If you’ve been diagnosed with shingles then rest assured, a shingles natural cure is a far better way to go than receiving antidepressants and pharmaceutical creams or solutions from your doctor. More often than not, these types of treatments will actually stress your immune system and only make the outbreak last longer.
It’s important that you take a holistic approach and deal with the very source of the problem, rather than applying band-aid like pharmaceutical treatments which are rarely effective. In order to employ a shingles natural cure, we first need to identify the conditions under which a shingles outbreak most commonly occurs. Once we have done this, everything will make sense and the right treatment will seem obvious.
Shingles – Chickenpox Reloaded!
Chickenpox and shingles are both caused by the same family of viruses – the herpes virus. Like any family, each of these herpes variations has its own name. Chickenpox is caused by the Varicella Zoster virus, while the virus responsible for shingles is the herpes zoster (you’ll notice they have the same surname). The herpes virus is one of those sneaky little critters which retreats into your spinal column where your immune system can’t get to it. It lies dormant there for some time in your nerve roots until one day it is reawakened through physical or emotional stress or a weakened immune system.
Certain medications such as steroids (like prednisone), chemotherapy, and radiation may also be a trigger for a shingles outbreak.
According to the National Vaccine Information Center (NVIC), shingles is more common in individuals over age 50. But if you’re under 50 and your immune system has been compromised, you can also be at risk. I remember a family member who contracted shingles after experiencing stress and sleepless nights from having two young children – definitely someone under 50!
Fortunately, exposing yourself to the chickenpox virus in your childhood years – as well as developing it early on – may significantly lower your risk of developing shingles.
Treating Shingles Naturally
Since shingles is caused by the herpes virus, we want to eliminate as much as possible, any conditions under which it thrives. Since what I’m about to tell you relates to all herpes viruses, the good news is, that it has implications for a wider range of conditions than just shingles.
The herpes family of viruses is particularly affected by a person’s L-arginine to L-lysine ratio. So what are L-arginine and L-lysine? They are natural amino acids that are found inside the human body – and they come from consuming foods.
There must be a greater level of arginine than lysine in your body for herpes viruses to thrive. So the aim will be, to increase the balance in favor of lysine.
Lysine is found in proteins, dairy, and most vegetables. Arginine is found in nuts, chocolate, and tomatoes. Use the chart below to ensure that your diet is higher in foods containing L-lysine until the outbreak passes.
If you’re not one who wants to be constantly watching your diet then another approach would be to take lysine supplements. The recommended dosage is 2000 mg per day but this should only be taken until the symptoms subside, otherwise it may create other health problems. A carefully planned diet is a much better way to go. All it takes is a handful of peanuts to shift the amino acid balance back in favor of arginine and you’re back to square one.
Olive Leaf Extract Shingles Natural Cure 
Way back in 1969, a brilliant doctor by the name of Harold Renis discovered that olive leaf extract had the potential to eradicate virtually every harmful virus, bacteria, and protozoa on the planet. He and his staff tested it against 3,000 pathogens and it eliminated them all, including the herpes zoster virus.
According to the Olivus website, olive leaf extract does the following:
- It interferes with critical arginine amino acid production which is essential for the virus to grow and replicate.
- It has the ability to contain viral infections by deactivating them, as well as preventing viral shedding, budding, or assembly at the cell membrane.
- It can directly penetrate infected cells and shutdown their viral replication in male and female herpes and mild herpes simplex, foster, type I and type II.
French researchers came to similar conclusions about 23 years later. After extensive research French biologists found that all of the herpes viruses were inhibited, killed, or cured by extracts from olive leaf. The report they presented to the world was highly detailed, citing 28 other references on the anti-viral qualities of the main ingredient in olive leaf extract – Oleuropein.
How to Use Olive Leaf Extract
You can purchase olive leaf extract from your local health store in capsule form. We recommend that you ask for the super-strength variety as standard varieties are not strong enough. Ensure that the brand you buy contains a minimum 25 percent of pure Oleuropein.
