What Foods to Avoid During a Shingles Outbreak

Vitamin A in carrots can help with a shingles outbreak.

Image Credit: AnnaPustynnikova/iStock/GettyImages

Shingles is a painful condition caused by the herpes zoster virus. Because about 1 million people in the United States get shingles yearly, it’s important to know how to treat the condition and what things to avoid with shingles.

If you’ve had chickenpox, you’re susceptible to shingles, and your risk increases as you get older. While antiviral drugs may mitigate your symptoms while suffering from shingles, your diet is important too. Foods to avoid with shingles include low-nutrient foods and those with the amino acid l-arginine.

Tip

Shingles is a painful virus. Avoid foods with the amino acid l-arginine, which can encourage replication of the virus, and low-nutrient foods, which weaken the immune system.

About Shingles Infections

Shingles is caused by a type of herpes virus that affects the nerves. It causes pain, tingling and burning of the skin as well as the development of itchiness and blisters in the skin. The official name is the varicella zoster virus, the very same virus that causes chickenpox.

If you had chickenpox in your youth, the virus remains dormant in your body. The virus sits in the nerve cells; when it becomes reactivated, it appears as shingles. In most people, however, the virus stays dormant and doesn’t awaken to manifest as shingles.

Read more: What Does Herpes Look Like?

If you have shingles, you can pass the varicella zoster virus to another person and cause chickenpox if that person has never had chickenpox or never received the chickenpox vaccine. Shingles itself, however, is not contagious.

Research published in Open Forums in Infectious Diseases in September 2016 identified specific risk factors for shingles development that include stress, depression and sleep disturbances. Diet is not a risk factor for shingles, but what you eat can affect how the infection progresses and affects you.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention identifies the symptoms of shingles as:

• Painful
  tingling and itching of the skin
• Eruption
  of painful blisters or sores, often on one side of the body (usually the face or
  torso)
• Fever and
  chills
• Headache and
  upset stomach

Treatment for Shingles

Shingles can’t be cured, but it can be managed with antiviral drugs such as acyclovir, valacyclovir or famciclovir. See your doctor as soon as you start to notice any symptoms of shingles. The sooner you start these medications, the greater the likelihood of shortening the attacks and decreasing the severity of your case.

Antiviral drugs also decrease your risk of developing postherpetic neuralgia, chronic pain that can last for months or years after the initial outbreak of shingles.

You may also be prescribed anti-inflammatory corticosteroids, such as prednisone, for shingles treatment, especially if shingles has affected the eyes or other facial nerves.

Lifestyle adaptations also help you deal with a shingles outbreak. Relaxation and stress reduction, gentle exercise like walking and the application of cool, damp clothes on the blisters also helps.

Shingles blisters scab over in seven to 10 days and fully clear up on their own in about two to four weeks.

A Shingles Diet Helps

The shingles virus thrives when your immune system isn’t strong. What you eat can affect the strength of your immunity, explains the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Nutrients to include in your diet to boost your immune system when you have a shingles outbreak include:

• Vitamin
  A from carrots, sweet potatoes, kale, red peppers, eggs and apricots
• Vitamin
  C from citrus fruits, tomatoes and papaya
• Vitamin
  E and zinc from sunflower seeds and fortified cereals

Shingles sufferers may also benefit from eating more foods with vitamin B6, folate, iron and selenium.

Foods to avoid with shingles include those that degrade your immune system. Examples are fast and fried foods, anything high in saturated fat and processed foods. Skip the drive-through and head home to a homemade meal of grilled chicken, steamed broccoli and sweet potatoes.

Other foods to avoid with shingles are those with lots of added sugar and those made with white flour. You might be tempted to help yourself feel better with sweet treats, such as cookies or doughnuts, but these foods have no notable nutrients and do nothing to boost your body’s ability to fight the shingles infection.

Read more: The Effects of Eating Too Many Carbs

The Journal of Traditional and Complementary Medicine published a paper in October 2017 detailing that plant products are a powerful nutritional resource when it comes to boosting immune cells and their complex molecules. Plant foods, including leafy greens and juicy fruits, have valuable anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial and angiogenic activity.

Avoid
Arginine Foods

It’s long been known that the amino acid arginine stimulates the replication of herpes-like viruses as shown in a landmark 1981 study in Chemotherapy.

Frontiers in Microbiology explains in a paper published in October 2018 that virus replication depends on the availability of amino acids, particularly arginine. Research doesn’t definitively show that temporarily adhering to a restricted arginine diet reduces severity of viruses, including shingles however. That doesn’t mean you can’t try limiting your intake of certain products to discourage the proliferation of shingles.

Arginine is a component of many healthy foods, including chicken, fish, dairy products, grains, nuts, seeds and legumes. Reduce your intake of these foods and boost your intake of healthy produce to minimize your exposure to arginine. Chocolate is also a source; leave it off the menu during your shingles outbreak.

Read more: Foods High in L-Arginine

You don’t have to cut out these foods altogether, just limit their role in your meals.

