Exploring Natural Remedies and Supportive Care for Shingles

Eucalyptus Oil

Posted by Ruark (Sydney, Nsw Australia) on 11/10/2011
★★★★☆

I have been experiencing shingles for the first time. On the face which is excrutiating. Read a post here on using eucalyptus oil, so I just applied some and it certainly quelled the pain. As soon as I can get someone to help apply it to my scalp I reckon it will knock down the degree of pain too. Wow shingles is horrendous, any relief and a good night's sleep please.

Multiple Remedies

Posted by Healthnut (Scarsdale, Ny, Usa) on 11/05/2011
★★★★★

Hi Everyone-

Much to my horror, I had all the symptoms of a shingles outbreak on my scalp and face - headache, pain, tingling, electric shock - 4 weeks before my 40th birthday party!!! After finding this website, I started my own treatment in an attempt to stave off any rash/blisters on my face. Here's what I did DAILY for 3 straight weeks and I never did have the outbreak!!! After a total of 4 weeks of symptoms and my daily routine, no outbreak and symptoms disappeared. Good luck and God Bless to everyone dealing with this.

1) 3 times per day: 2 TB _____'s Apple cider vinegar. You can mix with apple or pear juice.

2) L - Lysine - 1000 mg, 2-3 times per day

3) Folic Acid - 800 mg, 2-3 times per day

4) Vitamin C - 2000-3000 mg per day

5) B12 - 1000 mcg per day

6) mixture of plain yogurt and zinc oxide - applied on my face along the nerve where I felt tingling and electric shock.

Dietary Changes

Posted by Bernadette (Albuquerque, New Mexico) on 10/01/2011

For at least the next six - eight weeks, ELIMINATE SUGAR from your diet. When I had shingles a few years ago, getting off sugar helped because shingles seem to thrive on sugar.

Take supplements to strengthen your immune system. As your body strengthens, the pain will get less and usually the lesions will go away within 6 months or so.

HOPE YOU FEEL BETTER... THIS IS A MISERABLE CONDITION!! :-)

Coconut Oil

Posted by Gavin (Manganui, Northland, New Zealand) on 09/29/2011
★★★★★

The herpes virus along with many others has a protective coating that prevents the body from killing it. The natural remedy for this ailment is Coconut oil, as it strips the coating from the virus and allows the bodies own defensive mechanisms to engulf it. Taken internally and applied topicaly will fix it for good and all. Incidentaly it might be worth mentioning the clinical dose is about four teaspoons a day. It also causes ketones to be used by the brain without having a starvation diet to get them, which seems to help Parkinsons and Alzthiemers.. Sufferers. One doctor whose husband had early onset Alzhiemers.. reversed his condition, which is unheard of with conventional treatment.

Herpetic Neuralgia Remedies

Posted by Donna (Susanville, California, Usa) on 09/28/2011

Two months ago I began having extremely strange symptoms in the clitoral area. Every day for the past 8 weeks I have had feelings of sensitivity, aching, pressure, stabbing pains, tingling, numbness and pinching in this area. Four weeks after these sympoms started, I developed several lesions or sores on the outer labia. My gynocologist took a culture of them and put me on Acyclover to treat herpes... Which I didn't know I had! Within 48 hours my symptoms lessened. I have almost completed the two week treatment and the sores have healed.

My doctor says that the other symptoms which I still have to a lesser degree are called "herpetic neuralgia" but didn't tell me if there was anything that could be done to help them go away. He wants me to stay on the Acyclovir for another 2-3 months. Is there anyone out there who has experienced the same thing and has some advice to help my body heal? I would really appreciate it, because this has literally turned my life upside-down!

Dave Thomas Shingles Protocol

Posted by Dave (Fountain Inn, Sc) on 09/28/2011
★★★★★

I have found the cayenne is a key to killing the virus. We know the virus runs along the nerve. My favorite transport is DMSO. I believe the cayenne acts to "cauterize" the virus. However cayenne works, it kills the virus. Because you have to get it down to the nerve, DMSO is a great solvent as well as an anti-oxident and carrier. (Thus, make sure your hands are clean and the area of application is clean when you use DMSO. ) By the way, the younger shingles sufferer will be able to overcome shingles better than the older because the immune system can fight off the virus better.

To keep the cayenne from burning the skin I also add natural vitamin E. This must be the natural d-alpha tocopherol and not the synthetic E. Then I add any other herbal to "thicken" the mixture to make into a paste if needed. The paste should be very moist but not drippy.

I also add a dozen drops of colloidal silver to make sure the virus is killed.

So my anti shingles paste formula sufficent for two applications, one on day one, then skipping a day use a second time is as follows:

10 capsules of cayenne

10 capsules of natural vitamin E

20 drops of colloidal silver

20 drops of DMSO

any herbal/ corn meal etc to make the liquid more paste like as needed. Put into a bowl and mix until paste like.

