Hi Sandra, I'm in my 70s and recently had a bout of shingles. It was excruciating and my doctor has advised a vaccination which will cut my chances of getting it again by half. I'm wondering if there is anything additional I can do to keep it at bay? I really don't want to go through that again anytime soon. David, Gore
Shingles (herpes zoster) is certainly painful and caused by the recurrence of the varicella-zoster virus which is the same virus that causes chicken pox. Once someone has had chickenpox the virus remains active within the roots of the nerve and can cause future outbreaks, which are called shingles.
Shingles itself is a sore rash that can clear within five days but the residual pain can last for months to years for some people post outbreak. It is often more common in people over 60-years-old, those who have had chicken pox, people with compromised immunity, those undergoing radiation treatment, people with certain medications or those suffering from chronic long-term stress.
What I have found effective within my clinical practice has been the coordinated use of both St John's Wort tea and St John's Wort oil in response to a shingles outbreak. The good thing is that St John's Wort (in this form) can safely be taken alongside the Zostavax shingles vaccine.
St John's Wort has demonstrated anti-viral properties in both in vitro and in vivo studies (Braun, 2010) and is able to provide some relief for those suffering neuralgic pain post shingles outbreak.
For those who suffer from nerve pain caused by shingles, the combined effect of both the tea and the oil may be able to help alleviate some of the discomfort, as topical St John's Wort can act as a pain reliever for the nervous system. If people are concerned about scarring or have intermittent nerve pain, the use of the oil alone should suffice.