How does one prevent shingles?

Answer 1

See your doctor;

Seek professional medical attention, because nothing you do at home can treat and eliminate the shingles virus by itself. This is a highly painful disease and the sooner it is treated the sooner you will get relief.

Medicate:

The best treatment for the shingles virus is to begin a course of medications as prescribed by your doctor. Most likely you will be given a combination of three types of medications. First, you will be given an antiviral drug to deal with the virus itself and eliminate it.

Get some rest:

The best thing you can do for yourself to treat the shingles virus attacking you is to get some much needed rest. Take off from work. Sleep more than usual. Don't do anything physically straining while you are working to get the virus under control. Your body needs to put all it's energy and resources into fighting off the shingles virus.

Wash the rash and blisters:

Make sure you are keeping the affected area clean, cool and moist. Often times a cool bath is suggested. Regular soap, without perfumes and special additives is best. You might want to follow up a washing with some sort of topical cream. Your doctor can help you decide which cream would be best for shingles and provide the best soothing relief.

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As you may be aware, shingles is caused by a virus, the same one that causes chickenpox. Basically it is a re-emergence of the chickenpox virus. The virus is usually contained to an area of skin called a dermatome. This is the descriptive name for an area of skin supplied by a particular group of nerves. While the rash you have might spread along this dermatome, it almost never crosses into another one. This means that if it isn't already on your face, it won't go there. Stress won't spread the virus, but being stressed will affect your immune system. The medicine your doctor gave you is almost certainly aciclovir, which is an anti-viral drug taken up to 5 times a day. This must be started as soon as possible and should not be stopped mid-way through the course of else it will not be as effective. Unfortunately this is the only medical way to treat a virus. The only other option is that painkillers which may be needed. The rash should subside by the end of the course. You should be aware that some patients experience persisting pain after the rash has gone, occasionally for up to 6 months. This can be treated readily with painkillers and neurotransmitter drugs such as gabapentin and you should see your doctor if you are worried about this.

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Unconfirmed Home Remedy

Find some Mountain Laurel tree (evergreen shrub). Take the leaves and boil them. Put the liquid in a spray bottle and spray the rash. My grandmother was cured from shingles after one month of application of this plant.

Answer 2

There is no known way to prevent outbreaks of shingles. The disease has been treated with acyclovir, taken five times daily, or given intravenously in severe cases. Two newer drugs, famciclovir and galaciclovir, seem to be more effective against the pain of shingles and need to be taken only three times each day.

L-Lysine supplements might help since Shingles is a herpes virus. I know that it really helps prevent cold sores.

Answer 3

There is no cure for herpes zoster (shingles), but anitviral medicines, such as Acyclovir, can shorten the duration of the break out and help reduce pain. To help treat the pain associated with shingles, your doctor can also prescribe antidepressants, steroids, or a topical steroid cream, and creams to help the itching. Taking an over-the-counter pain reliever may also help. Ask the pharmacist for suggestions for over-the-counter treatments.

Answer 4

Shingles is a virus and there is no cure or treatment to rid it from the body.

There are however ways to help reduce the symptoms and the amount of time that a person if affected by the virus. Anti-viral drugs as prescribed by as doctor can help inhibit DNA replication of the virus. This can be very effective and if started soon after diagnosed could prevent postherepetic neuralgia.

Answer 5

The main cause of the affliction known as shingles is stress. People that have high stress levels in their lives are more. Practicing stress relieving exercises and cutting out stressful activities will help alleviate thes problems.

Answer 6

You can lower the risk of herpes zoster by avoiding getting chickenpox. If you are over 50, you can also get the shingles vaccine.