If you take l-arginine supplements or medications with the amino acid, ask your doctor about stopping use during your shingles outbreak. Some people take l-arginine for heart and blood vessel conditions, erectile dysfunction and improved athletic performance.

L-Lysine as a Possible Solution

L-lysine is another amino acid that is an important component of protein. Your body can’t make lysine, so you have to get it from food or supplements. The significance of lysine is that it may inhibit the growth of herpes viruses, such as cold sores and genital herpes. The varicella zoster virus is a herpes strain.

An article published by the Milton S. Hershey Medical Center explains that the amino acid has antiviral effects that block the activity of arginine. It’s not clear that lysine would help ease the duration or symptoms of shingles, but eating more foods with lysine could help.

Foods rich in lysine include eggs, tofu, spirulina, fenugreek seeds (a spice) and brewer’s yeast.

Foods That Knock Shingles Pain Off The Roof

By Catharine L. Kaufman — (a.k.a. The Kitchen Shrink)

Once I laughed at Woody Allen’s joke identifying his then wife in a photograph taken in front of their house, as “she is the one with the shingles. ” But when my childhood chickenpox virus came roaring back recently with the excruciating pain of shingles, that story wasn’t funny anymore, just cruel.

Nor did I find comfort in knowing I wasn’t alone, but merely one of about a million U.S. adults attacked every year by the suddenly awakened Varicella Zoster virus.

Following Hippocrates’ sage advice, “Make food thy medicine,” I jumpstarted my self-healing campaign by taking daily doses of the best food-based probiotic supplements I could find, to replenish the friendly flora in my gut and boost my immune system.

I learned that for greater effectiveness, these should be taken on an empty stomach first thing in the morning—a good habit to follow when switching from capsules to goat kefir, an excellent and tasty probiotic, as is goat yogurt (on its own or with fruit) for mid-day snack. While some of us enjoy the slightly sour and refreshing flavor of kefir and yogurt on their own, others prefer them sweetened with honey, Stevia or fruit (blueberries are the most nutritious, sweet but with lowest sugar content). Fermented side dishes like sauerkraut, dill pickles or the spicy Korean fermented cabbage, kimchi, add probiotic and antioxidant boosts to mid-day and evening meals.

All the above contain various amounts of essential bacteria, most brimming with billions of lactobacillus varieties, acidophilus and bifidobacterium.

The next step in my ‘self-healing campaign,’ was to drink one-to-three cups of calming chamomile tea the first few days to lower the stress that is known to be the main trigger of shingles outbreaks. I also found that a combination of chamomile and ginger tea fortifies both calming and digestive processes. Deep breathing exercises, yoga and meditation two or three times a day is known to increase the teas’ relaxing effect and help ease the pain and other symptoms of shingles. This, in turn, encouraged me to look for more information about nutritional remedies recommended by trusted holistic healthcare experts, which not only reduce the symptoms of shingles, but also shorten the course of this painful illness.

Weather you are in the throes of a shingle attack right now, or merely want to arm yourself with information about self-healing methods, just in case, you probably won’t mind if I put on my Kitchen Shrink hat and guide you through some self-healing information you could adapt for your own ‘campaign’:

• Increase foods rich in stress-reducing B-vitamins, since the chickenpox virus that causes shingles ratchets up pain by tinkering with nerve endings. So crack some (organic) eggs and prepare them in your favorite ways; add goat cheeses to your grocery list; check out our other ‘Recipe’ pages on this site for ‘fast-and-easy’ chicken and turkey meals rich in B12’s; and look to bananas, brewer’s yeast and potatoes for calming B6’s.
• Load your diet up with foods brimming with vitamins A, B, C, D and E rich foods to prevent shingles, while also dialing up those with high folate, zinc and iron content. Reserve a meal or snack for the Mighty C, built around one or two selections such as oranges, pineapple, kiwi and lemons.
• Less acidic choices include broccoli, bell peppers and cabbage. Leafy greens provide a shot of Vitamin D to ward off invading viruses, while pomegranates and blueberries are dual-purpose weapons protecting cells from oxidation, along with revving up your immune system’s disease-fighting soldiers.
• A treasure-trove of essential nutrients harvested from oceans, provide minerals and vitamins (B complex among the most important) that have been found to be effective in the war against shingles.
• It is no exaggeration that the humble garlic is more powerful than any Marvel superhero. Chock-full of allicin—a potent antiviral compound of sulfur, vitamins A, B6 and C; selenium, magnesium, potassium calcium and zinc—this much praised “stinky rose” is also a busy antioxidant, immune system BFF and efficient healer of blisters caused by shingles. Sliced raw onto buttered toast, it’s a might anti-flu remedy, too. Crushed raw and added to vinaigrette dressing or yogurt dip (recipe below) is an ideal companion to salads and Mediterranean appetizers. Sautéed with broccoli rapini and olive oil, simmered in soups and sauces, or roasted whole and used as a spread on bread or baked potatoes, it is both a multi-tasking healer and celebrated flavor-enhancer.
• Other foods to avoid shingles pain are the ones filled with lysine, an amino acid that puts the skids on the cellular proliferation of the Zoster virus. To increase your lysine intake, go for wild-caught sardines, herring, salmon and other small and medium-size fish and deep-sea scallops. Also helpful in tamping down the pain and blisters of shingles are lamb (preferably pasture-grown in New Zealand), organic turkey, beans, dried apricots, raisins and figs.
• Remember to drink plenty of water to flush dead viruses and other toxins out of the body.
• Now for the equally important DO NOTs: foods to avoid during shingles attack, and even during the two or three weeks after symptoms disappear, it is best to avoid foods during shingles attack containing the amino acid arginine, which have been found to actually stimulate the replication of the herpes virus, a genetic relation to its shingles counterpart. Arginine-containing foods to stay away from are nuts, seeds, soy products, oats, coconut, wheat flours and, alas, chocolate.

