Shingles symptoms often begin with a mild but persistent headache, sensitivity to light and flu-like sensations. Soon after, a rash begins to develop that can be accompanied by extreme pain in the rash area. Tingling and dizziness may be present.
As the pain intensifies, bright red lesions develop, which gradually fill with fluid. As soon as a crust forms over the blisters, the person is no longer contagious. These lesions most commonly develop over the torso and face, and usually confine themselves to one half of the body. Other symptoms that may be present are a feeling of general unhealthiness, lymphatic swelling, joint pain, hearing loss, abdominal pains or genital lesions.
Shingles treatment often involves treating the symptoms and letting the lesions clear up on their own, which they will do in two to three weeks with a very small chance of recurrence. Since the pain is sometimes very intense, it is often necessary to treat it with painkillers during a shingles episode. Sometimes steroids are prescribed for this end, but these have been linked to impairing the immune system and their helpfulness in shingles treatment has never been proven.
Calamine lotion is sometimes said to reduce the pain that is one of shingles symptoms. Vitamins C and E are also said to help relieve pain and speed the healing process; either a topical cream or an oral supplement may be helpful. Cool dressings on the affected area can also be incredibly effective shingles treatment. A topical ointment made out of two crushed aspirins and two tablespoons of chloroform has routinely been found to alleviate pain and speed healing by many people with shingles. Lysine cream is an amino acid which impairs the growth of the herpes virus which causes a shingles outbreak; application of a lysine cream once or twice daily may help your body heal faster.
Symptoms of shingles are often a sign that the body has been weakened by age, stress or other infection. Therefore, keeping your body healthy can reduce the risk of a shingles outbreak or speed up recovery. If you have been exposed to the chickenpox virus (through a vaccine or by coming down with chickenpox) then you are a host of the virus that causes shingle symptoms. It stays dormant in the body and may never impair you, until your immune system falters due to cancer treatment, fatigue or any other extreme stresses. It is then that it can flare up and reactivate, leading to an outbreak of shingles.
Eating a lot of vitamin-rich fruits and vegetables can help keep you immune system strong enough to prevent reactivation of the virus, and consuming raw fruits and veggies during a shingles episode may speed the recovery process. Reducing stress and exercising regularly are also good ways to keep you immune system working hard for you and minimizing the likelihood of an outbreak and shingles symptoms.
If you think you have developed any symptoms of shingles, you should be sure to talk to your doctor before beginning any treatment.
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