PITTSBURGH — When you feel that irresistible urge to scratch an itch, you’re activating an evolutionary defense system. New ...

How does the body know when to stop scratching an itch? New research is giving us more insight. Scientists have long known about the itch-scratch cycle. When an irritant gets on your skin, a ...

Scratching an itch can bring a contradictory wave of pleasure and misery. A mouse study on scratching, reported in the Jan. 31 Science, fleshes out this head-scratching paradox and could point out ...

Despite the saying “happiness is having a scratch for every itch,” itching often makes the itchy skin condition worse. So why is the instinct so strong? In a study with mice, researchers from the ...

Add Yahoo as a preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Itching, and the subsequent urge to scratch, can make eczema worse. Kinga Krzeminska/Moment via Getty Images Itching can be ...

The itch from bug bites, rashes, and other skin conditions can sometimes be so overpowering that it feels impossible to avoid scratching them. But new research explains why you might want to hold off ...

We've all had bug bites, or dry scalp, or a sunburn that causes itch. But what if you felt itchy all the time — and there was no relief? Journalist Annie Lowrey suffers from primary biliary ...