Shingles
Treatment
If you have ever had chicken
pox (and most people have this as a child) you
are at risk of developing shingles (medical term
is herpes zoster). The shingles disease is a viral
infection caused by the reactivation of the dormant
virus in the nerves of those people who have previously
had chickenpox, and this can be many years later.
The herpes
virus is responsible for many human conditions
including shingles.
There are about half a
million cases of shingles in the US alone each
year and although the shingles disease can occur
in younger men and women, it usually appears in
the elderly. However, people whose immune system
is not functioning normally such as those on steroids,
those undergoing chemotherapy for cancer, those
who have had transplant operations or those living
with AIDS can also be susceptible to shingles.
A cure for shingles is stil la long way off, but
there are intermediate shingles treatment options
available. Postherpetic
Neuralgia is often referred to as the last
stage of shingles.
The symptoms of
this shingles disease
The shingles disease is
a painful outbreak of rash or blisters on the
skin usually only affecting a limited area of
the skin. The first sign of shingles is usually
a burning or tingling pain in or under the skin.
Sometimes there is numbness and occasionally even
enlarged lymph nodes. You may also feel feverish
and suffer from a headache or upset stomach. After
several days and even up to two weeks, a rash
of small red spots starts to appear on the skin.
The shingles rash progresses into clusters of
blisters along the path of the nerve. The skin
may be red and there can be severe pain and sensitivity
so that often people cannot bear clothes to touch
the skin.
Within about a week, the
shingles blisters fill with fluid, start to burst
and are then covered in a crust. The skin slowly
recovers sometimes leaving lighter colored scars.
The pain usually disappears with the shingles
rash (within 3 to 5 weeks) and that usually signals
the end of the shingles disease outbreak. However,
a small proportion will suffer from pain in the
same area for many months or even years. This
latter condition is called postherpetic neuralgia
and is a complication of the shingles disease.
Shingles treatment
Although there is no cure
for the shingles disease, it is important to treat
shingles as quickly as possible as early shingles
treatment can be effective in shortening the length
of the shingles disease and reducing both the
severity of the shingles symptoms and the risk
of complications.
There are ways in which
you can help the shingles condition with home
shingles treatment and these are:
Keeping the affected area
clean and applying cool, wet compresses to soothe
the pain.
Soaking in a bath
of lukewarm water.
Using calamine
lotion to relieve any itching and discomfort.
Taking an over
the counter pain reliever.
Taking an anti-inflammatory
drug such as ibuprofen if necessary.
Taking a prescription
medication for insomnia if necessary.
Making sure you
have plenty of rest and sleep.
Relieving the
stress of the pain by relaxation exercises, meditation
or listening to soothing music.
Wearing less or
loose clothing if this makes you feel more comfortable
As far as the shingles
treatment itself is concerned, there are various
medications or combinations of medications which
can be used. Treatment is especially important
when a rash develops near your eyes as an untreated
shingles rash in this area could lead to an infection
of your cornea which might cause temporary or
permanent blindness:
Your doctor may prescribe
oral antiviral medications such as acyclovir,
valacyclovir or famciclovir as a shingles treatment.
These prescription medications are sometimes used
in combination with corticosteroids to reduce
the pain, swelling and duration of shingles.
Pain medications,
antidepresentants and topical creams to relieve
long term pain may be prescribed by your doctor.
A natural healing
product made from pure essential oils is very
safe to use for the successful shingles treatment
of any outbreak. In addition, there is a companion
product for the long term prevention of future
outbreaks too. These products can be ordered on
line.
A new vaccine has been
developed recently which is recommended for use
on those people 60 years and older to prevent
them from developing shingles. This vaccine helps
by boosting an older person’s immunity against
the virus, thereby preventing the virus from emerging
from its dormant stage in the nervous system and
causing shingles. Unfortunately, this would not
be of help to those people who have already had
an outbreak of shingles but it is still expected
to benefit half of all the elderly by preventing
them from developing shingles.
See also herpes,
genital
herpes
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