Shingles pain is the most difficult aspect of this disorder because it can persist long after the viral outbreak has subsided. Drugs are poor choices because of their side effects. Acupuncture traditionally offers one of the best alternatives for treating pain no matter the cause. This video shows what an acupuncture treatment looks like. The use of needles in acupuncture is almost painless. From my personal experience, a well-trained acupuncturist is worth his or her weight in gold!

Shingle Pain Treatment Using Acupuncture

When you are looking for a good acupuncturist, be sure to ask about the extent of training, any certification, and level of experience. This is kind of like looking for a good doctor, isn’t it? Absolutely.

All the best shingles natural treatment,

Dr. D

Any postherpetic neuralgia treatment absolutely must be able to reduce chronic inflammation to achieve complete shingles pain relief. Natural treatments offer true healing, in contrast with synthetic steroids and NSAIDS. One of the most surprising and most promising natural products for shingles pain treatment is emu oil.

Modern scientific research is just now starting to catch up with this old folk medicine.

What Is Emu Oil?

Emu oil is an oil made from the fat of the emu, a large bird native to Australia. This oil has been used historically by the Australian aborigines for the treatment of burns, wounds, bruises, and as a pain reliever for bone, muscle, and joint disorders. Modern uses also include relief from arthritis, eczema, psoriasis, sunburn, burns from radiation therapy, sports injuries, and itching and swelling of insect bites and stings. It is non-toxic in topical applications as well as in oral supplements. Emu oil absorbs readily without clogging pores and is non-irritating and hypo-allergenic. On a personal note, I have used it to literally save my face from many years of abuse by commercial aftershaves. Emu oil is the only aftershave application that I have ever found that soothes and heals.

Emu oil is approximately 70% unsaturated fatty acids, which rivals the composition of any seed oil. The largest component is oleic acid, a mono-unsaturated omega-9 fatty acid. Emu oil also contains about 20% linoleic acid (an omega-6 fatty acid) and 1-2% linolenic acid (an omega-3 fatty acid).

Scientific Research On Emu Oil

Very little research on emu oil is available in the scientific literature. Nevertheless, its potential for use in skincare has been documented in the following study, published in 1998 in the journal, Inflammopharmacology (Vol. 6 No. 1, pp. 1-8): Emu oil(s): a source of non-toxic transdermal anti-inflammatory agents in aboriginal medicine. (Written by MW Whitehouse, AG Turner, CK Davis, and MS Roberts at the Department of Medicine, University of Queensland.)

This study used rats that were chemically induced to have arthritis. Emu oil was applied topically, and various measures of inflammation were recorded. One of the more important aspects of this study included a comparison of different commercial products. Conclusions and observations included the following:

1) Emu oil can be a very effective inhibitor of chronic inflammation when applied topically with a skin-penetrating enhancer.
2) Different commercial oil samples showed considerable variability in potency.
3) There was little or no correlation of activity with color or linolenic acid content of the oil.
4) Some active oils were stable to heat and to aging at room temperature.
5) The bulk of the anti-inflammatory activity was present in a low triglyceride fraction.
6) Active fractions showed potential arthritis-suppressant/immunoregulant activity.
7) Repeated applications of selected oils did not induce any of the more prominent side effects associated with NSAIDs (e.g. platelet inhibition, gastrotoxicity) or certain anti-arthritic drugs (proteinuria, leukopenia).

What To Expect For Postherpetic Neuralgia Treatment

The above study represents groundwork for showing how good emu oil is against chronic inflammation. I can tell you this, though: An experiment on its effectiveness specifically against postherpetic neuralgia will probably never happen. It is just not very important to modern medical researchers, and research funding will undoubtedly never be available for such a study. I hope the future proves me wrong, although I do not believe it will.

Nevertheless, here is what I know. My own shingles pain treatment was successful because I did, indeed, use emu oil on my outbreak every day. The period that I endured postherpetic neuralgia was cut short, lasting no more than about 8 days. A data point of one (me) is not a scientific experiment. I do not know how long my pain would have lasted without the use of emu oil. Shingles pain has been documented to sometimes last for years. All I know for sure is that, based on research, emu oil helped me battle the inflammation from my painful shingles outbreak.

