posted August 23, 2012 01:09 PM            

I'm only 32 and in otherwise good health, so this is unexpected.

Have any of you had shingles?
If so, do you recommend any methods to deal with the pain and itchiness?

I'm already on some antivirals to help shorten the duration.

posted August 23, 2012 02:46 PM            

It was stress induced upon graduating nursing school.

The only thing that helps is time...I pasted mine with calamine lotion every day as goodness forbid, I started not only a new job but a new career with em! yuck!

I also applied, for comfort after the Calamine dried a light coating of gauze.

IF you were able to get on antivirals soon enough that would be really cool!

Otherwise it is just wait.

Just dont tell anybody you have em, cause you will become a lepar, and really, it is highly contageous and deadly for somebody who has never had chicken pox.

At night, or whenever you sleep, it is best to let them air out. Shower, sleep neath a fan or something to air the crap out!

Sorry for you having to deal with this...it is terrible...

luck and blessins!!!

posted August 23, 2012 03:10 PM            

Why? Because it has proven to be a powerful broad spectrum cure all. Especially for skin disorders and viruses of all kinds.

It's as powerful as the antibiotics out there without the side effects.

So I did a google search to see what came up. Here, is what could be some helpful info.

You can by a bottle of the liquid GSE at any healthfood store for around $10. Don't use it straight. I would use it internally and externally, if you do.

The brand I always have on hand is NutriBiotic. It has so many uses, you might want to look into it and get some anyway.

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http://www.pureliquidgold.com/shingles_skin_disease_disorder.htm

Shingles related e-book
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http://www.thefamilyhomestead.com/grapefruitseedextract.htm

Some other things that are benefited by the use of GSE are: bad breath, toothaches, gingivitis, runny nose, coughs, hoarseness, laryngitis, earaches, acne, shaving, head lice, rashes, dermatitis, psoriasis, shingles, eczema, insect bites and stings, warts, athlete's foot, corns, blisters, vaginitis, yeast infections, colds, gastrointestinal infections, candida albicans, parasitic diseases, and allergies.

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http://www.moondragon.org/health/disorders/shingles.html

Olive leaf extract is also pretty powerful.

Hope that might be of some help and you are able to heal soon.

posted August 23, 2012 03:12 PM            

Description
Grapefruit seed is prepared in extract form from the seeds, pulp, and white membranes of grapefruits from grapefruit trees (Citrus paradisi). The grapefruit tree, first discovered on the Caribbean island of Barbados in the seventeenth century, was brought to Florida in 1823 for commercial cultivation. The plant was probably named grapefruit because its fruits grow in bunches or clusters. Grapefruit seed extract (GSE) is used as a broad spectrum, non-toxic, antimicrobial compound. The extract comes in two forms, liquid and powder.

GSE was developed by Dr. Jacob Harich, a physicist who was born in Yugoslavia in 1919 and educated in Germany. His education in nuclear physics was interrupted by Word War II. After witnessing the horror of war as a fighter pilot, Harich decided to devote the rest of his life to improving the human condition. He then expanded his educational pursuits to include medicine, including gynecology and immunology. He came to the United States in 1957 to study at Long Island University in New York. As an immunologist, he was interested in studying natural substances that might help protect the body from undesirable microorganisms. In 1963, he moved to Florida, the heart of grapefruit country, and began research on the use of grapefruit seeds as a biocide. By 1990, holistic health practitioners began to recommend the use of GSE to their patients. In 1995, Harich was invited to the Pasteur Institute of France, a leading AIDS research center. Researchers at the Center have been investigating the potential of GSE as a prophylactic against the HIV virus as well as against some of the secondary infections associated with AIDS. He was also honored by farmers in Europe who use a powdered form of GSE in fish and poultry feed to control Salmonella and Escherichia coli. In 1996, Harich passed away.

General use
GSE is a broad spectrum bactericide, fungicide, antiviral, and antiparasitic compound. When used in vitro, GSE has been shown to be highly effective against a broad spectrum of bacteria, including Staphyloccus aureus, Streptococcus pyogenes, Salmonella typhi, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Shigella dysenteriae, Legionella pneumoniae, Clostridium tetani, Diploccus pneumoniae, and many others. GSE also strongly inhibits many types of pathogenic fungi and yeast.

