Shingles, also known as Herpes varicella-zoster virus, can be very painful. Shingles occur when the chicken pox virus (which lays dormant in the body after you get it) is reactivated by stress, fatigue, or another illness. Shingles can cause pain along the nerves, and is first signaled by a burning or shooting pain, pricking, or tenderness. The nerves on the chest, face, back, neck, arms, and legs are most often affected. The pain is due to the swelling of the blisters, though pain may persist even after the blisters heal as the nerves have become irritated. Attacks have been known to last from a week in younger folk, though older people may suffer as long as two months.
NATURAL REMEDIES THAT EASE INFLAMMATION AND STRESS
-Choose anti-inflammatory and antiviral herbs such as black walnut, dandelion root, echinacea, licorice root, lomatium, Oregon grape root, and yellow dock. These can be used in teas (1 cup [235 ml] of tea), tinctures (1 dropperful) or capsules (1 to 2) three times daily.
-Propolis tincture and aloe vera juice can also be used topically to provide antiviral properties. Use enough to cover the affected area.
-The Chinese patent formula Chuan Xin Lian is also anti-inflammatory and antiviral. Look for it at natural food stores and follow the directions on the label.
-Homeopathic Rhus tox can speed recovery by stimulating the body’s immune response. Take four pellets four times daily.
-Hops, passionflower, oatstraw or seed, skullcap, and valerian help calm pain and stress. Look for an herbal tincture containing some of these relaxing herbs at health food stores and take a dropperful three to four times daily.
SOOTHING SALVES THAT EASE PAIN
Salves used topically often help shingles. Look for a salve that contains antiviral substances such as the amino acid lysine and the herbs calendula, chaparral leaf, comfrey leaf or root, echinacea root, goldenseal root, licorice root, marshmallow root, plantain leaves, tea tree oil, and Saint-John’s-Wort.
Peppermint essential oil can also be applied topically to numb the pain. Peaceful Mountain makes a product called Shingles Rescue that many have said is helpful. Get these in the health food store and apply three to four times daily.
SUPPLEMENTS THAT PROMOTE HEALING
Take a daily dose of vitamin A (10,000 IU), vitamin C (1000 to 3000 mg), and vitamin E (400 IU) to help fight infection and promote healing. Take a good B-complex vitamin (50 mg) as well as calcium (1,000 mg) and magnesium (500 mg) daily to help your body deal with the stress of this illness. Lysine can help keep the virus from replicating by inhibiting its growth. Take 500 mg up to six times daily for up to 2 weeks.
BEST FOODS FOR SHINGLES
With an inflammatory condition like shingles, you’ll want to eat foods to cool the blood, mostly fruits and vegetables. Mung beans, apples, beets, carrots, cucumbers, lemon, and water can all be taken. Drink 11/2 quarts (1.4 L) of beet, celery, or cucumber juice daily (unless pregnant) to alkalinize the body and cool inflammation internally.
SOOTHING PRACTICES FOR SHINGLES
Color therapy can help you feel better. Color is energy, and the last colors in the spectrum have a calming and cooling effect. Use green (generally healing) for the acute stage and violet for painful nerves. Blue helps calm pain. Wear those colors or spend time under lights of those colors.
GOOD TO KNOW!
Taking an extra B12 (500 mcg) every hour for the first day and 200 mcg a day thereafter can help relieve pain and speed healing of the blisters.
This Soothing Painful Shingles article is taken from :
The Country Almanac of Home Remedies - Brigitte Mars
