Shingles: Causes, Symptoms and Treatment
 
If you have ever had shingles, or know someone who has gotten it, you will understand just how painful and uncomfortable it can be. Massage can help as a preventative therapy with its ability to empower the immune system, which in turn helps reduces the severity and extent of symptoms. 

Shingles is a viral infection causing a painful rash. Known also as herpes zoster, it is caused by the varicella-zoster virus, which is also responsible for chickenpox. While chickenpox is, for the most part, considered a children's disease, shingles reserves itself for those quite a bit older, usually (but not limited to) people over 50.

 

Those who has had chickenpox seem most susceptible to getting shingles. The Malter Institute has conducted research showing that those with a specific mineral pattern are also susceptible to any type of viral infection.  

 

Causes
After having chickenpox, the virus causing it may not be completely eliminated by the immune system, remaining dormant in nerve cell bodies. Usually this causes no problems. Many years later, when the body's immune system become less effective, or in persons with compromised immune systems (such organ transplant patients or those receiving cancer treatment), the virus can reactivate in the form of shingles. It will erupt along the affected nerve and produce blistery lesions on the body. No one know exactly why this happens, but it seems to be triggered when the immune system becomes weakened as a result of stress, fatigue, certain medications, medical treatments or other illness.
 
Symptoms
The first symptoms of shingles are not always obvious. There may be a general malaise combined with pain, burning, tingling, numbness (paresthesia) or extreme sensitivity (hyperesthesia) along certain parts of the body. The sufferer can also have swollen lymph nodes, an upset stomach and chills. A case of shingles can, at first, be misdiagnosed as pain from an ulcer, heart attack, migraine headaches, appendicitis or even a lower back problem, which is why someone in the very early stages might come to a massage therapist for relief in the first place. In rare cases a person may have pain, but no rash. This form of shingles is more difficult to diagnose.
 
The first symptoms may last anywhere from a few days to a few weeks before being followed by the definitive rash, evolving into tiny clear blisters on a red base, along with a slight fever and fatigue. The rash will usually appear on the trunk of the body, the neck or back depending on the nerves affected. The pattern of the rash follows nerve endings and can be very distinct.
 
Post Shingles Pain
About twenty percent of those who get shingles can experience pain for months after the blister heal. The stronger the immune system is, the faster and easier the recover.
 
Prevention and Treatment
Not everyone who has had chickenpox will get shingles. One of the best ways to lessen your chances is to keep your immune system strong.
 
Acupressure, (shaitsu massage), is one method to helping boost the immune systems and sedate the internal that increases the pain from the outbreak. 
 
Anti-inflammatory aromatherapy treatments are found helpful when a combination of lavender, tree tea and peppermint are used. This cools the area in and around the outbreak as well as calming the effected nerves under the skin. 
 
Herbal teas and tinctures can also be used to attack the viral causing the pain and suffering. Two of the strongest anti-viral herbs are lemon balm (Melissa) and Mormon tea. 
 
If you are at risk for shingles you might want to consider taking precautionary steps to preventing outbreaks.  A protocol for this would be:
            Keeping the immune system strong with foods, teas and exercise.
            Using anti-viral essential oils and tinctures on a regular basis.
            Offering yourself monthly acupressure (shiatsu) treatments.
            Keeping the body 'cool' during hot weather. (Avoiding hot, spicy foods.)
            Keeping the body, internally and externally, as pH balanced as possible.
            (Viruses can't live in a pH balanced environment.)
           
Also, cooling baths of apple cider vinegar are cooling and pH balancing.
 
These products and services that I offer have proved well with those prone to shingle outbreaks.
 
Aromatherapy/Shiatsu/Reiki treatments-  $60-80
Melissa/Mormon tea-  $3/oz
Longevity Tincture (Melissa/Mormon Tea-  $10/2 oz
 
Questions regarding my experiences with the prevention and relief of shingle outbreaks can be sent to: BellaBHBH@aol.com