Shingles Symptoms – Rate of Occurrence

Shingles symptoms increase in occurrence, with post-herpetic neuralgia, with each decade of life. Symptoms from the herpes zoster virus derive from outbreaks in the two primary tissues for herpes viruses -  nerve tissue and skin tissue. When a latent virus has the opportunity to bloom, even decades after the initial chickenpox outbreak, the primary symptoms show up in the ends of nerves just under the skin, then the skin itself.

Phase 1: The Prodromal Stage

First timers with are often surprised with the diagnosis of shingles. They may start out feeling as though they have the flu – fever, chills, headache, and nausea. These are merely the symptoms that appear before the rash breaks out. Medical people call this pre-rash phase the prodromal stage.

Although these viruses are out of reach from your immune system when they are latent and also when they are traveling through nerve fibers, this is a good time to boost your immunity in preparation for the outbreak that is coming. Herbs that have antiviral and immune-boosting activity would be most helpful at this time (e.g., creosote bush). Antiviral drugs suppress the immune system, which makes them seem like a bad idea right when you want to get your body ready for the battle.

A rash may not appear for another 2 to 5 days after the prodromal stage begins. As the appearance of the rash approaches, several additional symptoms appear. These include numbness, a tingling or burning sensation, burning pain, or itching.

Phase 2: The Eruptive Stage

This is when the blisters and pain that normally characterize a shingles outbreak become apparent. Blisters filled with clear fluid may continue to appear for up to 5 days. They look a lot like chickenpox. Although blisters typically occur on just one side of the torso, they occasionally  encircle the body. They may also appear in other places, including buttocks, arms, legs, and face.

Shingles blisters can be intensely painful or merely mildly itchy or irritating. Many sufferers feel the need to wear loose clothing so as to keep anything from touching the skin. The eruptive stage can continue for two weeks, during which time the blisters become filled with pus and then begin to  scab over. By the time scabs begin to form, the outbreak no longer contains any virus particles. Ideally, the rash disappears within 3-5 weeks.

It is best to apply creams or lotions that contain antiviral herbs as soon as an outbreak begins, or even just before the first blister appears. Creosote bush, soapbark tree, and lemon balm are generally available for such topical applications. Prescription drug creams also work at this stage. You may have to experiment to find which kind of product helps you the most. My choice is for natural products.

Long-Term Pain: Post-Herpetic Neuralgia (PHN)

Some people experience continued severe pain (i.e., PHN) that may last months or even years. PHN can be extremely painful and very difficult to handle. Antiviral drugs are ineffective for PHN because the virus is already gone by the time it sets in. Symptomatic treatment of the pain and inflammation offers the most effective help for PHN.

Anti-inflammatory creams and oils that DO NOT contain warming ingredients (such as capsaicin) will help keep down the pain-causing inflammation. General products that offer help for inflammatory skin disorders can be helpful. A short list of these would include emu oil (YES – not an herb!), vitamin E oil, creosote bush lotion, and lemon balm cream.

What Else Can You Do?

Diet, nutrition, vitamins, amino acids, herbs, and even tai chi have effects on the symptoms of shingles. Sometimes they are positive and sometimes they are not. A few of the best general strategies are outlined in my short report, “Controlling Shingles Naturally.” You can a copy at no charge when you subscribe to my newsletter, Shingles Research Updates, via the form at the top of this page.

All the best in natural health,

Dr. D

Check out this abstract from an article in the Journal of General Virology, January 2007, vol. 88 (Pt. 1): pp. 275-285.

“Antiviral activity obtained from aqueous extracts of the Chilean soapbark tree (Quillaja saponaria Molina).”

Roner MR, Sprayberry J, Spinks M, Dhanji S. Department of Biology, The University of Texas Arlington, Arlington, TX 76019, USA.

Natural, aqueous extracts of Quillaja saponaria, the Chilean soapbark tree, contain several physiologically active triterpenoid saponins that display strong adjuvant activity when used in either human or animal vaccines. In this paper, we describe studies that demonstrate a novel antiviral activity of Quillaja extracts against six viruses: vaccinia virus, herpes simplex virus type 1, varicella zoster virus, human mmunodeficiency viruses 1 and 2 (HIV-1, HIV-2) and reovirus. We demonstrate that microgram amounts of extract, while exhibiting no cell cytotoxicity or direct virucidal activity, prevent each of the six viruses tested from infecting their host cells. In addition, the presence of residual amoutns of extract continue to block virus infection and render cells resistant to infection for at least 16 hours after the removal of the extract from the cell culture medium. We demonstrate that a Quillaja extract possesses strong antiviral activity at concentrations more than 100-fold lower than concentrations that exhibit cell cytotoxicity. Extract concentrations as high as 100 micrograms per milliliter are not cytotoxic, but concentrations as low as 0.1 micrograms per milliliter are able to block HIV-1and HIV-2 virus attachment and infection.

This is nice work. I’ll be digging into it further and coming with recommendations to get soapbark tree preparations. It is common enough to be available in the U.S. already.

Dr. D

Olive Leaf

So many products on how to control shingles with natural treatments flood the market that it sometimes seems impossible to sort out which ones are good and which ones are not. What I do is visit product sites, take a look at their claims, then go to PubMed and my various herbal medicine manuals and see what I can find about the activity of the ingredients. One such “miracle” product that I evaluated recently is olive leaf extract.

Folk Medicine

Olive leaf is listed among folk medicines for use as an antihypertensive (i.e., for lowering blood pressure) and diuretic. Very little good research is available regarding these claims. Nevertheless, modern supplement manufacturers have made quite a big deal of this application. The only study that I could find in support of it (Life Sciences 55: 1965-1971, 1994) showed that the active ingredient, oleuropein, decreased blood pressure and dilated arteries surrounding the heart. It was an animal study whereby the treatment was administered by injection.

The most significant reference in my library that evaluates olive leaf is the German Commission E Monographs on herbal medicines. This commission concludes that the effectiveness of olive leaf for the above claimed uses is not sufficient to support the claims.

Antiviral Studies

Oleuropein was also the subject of an antiviral survey of several plant ingredients (Chem. Pharm. Bull. 49: 1471-1473, 2001). The results of this study showed that none of the active ingredients from several plant species, including oleuropein, had any significant activity against HSV-1 (herpes simplex type 1) or Flu-A (influenza type A). Oleuropein, however, showed significant antiviral activities against RSV (respiratory syncytial virus), and Para 3 (parainfluenza type 3), both of which cause infections of the lower respiratory tract.

Recommendation

The good news is that olive leaf and its main active ingredient do, indeed, have an antiviral activity that will benefit you during the flu season. The bad news is that it has no activity against the only herpes virus that has been examined so far. Since all members of the herpes family are so similar in their responses to antivirals, this does not bode well for the use of olive leaf against shingles.

Dr. D