If you listen to the media or any vaccine commercial, they will make you fear whatever ailment they are pushing their agenda for. Shingles are no different. Elderly are targeted when we talk about the shingles and are told to run and get the shingles vaccine.  They will make you believe the only way to get rid of shingles is to never get them in the first place.

If you have had the chicken pox anytime in your life, you already have the shingles virus living in your nerve roots. The shingles can express themselves when you’re stressed out and run down. So a suppressed immune system (when you have been sick, not eating healthy, worried or not getting enough sleep) can cause shingles to appear. They are more prevalent in the elderly due to stress with money, losing family members and the like. But, they can be expressed at any age.

My Story

I had chicken pox in 2nd grade, which I of course gave my little brother, (sharing is caring). He got a more severe case of chicken pox then I did. (We are talking in his throat and every inch of his body. Technically it was my fault, so I did feel kinda bad about it.) But, in 10th grade I got shingles. I had an AP history class that was stressing me out! My school career was based on a  perfect “A” streak and I was sporting a “C” at midterm. I remember vividly going to my father and asking if I had something on my back. I was having electric like shocks, that burned when I touched it. To my surprise, I had shingles in between my shoulder blades on the left side of my spine.

For treatment we used high volt and ultrasound, as well as, cold laser, along the nerve on my back. Luckily, we caught my shingles early and it only took a handful of treatments to get rid of them. (Which was a amazing. If you let shingles go without treatment you can develop postherpetic neuralgia. You do NOT want to develop postherpetic neuralgia. It can cause burning skin, pain and numbness, due to damage of the nerve root.)

Shingles

Shingles or Herpes Zoster, is a virus when expressed will run along a nerve, unlike chicken pox where they are expressed all over your body. The virus will typically gather around one point in a line. When you have a more severe case they can spread across several nerves and be bunched together.

We recently had a lady come into our office for back pain. She had stated she had been traveling in a car more frequently and thought maybe that was causing the left side low back pain. On examination we saw the start of shingles. Her case ended up being quite extensive and took longer to get rid of. I took pictures to document our progress. (seen below)

Initial visit

Middle of treatment

Pain-free and healing

This patient took about 15 visits to completely heal without any lasting problems. (She is currently pain free and lesion free.)

Symptoms

Shingles usually start out as pain, burning and sensitivity to touch. Once the lesions are expressed they can become fluid filled and pop, which then crust over. Pain will only be on one side of the body. (Since they run along the nerve.) Sometimes pain can be so bad that you don’t want clothing touching the area.

It is a common misconception that shingles are contagious. If you have shingles and are around someone that has not had chicken pox, then that person could possibly come down with chicken pox. But, they will NOT develop shingles. (I am around shingles all the time. Even while pregnant I have been around them. But, as I stated earlier I had chicken pox in the 2nd grade.) 

Treatment

If you google treatment for shingles, you will get a list of soothing creams, anti-inflammatory pills, cold compresses and dietary changes.

With chiropractic care you can get relief quicker and start the healing process immediately. You can get rid of them without having to worry about developing other complications from them. In our office we use ultrasound and high volt along with cold laser and a chiropractic adjustment. We also have the patient start taking L-lysine. L-lysine is an amino acid and has antiviral properties, which fight the herpes virus. (If you get cold sores, L-lysine is a supplement you can take to help the cold sore heal faster.) Lastly, we have the patient cut out arginine foods from their diet. (Turkey, pork loin, peanuts, and seeds to name a few.)

Pay attention to your symptoms and what is going on in your life. If you suspect shingles, get in to see your local chiropractor! They can help! Stop by our store to pick up doctors grade L-Lysine to help your body start healing faster.

~Dr.Lacey~
Carder Chiropractic Clinic, Inc.
El Reno, OK 73036