Shingles

What is shingles and how do you treat it?  Listen for some suggestions on how to minimize the pain!

Music composed and performed by V. Karaitis

Transcript

Hey!  Thanks for listening!  I’m Chris Wagenti, and this is Who Gets It, Naturally.  Music was composed and performed by V. Karaitis.  I’m not selling anything, diagnosing anything; offering any cures or replacing your doctor.  I’m just sharing my passion for natural products.  If you’re pregnant, please consult your doctor before trying anything new.  Everyone is different so you may need to tweak the recipes a bit to work for you.  Always start with the least amount of essential oils…you can always add, you can’t take away.  Remember, these remedies don’t last forever, you need to reapply as needed.  If you are allergic to any of the ingredients I use, please substitute for something you’re not allergic to.  Just because it’s natural doesn’t mean you can’t be allergic to it.

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Today, let’s talk about shingles.  No, I’ve never had them, but several people in my family have.  It started with an uncle on my mom’s side.  He had it, and before they figured out he passed it on to my cousin as chicken pox, my oldest sister, who was 17 at the time, baby sat for him.  She got the chick pox, pretty bad – they were all over, and passed it along to my other sister and I.  They let us hang out with our younger cousins to let us pass it on to them and get it over with.  That’s pretty much how we dealt with childhood diseases back then.  You stayed home from school for about 2 weeks, tried not to scratch, and watched games shows and the silent version of Nosferatu in black & white on one of the only UHF channels that would come in clearly.  When my sister Annie was about 17, she got shingles.  I can remember how much pain she was in.  It broke out all over her back.  She couldn’t even put on a bra, never mind a shirt.  Now, she’s very petit, she was actually able to tie a bandana around her chest, and get it to sit just above the outbreak.  Back then, it was massive amounts of calamine lotion and Tylenol.  Not much help.  In more recent years, my dad and his brother both got shingles.  Being extremely old school, like, can’t take anything unless the doctor says it’s ok, I couldn’t get either one of them to even try anything I created for them.  For people who were taught that doctors know best, it’s hard for them to accept that this stuff can work.  They do try to be supportive of me, but they still have their doubts, and I understand that.  Most recently, like the past few months, one of my cousins got shingles.  The meds the doctor gave her were only sort of working.  I asked her if she was willing to try something alternative.  She was in so much pain, she said yes.  I sent her a one- ounce bottle of some Witch Hazel, Clary Sage and Frankincense to try, and the recipe for Deep to Left if she wanted to give it a try.  Why that stuff & how did I even come up with it?

Let’s break this down.  What is shingles?  It’s a virus that causes a rash that looks like blisters on your skin, usually just one part or area of your body, and is extremely painful.  Pain, intense pain from what everyone says about it, means it is affecting your nerves (‘cause that’s how you feel pain).  So, you need an anti-viral that will soothe the skin and reduce inflammation (the most common cause of pain) and/or desensitize the nerve endings to reduce the pain triggers (think capsaicin). 

Let’s start with Anti-viral – my first reaction and go-to anti-viral is Frankincense.  That’s my default, but you do have lots of options:  The Mint Family including Peppermint, Rosemary, Thyme, Oregano; The Firs like Cypress; The Citruses including Lemon, Lime, Orange and Grapefruit; Clove; Cinnamon; Melissa; Eucalyptus; Melaleuca, or Tea Tree, and this is just naming a few.  Lavender, Lemongrass, Bergamot…there’s LOTS of options.

Skin irritation – my default for that is using Witch Hazel as a base instead of a carrier oil.  It helps heal the skin, reduce inflammation, has anti-viral and antibiotic properties.  And cools the skin off when you put it on.  To me, that’s a no-brainer.  But, what if you’re allergic to Witch Hazel, or just really don’t like the scent?  There are several carrier oils that help heal the skin and also have anti-viral and antibacterial properties, among others, that you can use instead.  Again, it’s a personal preference because there’s a wide variety…Coconut Oil, Jojoba Oil, Aragon Oil, Avocado Oil.  Another thing to consider is the consistency, how easy it’s going to be to apply the oil…for instance.  Coconut oil is thin, glides on easy, and you can probably use a mister cap and get away with spraying it on the affected area like with Witch Hazel.  Jojoba Oil is thicker, and blends into the skin better when your skin is damp.  Because it is thicker than Coconut Oil, it’ll be harder to apply it using a mister cap, you’ll probably have to dab it on with a cotton ball to avoid the extra pain you’ll experience from trying to rub it on.  Point number 2…a thicker oil is going to need to be massaged in to work better, and that’s gonna hurt!  

Adding Clary Sage is added protection all the way around.  It’s got antibacterial properties; helps to heal wounds and smooth out wrinkles.  Not a fan of Clary Sage?  Frankincense, Melaleuca or Tea Tree, Eucalyptus, Lavender, Lemon, Bergamot, Lemongrass, Cinnamon, Peppermint, Rosemary, Cypress are all good for the skin, and, oh yeah, they’re all anti-virals.  Other oils good for the skin, Carrot Seed, Rose Hip, Cedarwood, Patchouli, Chamomile to name a few.  Like I said, you’ve got LOTS of options.

The Pain – when it’s that intense, you feel like nothing is going to stop it.  Adding an anti-inflammatory can help, and it can do absolutely nothing.  It depends on you, and if there is any inflammation to start with.  Luckily, you don’t need to add a specific anti-inflammatory, it’s a bonus with most of the anti-virals and skin relief options we already discussed…Frankincense, Peppermint, Rosemary, Eucalyptus, Thyme, Lavender, Chamomile,  Clary Sage, Clove.  

The more I work with alternatives, the more I think outside the box.  When my cousin said she was in so much pain she’d try anything, I thought, how can we reduce the pain?  You’re probably going to think I’m crazy, but hear me out.  Capsaicin is what makes peppers hot.  The more you eat hot peppers, the hotter you can handle (you start with mild peppers, then move up to Jalapeño, Cayenne, Thai, Ghost).  Basically, what the Capsaicin is doing is desensitizing the nerves in your mouth.  So now, the jalapeño doesn’t feel that bad anymore, let’s try something a bit hotter, and so on.  So I thought, maybe the Capsaicin will desensitize the nerves in her back and reduce the pain.  A few words of caution…if the blisters are open, Deep to Left will feel excruciatingly painful. Even if they’re not open, it can be very painful. If you do try this, make sure you have a carrier oil right next to you.  If it gets too hot, apply enough carrier oil to cool down the heat.  This will work (the carrier oil cooling down your skin from the oils/capsaicin being too hot).  Why in the world would I even consider this?  Capsaicin won’t just desensitize your skin, it’s also an antiviral.  

As I’m writing this, I just thought of something else that might help ease the pain…ice.  Right about now you’re convinced I’m off my rocker.  But think about it, ice helps ease headache pain; I’ve been using it at night on my knees when nothing else stops the pain as these storms roll in.  I have one of those pouches filled with herbs that can either get heated in the microwave or frozen in the freezer.  I keep it in the freezer and it works great.  If you don’t have an ice pack, you can make one…get a zip lock bag, add some ice and voila!  You may want to wrap a hand towel around it, especially if you’re putting it on your bare skin.

I don’t have fist-hand knowledge of the pain caused by shingles, so I really don’t know how well, if at all, any of these things help.  My cousin did say the mix I sent helped, but she was still in a lot of pain.  Pain intensity is subjective.  So, a lot of this depends on you…how sensitive to pain you are, and what works for you.  

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