Alcoholic beverages, too, are on the NO list since they interfere with the body’s immune responses; as are all caffeine-containing foods and beverages that intensify the already jangling nerves of shingles.

Fatty foods, sweets, empty (junk food) calories and processed foods tend to ratchet up shingles symptoms; as are foods and beverages served too hot or cold, which jar the nervous system. Although many dentists and other health practitioners recommend eating and drinking warm or room-temperature foods and beverages to protect the delicate tissues lining the mouth, throat and digestive track, this advice goes double during a shingles attack. Foods and beverages should be consumed at Baby Bear temperatures—not too hot, not too cold, just right—to prevent the already jumpy nerves from turning up the pain.

RECIPE: This zippy yogurt and garlic sauce is a Mediterranean wonder—not only does it make taste buds sing, but also lends each meal an anti-viral oomph.

Tzatziki Garlic and Yogurt Dip

1 ½ cups plain Greek or goat yoghurt

2 garlic cloves, crushed

2 Persian cucumbers, diced

Juice and zest from one Meyer lemon

1-tablespoon each fresh dill and mint, chopped

1-tablespoon olive oil

Sea salt and cracked pepper to taste

Blend ingredients in a glass bowl. Chill. Serve as a dipping sauce for fresh vegetables, drizzle on burgers, pitas or kebabs.

Kitchen Shrink: Hit the roof with shingles? Foods to fend off the virus

KITCHEN SHRINK:

I was recently stricken with shingles , the debilitating and excruciatingly painful virus that appears as a blistering rash on one side of the body (or even the face) that sometimes transforms into a maddening itch when it heals. The sneaky disease is actually caused by the reactivation of the Varicella Zoster virus that remains dormant in the body after the recovery of chickenpox. The sleeping virus is suddenly awakened by a jolt of stress or other triggering factor, usually when the immune system is depressed.

Most adults over age 50 have contracted chickenpox, and one in three can expect to develop shingles within their lifetime. Currently 1 million people in this country every year, including younger adults will be clobbered with the disease despite the vaccine meant to prevent its occurrence. If life’s stresses have got the best of you, and you’ve picked up shingles, here’s a diet to help wallop the virus and shorten its duration.

Best warriors are probiotic powerhouses loaded with beneficial gut-bacteria that dial up digestion along with the immune system. Be a culture vulture with luscious yogurts brimming with lactobacillus or acidophilus. Goat dairy typically has an added dose of probiotics, while kefir, a fermented dairy beverage that’s slightly sour and refreshing is endowed with antioxidants and billions of colony-forming units. Drink it straight up or blend with fresh berries and a drizzle of honey. For savory palates, indulge in a heap of sauerkraut and sour dill pickles or spicy kimchi, a Korean staple of fermented cabbage, one of the highest probiotic sources on the planet.

Crank up consumption of foods with a rich store of vitamins, especially A, B, C, D and E, along with folate, zinc and iron. Stress-balancing Bs are vital to a shingles diet since the virus tinkers with nerve endings causing severe pain. Get cracking with eggs of all manners, along with milk and chicken, packed with B12s, while bananas, brewer’s yeast and potatoes have an abundance of calming B6s.

Oranges, pineapple, kiwi and lemons are loaded with the mighty C soldier, or for less acidic choices do broccoli, bell peppers and cabbage. Leafy greens give a shot of Vitamin D to ward off invading viruses, while pomegranates and blueberries are dual-purpose weapons protecting cells from oxidation, along with revving up the precious immune system. At last, seaweed, an oceanic treasure with a slew of vitamins (especially B complex) and minerals has been found to shove shingles under the bus.

Herculean garlic chock-full of allicin, a potent sulfur compound as well as Vitamins A, B6 and C, selenium, magnesium, potassium, calcium and zinc make this “stinky rose” a powerful antioxidant and immune system’s best friend. Crush raw in vinaigrette dressings or yoghurt dips (recipe provided), sauté with broccoli rapini and olive oil, simmer in soups and sauces, or roast whole and use as a spread on toast, a topping for baked potatoes or roasted roots to heal blisters quicker.

