Shingles is a skin disease caused by the virus varicella zoster, the virus that is responsible for the outbreak of chicken pox. Anyone who has been infected with chicken pox may get shingles as the virus remains hidden in the body even years after a bout of chicken pox. When it gets activated later on due to emotional stress or a weak immune system, it manifests as shingles.


    The medical term for shingles is ‘herpes zoster’.

 

Shingles is commonly seen in elderly people, but on occasion it is detected among young people too. It comes from the same virus varicella-zoster, which gave us chicken-pox.


If proper care is not taken you may loose your eyesight or even suffer from facial paralysis. Shingles are also known as herpes zoster which spreads through your skin in the form of a rash or blister similar to chicken-pox. It is associated with grueling pain, itchiness, burning sensation and sometimes even numbness.

Before the rash appears you develop pain and tenderness on a particular area of your body. It may sometime take more than a week before the rash appears. You develop red spots before it erupts into blisters. Shingles develops on one side of your body (left or right) due to a particular nerve which causes this development. It also affects other parts of your body like heads and limbs. When it affects your cheek it would surely affect your eyes, be extra careful during such times and consult your doctor immediately.

Once the blisters burst open they get healed within a week. Light scars are left which will disappear soon. Shingles may not be a deadly disease but it may prove to be dangerous for people suffering from HIV infection or getting cancer treatments, as the immune system is very weak. People who are getting organ transplants are also under threat as doctors suppress the immune system with drugs.

 
Shingles pain treatment starts with antiviral medicines to manage the pain and minimize the duration of the disease. Shingles appears with pain and a red rash usually on one side of the body’s trunk. The blisters appear, and in some cases, they may be filled with a liquid that oozes after a couple of days. Then, the blisters harden to form a crust and start healing. Shingles pain treatment includes over the counter pain medicines such as aspirin or ibuprofen to manage the sharp pain felt in the area of the shingles outbreak. This pain can be felt even after the blisters heal, and in some cases, may be felt even after couple of months or years after the infection.  In such cases, treatment for shingles may be prolonged. Getting shingles treated immediately after its onset can help in reducing the duration of the disease.

Due to their weakened or compromised immune systems, the elderly and those suffering from AIDS as well as those who have received organ transplants can suffer from shingles. Shingles pain treatment, when started early with the onset of the disease, can help avoid complications and chronic pain.

Home remedies for shingles pain include applying cold packs, ice packs, or wrapping a wet towel around the affected area to cool the skin. Local anesthetic creams may be used to ease the itching and pain. Applying nail polish remover on the affected area is said to cool the skin and help in removing skin debris, germs, and oil from the area, thus accelerating the healing process. Rest and relaxation through self-hypnosis or meditation or with the use of anti-depressants coax the body to help itself in the shingles pain treatment.

One of the natural remedies for shingles is to apply a paste of mint leaves on the affected area to soothe the skin. The skin should be washed after leaving the paste on it for fifteen minutes, and the process should be repeated three or four times during the day.

 

Natural Home Remedies For Shingles

• Powder two aspirin tablets and mix it in 2 tbsp of chloroform or alcohol. Apply this paste on the affected area. This will provide good relief.
  

• You can apply wet dressing to soothe the burning sensation

• Avoid being in humid areas. Always keep yourself cool.
  

• When blisters get infected, dab them with hydrogen peroxide.

• Keep the blisters open and dry. Do not burst the blisters by scratching.
  

• To provide relief, make a solution by mixing 1/2 cup of apple cider vinegar in 2 cups of water. Use a cotton cloth to moisten the affected areas by using the upward movement.
  

• To prevent itching and to reduce pain you can dust colloidal powder.
  

• You can make a solution by mixing aloe vera gel, raw honey and leek juice to be applied on the rash.
  

• You can also sponge the blisters or rashes by use of vitamin E oil, apple cider vinegar, cool goldenseal, mugwort or peppermint tea.
  

• Baking soda and water solution can also be applied as a cold compress.
  

• Apply a mixture of yogurt and zinc oxide along the particular path of the nerve. If it is applied before the outbreak it would help to curb the outburst of blisters.
  

• Avoid food which contain amino acid such as chocolate, cereal grains, nuts and seeds.
  

• Eating pear of having its juice in ample amounts is good, as it has a great supply of antiviral caffeic acid.
  

Warning: The reader of this article should exercise all precautionary measures while following instructions on the home remedies from this article. Avoid using any of these products if you are allergic to it. The responsibility lies with the reader and not with the site or the writer.