Fish oil is a popular supplement that some health practitioners recommend for cardiovascular health, brain development and maintenance, and for its general anti-inflammatory properties. As much as fish oil supplements have a role in helping to maintain health, though, they're not medicines and can't help with scabies infestations.
Scabies
Scabies infestations are the result of the scabies mite, Sarcoptes scabiei, burrowing into your skin to live and lay its eggs. Your immune system responds to the invading organisms, releasing chemicals like histamine that cause an intense itching sensation. You won't start to itch as soon as you become infected with scabies because the mites themselves aren't responsible for the itching. Instead, the sensation typically builds over time, explains PubMed Health.
Fish Oil
Fish, especially cold-water fish, are particularly rich sources of many essential fatty acids. Among these, omega-3 fatty acids play especially important roles in human health, explains the American Heart Association. Omega-3 fatty acids, consumed as part of an otherwise healthy diet, help to decrease the likelihood and severity of inflammatory processes and promote good cardiovascular and overall health. Fish oil supplements are common as sources of omega-3 fatty acids, which are otherwise difficult to get in the diet.
Fish Oil And Scabies
There's neither any scientific evidence to suggest that fish oil will help treat scabies nor any information that poses a reasonable hypothesis to the same effect. As such, you shouldn't start using fish oil in the hopes that it will help with your scabies infestation. However, fish oil won't likely hurt you -- there's no scientific evidence to suggest any drawbacks to taking it in small doses -- so if you're curious about its health benefits, ask your doctor for more information.
Scabies Treatments
According to MayoClinic.com, the best way to treat a scabies infestation is to kill the mites using Permethrin or a similar compound. The compound that kills the mites won't treat the itching, however, so your doctor also will likely provide an anti-inflammatory cream or some other anti-itch remedy. You also should anticipate that you'll continue to itch for some time after treating the scabies infestation because the bodies of the mites remain in your skin for quite a while and continue to cause immune activation.
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