One of the most potent shingles busters can be found in foods brimming with lysine, an amino acid that puts the skids on the cellular growth of the zoster virus. So lysine up with wild-caught, deep-sea fish and seafood, lamb, turkey, beans, dairy products, along with dried apricots, raisins and figs.

And remember to drink plenty of water to flush toxins through the body.

• Foods to avoid:

Foods that have been found to exacerbate the shingles virus should be avoided where possible. The worst culprits contain the amino acid arginine that actually stimulate the herpes virus to replicate, such as, nuts, seeds, soy products, oats, coconut, flour (white and whole-wheat), and alas, chocolate. Also ban booze, which tinkers with the body’s immune responses, along with caffeine products (coffee, black tea and colas) that cause jittery nerves.

Fatty, as well as cloyingly sweet, empty calorie and processed foods are no-no’s for shingles sufferers.

Finally, steer clear of extreme temperatures in foods like scalding soups or icy treats that are jarring to the nervous system. Foods should be served like Baby Bear’s porridge — not too hot, not too cold — just right.

———

Recipe: Tzatziki Garlic Dip

Ingredients: 1.5 cups plain Greek yoghurt; 2 garlic cloves, crushed; 2 Persian cucumbers, diced; juice and zest from one Meyer lemon; 1 tablespoon each fresh dill and mint, chopped; 1 tablespoon olive oil

Method: Blend ingredients in a glass bowl. Chill. Serve as a dipping sauce for fresh vegetables, drizzle on burgers, pitas or kebobs.

— Catharine Kaufman can be reached at [email protected]

4 Tips for Managing Shingles

Prompt treatment of Herpes zoster (HZ) with antiviral and pain medications within 72 hours of the rash’s onset can help shorten its duration and reduce complications. But what can patients do to deal with the burning, tingling, numbness, and itching that accompany the rash? Here are a few ideas pharmacists can share with them.

1. Relieve Physical Symptoms

A healing oatmeal bath using cool water, or the application of cool compresses or ice packs, can help calm the itch. Allow the skin to air dry before covering the blisters with a light application of calamine or unscented lotion.

Tell patients not to open the blisters, which can cause permanent scarring. They should cover the rash with nonstick sterile bandages. Alternatively, the patient can wear loose-fitting, natural fiber clothing to allow the skin to breathe.

San Francisco board-certified dermatologist Marie Jhin, MD prescribes gabapentin (Neurontin) for nerve pain. “If it’s really painful, we give oral steroids or even a shot of steroids. A lidocaine or capsaicin patch can also help,” she says.

2. Reduce Stress

Physical and emotional stress can weaken the immune system and act as a trigger for shingles. Stress can also cause a patient to feel the physical symptoms more intensely and suppress the immune system, delaying recovery and leading to serious complications like postherpetic neuralgia.

Encourage patients to engage in activities that they enjoy to help them relax and shift their focus away from their pain. Simple exercises like meditation, stretching, and walking, as well as visiting with loved ones, listening to music, working on a favorite hobby, and getting plenty of rest are all recommended.  

It’s important to tell patients that they can spread the virus while the rash is in the active blister phase. They should avoid contact with pregnant women who have never had chickenpox or the chickenpox vaccine, premature or low birth weight infants, and people with weakened immune systems. Once the rash crusts over, the person is no longer infectious.

3. Improve Diet

A nutritious well-balanced diet can help boost the immune system and support the healing process. Recommendations for people dealing with shingles include an emphasis on foods containing vitamins A, B12, C, and E, plus the amino acid lysine to inhibit the growth of the HZ virus.

Eating lots of leafy green vegetables, tomatoes, orange and yellow fruits, eggs, red meat, chicken, dairy, whole grains, beans, and legumes can promote healing. Avoid food and juices that are high in sugar and saturated fat, refined carbohydrates, and foods like chocolate, gelatin, nuts, and seeds that contain arginine, an amino acid that can cause the HZ virus to reproduce. 

4. Get Vaccinated

The best way to manage shingles is to protect against developing them at all. The first line of defense to avoid an initial or repeat episode is vaccination.

Shingrix is recommended by the CDC for prevention of shingles and related complications in immunocompetent adults age 50 and older. Adults with a prior history of herpes zoster should receive Shingrix.

Alternatively, the CDC advises that Zostavax may be used in healthy adults 60 years and older if a person is allergic to Shingrix, prefers Zostavax, or requests immediate vaccination and Shingrix is unavailable.

Foods to Avoid with Shingles

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Shingles is a viral disease caused by the same virus that causes chickenpox. This virus is known as varicella zoster. Shingles mostly attack older and mature people. It’s not so common among children.

One thing to note is that any person who got chickenpox at some stage in life is at a risk of being attacked by shingles. After chickenpox, varicella zoster, also known as herpes zoster, stays in nerve cells but in a dormant form.

Activation of this virus leads to damage of nerves slowly to an extent the condition becomes worse causing rashes and pains. These are the main symptoms of shingles in most cases. Shingles can attack a person from any part of the body.

