Ever had chickenpox? Or a chicken pox or shingles vaccination? There’s a chance you could get shingles, a painful type of recurrence of the chickenpox virus (herpes zoster).
First, how does it work? Herpes Zoster is in the same family as the herpes simplex virus (ie. cold sores and genital herpes)—it hangs out dormant for a while, then can recur, usually when your immune system is low. While life stress can weaken your immune system enough to cause a breakout, most people experience a breakout just from the natural weakening that occurs with age. Once you cross 50, you’ve got about a 1 in 3 chance of eventually having a shingles breakout. Fortunately, unlike HSV, most people only get shingles once, but an unfortunate few may get it multiple times.
The best way to prevent shingles is general health support to keep your immune system strong. All the basics, from making sure you get enough sleep, taking time to de-stress, to eating right and exercising.
Specifically, make sure you’re getting plenty of amino acids in your diet. One thought on what might trigger shingles is an imbalance of amino acids. Spirulina has plenty of the essential amino acids you need, including L-Lysine, to help support your health.
And of course, give your immune system extra support with colloidal silver, especially as you get older.
Got shingles? If you find yourself with shingles, here are some tips for natural pain relief (all recommended by others):
-Soak a towel or washcloth in apple cider vinegar, and apply it to the wounds.
-Or tea, such as Lipton. It has a mild analgesic effect to help numb the pain.
-Any over-the-counter pain reliever your doctor allows for you.
Keep any blisters clean, and try and stay clear of others with weakened immune systems, or who haven’t had shingles (babies, a small percentage of adults—just ask). There’s debate about how contagious shingles is—with some medical literature saying it’s airborne. So even if you’re very hygienic, there’s some risk to triggering an outbreak in others.
Continue keeping your immune system strong to help your body as it fights off the outbreak.
Have a good shingles tip? Share in the comments!
