消失了。据北美更年期联合会称，激素取代疗法和抗组胺剂对此比较有用。我也在一些资料中了解到针灸和传统中医能对病情有所帮助，所以你也可以试试这些方法。
有时，更年期妇女也会出现严重的瘙痒症状。如果这是问题的一部分，那么请咨询皮肤科医生。蚁走感也会在酒精中毒或药物中毒的情况下出现，此时的原因在于摄入了过量的可卡因和安非他命。
安德鲁.威尔 博士