Apply on top of affected areas. Let dry until the paste has hardened and is flaking off the skin. I even suggest if applied at night, after drying, put on a tea shirt and just let the paste fully incorporate overnight. Shower off in the morning. You will see the blisters have changed color from a bright red to a rust color... Part of the healing process. Even if the "blisters"are healed over, apply over sensitive spots. This will work to kill the virus even after months where the skin is healed back but pain remains. The pain is there because the virus still lives. This has worked so well... I would say 40 times... I am not a doctor of course, but when the regular medical community fails sometimes logical remedies work.

I also recommend that if one really wants to help the whole system fight the virus, take the cayenne orally, with food to avoid too much stomach burn, along with the natural vitamin E. Do this for a month. (I take these two as part of my own nutrient formula every day... 800 iu of the E and one capsule of cayenne.)

And so much of what is on this wonderful website is good science and good logic. Oh, of course be very careful if applying this formula to the face if the shingles are there; keep out of eyes.

L-Lysine

Posted by Louise (Saint George, Utah) on 09/26/2011
★★★★★

I have used L-Lysine for over 30 years to PREVENT and lessen the outbreak of cold sores and shingles. I first heard about it in the Saturday Evening Post in the 1980's. They apparently did several studies on the subject. At the time I had cold sore blisters on my mouth almost continually. I began to take mega-doses of L-Lysine (at least 3000 mg per day). I took them for about 15 days and because the cold sores were almost gone, I reduced the dose to about 1500 mg a day for another 30 days. I then took about 500 mg a day for another 2 or 3 months.

Then, because I had not had any breakouts, my drive to take the amino acid had become almost non-existant. What I discovered is that if I felt a tingle on my lip--I knew that an outbreak was immenent and I began to take the mega doses of L-Lysine again for a week or so. Then I never had an outbreak of cold sores again. Each time I got the tingle the L-Lysine prevented the outbreak. What I didn't know was that the virus is sneaky. I broke out in shingles on my chest during a time I wasn't taking the L-Lysine and I didn't know what the pain was signaling. When I started to breakout in the blisters I realized what it was and began the mega doses of L-Lysine again. When I was able to see a doctor to confirm my outbreak--I had no pain, and refused to take the offer of pain medication. He, of course, scoffed at the idea the the amino acid had anything to do with the lightness of my outbreak.

By the way, I've not had another outbreak of shingles, either. If I feel the burning/tingling sensation anywhere on my body. I take the mega doses of L-Lyine and I have never had any more outbreaks. IT WORKS!!!! It saved the quality of my life!

Acupuncture

Posted by Chrissy (Adelaide, Australia) on 08/28/2011
★★★★★

I recently had a serious bout of shingles; huge blisters from my clevage under my left arm through to my spine, After taking all the meds the doctor prescribed which did little to help the pain or help me to sleep, I decided to give acupuncture a try. The relief was instant, I have slept like a baby since beginning the treatment and the pain is very much under control. I'm only sorry I didn't get the treatment right from the onset as the acupuncturist says she could have stopped the shingles in it's tracks.

Baking Powder Paste

Posted by Kay (In The Valley, Ca) on 08/08/2011

Was it baking powder or baking soda that you used? I don't think they are interchangeable. Thanks.

Baking Powder Paste

Posted by Victor (Edmonton, Alberta Canada) on 08/05/2011
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after reading through alot of posts on this website I tried the ACV and CP rub and it did help but after doing more research and trials I found that baking powder helped the most. Found in "1801 home remedies" take baking powder and mix with enough water to make a paste. Apply paste to affected area and let dry. Helps dry the blisters and with itch. Found it works better then ACV because it's a paste that stays effective for longer then the liquid ACV. Orally I tried ACV with CP, lysine, echinacea but found the best oral remedy to be "cat's claw". It's a natural viral treatment. Taking them all won't hurt either seeing as they are all natural.

Diaper Cream and Mylanta

Posted by John From Pa. (Abington, Pa) on 07/31/2011

Licorice extract will get rid of shingles in 3 days...

50% the first day... 75% the second and 100% the third day...

I had shingles and got rid of them in three days.. They came back in 2 different places the next couple of days and I also got rid of them... Never to reappear...

John from PA

Diaper Cream and Mylanta

Posted by Jlh (Victor, Iowa) on 07/30/2011
★★★★★

I tried ACV and aloe for my shingles and it didn't do anything. My sister in law shared a remedy she had heard of: mix equal parts of desitin diaper cream and mylanta and spread on the blisters. It is amazing! I am on day two of this mixture and it is really helping. The blisters are still there and still uncomfortable if they get pushed on, but much better than burning, stabbing pain constantly! My blisters are in an area that clothing rubs so I have been miserable. This mixture has made it possible for me to wear clothing without sever pain!

