The Shingle Solution™ By Julissa Clay This eBook includes a program to treat the problem of shingle naturally. The author of this eBook, Julissa Clay, a practitioner in natural health, has killed the shingles causing virus completely to overcome the problem of PHN or Postherpetic neuralgia, one of the common complications caused by shingles. This program helps in melting PHN in a few weeks and make shingles a forgotten nightmare.
How can one manage shingles with autoimmune diseases?
How to handle shingles if you have an autoimmune disorder is to pay special attention to your immune system as well as the kind of treatments that are being utilized to cure the autoimmune disease. Autoimmune diseases will have the immune system either in overactivity or suppressed, one or the other, that will make shingles as a condition complicated to treat and more likely to develop complications easily. This is how you can manage shingles if you have an autoimmune disorder:
1. Consult Both Your Autoimmune Disease Physician and Your Family Doctor
Combined care is needed when you have both an autoimmune condition and shingles. Your rheumatologist, immunologist, or other physicians who manage your autoimmune illness should be a part of your shingles care plan.
They can help you adjust your autoimmune disease medications (e.g., immunosuppressants or biologics) to minimize risks and manage potential side effects.
2. Early Antiviral Treatment
Antiviral medications (e.g., acyclovir, valacyclovir, or famciclovir) are essential in treating shingles, especially if you have an autoimmune disorder.
Start antiviral treatment once you notice symptoms of shingles (pain, itching, or rash) to reduce severity and attack duration.
Autoimmune disorders may weaken the immune system’s capacity to fight the virus, so early treatment is even more imperative.
3. Monitor and Adjust Immunosuppressive Medications
Immunosuppressive drugs (e.g., methotrexate, azathioprine, biologics) used to treat autoimmune diseases can increase the risk of infection and may impair your body’s ability to combat the varicella-zoster virus (which causes shingles).
Work with your doctor to determine whether adjustments to your immunosuppressive therapy are necessary during the shingles outbreak.
At other times, your doctor may suggest a temporary reduction or cessation of these medications while you’re on antiviral therapy so that your immune system will be able to respond more positively to the infection.
4. Pain Care with Caution
Nerve pain is caused by shingles and can be more severe or more difficult to treat if you have autoimmune conditions like rheumatoid arthritis or lupus, which can already create inflammation or pain in joints.
Options for treating pain relief may include:
Antiviral medication (which will help manage pain as well as treat the virus)
Prescription pain meds like gabapentin or pregabalin for pain in the nerves.
Topical treatments like lidocaine patches or capsaicin cream for local pain management.
Pain medication from the store (ibuprofen, acetaminophen), but first ask your doctor, especially if you’re on medicine that may not mix with pain medicine.
5. Stress Immune System Support
Proper management of your autoimmune disease while dealing with shingles includes steps to strengthen your immune system:
Eat a healthy diet rich in vitamins and minerals (e.g., vitamin C, vitamin D, zinc) to support immune function.
Drink plenty of water and don’t stress, as dehydration and stress compromise the immune system.
Rest and sufficient sleep are essential to allow your body to heal well.
Take supplements like probiotics to keep the gut healthy, which is linked with immune system function.
6. Prevent Secondary Infections
People with autoimmune diseases may have compromised skin integrity due to treatments or the disease process, which can render the shingles rash vulnerable to secondary bacterial infections.
Keep the infected area of skin as clean and dry as possible. Gently wash the rash with mild soap and warm water.
Use calamine lotion or cool compresses to relieve itching and irritation.
If the rash opens or becomes weeping, it can require extra attention to avoid infection. Use antibiotic ointments if your doctor recommends them.
7. Take the Shingles Vaccine (If Indicated)
Some patients with autoimmune diseases, particularly those 50 years or older, can take a shingles vaccine (Shingrix) to prevent future outbreaks.
If you’re receiving immunosuppressive treatment, consult your doctor before getting the vaccine, as the vaccine is inactivated and typically considered safe, but timing and specific recommendations vary.