In the end, in my opinion, emu oil should be an important component in your anti-shingles arsenal. Just be sure to get a top product that contains only pure emu oil and no additives whatsoever.

All the best in shingles natural treatment,

Dr. D

Some of the bigger problems with shingles includes the ability of Herpes zoster to infect nontypical areas of the body rather than the around the trunk. There is no limit on where it can appear. One area that is unfortunately all to common is the eyes. In fact, a special subcategory of herpes zoster has been designated for this type of outbreak. Don’t fancy new names just make you feel better?

This case at humanvision.info shows what can happen: Bleeding eye after Shingles

Two and a half years ago, a relative had shingles next to her left eye, followed by neuralgia. Eye treatment was started immediately together with shingles treatment. That eye never recovered and Herpes Zoster Vasculitis has been … READ MORE

If you happen to have experience with this condition, please send a comment to the writer of that entry. Information exchange can be of great benefit.

All the best in natural health,

Dr. D

Related articles by Zemanta

• ‘Ginkgo’ Reduces Neuropathic Pain (findmeacure.com)

The rash from a shingles outbreak can discolor the skin and leave an odd-looking scar that seems to last forever. However, a natural product that is better known for treating acne and warts comes to the rescue. See this advice on post-shingles treatment for what it takes to get rid of those unsightly shingles scars.

How to get rid of shingle scar | Shingle removal remedies | Hair …

How to treat shingles using home remedies. The coco butter formulation will not work to relieve scars, as it is only a moisturizing solution and not a skin care treatment. Scars, despite their awkward appearance, are still skin tissue …

All the best in natural health,

Dr. D

Scientist (Me!) Gets Shingles

How ironic that my university research on herpes in the mid-1990s has come full circle to benefit me personally. Yup, I finally got to that level of ‘maturity’ (i.e., age 61) whereby the incidence of shingles starts going up. And I became one of those lucky ones to have my old chickenpox virus come back in the form of shingles.

That’s me in the photo, specifically my right side 8 days after I started having painful, untouchable skin, and 5 days after the outbreak actually appeared. Although I don’t recommend that anyone experience this outbreak just to lend credibility to their expertise, this is exactly what I did (not on purpose!).

Why Did I Get Shingles?

Of course, my age is a predictive factor. However, I keep my immune system in good order with all kinds of great supplements, lifestyle, and diet. So a shingles outbreak surprised me.

I do have a pretty good idea what I did to make this outbreak happen, though. It has to do with my experimentation with growth hormone secretagogues. Briefly, certain amino acids in high amounts lead to increasing amounts of growth hormone (HGH) to be released from the pituitary gland. These amino acids are therefore called secretagogues.

The key amino acid, and the most abundant one in all of the HGH secretagogues, is L-arginine. This amino acid is widely known among herpes sufferers for making herpes outbreaks worse. I think it even increases the frequency of outbreaks. So, the long and short of it is that I probably attracted a shingles outbreak by taking high levels of L-arginine.

Now What?

Fortunately, another amino acid, called L-lysine, counteracts the herpes-inducing effects of L-arginine. And L-lysine is also a common HGH secretagogue. So all I have to do is keep my arginine to lysine ratio a little more even and shingles will become a thing of the past.

My Shingles Natural Treatment

This episode gave me a chance to experience the benefits of the patented herbal formula that came out of my laboratory research in 1995. You can say that my research on shingles and other forms of herpes outbreaks came home to roost in a very personal way. Thank goodness! Shingles can be miserable, and I didn’t have to find out how bad it could be because I used my own natural shingles treatment. Whew!

By the way, this formula is the main topic of the book that I wrote on the subject of herpes, which appears in the column to the right: “Shingles Natural Treatment Guide.” I love the book and it has helped a lot of people, now including me. I may be biased, though!

All the best in natural health,

Dr. D

Oxygen Therapy vs. Shingles, Cancer, and Other Diseases

This is a remarkable therapy that is widely known in Europe and almost unknown in the U.S. Take a look at this short video to see what I mean.