Recommended Dosage: We suggest you go with the highest recommended amount listed on the bottle, which is usually anywhere between 3-6 capsules per day. Olive leaf extract is not toxic or harmful to the body in any way so you can safely do this. You can read a more detailed report on OLE here.
Other Shingles Natural Cures
Oral doses of colloidal silver can be helpful to, because colloidal silver is harmful to viruses. Large doses of vitamin C are also recommended because they are known to be helpful in reducing recovery time.
There are also some herbal medicines that may provide relief from insomnia and anxiety due to shingles. These include:
- melatonin
- St. John’s Wort
- oregano oil
- echinacea
- lemon balm
- green tea
- essential fatty acids
The above natural remedies should always be preferred before prescribed antidepressants.
Here are some suggestions for reducing the pain and stimulating recovery:
Apple Cider Vinegar and Cayenne Pepper
Soak a cloth rag in apple cider vinegar and set aside. Next, take some cayenne pepper and sprinkle it over the lesions. Then take the rag or pad which you have soaked in the vinegar and use it to cover the pepper sprinkled lesions. The final thing to do is to add heat. You can do this with a hot water bottle, or any heat pack of your choice. Doing this on a regular basis should drastically reduce your recovery time, not to mention providing relief from the itching.
Chiropractor
Since the herpes virus likes to hide in your spinal column a visit to your local chiropractor may also be of some assistance. Spinal misalignment is a significant contributing factor in shingles outbreaks and how long they last.
Baking Soda
Another shingles natural cure is to create a paste using cornstarch or baking soda and water. Place two parts of baking soda into a cup and mix it with one part water to create a paste with the right consistency. Apply this mixture to your shingles rash, leave it there for 10 to 15 minutes, and then rinse off. Baking soda is a good compound to naturally relieve the itching. Repeat several times a day as needed.
A Sweet Way to Treat Shingles
Applying honey on the affected area has proven to be effective against shingles, along with other herpes infections. This sweet food has been used as conventional treatment for infection up until the early 20th century when penicillin was introduced.
However, not all types of honey are successful in suppressing infections. Some varieties have 100 times more potent antibacterial activity, while others contribute to the spread of microbes. I strongly advise you to avoid processed, refined honey found at most grocery stores, as it will only worsen your infection – whether consumed or applied topically.
On the other hand, raw honey has been approved for medical use because of its healing properties. High-quality raw honey is beneficial in treating wounds because it draws fluid away from the wound and has a high sugar content that inhibits the growth of harmful microorganisms.
Bees also secrete a special enzyme called glucose oxidase, which causes honey to produce low levels of hydrogen peroxide when it comes into contact with your wound.
Manuka honey, a high-quality variety that originated from New Zealand, has all of these wound-healing properties, along with antimicrobial qualities. Clinical trials have found that Manuka honey, produced from the pollen gathered from flowers of the Manuka bush, can eliminate up to 250 strains of bacteria – including antibiotic-resistant ones like methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA).
We recommend applying Manuka honey in a semifluid form directly to the affected area at least four times a day. The goal is to keep the sores constantly bathed in honey.
Try to avoid comfort foods
The distress and discomfort from the pain associated with shingles may lead you to crave comfort foods. It is important that you try to resist consuming anything with a high L-arginine amino acid content for reasons already mentioned. For this reason, you should avoid:
- food and juices with high amounts of sugar
- arginine-rich foods (including chocolate, gelatin, and nuts)
- refined carbohydrates
- foods high in saturated fat
A shingles virus outbreak can last between two and six weeks. Shingles isn’t life-threatening but some people experience postherpetic neuralgia. This is when nerve fibers become damaged, causing shingles pain to lasts for weeks or months after the rash clears. Using an effective shingles natural cure will minimize the possibility of any complications.