Herbs

Posted by Dan (Bisbee, Arizona) on 07/04/2011
★★★★★

Hello, I want to suggest goldenseal tincture as a remedy for shingles. It tends to sting a bit but really helps to alieviate my symptoms. Also works on mouth sores and funky gums. I aply it topically and in the case of mouth problems I swish it around as long as I can then swallow it. One dropper is enough.

Oats

Posted by Breizhbabe (Woodley, Reading, Berkshire, Uk) on 05/30/2011
★★★★★

Hi, When our children had chicken pox, which is the same virus as shingles - to ease the pain of the blisters we were advised to put some oats in a muslin cloth, tie it and place it in the bath. This produces a milk which bathes the sores and soothes. I tried this last year when I had shingles for the first time and it was very soothing. I also put calamine lotion onto the spots (you can also use this for sunburn). I currently have shingles and I think they have affected my scalp. When I wash my hair I put one drop of tea tree oil into the final rinse water and this has soothed the scalp. I wonder whether peppermint might also help. Now I have read the article on apple cider vinegar will try that. You can buy organic apple cider that isn't that much more expensive.

Turmeric

Posted by Nypie (New York, Ny) on 05/21/2011
★★★★☆

Hi all,

Last week I came down with a rash and then a few days later a cluster of blisters near my lip that looked horrible. I assumed they were the worst case of a cold sore I had ever had and proceeded to use whatever had worked in the past. To my horror nothing worked and I stayed inside my home for days feeling depressed about it while applying cold sore ointments and more. While thinking about it I thought it odd I also had a rash around the bumps which had never happened before so I started googling. So I came to the conclusion I had Shingles-hurrah! ... ? Knowing I had turmeric in the medicine cabinet and knowing it's supposed uses for skin ailments I decided to give it a try. I just pour a bit in my palm, add a bit of water and then apply it to the affected area. It is working! It is obviously healing and looking much better. I'd also advise tea tree oil & vitamins through diet & supplements.

Apple Cider Vinegar, Lysine

Posted by Monica J (Western Suburbs Of Chicago, Illinois ) on 05/15/2011
★★★★★

Hi all. Just finished a recent bout with shingles and thought I would share here in repayment for the great advice I have read here over the years.

I have had shingles a few times before and found the apple cider vinegar treatment (swabbing lesions with cotton soaked ACV) has worked for me. In fact, even treated my son when he had chicken pox that same way and lessened his time spent with that awful childhood illness.

This last time was different for me however. Instead of having shingles in a 'convenient' location, grouped together on my back or leg where I could treat with ACV, dry and then coat with an OTC anti itch cream and then cover with a bandage... No, this time they appeared on my foot. And like many here didn't recognize it as shingles - thought I had some nasty spider bites. After a day or two as they were spreading, realized well into the problem that this was a new location for shingles.

Maybe waiting a day or two to treat with ACV made it less effective than it was in the past. I was able to soak my foot a few times a day in a small foot bath of ACV and that helped with current lesions. However, having it on my toes made it difficult to keep the lesions from spreading and multiplying. One area would sprout a lesion and then go thru its stages and break as it was rubbing against another toe and then that toe would have a lesion (or two) the next day.

Then I remembered this site and read thru the comments here again for another clue as to what to do. The clue was the amino acid Lysine. The lack of the amino acid in one's diet is considered to make one liable to viruses such as shingles.

I had an older bottle of bee pollen in my cabinet. Bee pollen is a 'complete food' and contains all aminos. I took three tabs immediately and then 3 every 12 hours. (Why that time? Made it up - thought it would take that long to get thru my system.)

So, will keep up with the Lysine intake and of course, keep a supply of ACV on hand in case of future outbreaks.

Homeopathy

Posted by Eva (San Jose, Ca) on 05/03/2011
★★★★★

Homeopathic Rhus tox C30 stops the pain of shingles. I used it years ago, and now a friend of mine got shingles and he healed within a day.

Homeopathy

Posted by Elationrelation (Minneapolis , Mn) on 05/01/2011
★★★★★

Natural cures help but are slow, and overall one needs to look at stress, diet, etc.

The best cure for shingles blisters is "Staphaseptic, " which is a natural ointment available in a tube from your pharmacy over-the-counter shelves. Most stock it and others will order it. (The box is white with rust-orange, yellow-gold with black accents, and is good to have on hand for other things, from simple infections, to boils, staph and even MRSA). You will see a dramatic change or even resolution within 24 hours. Apply 2-3 times per day.

The cure for the disease itself and the nerve pain is homeopathy, and though ideal to see a doctor trained in it, Arsenicum 200c works for many people. Pain level can decrease quite quickly. Continue for 2-3 days after symptoms are gone. Dosage is up to your practitioner, but often 3-5 pellets, 3-5 times a day, works.

These two things will bring dramatic change within 24 hours.