Chronic urticaria (hives) and frequent outbreaks

Hi,
I'm a 35 year old male. My problems with hives began at 18, and initially manifested as a rash that would occur after shaving. At the time, it was just an occasional problem, and went away entirely for about a year or so. Then when I was around 21 they came back and intensified. From then on I had frequent and unpredictable outbreaks until a couple of years ago, when I made some major adjustments to my diet. I now live almost entirely symptom free, occasionally using an over the counter allergy med, usually when I know I've consumed or had to consume a problem food.
From EXTENSIVE experimenting, I've concluded that the primary offender, in my case, is gluten, in any form (mainly bread and beer in my case.) In addition I've noticed other problem foods that coincidentally have the reputation as being common allergens, nuts, dairy, seafood. However, in the absence of gluten in my system I seem to have a noticeably greater tolerance for these foods.
I realize that everyone's biology is different, but I believe there have to be some people whose condition is similar enough to benefit from my experiences.
I want to stress that, besides my own struggles with alcoholism, this chronic urticaria (hives), has been the most troublesome and painful issue in my life. It ripped apart my self esteem for years, causing me at times to dwell on suicidal thoughts, so desperate was I to escape the humiliation of this ugly and awkward condition.
If there's anybody out there that I can help, I want the chance to do it. Best of luck everybody.