Shingles is a viral disease caused by a virus called Varicella Zoster Virus. This virus causes chicken pox and stays for long time in the body in dormant state. This can reactivate itself in the adult form as Herpes Zoster causing shingles.
Following are the symptoms of this disease-
- A week before the rash starts to appear on the area it will start to itch and tingle.
- During the onset of shingles you may also experience headache, light fever, body chills and upset stomach.
- As the rash starts to appear it will be painful, with tingling and burning sensation that triggers itching. The rash can appear anywhere on the body, but is usually restricted to either side of the body or face in the form of a red streaks.
- After some 4-5 days, the rash turns into blisters and then will spread on all part of the body in another next week or so.
- Patient’s eyes and ears can be affected, causing some hearing problem and difficulty in looking.
Treatments for Shingles:
As soon as the symptoms start to appear i.e. the rashes on the body, one should immediately go for medical consultation. Shingles can be treated in two ways naturally or prescribed. Few of them are listed below
- Burdock root- This is a herbal remedy which gives relief to shingle patients. This is to be taken as a herbal tea. This will relieve the patients from pain and itching sensation. Should be taken at least once a day.
- Another natural treatment would be ointments. They are also useful and heal the rashes causing pain and itching.
- Regular cleaning of the affected areas with soap and water is also going to help it cure shingles. As it will dry out the lesions. Do not use hot water.
- Make a paste of oatmeal with water. This can do wonders against shingles. Apply this pate on the affected areas.
- Doctors also prescribe some medicines which can give quick relief from the early stage. They can also give pain killers as it helps to cope with the skin trauma.
- After the rashes dry up and pain is reduced, it is advisable to apply calamine lotion to get faster relief from itching and pain.
There are vaccines developed for shingles. The people who are vaccinated for chickenpox earlier did not require going for vaccines. But people who have suffered from chickenpox and not been vaccinated, are advised to go for the vaccination.
Researchers say that it is possible to cure this condition in less than a week. Medication and proper diet is useful in dealing with this condition.
