12 Natural Treatments for Shingles

If you have had chickenpox you are predisposed to potentially developing shingles. This is the eruption of painful blisters that usually present in a single stripe along the torso although it could appear just about anywhere on the body.

The blisters are from the same varicella-zoster virus outbreak that caused your chickenpox years ago. Since then it has sat dormant near your spinal cord and brain able to irritate at any given time.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as reported by Prevention,

“Nearly 1 in 3 people will develop shingles during their lifetime. That’s an estimated one million cases of shingles each year in the US”.

The Takeover

Shingles can have warning signs that should not be ignored. These may start out very mild so if any do occur pay close attention for any progression. The last four symptoms are only experienced by some people who are often struggling with a more serious outbreak.

Prevention reports one patient stating that their shingles bout felt,

“like an electric fence strapped to my right side that would pulse painful electrical shocks, sometimes four to five times a minute.”

The Mayo Clinic lists the most reported symptoms as,

• Pain, burning, numbness or tingling
• Sensitivity to touch
• A red rash that begins a few days after the pain
• Fluid-filled blisters that break open and crust over
• Itching
• Fever
• Headache
• Sensitivity to light
• Fatigue

Defensive Action

If any of these symptoms begin to arise, definitely see your doctor to determine the cause. Once you have been diagnosed with shingles you may be able to take defensive action with these

12 natural treatments for shingles. As this is a virus it must run through your system to subside therefore, as there is no cure, conventional medicine offers some pre and post vaccines as well as  prescription creams to reduce severity and longevity. However, side effects and masking of symptoms are often the way western medicine approaches many diseases rather than getting to the root of the cause.

Traditional treatments offer a twofold effect as some ease pain and discomfort while others, like homeopathy, delve into deeper applications. These 12 natural treatments for shingles just may be a better approach, allowing your body to embrace its own healing powers rather than be prodded into an inauthentic response.

Breathe, Boost and Move

Shingles often present as a response to the mixture of stress and a compromised immune system. By addressing these two issues you may be able to calm the outbreak into a quicker recovery.

Reduce Stress and Meditate – First start by trying to determine your stress level and ways you can reduce its influence. Hopefully you will be able cut back on such things as being overworked, over-caring or just spilling over in one way or another. Once this is achieved or even if it cannot be budged, meditation should be applied. There are many ways to meditate but the easiest is to find a quiet place to sit and breathe. At first you can try this for a few minutes but in due time working your way up to a half hour to an hour could be highly beneficial to alleviating stress that may be compromising your immune system and resulting in an outbreak of shingles.

Boost Your Immune System – At the same time you are learning to reduce stress and meditate, boosting your immune system is essential. This means cutting back on things like processed food and vices like alcohol, tobacco and recreational drugs. Add in fresh produce, legumes, grains and clean proteins such as tofu, steamed poultry and fish. Drink plenty of clean filtered water as well as starting a vitamin, mineral, enzyme and herbal regiment. Some essential players in boosting the immune system include: echinacea, black elderberry, red clover, ginseng, St. John’s Wort, vitamin C, and probiotics.

Try Tai Chi – Tai Chi (tie chee) is the ancient practice of slow, martial art exercise that the National Institutes of Health has reported being an excellent remedy for shingles. According to a study published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society it was stated that,

“Tai Chi, a traditional Chinese form of exercise, may help older adults avoid getting shingles by increasing immunity to varicella-zoster virus (VZV) and boosting the immune response to varicella vaccine in older adults”

Capsaicin

In 2009 an FDA approved capsaicin patch showed significant results in relieving pain and duration of the shingles virus. Capsaicin is the active compound found in chili peppers. Patients report an exceptional decrease in pain using this patch.

The University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health held some of the first clinical trials showing that with, “an 8 percent capsaicin dermal patch, about 40 percent of the people had pain relief lasting as long as 12 weeks.”

Like Cures Like

The power of homeopathy is suspect to some, yet, for several hundred years it has helped scores of people with all kinds of ailments. It is based on the principal of like-cures-like, so taking a diluted remedy (that taken whole would cause similar symptoms) acts to burn out your ailment.

It is imperative to follow a strict protocol when taking homeopathic remedies which entails never touching the remedy; placing a capful of three or four pellets or an eyedropper full tincture under your tongue; not eating, brushing your teeth or applying strong scents such as cologne or perfume twenty minutes before and twenty minutes after taking.

The following remedies and how they may apply to you, as reported by Natural News, can be attempted on your own, however for more beneficial results working with a professional homeopath may be more advantageous.

Ranunculus bulbosus – For stabbing pains primarily on the ribcage. The eruptions are often bluish in color.

Rhus tox – For a rash primarily on the left side of the body that consists of small, red fluid-filled blisters and the patient is restless, changing positions often seeking relief.

Iris versicolor – The rash is worse on the right side of the abdomen and under the right arm. Shingles are often accompanied by abdominal upset or problems with the pancreas.

Arsenicum album – Terrible burning pains along the nerve pathway. Pains are often made better with the application of warm compresses. The individual may be restless, anxious, thirsty for cold drinks, and afraid to be alone.

Clematis erectus – Shingles pain that features burning, red blisters that become irritated at night and with the application of cold water. There may be urinary tract complaints.

Apis mellifica – Rash is bright pink, swollen, itchy and produces stinging pains made better by cool compresses and aggravated by warmth.

Mezereum – Blisters are oozing, bright red and made worse by hot applications. The rash is often accompanied by terrible itching made better with the application of cool compresses.

These 12 natural treatments for shingles may hopefully be able to help you through this incurable outbreak by reducing its duration and relieving your pain.