Shingles
Shingles usually happens in people who are over the age of 50 and have had chicken pox in the past. Shingles can be a very painful problem and has a tendency to put life on hold for the course of time that it is being experienced.
It is one of the hardest bouts to go through, and shingles is experienced by thousands of adults per year.
Shingles is actually a viral infection that primarily affects nerves in or around the surface of the skin. This viral infection usually manifests itself to looking like a skin problem.
When this viral infection colonizes, the body instantly goes into damage control mode, trying to dispatch the enemy at hand. When the shingles virus begins to affect the nerves, areas of inflammation and blistering begin to run along the tracks of these nerves on top of the skin, and cause sever pain, itching, burning, fever, chills, and even gastrointestinal problems. It is important to note that if this condition lasts for more than two weeks, it may be a sign of another underlying problem, such as cancer or Hodgkins Disease.
Usually however, the shingles virus only lasts for a few days in most people. If the virus does not manifest itself to be a type of cancer, often times it may last in the elderly for months and even years due to a lowered immune system.
Shingles will cause the skin to be painful to the touch as the virus affects the nerves on the skin. It is never an easy problem to go through, but the shingles vaccine may also bring side effects that are just as bad as the virus itself.
The Cure
Other than the vaccine itself, which will bring side effects like a sinus infection, fever, and swelling, there is no real cure for shingles itself. However, relief can be had with treating this problem in a natural way.
Massaging with oils, such as eucalyptus, chamomile, and lavender have always been the best way to reduce inflammation and help soothe the site that is being massaged. Another great thing to do is change to an organic diet, as processing often has a way of lowering immune system function and causing the shingles virus to manifest itself for longer periods of time.
Using topical treatments such as tea tree oil will help reduce inflammation.
The key here is to make yourself as comfortable as you can while this infection takes its course. Your body will automatically take on this problem and usually it does not last for a very long time. So just make sure you sit tight and stay rested. The more you rest, the faster the shingles virus will go away.
Another great thing to do is take regular hot baths, mixing tea tree oil in the bath. Not only will this be very relaxing, but also it will reduce pain and inflammation, and allow you to get relief. Don’t worry, your body will beat this painful problem.