healingways


243 shingles patients in 22 general practices in London with a control group of 483 individuals with no his- tory of the ailment. Those eating less than one piece of fruit a week had more than three times the risk of herpes zoster versus those eating more than three a day. The same pattern occurred when they looked at combined fruit and vegetable intake.


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Six Drug-Free Ways to Preempt the Pain by Margie King


PROVEN RELIEF FOR SHINGLES


O


ne in three people will develop shingles (Herpes zoster) during their lifetime. Although the painful skin eruptions last only a few weeks, chronic pain can persist for several months and seriously impair quality of life long after the red rash marks disappear.


Also concerning is that the rate of shingles is on the rise, according to a multidisciplinary review of relevant literature by PLOS, a nonprofit open- access science publisher. The cause may be widespread use of the chicken- pox vaccine. A decade-long Australian study published in the Medical Journal of Australia showed that as its use rose, so did the incidence of shingles. Shingles is acknowledged as being far more serious than chicken pox. Dr. Joseph Mercola, founder of the health- care website Mercola.com, reports shingles can also lead to neuropathy, meningitis, hearing loss and blindness. Fortunately, there are six safe and


effective drug- and vaccine-free ways to prevent shingles or ease symptoms.


30 Long Island Edition 1


Vitamin C Therapy: According to Dr. Thomas E. Levy, vitamin C has been successfully used in treating shingles’ skin rash and


blisters. In one study by Dr. Frederick Klenner, eight such patients received 2,000 to 3,000 milligrams (mg) of vitamin C by injection every 12 hours, supplemented by 1,000 mg in fruit juice every two hours. Seven reported complete pain relief within two hours of the first of five to seven injections. As early as the mid-20th century,


a study by Dr. Mohammed Zureick of 327 shingles patients demonstrated that vitamin C injections effected complete resolution of the outbreaks in all of them within 72 hours.


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Fruits and Vegetables: Diets low in micronutrients includ- ing vitamins, minerals and antioxidants can increase the


risk by depressing the immune system. In a British community-based study published in the International Journal of Epidemiology, researchers followed


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Capsaicin: Postherpetic neural- gia is a complication of shingles that can last long after initial symptoms disappear. Topical


capsaicin, the spicy compound in hot peppers, may be an effective treatment. In a double-blind study pub-


lished in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, 32 elderly patients with chronic postherpetic neuralgia were treated with either capsaicin cream or a placebo. After six weeks, almost 80 percent of cap- saicin-treated patients experienced relief. The researchers noted that because capsaicin avoids problems with drug interactions and systemic toxicity, it should be considered a first choice in management. A study of 143 Canadian patients


in Clinical Therapeutics yielded simi- lar results. Then, in a two-year follow- up of 77 of the patients, 86 percent showed continued benefits from the single six-week trial with no serious adverse effects.


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Acupuncture: In a Chinese study of acute shingles cases in the journal Zhongguo Zhen Jiu, 72 patients were randomly


divided into two groups. One received acupuncture around the margins of the outbreak. The others received acu- puncture plus moxibustion—a tradi- tional Chinese therapy that burns dried mugwort near the skin—of the area around the needling. The acupuncture group had a relief rate of 85.3 percent, with the cessation of herpes eruptions, quicker scab healing and reduced residual neuralgia. Moxibustion-treated patients were cured within three days with a rate of 97.4 percent.


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