Shingles help

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Dear Reader, "Please, need information on Shingles. What can we do for the pain of shingles? Please help." The tone of that request - from an HSI member named Theresa - reveals just how painful and debilitating a case of the shingles can be. Fortunately there are natural therapies Theresa can use to help reduce shingles pain and shorten the healing period. -------------------------------------------- Priming the pump -------------------------------------------- On the topic of shingles, HSI Panelist Allan Spreen, M.D., can relate. He says, "I had it for a week and about died." In the e-Alert "Rain on My Parade" (5/12/04), Dr. Spreen mentioned that B-12 is an effective treatment for shingles. When I asked him to elaborate he explained: "The key is that the virus inhabits the nerve root, activating during some onset of stress. B-12 goes to the nerve sheath, directly, as a nutrient, and is the best attack I

know." But Dr. Spreen's B-12 regimen is a little more involved than just popping a few sub-lingual B-12 tabs. To begin with, he suggests that as soon as a case of shingles is diagnosed, the patient should take 1 mg (1000 mcg, or 1cc) of B-12 by intramuscular injection per day for a week, then once each week until symptoms are completely gone. Intramuscular injection may not seem too appealing, but Dr. Spreen notes that it's not as bad as it sounds: "It's easy to teach a person to inject themselves, especially since it's cheap and they have quite an incentive if they have shingles. At first, the injections are pretty important (as I've seen nothing else work as well or as fast). They cause crusting to occur much faster. "It is possible to use sub-lingual B-12, which allows for the use of methyl-B-12 form, which is the most powerful, and nearly impossible to get by the intramuscular route, but I like starting with a few shots to 'prime the pump'. 1-2

mg of the sub-lingual form daily should work pretty well after that." -------------------------------------------- Flower power -------------------------------------------- In addition to vitamin B-12, Dr. Spreen offers these suggestions: "To shorten the duration of shingles, I'd add alpha-lipoic acid, several hundred milligrams per day, along with vitamin C (of course), at least 1000 milligrams three times/day. Anything to enhance the immune system will shorten the misery." The misery may also be shortened by a topical application of geranium oil. A case of shingles may last less than 10 days, but it's the post-herpetic neuralgia (PHN) that can hang on and cause considerable pain for long periods. In a study published in The American Journal of Medicine, researchers divided 30 adults suffering PHN into four groups. One group received topical treatments of geranium oil, while two groups received a mix of geranium oil and mineral oil

(at ratios of 1 to 1 and 1 to 10), and a fourth group received only mineral oil. All of the subjects who received any amount of geranium oil reported pain reduction, and those who received treatments containing 100 percent geranium oil experienced the greatest pain relief. The placebo group reported little or no relief. Some subjects experienced a slight irritation from the geranium oil, but these irritations subsided within an hour or so. Dr. Spreen tells me that he's never heard of using geranium oil to address shingles, but says, "I like the idea of anything topical and non-toxic. If there's anything to it, washing the area first with a non-chemical soap, then applying some DMSO before the geranium oil would cause it to absorb deeper into the area (though there's a garlicky taste to put up with for awhile)." Conventional treatment for shingles is limited to anti-viral medications that sometimes take days to work, and often don't work at all. And

while Theresa and others may find pain relief and faster healing through Dr. Spreen's vitamin regimen or by using geranium oil, they should talk to their doctor or naturopathic healthcare professional before beginning any natural or over-the-counter treatments. **************************************************** Ever feel like your head is about to explode? Well, now you can help defuse the bomb with MigraSpray! MigraSpray is a unique blend of four herbal medicines designed to help keep the blood flowing so your head can stay calm and comfortable. MigraSpray's main ingredient, feverfew, has been used since the 1600s when it was believed to help protect against both the plague and the bite of mad dogs. Today, feverfew is known to help maintain healthy blood vessel dilation, promote natural blood flow and circulation. While, the natural anti-inflammatory properties of MigraSprays’

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thing Fooling Mother Nature can sometimes make you feel better. But there's often a price to pay. In the e-Alert "The Other Pause" (4/28/05), I told you about the growing use of testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) to treat symptoms of andropause (the male counterpart of menopause). As men grow older, their testosterone levels drop a little more than one percent each year after the age of 40. This change can trigger moodiness, memory loss, a decline in sex drive, and a lack of energy, strength and endurance. Taken together, these conditions sometimes cause men to experience a gradual passivity and disinterest in life. Several years ago the FDA approved TRT for the treatment of low testosterone production called hypogonadism. Since then, many doctors have exercised the option of off-label usage to prescribe the therapy for other andropause symptoms. The upside: Many men who use TRT report a boost of energy and libido. The downside: some

studies have shown that TRT may raise prostate cancer risk. A recent study from the University of California has confirmed that risk. And although it's a small observational study of only 20 men, it points up the fact that doctors and their older male patients must be very cautious with this therapy. As reported in the Journal of Urology, seven of the subjects were diagnosed with prostate cancer within the first year of treatment, four more were diagnosed the following year, and the rest were diagnosed over the course of eight years. One of the researchers, lin D Gaylis, M.D., told Reuters Health that men who consider using TRT should receive "careful, informed consultation regarding the risks and benefits of such a treatment." And this is especially true of any man who has a family history of prostate cancer. To Your Good Health, Sneak preview the all-new .com. It's not radically different. Just radically better.

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