Are You Itching To Get Rid of Your Shingles?
By Dr. Patrick Giammarise, DC, IHS
“S h i n g l e s”—not the roofing kind but the body rash kind—is a condition that’s best to avoid by understanding how to prevent it and how to get treated if it does occur.
Shingles is caused by a virus that develops into a painful blistering rash on the skin. The rash most often occurs on the side of the torso but can appear anywhere on the body.
The viral culprit—more commonly known as chicken pox—is varicella zoster. If you had chicken pox earlier in your life, usually as a child, the virus lays dormant in the nerve tissues of your spine and brain until it can “recur” as shingles. When the virus reactivates, it appears as red, itchy blisters that follow patterns according to the nerve root where the virus “lives” (known as a dermatome). Because the infection spreads among nerve patterns, the rash may appear in corresponding stripelike patterns. The rash usually runs its painful course from two to four weeks but in some cases may last for many months.
Beside acute pain, other symptoms include burning, numbness, tingling, and increased sensitivity. The blisters may fill with fluid that can break open and scab over. Please note that if you experience a blistering rash on the skin around the eyelids or the nose, please call your medical doctor as this can be a medical emergency.
Can I Get Shingles?
Anyone who has had the chicken pox can get shingles, although it is most common for folks after 50. While there are vaccines, some statistics show the original vaccine works only about 50 percent of the time. A “live” vaccine can also be a risky preventive treatment because some people get shingles from the shingles vaccine!
If you are immune compromised, the vaccine’s effectiveness may decline even with the recent addition of an ingredient to boost the immune response found in the latest vaccine, Shingrix.
So How Can I Prevent Getting Shingles?
If you are opposed to becoming vaccinated because of its risks or opposed to taking medications, we offer alternatives to preventing and treating shingles.
Nourishing the body, reducing stress, and enhancing immune function all provide a better foundation for preventing shingles. Prevention is important because there can be very serious consequences if shingles goes untreated. Some complications include increased bacterial infections from unhealed blisters, hearing and vision loss, pneumonia, long-term nerve pain, and PHN (post-herpetic neuralgia), a stinging in the shingles area that can last from months to years.
What We Can Do for Shingles
If you have had chicken pox, you will always have the potential to get shingles. There is no “permanent” cure; however, we provide several treatments to support the body in healing from the virus and then restoring the body to prevent future outbreaks.
Dr. Patrick’s approach to shingles is one of “protect and defend.” The first line of defense is to desensitize the body to the virus so it no longer reacts to increased viral activity using specific meridians. The second defense is to strengthen the immune-system response to fight off the virus. Some times herbal antiviral supplements are used to deactivate the virus and rebuild the immune system. By using this approach, Dr. Patrick is able to reduce the severity and shorten the time span for the shingles outbreak.
Depending upon the severity of the shingles, it may take only two to three visits before the body is back on track to protect and defend itself once again.
If you have an active case of shingles, have already had shingles in your adult life, or would simply like to strengthen your immune system to prevent shingles, please give us a call at 530-899-8741 for a consultation with Dr. Patrick. You can also learn more about how Dr. Patrick helps your body cope and rid itself of other hidden viral, parasitic, and infectious conditions naturally by visiting our website at www.DigestionReliefCenter.com.
Since 1999, Dr. Patrick Giammarise, DC, IHS, has helped North State residents by using a whole-body systems approach to health. He specializes in providing natural relief for food and environmental sensitivities, intolerances, and digestive problems. For more information contact Dr. Patrick at 530-899-8741 or visit www.DigestionReliefCenter.com.
© 2018. Dr. Patrick Giammarise, DC, IHS. All Rights Reserved.
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Shingles Success Story
I first came to Dr. Patrick to have him help me solve my IBS after attending one of his seminars. Then I came back after not being able to solve my shingles problem. I had tried natural essential oils, the drug Valtrex, and the shingles vaccination but they all ended up not working very well because I had recurring shingles for two more years, sometimes as often as every three weeks.
I was miserable. I itched a lot of the time and I had a burning sensation that felt like someone was pressing a lit cigar against my skin. The drugs had side effects. I felt drowsy, I couldn’t think clearly, I couldn’t drive, I had to give up my water-walking class and cards with friends, which I hated to do. It was depressing because I couldn’t make any plans since I never knew when the next outbreak would occur.
After just one visit with Dr. Patrick my shingles went away! I am so relieved. While Dr. Patrick told me that he couldn’t cure my shingles, he did tell me he could help me manage it.
My advice is that if you have had multiple bouts of shingles, there is nothing that mainstream Western medicine can do to help you. It is important to check out Dr. Patrick as an option. He is well worth the cost given the results!”
—Judy