Shingles is the one-two punch of infections, because anyone who gets it had a case of the chickenpox first, often many decades earlier. Shingles and chickenpox come from the same virus, Varicella zoster. After chickenpox runs its itchy course, the virus retreats to nerve tissues near your spinal cord and brain, where it hides out. Sometimes the virus “wakes up” and travels along nerve fibers to the skin. That’s when it lands its second punch—shingles.
Shingles is a rash with shooting pain that usually shows up on just one side of your body. Since a nerve is infected, it is exquisitely painful. People more likely to experience shingles are those who are 50 or older, under much stress, with physical trauma and taking steroids or other immune-weakening drugs, but many people who get shingles do not fit in any of these categories. Still, 1 out of every 3 people will develop shingles, over a lifetime.
Holistic healing helps you prevent or relieve shingles. We’ll plunge into a collection of immune and nerve pain remedies, including botanicals, food and external remedies to help you beat this monster for good.