Examples of external uses of GSE include:
mouth and lips: mouthwash, mouth ulcers, thrush, bad breath, cracked lips, sunburned lips, and cold sores
teeth and gums: plaque, tooth decay, toothaches, tooth extraction, gingivitis, and toothbrush cleaner
nose and sinuses: sinusitis, runny nose (rhinitis), and nasal ulcer
throat: sore throat, tonsillitis, coughs, hoarseness, and laryngitis
ears: ear cleaning, earaches, and inflammation of the middle ear (otitis media) in conjunction with internal use
face: acne and shaving
scalp and hair: shampoo, dandruff, itching scalp, and head lice
skin: small cuts, skin abrasions, scratches, minor burns, rashes, dermatitis, psoriasis, shingles, eczema, nettle rash, insect bites and stings, tick and leech bites, leg ulcers, warts, and skin fungi
feet: athlete's foot, sweaty feet, calluses, corns, blisters, nail fungi, and cuticular infections
vagina and genitals: vaginitis, yeast infections, vaginal parasites, feminine hygiene, and fungal and parasitic diseases in the male genital area
Examples of internal uses include:
acute and chronic inflammations in general
colds and flu
gastrointestinal infections
vastritis and gastric and duodenal ulcers
Candida albicans and other fungal diseases
parasitic diseases
allergies

Preparations
Grapefruit seeds and pulp contain a combination of bioflavonoids and polyphenolic compounds. The polyphenols are unstable but are chemically converted during the GSE synthesis process into more stable substances that belong to a class of compounds called quaternary ammonium compounds. The active quaternary ammonium compound in GSE believed to be responsible for its antimicrobial properties is a diphenol hydroxybenzene complex. The antimicrobial activity appears to develop in the cytoplasmic membrane of the microorganisms. The active ingredients disorganize the cytoplasmic membrane so that the uptake of amino acids is prevented. At the same time there is a leakage of low molecular weight cellular contents through the cytoplasmic membrane. Studies have also shown that GSE inhibits cellular respiration.
The extract is prepared by grinding grapefruit seeds and pulp into a fine powder. The powder is dissolved into purified water and distilled to remove fiber and pectin. The distilled slurry is spray dried at low temperatures forming a concentrated grapefruit bioflavonoid powder. This concentrated powder is dissolved in vegetable glycerin and heated. Food grade ammonium chloride and ascorbic acid are added. This mixture is heated under pressure where it undergoes catalytic conversion using natural catalysts, including hydrochloric acid and natural enzymes. The slurry is then cooled, filtered, and treated with ultraviolet light. Residual ammonium chloride in the final product is between 15 and 18%; residual ascorbic acid is between 25 and 35 mg/kg. There is no residue of hydrochloric acid in the final product. In the United States, standardized GSE contains 60% grapefruit extract materials and 40% vegetable glycerin. A powdered form of GSE is also available that contains 50% grapefruit extract materials, 30% silicon dioxide, and 20% vegetable glycerine.

posted August 24, 2012 09:21 AM            

Yeah: re: telling people. I found that out first hand

Thank you, hippichick, T, and Randall, for the tips re: treatment.
I'll look into them. I have some GSE around here somewhere, so that'll be a good first option. Randall - where does one get colloidal silver? Hippichick - I'll trek out to Target to look at some of your recs.
I have to be carefu with everything, though, because I'm nursing Zoë.

On that, I nursed her for a week before I knew what these were and, being 2 months old, she's vulnerable to chickenpox. As hippichick said, I'm pretty contagious - she's been exposed, though, so now we're just playing wait and see. If we catch it right away, they'll put her on antivirals. Between those and the antibodies in my milk, we'll hope for the best.

posted August 24, 2012 04:51 PM            

ps you can get colloidal silver at an natural or healthfood store. I think even Vitamin Shoppe sells it now. They have a pretty impressive array of products besides vitamins and body builder supplements, i found out recently.

I prefer to keep the mom and pop stores in business, but I'm pretty sure they sell it there now too.

posted September 15, 2012 09:20 AM            

I have generalized anxiety.

posted September 17, 2012 08:34 AM            

They weren't that bad - cleared up after a couple of weeks.

posted September 20, 2012 05:28 PM            

hope you & kiddo are ok. Breast feeding & shingles must have been scary and painful for you.

I had shingles at 35. At the time I was lead sauté chef at an open kitchen restaurant. Imagine [or maybe not] working hours on a hot stove while your blisters are 'running', in a heavy chef coat. Not anyones idea of a good time.

I went to the Dr. late, I was advanced. He told me I had to take at least 3 days off work due to contagion; I wanted to kiss him.
However he did not educate me about how to deal with it. Not having a comp. I went to the library.

Two things that worked for me were vitamin Lysine, and no nut products.

Some people get the band of blisters around their head [most dangerous] some, circling the back and chest.

Anyone who has had chicken pox can get shingles.

I would like to ask T if she knows anything about the vaccine that came out a couple years ago. I talked to a pharmacist and he said I can get shingles again.

Nerve damage can occur in advanced cases that are not treated in time. That happened to me. I get 'twinges' every so often, it's not like a muscle memory thing it is somewhat painful like bee stings. Anyway I know many Kflakes are very anti vaccine, and the way they are created and farmed out these days I tend to agree. Web searches are kinda 60/40 in the 'get the shot' camp...thoughts T?

GSE is something that I will look for btw

I took Lysine for 6 months and the pain disappeared. Only the twinges [yes stress related] now and again.

I am writing allot of these details for others....the health folder on LL is an invaluable resource.

&PS