Your doctor may suggest waiting until your autoimmune disease is well-managed and your immune system is stable before getting the vaccine.
8. Watch for Complications
Postherpetic neuralgia (PHN) is one of the more common shingles complications, causing pain in nerves after rash healing. This may be more challenging for those with autoimmune diseases already of a chronic nature.
Persistent pain after rash healing should be discussed with your doctor since treatment for PHN (e.g., nerve blocks, topical pain drugs, or pain relief by prescription) can be necessary.
If shingles break out around the eyes (ocular shingles), seek attention immediately, as this can cause vision problems.
9. Coping with Mental Health
Anxiety from the coexistence of both an autoimmune disorder and shingles can also harm your psychological well-being by aggravating your symptoms.
Learn to use relaxation methods such as meditation, yoga, or controlled breathing.
Reach out to a mental health professional if you notice that there is increased anxiety or depression linked with the shingles eruption or your autoimmune illness.
10. Routine Check-ups
Make regular check-ups with both your autoimmune disease doctor and your regular doctor throughout and after the shingles eruption to ensure that both illnesses are in good control.
Ensure that the shingles is being treated well, and your autoimmune disease remains under good control.
In Summary:
Treating shingles with an autoimmune disease requires a careful treatment approach that includes antiviral therapy, adjustment of immune-suppressant medication, careful monitoring for shingles complications like postherpetic neuralgia, and proper support of your immune system. Collaboration with your healthcare provider will enable you to develop a treatment plan that addresses the shingles as well as your underlying autoimmune disease.
Would you like to see more information on some treatments or advice on how to live with autoimmune diseases and shingles?
Treatment of shingles in patients with chronic pain syndromes must be a delicate, multidisciplinary endeavor. Shingles itself is a cause of intense pain, and when combined with underlying chronic pain, the problem is even more complex. The remedy is to treat the acute pain of shingles and the chronic pain, but with as little overlapping as possible. Some of the ways to treat shingles with chronic pain follow:
1. Early Treatment with Antiviral Drugs
Start antiviral treatment early: Early antiviral treatment with medications like acyclovir, valacyclovir, or famciclovir is essential in reducing the severity and duration of shingles. Starting antivirals within 72 hours of rash onset also can avert complications like post-herpetic neuralgia (PHN), a common feature in patients with chronic pain conditions.
Shorten outbreak duration: Antivirals reduce the length of the outbreak, providing some respite from the intense pain of shingles.
2. Pain management strategies
For the patient with chronic disorders of pain (e.g., fibromyalgia, osteoarthritis, back pain, neuropathy), management of the pain of shingles becomes especially important. Hereafter are pain management strategies:
Non-Opioid Pain Relief
Acetaminophen (Tylenol) or NSAIDs (such as ibuprofen) are helpful for mild to moderate shingles pain but need to be taken cautiously, especially in individuals with kidney or liver disease.
Topical treatment: Topical lidocaine patches or capsaicin cream can desensitize the area without adding systemic medication and therefore are great for individuals with chronic pain who do not want to have to increase oral pain medication.
Gabapentinoids for Nerve Pain
Gabapentin or pregabalin are typically prescribed for both shingles-related nerve pain and chronic pain conditions like neuropathy. These medications can alleviate the burning, tingling, and stabbing pain of shingles and provide additional relief to patients with chronic nerve pain.
Antidepressants for Pain Management
Tricyclic antidepressants (e.g., amitriptyline) and serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs, e.g., duloxetine) can be helpful for both shingles pain and chronic pain syndromes. They influence the pathways of pain and can improve mood, which is usually impaired by pain.
Opioid Drugs (with Caution)
Although opioids may be used in severe pain, they must be treated with caution, especially in patients with chronic pain who are on long-term opioid therapy. This is most likely to increase the risk of tolerance, dependence, and abuse. Opioids must be used as a short-term therapy for acute shingles pain under strict medical supervision.