The Full Story

Get the full story for free from Madison Cavanaugh here: OneMinuteCure.com.

All the best in natural health,

Dr. D

Traditionally the herbs in Shinglederm Rescue Plus have been used for their anti-viral, anti-herpetic, anti-spasmodic, pain relieving and skin repairing abilities. Shingles, or Herpes Varicella Zoster Virus, is often characterized by lesions of the skin. Shingles is often very painful and causes a burning and itching sensation associated with the inflammation of a shingles outbreak. Shinglederm Rescue Plus is a stronger formulation of Shinglederm Rescue. The Plus formula contains more herbs for shingles than the original and in higher concentrations.

Chickenpox is a common illness that causes an itchy rash and red spots or blisters (pox) all over the body. It is most common in children, but most people will get chickenpox at some point in their lives if they have not had the chickenpox vaccine.

Chickenpox is caused by the varicella zoster virus. The same virus causes both chickenpox (varicella) and shingles (zoster). Varicella zoster virus is a member of the herpes virus family.

It is transmitted from person to person by droplet infection through the respiratory tract. Rarely the condition may be caused by exposure to a case of Herpes Zoster. Once the virus enters the body it rests and reproduces in the lymph nodes of the body for about 3 to 4 days before it travels to the blood to infect the spleen and liver. It finally rests in the nerve roots near the spinal cord till it is activated. No trigger maybe needed for its activation, but sometimes it waits for events like stress or diminished immunity before it attacks

Chickenpox is very highly contagious. It is easily passed between members of families and school classmates through airborne particles, droplets in exhaled air and fluid from the blisters or sores. It also can be transmitted indirectly by contact with articles of clothing and other items exposed to fresh drainage from open sores.

Doctors recommend that kids receive the chickenpox vaccine when they are 12 to 15 months old and a booster shot at 4 to 6 years old. The vaccine is about 70% to 85% effective at preventing mild infection, and more than 95% effective in preventing moderate to severe forms of the infection. Although the vaccine works pretty well, some kids who are immunized still will get chickenpox. Those who do, though, will have much milder symptoms than those who haven’t had the vaccine and become infected.

There is no evidence to support the effectiveness of topical application of calamine lotion, a topical barrier preparation containing zinc oxide in spite of its wide usage and excellent safety profile. It is important to maintain good hygiene and daily cleaning of skin with warm water to avoid secondary bacterial infection.

If exposure to varicella in certain ‘at risk’ populations is confirmed (immunosuppressed individuals, pregnant seronegative women, neonates), anti-varicella zoster immunoglobulin may be given prior to onset of disease symptoms.

Treatment of chicken pox is usually limited to bed rest, acetaminophen for relief of fever and discomfort, and measures that soothe the itching, including lukewarm baths and application of topical medicines such as calamine lotion. Excessive scratching can cause infection of blisters, which can lead to scarring. Acyclovir, an antiviral drug, is used to treat severe cases of chicken pox, particularly in patients with a weakened immune system.

Occasionally a child will develop blisters in the mouth, making eating or drinking painful. A person must continue to drink fluids to prevent dehydration. To alleviate pain, provide cold fluids (ice pops are one suggestion) and soft bland foods. Avoid any foods that are spicy, hot, or acidic (for instance, orange juice).

What is the worst case scenario for the bird flu or just how bad could it get? A question I have always wanted the answer to. Well history is always the best teacher and we have an excellent historical teacher from 1918. The answer there is the bird flu of 1918, and that teacher is foreboding. Called the aquatic bird flu that actually started in China (sound familiar) then somehow got into Kansas not Europe. Isn’t that interesting? It started among US Cavalry horses then moved to American troopers assigned to those mounts, stationed in Kansas. These Cavalry soldiers were shipped to the battle fields of Europe to take part in the fighting. Some of those soldiers arrived infected with the virus. This flu circulated throughout the densely packed cities of Europe then made its way back to America and did the same there. In a little over a years time it had run its course and 40 to 50 million people were dead.

In 1918 the big cities like London had a million people. Today our mega cities have 10 plus million people and a very fast transport system. Any new bird flu virus can travel in infected people across the world in a matter of days. Why can’t modern medicine help us?

