By GreenMedInfo Research Group

One in three people may develop shingles (herpes zoster) at some point during their lifetime. The condition occurs when the latent varicella-zoster (chickenpox) virus reactivates, causing a painful, blistering skin eruption that can last for two to four weeks.

While shingles isn’t life-threatening, long-term effects such as chronic pain and eye complications can last for several months or years, impairing quality of life. 

There is no cure for shingles, but a variety of alternative therapies can help prevent or relieve shingles symptoms naturally.

Capsaicin

Postherpetic neuralgia is a shingles complication that can last long after the initial rash and blisters disappear. Studies show that topical capsaicin—compound found in hot pepper—may be an effective treatment. 

In a double-blind study, thirty-two elderly patients with chronic postherpetic neuralgia were treated with either capsaicin cream or placebo. After six weeks, the capsaicin group had significantly greater relief. In fact, almost eighty percent of capsaicin-treated patients had relief from postherpetic neuralgia. The researchers noted that because capsaicin has no known drug interactions or systemic toxicity effects, it should be considered the first choice in management of postherpetic neuralgia.¹

In another double-blind, placebo-controlled study of 143 Canadian patients with chronic postherpetic neuralgia, subjects received topical capsaicin 0.075 percent cream or placebo. After six weeks, pain reduction, pain severity, pain relief, and functional capacity significantly improved for the capsaicin group, but the placebo group remained unchanged.

Researchers also followed seventy-seven of the patients in an open-label arm of the same study for two years. They found that the benefits of the six-week trial were maintained or improved in eighty-six percent of the patients. Additionally, there were no serious adverse effects of the capsaicin. The researchers wrote, “On the basis of these data, we conclude that capsaicin 0.075 percent cream is a safe and effective treatment for the pain of postherpetic neuralgia and should be considered for initial management of patients with this condition.”

Vitamin C Therapy

According to Thomas E Levy, MD, JD, vitamin C has been successfully used in the treatment of shingles. In one study, eight patients with shingles received 2,000 to 3,000 mg of vitamin C by injection every twelve hours, supplemented by 1,000 mg in fruit juice every two hours. Seven of the eight patients reported complete pain relief within two hours of the first injection.²

In another study of 327 shingles patients, vitamin C resulted in complete resolution of the outbreaks in one hundred percent of the patients within seventy-two hours of receiving injections.³

According to a 2012 multicenter prospective cohort study investigating efficacy of vitamin C in shingles patients, intravenous ascorbic acid resulted in significant improvement of general fatigue and impaired concentration, while the risk of developing postherpetic neuralgia was reduced. 

Study authors noted, “Vitamin C is an immune-relevant micronutrient, which is depleted in viral infections and this deficiency seems to play a critical role in the pathogenesis of herpes infections and in the development of postherpetic neuralgia… Intravenously administered ascorbic acid may have beneficial effects on herpes zoster-associated pain, dermatologic findings, and accompanying common complaints.”⁴

Fruits and Vegetables

Diets low in micronutrients (eg, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants) can increase the risk of shingles by depressing the immune system. In a British community-based case-control study, researchers followed 243 shingles patients in twenty-two general practices in London. The patients were compared to 483 controls with no history of herpes zoster.

The researchers found a strong link between low fruit intake and increased shingles risk. Subjects who ate less than one piece of fruit per week had more than three times the risk of herpes zoster compared to those who ate more than three per day. The same was true when they looked at combined fruit and vegetable intake.⁵

Acupuncture

In a Chinese study of acute shingles cases, seventy-two patients were randomly divided into two groups. One group received acupuncture around the margins of the herpes zoster outbreak while the other group received acupuncture plus moxibustion. 

Moxibustion is a traditional Chinese medicine therapy that consists of burning dried mugwort (moxa) on specific points on the body. The acupuncture group had an effective rate of 85.3 percent, with the herpes stopping, scab time shortened, and residual neuralgia reduced. The results with acupuncture plus moxibustion were even better. Those cases were treated within three days with an effective rate of 97.4 percent.⁶

Additionally, acupuncture has been shown to be more effective than medications for shingles. In another Chinese study of eighty herpes zoster cases, patients were randomized to receive either electroacupuncture or the drug valacyclovir hydrochloride. Results showed the electroacupuncture was 92.5 percent effective compared to only 67.5 percent for the drug. In addition, the treatment rate for the electroacupuncture was seventy-five percent compared to only 37.5 percent for the drug.⁷

Peppermint Oil

In a case study of a 76-year-old woman, standard pain therapies failed to bring relief. Doctors advised her to apply neat peppermint oil (containing ten percent menthol) to her skin. The peppermint oil resulted in almost immediate improvement in pain that lasted four to six hours after application.

