What Are Shingles?
Shingles is an infection that occurs as a result of the reactivation of the chicken pox virus. After an initial chicken pox infection (for most people usually as a child), the virus remains in the central nervous system. Extreme stress, illness, or immune-suppressing therapies can reactivate the virus during weakened immunity.
Shingles Symptoms
The length and severity of each outbreak vary. Attacks may begin with flu-like symptoms. Then the virus inflames nerves just below the surface of the skin, causing burning pain and redness. The characteristic water-filled blisters emerge, burst and crust over but usually do not leave scars. Nerve pain can last long after the infection retreats. The outbreak usually happens along one nerve branch, on the back, chest or face, but ocular eruptions do happen and can have serious complications. Shingles is contagious only to those people who have not had chicken pox in the past.
How Can I Treat Shingles?
There is no known way to eradicate the chicken pox virus with conventional medication. Start antiviral medications within a few days of symptom onset to help reduce symptoms. Doctors use pain medications, from over-the-counter options to narcotics, to manage pain. Topical treatments often include pharmaceutical capsaicin creams and lidocaine.
Topical Applications
Symptoms of shingles can be reduced topically with capsaicin cream, which is derived from the herb cayenne. It disrupts the pain messages that send the sensation of pain from your body to your brain. Homeopathic St. John’s wort (called Hypericum) is effective in reducing nerve pain.
Supplements For Shingles: Boost Your Immune System
Nutritional supplements can help in cases of shingles in three different ways:
- By boosting the immune system
- By reducing the symptoms
- By helping the body cope with stress effectively
The activity of your immune system can be enhanced with several different nutritional supplements and herbs. Use vitamin C with bioflavanoids to enhance your immune system reaction. Echinacea and oregano oil have proven antiviral activity; you can use them to combat the virus that causes shingles. The amino acid lysine is one of the most important supplements for a shingles regimen. It helps prevent viral replication.
Lifestyle Modifications For Shingles
Controlling stress is crucial to reducing the duration and severity of a shingles outbreak.
Stress will deplete many nutrients and reduce the activity of your immune system. B complex should be used. Also consider a good adrenal support formula with licorice, siberian ginseng and ashwaghanda. Weakened adrenals prevent your body from coping with stress. You can use the herbs St. John's wort and Valerian to help you feel more relaxed. Use melatonin if you have trouble sleeping. If you experience recurrent shingles, you can use these supplements for prevention and treatment support.
Physical treatments for boosting the immune system include:
- Alternating hot and cold water at the end of your shower (always ending with cold)
- Regular exercise
- Relaxation exercises
- Dry skin brushing
People often use colloidal silver, licorice extract, and vitamin E oil for topical shingles support. Some creams also contain vitmain C and zinc. All of these treatments help to kill the virus and heal the skin. Red pepper (capsicum) cream has been studied, with encouraging results, for pain after an outbreak. Find a cream that is standardized for its capsaicin content. Another treatment for pain after an outbreak is an apple cider vinegar compress.
Dietary Support For Immune Health & Shingles
Support the nervous and immune systems through your diet. Eat whole grains, legumes, nutritional yeast, eggs and fish, which provide B vitamins for nerve health. Eat yellow, orange and green vegetables and citrus fruits for their vitamin A and C content. These vitamins help to heal the skin. Calcium and magnesium rich foods are also important, for example, green, leafy vegetables and quinoa. They promote the proper transmission of nerve impulses. Increase the lysine content of the diet because lysine inhibits viral replication. Lysine-rich foods include fish, especially halibut, shrimp, poultry, milk, lima beans, mung bean sprouts and yeast. Avoid foods that decrease the immune system, like white flour, sugar products, and trans-fat products like margarine and shortening. Use immune-boosting foods like flaxseed oil, pumpkin seeds and wheat germ.