Until the bird flu virus of today mutates to its human infecting form, no scientific steps can be taken to create a serum. Only then can science develop the serum and begin to make large batches. This takes considerable amounts of time and fertile chicken eggs and there are not many around. Under optimal conditions modern science takes at least 6 months, minimum. Remember I just said above, it only takes days to move the virus across the world. So even with all the pharmaceutical companies around the world creating this serum only a small part of the world’s population would be protected. I hate to make this sound worse, but the virus can also mutate into other human infecting forms and other serums must be developed.The Herbal Solution to a Bird Flu Epidemic

You can see how bad it can get and how little modern medicine can do. There has really been little progress since 1918. So what can be done to protect yourself and your family? Here is the answer that has been around for ages. Olive leaf tincture is the answer to bird flu and all other germs and virus infections. But do not take my word for it, here is some of the history of this very powerful herb and what modern science found when they looked at it.History of Olive Leaf as Herbal Medicine

I personally believe that God was referring to the olive tree in Ezekiel 47:12, God spoke of a tree: “The fruit thereof shall be for meat, and the leaf thereof for medicine.”

The ancient Egyptians may have been the first to put the olive leaf to practical use. They regarded it as a symbol of heavenly power, and in keeping with that belief, they extracted its oil and used it to mummify their kings. The Egyptians and later cultures also found, and there is documentation, that the olive leaf was a great herbal medicine for the relief of fevers (sounds like viral infections to me).

The knowledge of the medicinal properties of the tree (Olea europaea) date back to the early 1800’s where it was used in liquid form as a very effective treatment for malarial infections. According to the 1854 Pharmaceutical Journal of Provincial Transactions, pages 353 and 354(a), the doctors at that time stated that the properties of the tree, Olea europaea, deserved more extensive investigation.

In the early 1900’s, a bitter compound was found in the leaves of certain olive trees called “Oleuropein.” This compound was determined to be part of the olive tree’s powerful disease resistant structure. In 1962, European researchers recorded that oleuropein had the ability to lower blood pressure in animals, increase blood flow in the coronary arteries, relieve arrhythmias and prevent intestinal muscle spasms. A Dutch researcher found the chemical responsible for olive leafs healing power was elenolic acid which has strong antiviral, bacterial and antiparasitic properties.Modern Medicine Finds That Olive Leaf is a Powerful Medicine

In the late 60’s and early 70’s, The Upjohn Companies’ test studies were published by The American Society for Microbiology in regards to a new multifunctional monoterpene which they had isolated from various parts of the olive tree. The compound was called calcium elenolate, a crystalline salt form of elenolic acid. When they tested this compound it was found to be virucidal against all viruses for which it was tested. The compound acted effectively at low concentrations without any harmful influence on host cell mechanisms. It was also found to be extremely safe and nontoxic, even at high doses. While it worked extremely well in-vitro, it was unsuccessful in-vitro. When injected into the blood stream, the compound bound quickly to the blood serum protein and rendered itself ineffective. They were unable to overcome this problem and terminated their research. During this same period, other companies had interest in the compound and performed various tests, but also lost interest. Then in 1990, interest was renewed and the process of bringing the remarkable product Olive Leaf Extract to market began.

A safety study on calcium elenolate was laboratory tested with animals and published by The Upjohn Company in 1970. The study concluded that even in doses several hundred times higher than recommended, no toxic or other adverse side effects appeared..

Recent Australian studies show that liquid olive leaf extract made from fresh olive leaves has up to 40 times more antioxidants than even the very best extra virgin olive oils. This same fresh Olive Leaf Extract also has 5 times more antioxidant power than Vitamin C, 28 times more antioxidant power than Noni juices and 6 times more than Goji juices. The Power of Olive Leaves

