| Shingles causes include: stress,
cancer, using anticancer drugs, and immune system
deficiency. Physical or emotional stress can also be a consideration. Even a
minor injury or cold may cause an attack. Shingles affects over 875,000
Americans every year. It may affect persons of any age, but is more common
in people over 50 years old. Since this is when the body's immune function
naturally starts to decline. Shingles normally lasts only a few weeks,
however, severe cases may last longer and require special treatment. There
are some cases, where the pain lasts for months and even years. This type
syndrome is known as postherpetic neuralgia. If shingles develop near the
eyes, the cornea may be affected and blindness may result. Around 20% of people
who get shingles suffer repeats of the disease. For people who have immune
system deficiencies, shingles can be very damaging. It is capable of
affecting the internal organs, and causing damage to both kidneys and
lungs. Shingles can also cause permanent injuries including: blindness,
deafness, and paralysis. If shingles goes untreated, death may occur. |
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click here for more information
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| The first symptoms of Shingles / herpes zoster normally
include headache, fever, and malaise, are nonspecific, and may result in being
given the wrong diagnosis by your doctor. These symptoms are then commonly
followed by sensations of burning pain, itching, hyperesthesia "oversensitivity",
or paresthesia a "pins and needles" type of tingling, pricking,
or numbness. The pain associted with shingles can range from mild to extreme in
the affected dermatome, with sensations that are often described as stinging,
tingling, aching, numbing or throbbing, and can be interspersed with quick stabs
of pain.
Herpes zoster in kids/children is normally painless, but in the older persons
who are more likely to get shingles the disease tends to be worse.
In most cases after 1 to 2 days, but perhaps as long as three weeks, the
initial phase is followed by the appearance of its characteristic skin rash. The
pain and rash commonly occurs on the person's torso, but it may appear other
places such as the face, eyes or other parts of the body. In the beginning the
rash appears similar to the first appearance of hives,
but unlike hives, herpes zoster causes skin changes limited to a dermatome,
normally resulting in a stripe or belt like pattern on one side of the patient's
body and does not cross their midline. Zoster sine herpete meaning "zoster
without herpes" describes a person who has all symptoms of herpes
zoster / shingles except this characteristic rash.
Later this rash can become vesicular forming small blisters filled with a
serous exudate, as the fever and general malaise continue. These painful
vesicles will become cloudy or darkened as they fill up with blood, crust over
within 7-10 days; normally the crusts fall off and the skin will heal, but in
some cases after severe blistering, scarring and discolored skin remain on the
body. |
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Diagnosis of Shingles: if the rash has appeared, identifying this disease
requires only visual examination, since very few diseases produce a rash in a
dermatomal pattern. But herpes simplex virus (HSV) can sometimes produce a rash
in the same type pattern. The Tsanck smear is helpful for diagnosing acute
infection with a herpes virus; however it does not distinguish between VZV
and HSV.
When the shingles rash is absent or early / late in the disease, or in the
case of zoster sine herpete, herpes zoster can be very difficult to diagnose.
Aside from the rash, most of the symptomsc may occur also in other health
conditions or disease..
There are lab tests available to diagnose herpes zoster / shingles. And the
most popular test detects VZV-specific IgM antibody in blood that appears only
during shingles or chickenpox and not while the virus is in its dormant stage.
In bigger labs, lymph collected from a blister can be tested by polymerase chain
reaction for VZV DNA, or examined with an electron microscope for the herpes
virus particles.
In a recent research study, samples of lesions on the skin, eyes, and lung
from 182 people with assumed herpes simplex or herpes zoster were tested with
real-time PCR or with a viral culture. In that comparison, viral culture
detected VZV with only a 14.3% sensitivity; however, the test was very specific.
And by comparison, real-time PCR resulted in 100% sensitivity and specificity.
Overall testing for herpes simplex and herpes zoster using PCR showed a 60.4%
improvement over viral culture.
But most people know they have shingles by the symptoms.
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Read these
Doctor's Comments about Drugs
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"The person who takes medicine must recover twice, once
from the disease and once from the medicine." William Osler, M.D.
"The cause of most disease is in the poisonous drugs
physicians superstitiously give in order to effect a cure." Charles E.
Page, M.D.
"If all the medicine in the world were thrown into the sea,
it would be bad for the fish and good for humanity."
O.W. Holmes, (Prof. of Medicine Harvard University)
"Every drug increases and complicates the patients
condition." Robert Henderson, M.D.
"In sickness the body is already loaded with impurities. By
taking drug - medicines more impurities are added, thereby the case is further
embarrassed and harder to cure." Elmer Lee, M.D.
"The necessity of teaching mankind not to take drugs and
medicines, is a duty incumbent upon all who know their uncertainty and injurious
effects; and the time is not far distant when the drug system will be
abandoned." Charles Armbruster, M.D.
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See the website www.drugs.com
to look up possible side effects
of any prescription drugs or medications that you are using.
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Let
Your Body Heal Itself
There are natural alternatives including: vitamins, minerals,
herbs, enzymes, probiotics, and many others that when combined in the right way
can support you body's own healing power. Is is magic? No it is the way that our
Creator God made us and the world's gifts for us. It is up to all of us to
use these gifts wisely. |
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Did
You
Know ?
|
 You
have a wonderful human body that when given the right nutrients in the right
amounts can heal itself.
"Most people do not consume an optimal amount of all vitamins by diet
alone. Pending strong evidence of effectiveness from randomized trials, it
appears prudent for all adults to take vitamin supplements." - JAMA
Journal of the American Medical Association 6/12/2002 Vol 287
There are
hundreds of studies which show the risk of cancer, heart disease, and other top
killers is reduced by eating more than just the minimal RDA standards.
Prevention
is the main defense from disease. Detoxification and having proper nutritional
balance is the treatment. Natural foods, herbs, vitamins and supplements to
support your body's natural healing.
If you need help learning how to take care of yourself
then click here for free
health consultation
|
You would not think of exposing yourself to an Atomic Bomb fallout or
excessive X-rays. But not getting enough vitamins and minerals is just as
dangerous. Cells in your body not getting their vitamins and minerals suffer
both DNA and mitochondrial damage. These cells under a microscope look like they
have been hit with radiation. This type of damage may cause you to age faster
and can lead to Cancer
and other degenerative diseases like Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and others.
- Vitamin deficiency = DNA damage
- Strengthen your Body & Immune system
- Prevent Disease and support Healing
- Critical for Adults and Children
|
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- Used over the World for 1000's of years
- The Real Thing - not synthetic or fake junk
- Your Body has Evolved with these Plants
- Natural Healing and Medicinal Properties
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- Inexpensive Insurance for You
- Help keep Your Body Tuned-up
- Have anti-aging properties
- over 50% People have Vitamin Deficiency
|
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- Time Tested proven Remedies
- Used by Traditional Chinese Medicine
- Nature's Medicine
- Detoxify, Energize, and Balance You
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"It's virtually impossible to get sufficient quantities of some
key nutrients from food alone - even with the most healthful diets."
-
Jeffery Blumberg PhD professor of Nutrition Tufts University
 |
Dr. Mark Crapo
"Would you like to live longer - look and feel better ... find out about
people who are doing it and how you can improve your health and life." |
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Shingles herpes zoster Weblinks
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All information presented on these web pages is not meant to diagnose,
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In all matters related to your health please contact a qualified, licensed
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