Exploring Natural Remedies and Supportive Care for Shingles

Turmeric

Posted by Mitch (Gatineau, Quebec, Canada) on 10/16/2010
★★★★★

My 85 year old mom has been suffering excruciating pain due to shingles (along the nerve on the back of her leg to her waist) for the past 3 weeks. The pain was unbearable and she could not sleep at all because of the pain. I could no longer bear to watch her suffer so much so I looked up this site and found turmeric and apple cider vinegar. I made 00 capsules filled with tumeric and gave her 2 capsules before going to bed last night and mixed ACV with 1 tbsp honey and made her drink it. When I came to see her this morning, she said that it was the first night she had not felt any pain in the last 3 weeks. She has become a believer in natural remedies and so have I. Thanks to everyone for your testimonies.

Folic Acid, Lysine, Vitamin C

Posted by Capowrs5 (Davenport, Fl) on 10/08/2010
★★★★★

This 'cocktail' absolutely works! It's amazing.. The minute I felt an outbreak start, I took it and it was better the next day... No rash at all.

Black Tea

Posted by Suanne (Geelong, Australia) on 08/10/2010
★★★★★

I had shingles and the medication the dr gave me was not effective so I used tepid black tea to dab on the blisters and it cleared it up in a couple of days. I use the cut side of a slice of lemon to cure corns. Use it every time you think of it over the day. Soon gone forever.

Niacin

Posted by Lucy (Santa Cruz, California, United States) on 06/03/2010
★★★★★

SHINGLES

I thought this was an old persons disease, not so. The medication they gave me did nothing for the pain, so I tossed that.

Health books always start with a fast to give your system a rest. I went on a 10 day orange, grapefruit and lemon fast with large amounts of L-Lysine three times a day. I still needed something for the pain, that went on for weeks. The pain is so intense, making it almost impossible to even sleep.

Visiting my brother, I found him taking 500 mg of Niacin every morning, was he crazy! His face was as red as a beet, but he didn't seem to care. I never took anything more then 50 mg of Niacin.

I thought if he can take it, so can I. A few minutes later my face started getting hot and tingly, but to my surprise the pain from my shingles was gone, not just slightly gone, it was gone.

I found Niacin only lasted about 4 hours before the pain started coming back. Another thing I found out is that it only worked on an empty stomach in the morning. Every day the pain became less intense. After about a week, the pain was gone. So far never to return.

Zostavax Vaccine

Posted by Tom (Elgin, Il) on 03/15/2010

Pharmacies charge just $25 for the vaccine, I just called after my doctor wanted $225.

Multiple Remedies

Posted by Robert (Martinez, Ca) on 02/01/2010
★★★★★

Shingles

l-lysine maintainence dose of 500 mg. plus occasional 1/2 aspirin w/lysine.Tea using bitter mellon dried,1-2 tbsp.,(called bitter gourd or 'Gohyah' from Viet Nam), together with powdered 'huang lian jie du tang', 1 tsp.,per coffee size mug of hot water. Let steep & drink. Can refresh with hot water. Use cinnamon in tea to help with very bitter taste.Items avail online or at asian markets.This is direct successful usage. Another very potent chinese herbal is 'long dan xie gan wan'. This is very potent & used if above items are not successful, & also avail at asian market or online. Follow label or online directions.Mung bean gruel will help with detox.Use minerals,especially magnesium due to diuretic effects, also b-complex for fatigue. Search homeopathic creams or use calamine for topical use.Avoid hot spicy & acid forming foods.

Lye Soap

Posted by Benito (Rome, Ny) on 11/01/2009
★★★★★

Lye soap works on shingles I had them at 22 yrs old very painful I lathered lye soap on them and let it sit for agood 20 minutes and they dried up the next day.

Dietary Changes

Posted by Ann (Deer Park, Wa) on 10/11/2009
★★★★★

After months of reoccurring shingles, I discovered that reoccurring shingles is a sign of a serious underlying health problem. In my case it was a digestive problem and when I was able to get that under control the shingles quit coming back. I have since read that many other common ailments, such as arthritis, have been traced back by naturepaths to digestive problems. My advice: take especially good care of your digestive system.

Olive Leaf Extract

Posted by Diane (Uniontown, Pa ) on 08/30/2009
★★★★★

I had read a book about Olive Leaf extract, so when my son had shingles, he reluctantly took OLE. (He must have been desperate to try one of mama's remedies, haha) I wanted him to take two to four a day (500 mg is what we have on hand) but I can't say for sure how many he did take. All I know is that he improved quickly, (a few days) and hasn't had a problem with shingles after that.