Effective against fever and helpful for nervous tension; great immune booster and viral/bacterial killer. Researchers credit a number of unique properties possessed by the olive leaf compound for the broad killing power: an ability to interfere with critical amino acid production essential for viruses, an ability to contain viral infection and/or spread by inactivating viruses or by preventing virus shedding, budding or assembly at the cell membrane, and the ability to directly penetrate infected cells and stop viral replication in the case of retroviruses. It is able to neutralize the production of reverse transcriptase and protease (an enzyme found in retroviruses that enable the virus to make DNA from viral RNA). These enzymes are essential for a retrovirus, such as HIV, to alter the RNA of a healthy cell. It can stimulate phagocytosis, an immune system response in which immune cells ingest harmful microorganisms and foreign matter. Summary of conditions for which olive leaf extract acts as a microbial and anti-viral agent

AIDS Amoebiasis Anthrax Athlete’s Foot Bladder Infection Campylobacter Chicken Pox Chlamydia Cholera Common Cold Cold Sore (herpes simplex) Cryptosporidiosis Cytomegalovirus Diarrheal Disease Diphtheria Ear Infection Ebola Sudan Virus E. Coli Epstein-Barr Virus Flu (influenza) Gastric Ulcers (from H. Pylori) Genital Herpes/Warts Giardia Gonorrhea Group B Strep Hantavirus Hepatitis A, B, C Herpes Zoster (shingles) Lyme Disease Malaria Measles Meningitis (bacterial) Meningitis (viral) Mononucleosis Pinworms Pneumonia (bacterial) Pneumonia (viral) Polio Pork Tapeworm Rabies Rheumatic Fever Ringworm Retrovirus infection Roundworm Rotavirus Infection RSV Staphylococcal Food Poisoning Strep Throat Syphilis Tuberculosis Thrush Toxic Shock Syndrome Trichinosis Typhoid Fever Urinary Tract Infections Vaginal Yeast InfectionsDie-Off Syndrome

There are no negative side effects with Olive leaf extract but it does have a healthy side effect called the Herxheimer or “Die-Off” effect. Here is what takes place during a die-off effect. In the body there are microbes or viruses that somehow manage to evade the body’s immune system. Upon exposure to olive leaf tincture these microbes and viruses are destroyed which is a good thing for the person. After the microbe virus death, their cell-wall proteins are absorbed through the weakened mucous membrane, which surrounds them. The body recognizes these as toxins and begins its natural processes to get rid of them. If present in too large of numbers for the eliminative system to handle, the individual may develop symptoms that include headaches, swelling in the mouth, throat, sinuses, and lymphatic’s, rashes, fatigue, diarrhea, muscle/joint achiness, or other flu-like symptoms. The severity will vary from person to person, depending on the extent of their condition, the state of their immune and eliminatory systems, and how much olive leaf extract is being consumed.

The die off effect is desirable as it indicates that the body is being cleared of these hazardous microbes and viruses. Anyone who experiences these unpleasant effects generally feels fabulously well afterwards many times better than ever before.

If you feel the effects and you would like to minimize them, there are some easy things you can do. Many physicians recommend that an individual consume plenty of water in between usages of the product. Water keeps the lymphatic system and the kidneys functioning properly and more capable of handling the excess toxins. Another way to reduce the effects is to cut back on the dose of tincture that you are taking or go off it completely for a day or two before slowly increasing the dose once again. It can take anywhere from a couple of days to a week to completely rid the body of the excess toxins. Why Olive Leaf Tincture?

A good question, and the answer makes common sense. Tinctures are made from the ground herb combined with pure grain alcohol. The alcohol acts as a solvent extracting the active healing ingredients out of the herb. The alcohol is then pressed out of the herb, all the valuable active herbal ingredients are now in the alcohol, the herbal pulp is discarded. This process can be done with one or a combination of herbs. In an alcohol tincture form the herb(s) are easily assimilated by the body to immediately begin the healing process such as killing germs or viruses.Dosage

There is no official dose for taking olive leaf tincture even though it has been around for thousands of years of use and testing. The most popular amount for a maintenance dose is 2 droppers full twice daily on an empty stomach before meals. For conditions such as the common cold, flu, sinus infections, and basic respiratory tract infections, the dose is 2 droppers full every 2 hours. For acute infections such as sore throat, swollen glands, fever, etc., the recommendation is 3 droppers full every 2 hours. Safety of Olive Leaf Tincture