Shingles that attack on the face should be treated immediately because it can affect vision and hearing if it spreads to the eyes and ears. Modafinil 200 mg http://www.buymodafinil-online.com/

It’s recommended that any person suffering from shingles should avoid some foods. The moment you realize that you have shingles, the right thing to do is to consult a doctor or a nutritionist to get advised on the types of foods to avoid.

Foods to avoid

Any person suffering from any form of viral infection should avoid eating foods containing high amounts of arginine. Foods rich in this amino acid can activate varicella zoster virus and cause shingles.

Should you realize that you have eaten food containing arginine, the best thing to do is to look for foods rich in an amino acid called lysine known to regulate arginine in the blood. Some supplements rich in lysine can also be used if eating foods rich in lysine is a problem. Cipro online http://advicarehealth.com/ciprofloxacin.html

Taking 2000mg of lysine supplement to help fight shingles is a method some physicians recommend. Here is a list of foods to avoid with shingles.

• Chocolate
• Coconut
• White bread
• Gelatin
• Nuts
• Soy
• Oats

These foods should be avoided the moment there is any form of a viral infection because they are known to accelerate multiplication of viruses such as herpes zoster. Refined carbonates should be avoided as much as possible when under shingles attack. The same thing applies to processed and junk foods.

Eat only foods rich in nutrients that can boost body immunity. Foods rich in zinc and vitamins C, B-6, E, A can help your immunity and prevent infection from viruses such as herpes zoster.

Eat foods that can add value to body immunity and avoid foods that don’t contribute much to your body. Eat plenty of vegetables and fruits to reduce chances of shingles attack.

To boost the amount of lysine amino acid in your system, foods such as beef, chicken, lamb, milk or dairy products, apples, asparagus, pineapples, eggs and fish are recommended. Vitamin C is also good for your immune system to prevent being vulnerable to attacks by viruses such as herpes zoster.

Don’t forget to bask in sunlight for about 10 minutes because you also need some vitamin D to be on the right path towards strong immunity. Your body should always be supplied with the essential nutrients whether or not you are under attack from diseases.

Don’t wait until you get sick to eat a balanced diet. The body needs essential nutrients daily to keep it healthy and free from diseases.

Avoid stress during a shingles attack to accelerate healing. Stress is known as one of the factors that affect the immune system negatively, making it hard for your body to fight diseases. Stay with people who can support you during a shingles attack. Stay positive mentally during a shingles attack to increase chances of healing.

The most reliable way to treat viruses such as herpes zoster is boosting the immune system. All viruses in the herpes family rarely thrive in strong immunity. They are a family of viruses only known to take advantage of weak bodies. Their survival in the body is determined by the ratio that exists between lysine and arginine amino acids.

The higher the amount of arginine in the body the higher the risk of suffering from shingles. Eating foods rich in high lysine amounts is therefore the most suitable way to naturally fight shingles. The other helpful way to accelerate recovering from shingles attack is by taking sufficient doses of Vitamin C.
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3 Types of Foods To Avoid With Shingles

While they all manifest themselves differently, with somewhat different symptoms, herpes, shingles, and chickenpox all spring from the same varicella-zoster virus. it’s also known as the herpes zoster virus or the herpes virus.

Shingles manifests itself as a painful rash that may cause blisters, itching, and pain. While there is no known cure for shingles, a shingles vaccine and chickenpox vaccine can help prevent the condition. That said, there are ways to minimize symptoms that you can do on your own, including paying attention to the following list of foods to avoid with shingles.

Avoid These Foods if You Have Shingles

You can reduce shingles pain, skin rash, itching, and blisters by limiting or avoiding consumption of the following foods.

1. Foods High in Arginine – Foods with higher amounts of the amino acid arginine can promote the growth of the shingles virus. This is especially true if the foods are low in the amino acid lysine, which balances arginine in your body.
2. Nuts & Seeds – Most if not all nuts and seeds have high arginine levels. While none of them are particularly good for shingles, cashews, pumpkin seeds, and macadamia nuts have the best arginine/lysine ratio, and walnuts, sesame seeds, pine nuts, almonds, and hazelnuts have the worst. And the effect is just as powerful with nut and seed products like almond butter and coconut flour.
3. Processed Foods – Getting the right vitamins and nutrition for your diet is a good way to treat shingle symptoms. Because shingles is a viral condition, a strong immune system is a great defence. Particularly important are vitamins A, B-6, C, E, and folate, plus the minerals iron and zinc. The other side of that proposition is that you should avoid foods that are not nutrient-dense, including, sugary, salty and high fat processed foods. If you feel you don’t get the proper nutrition from your diet, talk to one of our nutritional counsellors and ask about a Herbal One Diet Plan.

If you enjoyed this post, check out our recent article on five grape seed extract benefits.

Foods to Avoid When Suffering From Shingles

Gelatin

What foods contain gelatin, you ask? According to KitchenTreaty. com, these include Jell-O, candy corn, candy gummies, marshmallows, some cereals, and – wait for it – non-fat yogurt (some yogurts may have gelatin to retain the texture).