3. Avoiding and Managing Post-Herpetic Neuralgia (PHN)
PHN is also a common complication of shingles, particularly in individuals with chronic pain syndromes. PHN can cause permanent nerve pain long after the rash has faded. Treatment options to manage PHN are:
Pain medications for neuropathy: Gabapentin, pregabalin, and carbamazepine are commonly used to manage the extended nerve pain of PHN.
Topical medication: Lidocaine patches or capsaicin creams may be applied directly to pain sites to reduce nerve pain without systemic side effects.
TENS (Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation): TENS units can be used for the treatment of chronic pain and PHN. The device delivers small electrical currents to the skin to help relieve pain.
4. Stress and Emotional Management
Chronic pain is usually accompanied by stress, and shingles may make the pain worse. Shingles and its associated pain can cause emotional distress as well as pre-existing mental illnesses such as anxiety and depression.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT): CBT can help the individual to change their perception of pain and adapt to managing chronic as well as shingles-induced pain.
Mindfulness and Relaxation: Stress may be alleviated and pain sensitivity decreased with techniques of deep breathing, meditation, or guided imagery, which are useful for individuals who are coping with more than one source of pain.
Support groups: Support group participation with individuals with chronic pain or shingles offers a sense of belonging and knowledge that diminishes feelings of loneliness and emotional strain.
5. Sleep Problem Solution
Chronic pain and shingles pain are likely to disturb sleep, and this can exacerbate both the pain conditions and mood.
Sleep hygiene: Stress the importance of developing a relaxing bedtime routine, maintaining a regular sleep schedule, and making your sleeping environment comfortable.
Medications: In severe pain-related insomnia, low-dose antidepressants (e.g., tricyclics) or melatonin may be helpful in promoting sleep without causing significant worsening of pain or sedation.
6. Physical Therapy and Gentle Exercise
Slow movement: While it is required to rest in the acute phase of shingles, once the rash has healed, gentle stretching, walking, or tai chi can be helpful in alleviating pain in shingles and chronic pain. Physical therapy may improve mobility and reduce stiffness.
Breathing exercises: Deep breathing exercises such as diaphragmatic breathing can alleviate pain and stress by causing relaxation and increasing oxygenation.
7. Diet and Nutrition
Anti-inflammatory diet: Following an anti-inflammatory diet, which contains anti-inflammatory food items like omega-3 fatty acids (in fish or flaxseed), fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, may prove to be beneficial for general pain management. In patients with chronic pain, reducing processed foods, sugar, and saturated fats may also serve to reduce inflammation.
Supplements: Others find it helps to relieve nerve pain with supplements such as vitamin B12, omega-3 fatty acids, or turmeric (curcumin), but always consult your doctor first before supplementing if you have a chronic condition.
8. Vaccination for Prevention
Shingrix vaccine: The Shingrix vaccine is highly effective for the prevention of shingles as well as post-herpetic neuralgia. In people with long-term pain conditions, vaccination prior to an outbreak has the potential to reduce the chance of developing shingles in the first place.
9. Coordinating Care
Collaborate with multiple health professionals: Shingles and chronic pain care may require a multi-professional approach. This includes a general doctor, pain management specialist, dermatologist, neurologist, and mental health therapists. Collaborating as a team avoids loneliness and protects the medical professionals from unbridled chaos in patient health.
Final Thoughts
Managing shingles with chronic pain includes an individualized approach that addresses both the acute shingles disease and the chronic pain syndrome. Timely antiviral treatment, effective pain management, and stress reduction are key components. Collaboration with your physician to tailor treatments to your requirements is central to maximizing the best care.
Would you like more information on any of these approaches or recommendations for specific chronic pain syndromes?
The Shingle Solution™ if you are suffering from shingles then The Shingle Solution can be the best program for you to relieve your pain and itching by using a natural remedy. It describes the ways to use this program so that you can feel the difference after using it as directed. This natural remedy for shingles can also help in boosting your immune system along with repairing your damaged nerves and relieve pain and itching caused by shingles