From all indications over the thousands of years of use by professional and nonprofessional people; Olive leaf tincture appears to be an extremely safe supplement that can effectively aid the body in improving immune function and fighting infection by various microbes and viruses. To my knowledge and through my research I have not found one single negative case involving the use of olive leaf tincture. Shelf Life

Alcohol acts as a preservative and if stored in a cool, dark place, tinctures can last indefinitely. I have herbal tinctures that have lasted 15 years and were just as strong as when I first used them. As I said above, avoid heat, sunlight, and exposure to air, and your tinctures will keep their “just picked” freshness for as long as you own them.Caution:

Don’t take olive leaf with antibiotics as they can be inactivated by olive leaf.

Don’t take olive leaf with Warfarin (Coumadin) this drug can cause internal bleeding.

Olive leaf naturally relaxes blood vessels and capillaries which could increase Coumadin’s side effect.References:

The main reference for the information in this article was taken from Doctor Jack Ritchason’s Book “Olive Leaf Extract” Woodland publishing, Pleasant Grove, Utah. 1999

Nature’s multi-functional force against infections and cardiovascular disease? by Amanda Jackson Ph.D.

Positive Health Publications LTD 1994-2002

Handbook of Medicinal Herbs, by James A. Duke, Pub. CRP Second Edition 2007

Positive Health Publications LTD 1994-2002

Handbook of Medicinal Herbs, by James A. Duke, Pub. CRP Second Edition 2007

There are four main kinds of germs that cause infectious diseases. Bacteria are single-cell germs that have the ability to multiply rapidly and release chemicals that will make you sick. Viruses are capsules containing genetic information and use your own cells to multiply.
Fungi are vegetable-like mushrooms or mildew that will make you ill and protozoa are single-cell predators that are looking for a host where they can eat and live. The idea of contracting communicable diseases is enough to make anyone want to live in a bubble, but the body is naturally very resilient, so simply washing your hands can avoid most trouble.
There are viral, contagious diseases like AIDS, Smallpox, Ebola, Hepatitis, sexually transmitted Herpes or HPV, Influenza, Measles, Mumps, Rabies, SARS, West Nile, Meningitis, Mono, Pneumonia and Yellow Fever. Then there are bacterial, transmittable diseases like Anthrax, Botulism, Cat Scratch Fever, Cholera, Diphtheria, Gonorrhea, Leprosy, Lyme disease, Strept Throat, Salmonella, Scarlet Fever, Tuberculosis, Typhus and Shingles. Some transferable diseases are transmitted via parasites, such as Chagas Disease, Malaria, Pinworm Infection, Scabies, Trichomoniasis, Giardiasis, Echinococcosis and other rare diseases. Other times, diseases are transmitted through fungus or prion (proteins).
When dealing with an infectious disease, the first step is the infection, when microbes enter your body and begin to multiply. Health experts say the infection becomes a disease when cells in your body become damaged and the symptoms of illness appear. White blood cells and antibodies will attempt to ward your body off from the infection, which results in fevers, coughing, sneezing or other ailments.
Once the disease takes hold, medication will be needed. It’s important to know the difference between infectious diseases caused by bacteria or by a virus because medications that may treat one are ineffective against treating the other. Bacterial infections caused by single-celled living organisms are treated with antibacterial antibiotics. Viral infections, which alter genetic capsules, cannot be treated with medication directly but may have the symptoms assuaged with lozenges, rest, water, decongestants, cough syrups and pain relievers.
Infectious diseases are no laughing matter. If you are coughing and nose blowing all over the place but feel tempted to go to work, then resist and rest. Not all diseases are contagious, but it’s better to be safe than sorry. Avoid sharing drinks or personal items with people and remember that prevention is the best cure.
According to the Center for Disease Control, there are seven steps you can take to prevent infection at home: always wash your hands, routinely clean AND disinfect all kitchen and bathroom surfaces, follow food safety precautions to prevent under-cooking meat or cross-contaminating surfaces, get immunized, use antibiotics properly, keep your pets clean and stay away from wild animals. Don’t be one of the 160,000 Americans who die from an infectious disease each year!