Strangely enough, another source called Natural News claims shingles vaccines are made with pig gelatin, which “poses the risk of infection from synthetic growth hormones”. However, this isn’t to say you should avoid getting the vaccine – talk to your doctor first.

Soy

Yup, even the basis of good ol’ tofu can compromise your shingles recovery, because it has that amino acid we mentioned earlier called arginine. Less obvious foods with soy (other than soy sauce and tofu) include some bean sprouts, crackers, some cereals, imitation meats/dairy products, and more according to MeghanTelpner.com. Check the label of your foods closely.

Also be aware that some protein powders contain soy – while it could be a great way to step up your protein intake without animal sources, you could also be increasing your risk of developing shingles or aggravating an existing case without realizing it.

Grains

BetterNutrition.com says grain cereals can be high in arginine, as well as corn and buckwheat. Also be aware that breads, pastas, oatmeal and a host of other popular foods contain grains of some kind, so be careful about the contents.

Beer is also listed as something that should be avoided, presumably because of the grain content (barley or wheat) – but if not for that, it contains alcohol, which we warned about earlier. Many nuts and seeds should be avoided as well.

Jeff Hayward

Jeff has more than 15 years of experience writing professionally about health, travel and the arts among other subjects. He continuously looks to improve his own overall health through exercise, diet and mindfulness. He is also a proud stay-at-home dad that loves taking photographs both professionally and as a hobby.

Nutrition for shingles, diet for adults with herpes

What should be the diet for shingles in order to rid the body of harmful bacteria and cleanse the skin? What are the features of food intake and dietary rules?

Proper diet, regimen and healthy eating can help not only treat shingles, but also be the key to effective prevention for the future. What you need to know in order to strengthen the immune system and expel a pathogenic virus from the body.

Useful products

The diet for shingles in adults and children should include natural and healthy foods with a high content of essential vitamins (A, E, C, B, E).

What to eat during the lichen treatment period:

• dairy products;
• citrus fruits;
• nuts;
• olive oil;
• honey, propolis;
• fish;

90,017 green vegetables;

90,017 white meat;

• legumes;
• pumpkin.

Drink preferably mineral water, decoctions of wild rose, St. John’s wort, green tea, milk, dried fruit compotes. The main thing is that the drink is at room temperature, but not too hot.

Vitamin set

The diet for deprivation is not strict, thanks to it you can significantly strengthen the immune system and establish the work of many systems and organs.

It is recommended to eat foods high in vitamin E (almonds, peanut butter, dried apricots, spinach, squid, salmon fillets, seeds).

Antioxidants and bioflavonoids are useful: onions, apples, cranberries, apricots, raspberries, cherries, grapes, beet juice, cherries, kiwi, corn, carrots, eggplant, prunes, sea buckthorn oil.

The diet for herpes zoster should include foods that contain a sufficient amount of tocopherol (rose hips, sea buckthorn, prunes, sorrel, squid, oatmeal). Such nutrition should be observed in the future, in order to avoid re-infection of the body.

Prohibited Products

To prevent shingles from activating, the following food must be excluded from the diet:

• horseradish;
• pepper;

90,017 smoked and salted products;

• hot and sour;
• alcoholic beverages;

90,017 meat of dairy animals;

• fatty broths;
• offal;
• fatty fish;
• cake, chocolate;
• canned goods.

With regard to the use of liquid for people with herpes zoster, the restrictions are imposed on the use of cocoa, strong tea, coffee, alcohol in any form and dose.You need to avoid store juices, soda, too hot drinks.

Specialties of nutrition for every day

Patients’ nutrition should be complete and balanced, the diet should be dominated by vegetables and fruits, which will help to replenish the body’s reserves of vitamins and minerals.

Fermented milk products are also useful, which will normalize the intestinal microflora, reducing the likelihood of the risk of allergic rashes. But it is necessary to give up flavors and dyes in the first place, and also remove fatty, fried, spicy and salty dishes from the menu.

All food must be thermally processed, but at a low temperature, so as not to lose its natural value. It is useful to stew and boil ingredients, steam food, bake with a minimum amount of fat and oil.

As for the drinking regimen, you need to drink at least 2 liters of liquid per day, these are compotes, freshly squeezed homemade juices, purified warm water, herbal decoctions and infusions.

Rules for a balanced diet:

1. For half an hour before eating, you need to drink a glass of water in order to start the work of the gastric tract.
2. You need to eat in small portions, but often, in order to prevent overeating and weight gain.
3. It is impossible to combine meat, fruits and fish at one time, it is better to stick to separate meals.
4. Dinner should be light, you need to take liquid an hour before bedtime, so that the intestines rest at night, and not digest the contents.
5. Snacks should be done often, using dried fruits, nuts, fresh fruits.

Sample menu for the day

To cleanse the skin of the rash, you need to have a beneficial effect on the internal organs, the following daily diet will be useful:

• breakfast – toast of whole grain bread, tomato, a glass of compote and a portion of cottage cheese;
• snack – a glass of kefir and a pear baked in the oven;
• lunch – light fish soup, 100 g chicken fillet, green salad, wash down the meal with lemon juice;
• afternoon snack – low fat yogurt and orange, you can still eat a handful of nuts;
• dinner – rice porridge with a piece of meat, herbal tea.

