The best way to get rid of an itch? Scratch it in the mirror

Got an itch that just won't go away?

Fascinating new research reveals that the most effective way to get rid of an itch is to watch yourself scratching it in the mirror.

German researchers from the University of Lübeck have discovered that looking in the mirror while you scratch what you think is your itchy spot tricks your brain into believing the itch is gone -- even when you scratch the wrong place.

Also see: Doctors go disturbingly long time without washing lab coats

The study, published in the journal PLOS One, examined 26 male volunteers whose right forearm was injected with an itch-inducing chemical called histamine.

The injections created a red spot on the participants' right arms, so the researchers drew a corresponding red spot on their left arms so the subjects wouldn't know which arm had actually been injected, reports the New Scientist.

Researchers then used a large mirror to reflect back the non-itchy left arm to the participant, while blocking off their view of the itchy right arm. Participants were instructed to only look at the mirror while a researcher scratched each arm.

Also see: Five simple things you should do for your feet

The results? Participants felt relief even when the unaffected left arm was scratched.

The researchers suggest the "mirror effect" was 25 per cent as effective at relieving an itch as a "real" scratch.

They conclude their study by noting that their research may help people with persistent itching due to skin diseases or disorders.

Also see: The sneaky cause of dry, cracked hands

Francis McGlone, a cognitive neuroscience professor at Liverpool John Moores University in the U.K., believes the study could have implications for chronic itching, a condition where patients sometimes scratch their skin until it bleeds.

"This paper adds important insights into the complex mechanisms underlying itch – an often ignored sensory channel, but one that can have devastating consequences on quality of life for patients," he says.