Cayenne Pepper

Posted by Janbug (Jewett, Texas, USA) on 08/29/2009

My husband came down with shingles after chemo and back surgery. The doctor gave him the regular meds with extra nerve pills but it did not stop the pain. I called the nurse and ask what to use. I was told to use capsaicin which I went to get as quick as I could on a friday afternoon. I put the cream on him and thought he was going to burn up. I think it may work because the pain on the outside of the skin hurts so bad you forget about the pain on the inside for a little bit. I thought I would go crazy trying to find something to help make his pain go away so I got on line and found your site. I have started him on 2 tablespoons of the Apple Cider Vinegar in water and rubbing his neck and scalp. I pray it works and I thank you for being there for me to find. jan in texas

Strengthen Gut Microbiome

Posted by Ann (Deer Park, Wa) on 08/25/2009
★★★★★

After suffering reoccurrence of shingles for about 20 months, I found out that it is a sign that there is a serious underlying medical problem. I worked on healing my digestive problems and as soon as the digestive system started working properly, the shingles quit reoccurring. If you keep getting shingles, look for another medical problem

Castor Oil

Posted by Junglegirl (Haiku, Hawaii) on 08/11/2009
★★★★★

Shingles treatment: My mother used a high quality pure castor oil slathered on the worst spots. She applied it most heavily at night and wore old pajamas because it's messy, but it worked immediately for her. We found the remedy somewhere online, years ago, so I can't reference it. But it worked.

L-Lysine

Posted by Michele (Earlville, NY) on 07/19/2009
★★★★★

L-lysine 500mg/4xday, ACV, red tiger balm, and cayenne pepper works for me. L-lysine is very effective (it literally starves the virus). I found I had stopped too early and the rash (shingles) returned. One started again it receded within a day. For the itching and burning of the patches on my neck I washed with a mild soap, patted on ACV then covered with red tiger balm, then patted on powdered cayenne pepper on top of the tiger balm (not pretty).CAUTION: DO NOT USE THIS ON BROKEN SKIN, NEAR EYES OR MUCOUS MEMBRANES. WASH HANDS CAREFULLY AFTER USE.- IT WILL BURN (I had no open blisters, just a bumpy itchy rash). Not knowing how to calm the itching & burning patches on my neck, I read in the earth clinic mosquito bite section that tiger balm soothes the itch. So I gave it a try AND patted on powdered cayenne pepper on top and left it on for an hour. Capsaicin works by stimulating and then exhausting Substance P, the nerve-related transmitter that sends pain messages to your brain, in the skin. After an hour I wiped both the tiger balm and the cayenne off with a washcloth. The area was red but no longer itched or burned. By next morning all the redness was gone and the itch had not returned. I will continue this for a few days but will continue the lysine longer, to be sure.

DMSO, Stabilized Oxygen

Posted by Dianchilada (Santa Cruz, California) on 07/15/2009
★★★★★

DMSO thin layer at prodrome
Stabilized liquid oxygen 2 drops per 8 oz sip all day
colonic of 12 drops of stabilized liquid oxygen and 60 drops of water 5 to 1. 2times a day for three days

do procedure for three days

If you already have an outbreak you may experience more of an outbreak if you start procedure at prodrome then the shingles will not break out on the skin should clear episode in 72 hours shingles probably won't bother you again.

DMSO cured my shingles

Eucalyptus Oil

Posted by Pmstar (San Diego, CA) on 06/29/2009
★★★★★

Australian Euculyptus Oil and Aloe Vera gel for Shingles

I've struggled with painful shingles for years now and used Calamine Lotion, Betadine, Alchol (ouch ) and everything imagineable. I discovered Aloe Vera gel to soothe and it works great but it only helps the pain and does nothing to cure. I often use pure ___ Eucylyptus Oil (___) for aches and pains. It works wonders by the way, just rub it in and joint and muscle pain is gone. Anyway I had a backache so hubby rubbed some on my back and I begged him please, please dont get it on the Shingles thinking it would hurt. Well, as he got in the areas near them and not even touching I could feel the pain go away. Could it be ? So I very carefully put it on a tiny spot. NO PAIN. AND I SWEAR IT ERASED THEM. We tried just one area the first night and really massaged it in because it didnt hurt at all to touch them once the AEO was on there. They simply disappeared in that spot. I couldn't wait to put it everywhere the next day. All thats left is a couple very small stubborn spots but with the oil they dont hurt at all ! It does smell strong - like Vicks so during the day I use the Aloe Vera gel to soothe any new breakouts but as soon as I get home from work I rub the ____ on it and massage it in and you can watch them disappear. It's amazing ! I hope there's no side effects. Been doing it for a week now. I'll post if there is any downside.