For those patients who have problems with sweating due to excessive weight gain, such a diet will be a real salvation. You can not only improve your health, but also lose weight by several kilograms per week, which will allow you to correct not only the parameters of the figure, but also the work of the whole organism.

Power Principles

This infection is caused by the varicella-zoster virus, sometimes provoking intoxication and neuralgic pain. To get rid of such symptoms, you need to adjust your diet, make it richer and more useful.

In case of exacerbation of shingles, a rice therapeutic diet, which is based on the use of boiled rice, will help.

This cereal contains many vitamins, helps to strengthen the immune system, improve vision, is useful for the synthesis of digestive enzymes and the breakdown of nutrients, perfectly cleanses the body of toxins. Such dietary nutrition helps to remove excess toxins, salts and nitrates from the body, which leads to an improvement in metabolic processes, cleansing the skin from rashes.

Every day for a week in the diet should be rice groats, as well as boiled vegetables, baked fish, plenty of drink (tea from rose hips, cranberries, chamomile, mint), green salads, dried fruits.

It turns out that lysine is the amino acid that our body needs to prevent the appearance of lichen, this component is found in many products of the daily diet:

90 016 90 017 eggs;

90,017 chicken;

With a long course of the disease, you need to take care of the presence of vitamin E in the body, you can support it with the help of vegetable oil, spinach, tomato, almonds.

Among useful microelements in the first place is zinc, which is rich in seafood, egg yolks, chicken, beef and pumpkin seeds – it is an excellent prevention of skin diseases.

Various medicinal plants effectively help, for example, decoctions and infusions of common tansy – they normalize digestion, cleanse the skin from peeling and eliminate itching.The main thing is to avoid overdose in order to prevent possible poisoning.

It is important to observe the drinking regime, the presence of liquid in the required amount will help to quickly cleanse the body of toxins and pathogenic microorganisms, preference should be given to water without gases. To enhance the effect, you can add a few drops of lemon juice to the liquid.

Peculiarities of eating – this is a correct and appropriate nutrition, which will help the body to quickly cope with the disease, have a beneficial effect on the gastrointestinal tract.Take care of your health and strengthen your immune system.

90,000 general rules, permitted and prohibited foods, daily menus for adults and children (photo, video)

Diet, regimen and proper nutrition can improve the health of shingles. Eating permitted foods strengthens the immune system. This helps to get rid of pathogenic bacteria and is an effective prevention.

Shingles health can be improved through diet, regimen and proper nutrition.

General rules

Lichen, or herpes zoster, refers to dermatoses caused by a type 3 virus. Some diseases of this type are characterized by a recurrent nature. This is due to disturbances in the work of digestion, a decrease in the protective functions of the body, poor metabolism and a predisposition to the appearance of infectious diseases. Therefore, it is necessary to eat foods that are part of a gentle diet, and follow these rules:

1. The diet must be balanced.The food should contain fats, proteins, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals, the use of which improves the functioning of the body’s immune system.
2. If the patient has frequent constipation, it is necessary to restore normal bowel function and eliminate flatulence.
3. Dishes should be prepared from fresh and natural products without adding flavorings, flavor enhancers or preservatives.
4. Nutrition should not adversely affect liver function. When pathologies of the organ and biliary tract are identified, an additional course of treatment is needed.
5. The diet should contain fermented milk products with bifidobacteria.
6. In dermatoses, alcohol should be excluded, as it adversely affects the functioning of the liver, weakens the immune system and worsens the course of the disease.

Nutrition for shingles in adults has a number of features that the patient should know so as not to harm the body.

Approved Products

Products used for herpesvirus should be baked, stewed or steamed.The patient can use:

• vegetable and butter oils;
• cabbage;
• fermented milk products;
• fruits;

90,017 green vegetables;

• broths;
• legumes and cereals;

90,017 rye flour bread;

90,017 lean meat;

90,017 eggs;

90,017 fish;

• soups with vegetables and cereals.

Vitamins can be replenished with blackcurrant decoction.

The supply of vitamins can be replenished with the help of a decoction of black currant, rose hips and mountain ash. In lettuce, broccoli and cucumbers there are a small amount of nitrogenous substances, but they are rich in potassium, therefore, they contribute to the elimination of toxins and toxins from the body. A limited amount of easily digestible carbohydrates should be supplied at this time, as they worsen the patient’s condition. Honey can be used instead of sugar. Compote is prepared from dried apricots and prunes. Among the patient’s drinks, mineral water should be present.

An important role in the treatment of skin diseases is played by the bioflavonoid quercetin, which accelerates the healing of affected skin areas. It is found in plant foods. A person suffering from shingles can consume olive and vegetable oils, honey, prunes, seeds, eggs, squid, beets and wheat germ, which are antioxidants and help to improve metabolic processes, normalize intestinal function and remove toxins and toxins from the body.