During two months of follow-up, the patient had only a minor side effect, with continuing analgesia. Study authors concluded, “In summary, we have shown evidence in this single case study of a remarkable analgesic effect in response to topical application of peppermint oil, an effect not previously described in the recent scientific literature.”⁸

Tai Chi

Rates of shingles increase markedly with age as immunity to the varicella zoster (chickenpox) virus decreases. A study in the Journal of the American Geriatric Society found that Tai Chi boosts immunity to the varicella zoster virus. In a prospective, randomized, controlled trial of 112 healthy adults, one group performed Tai Chi for twenty-five weeks while another group received health education. After 16 weeks, both groups were vaccinated with VARIVAX, the live attenuated Oka/Merck varicella zoster virus vaccine.

Results showed the Tai Chi group had nearly twice the levels of cell-mediated immunity to the virus compared to the health education group. In fact, Tai Chi alone increased immunity about as much as the shingles vaccine. The Tai Chi group also showed significant improvements in physical functioning, bodily pain, vitality, and mental health.⁹

Study authors wrote, “Tai Chi alone induced an increase in [shingles]-cell mediated immunity that was comparable in magnitude with that induced by varicella vaccine, and the two were additive; Tai Chi, together with vaccine, produced a substantially higher level of varicella zoster virus cell mediated immunity than vaccine alone. The Tai Chi group also showed significant improvements in [healthy survey] scores for physical functioning, bodily pain, vitality, and mental health.”

In another study from UCLA, thirty-six men and women over sixty were assigned either to Tai Chi or a control group. For fifteen weeks, the Tai Chi group received three 45-minute instruction classes per week. Cell-mediated immunity to the varicella zoster virus increased by fifty percent with Tai Chi. In addition, Tai Chi practitioners also had significant increases in physical functioning.¹⁰

“Our findings offer a unique and exciting example of mind over matter,” said Michael R Irwin, MD, a professor at the UCLA Neuropsychiatric Institute and director of the Institute’s Cousin’s Center for Psychoneuroimmunology. “A large body of research shows how behavior can negatively affect the immune system and health, but ours is the first randomized, controlled study to demonstrate that behavior can have a positive effect on immunity that protects against shingles. The findings are particular noteworthy as Tai Chi or ‘meditation with movement’ increased immunity in older adults who are at risk for herpes zoster.”

Light Therapy

Broad-band ultraviolet B phototherapy can significantly reduce the incidence and severity of postherpetic neuralgia. In a 2006 study, twenty-five patients with severe pain in the first seven days of zoster rash were divided into two groups. The prevention group received the drug acyclovir for ten days plus UVB light therapy three times a week. The control group received acyclovir only.

After one month 58.33 percent of the light therapy patients were completely pain-free compared to only 38.46 percent of the drug group. At three months, 83.33 percent of the light therapy group were completely pain-free compared to only 53.85 percent of the drug group. The severity of pain was also lower in the phototherapy group than the control group. The researchers concluded that UVB phototherapy in the acute stage of shingles might reduce the incidence and severity of lingering neuralgia.¹¹

Seaweed

Seaweed may prevent an outbreak and speed healing of shingles. An Australian study tested seaweed in fifteen patients with active herpes zoster and six subjects with a latent form of the infection. The seaweed was a proprietary preparation of Tasmanian Undaria pinnatifida (GFS). Of note, Undaria is the most commonly eaten seaweed in Japan. 

Researchers found that subjects with active shingles healed at a faster rate following GFS consumption. In addition, patients with latent infection remained asymptomatic while they ate the seaweed. “Whilst further research is called for, the results obtained in this study show that ingestion of GFS is associated with resolution, reduced pain, and outbreak inhibition of Herpes virus infections.”

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Well Being Journal adapted the above article from the previously published original at greenmedinfo.com titled “8 Proven Ways to Prevent and Ease Shingles,” April 23, 2018.

References available at the following web address:

https://greenmedinfo.com/blog/8-proven-ways-prevent-and-ease-shingles