Apple Cider Vinegar, Cayenne

Posted by Gene (Sarasota, FL USA) on 04/21/2009
★★★★★

Editor's Choice

I have a previous posting on Apr. 11, 2009 (day 3 of my attack), which is currently logged under ACV+Cayenne. It would be helpful if you started there. This is an update, ten days later, and should be tremendously useful if you are debating whether to try a natural remeby for Shingles, specifically Apple Cide Vinegar.

Ten days ago, with a bad shingles rash and moderate deep pain, I turned to Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV) and Cayenne. I had already been on western meds, specifically valtrex & prednisone, and I had no sense that they were doing any good.

Almost immediately, the pain (but NOT the rash) went away. I continued swigging about half a shot glass of ACV sprinkled with Cayenne, three times a day, and used the same mixture topically a few times daily as well.

After a week, I felt I was completely cured, with the exception of the rash, and dutifully forgot about everything. After all, the smell and taste of ACV don't set the world on fire and aren't powerful motivators to hang in there once cured!

I realized yesterday that, during the past three days, the pain was back and had been for a couple of days now. Particularly, at night, I'd say the pain (in my case deep nerve pain) was perhaps a 7-8 out of 10 (the first time I had shingles it was a 10 out of 10, many times, so I know the scale!).

I had been lazy and listened to all my friends, including several doctors, saying 'It's the Western meds, dummy', and I figured I was in good hands once it stopped. Also, since the rash was taking forever to disappear, receding glacially, but no longer hurting, I felt that I didn't the ACV/C and it was probably an old wives tale anyway.

Boy was I wrong.

This is what I've learned:

1. A virus isn't over when you say it is. It's over when it decides it's run the course.

2. In going back on ACV, the topical pain (which had come back a bit in the past couple of days), stopped on the spot. Taking it yesterday AM, the topical cleared up immediately and the pain stopped throughout the day. Night was a different matter.

3. Two nights ago, the pain was terrible through the night. Last night - the first night since I had been back on ACV - the pain was gone until 5:58am (I went to sleep at 10pm, so I had 7 solid hours).

4. I finally got out of bed around 7:30, with a deep pain in the left side of my lower back. Within 10 minutes of taking ACV internally and topically, the slight itching was gone and the internal pain had gone from a 7/8 to a 2/3.

Everyone's disease and progress is different, and anecdotal evidence for me does not mean a hell of a lot in your case. But I wanted to give as much detail as possible so that you could see exactly how ACV has impacted what I'm going through.

I am dissapointed that the rash is only abating slowly, but - if I had to choose between reallybad, debilitating pain and the side effects pain and sleeplessness produces, and a rash, which in my case is under the shirt/pants and not visible, I'll take the rash anyday!

Count me as an ACV believer. Not once - but twice - in the same illness! Good luck with your shingles!!

Gene

Apple Cider Vinegar, Cayenne

Posted by Gene (Sarasota, FL) on 04/11/2009
★★★★★

This is my second shingles attack, folks! First one lasted 60 days and was the most unbelievably painful thing I had ever experienced. Interestingly enough, 100% of the shingles was sub-surface, with no redness, raised areas or pustules. The deep pain was beyond words.

Now, four years later, in a period of incredible stress, I've got the damned thing again -- this time, with a left leg and the front/back of the left side of my torso covered in mega-patches of fiery pustules. Pain inside (emanating from the locus deep inside the nerve) and out.

Then, a friend of a friend mentioned ACV and I went surfing and found your site.

Last night (day 3), I covered the sores with ACV&Cayenne, and took two half shot glasses of ACV mixed with Cayenne. Within about an hour the pain - inside and out - completely went away. Yes, completely, and I had what seemed like one of the best sleeps I had had in a long time.

This AM thru noon, I felt great, but this early afternoon I'm still a little shakey -- a slight twinge here, a slight twinge there. And the pustules are still there, but not increasing in size (and, as I write this, only a very, very, very occasional itch/pain from my little read friends.

I am going to keep this up, and have absolutely no doubt that this will do the trick. In fact, I'm going to apply your ACV/CP elixer as soon as I press 'send'.