Prohibited Products

In case of rashes on the skin, you should avoid eating fatty pork, solid fats, foods high in essential oils, spicy foods, spinach.It is not recommended to drink strong tea and coffee, alcoholic beverages. Patients should avoid spicy foods with herbs and spices, as well as pickled and salty foods. Red meat and fatty fish are prohibited foods.

A person suffering from shingles can consume olive and vegetable oils, which normalize intestinal function and remove toxins and toxins from the body.

Sample menu for the day

To cleanse the skin from rashes with herpes zoster and improve the work of internal organs, you can use the following menu for the day:

• for breakfast, you can make toasts from whole grain bread with tomato, compote and cottage cheese;
• as a snack, a pear baked in the oven and a glass of kefir are suitable;
• for lunch – green salad, chicken fillet, low-fat fish soup and lemon juice;
• The afternoon snack will consist of low fat yogurt, orange and a handful of nuts;
• for dinner – rice porridge, meat, herbal tea.

Such a diet for shingles will help get rid of the disease and reduce sweating in overweight patients.

90,000 Treatment of shingles in the Es Class Clinic Ulyanovsk at an affordable price

Shingles is a viral disease caused by the chickenpox virus.The disease manifests itself with a decrease in immunity, the transmission route is airborne or contact. The main symptoms: the appearance on the skin of edematous spots and papules with transparent contents, accompanied by severe pain, general malaise and local itching. The bubbles burst, form a crust, dry out for 6-8 days and then pass. Thus, in most cases, self-healing occurs. However, there is a risk of serious complications, so leaving symptoms untreated is unacceptable!

The main goals of treatment for shingles are to reduce pain, accelerate recovery, and prevent complications.Among them there may be postherpetic neuralgia, in which the patient is tormented by very severe pains, moreover, it is rather difficult to deal with them. Even more serious complications: hepatitis, pneumonia, meningoencephalitis, etc. That is why if symptoms occur, you need to urgently go to the doctor, and not let the situation take its course.

Depending on how shingles manifests itself, therapy includes antiviral drugs, pain relievers, corticosteroids, and antidepressants.The doctor prescribes certain drugs based on the severity of the course of the disease and its form. In most cases, the prognosis is favorable, outpatient treatment under the supervision of a doctor gives very good results. Hospitalization is required only for patients with severe, life-threatening forms of the disease, for example, when the eyes or brain are affected.

In our clinic, you can get an effective treatment for lichen, which will allow you to quickly cope with the problem, prevent the development of complications and strengthen the immune system.If you suspect that you have shingles, make an appointment with our dermatovenerologist: call yourself or order a call back on the website.

90,000 Effective treatment for shingles immediately after the first symptoms

Cause of shingles:

• Infection with herpes zoster virus for the first time
• Reactivation of a dormant virus in the body after chickenpox (chickenpox) suffered in childhood

People over 50 are more likely to get sick.

Recurrences of herpes zoster are extremely rare.

Signs and symptoms of shingles

A characteristic feature of herpes zoster is unilateral location.

The most frequent localization is along the intercostal nerves.

In almost all cases, there is an increase in nearby lymph nodes (regional lymphadenitis).

The appearance along the individual nerves of pink spots of various sizes is noted.

On the background of spots, clusters of crowded bubbles filled with transparent contents are formed.

The number of foci is different.

Rashes are often accompanied by itching, neuralgic pain.

Often with shingles, the temperature rises, there is a general malaise.

During treatment, the contents of the vesicles become cloudy. The red spots turn pale and the bubbles appear as if on healthy skin.

With successful treatment, crusts are formed, which gradually fall off.Light pigmentation remains at the site of the rash.

Screening for herpes zoster:

• Scraping PCR for herpes viruses
• Blood PCR for herpes viruses
• Smear-imprint on the cell composition
• Blood for antibodies to herpes viruses
• Blood for HIV
• Exclusion of oncology in persons over 50 years old
• Complete blood count, inflammatory blood reactions

Shingles treatment

1. Antiherpetic drugs (intravenous foscarnet)
2. Immunostimulating treatment (ozone droppers, interferon)
3. Antidepressants (disipramine)
4. Dressings with lidocaine for severe pain and burning sensation

Clinic “Polyclinic +1” specializes in dermatological care.Our clinic has all the possibilities for the diagnosis and treatment of herpes zoster (shingles).

If you experience the first symptoms of herpes zoster, contact the “Polyclinic +1”.

Early treatment will make a quick and final recovery possible.

We are waiting for YOU in our clinic.

Shingles in the elderly is an unknown, contagious and dangerous disease to many

What Older People Should Know About Shingles

Chickenpox, transferred in childhood, is remembered only by the fact that I had to be coated with brilliant green in quarantine.

However, there are people who have lived to gray hair, who in infancy; chickenpox was not affected. It is they who fall under the risk group for shingles in old age. Because these viruses are similar. The varicella-zoster virus can live with a person and in a person all his life, and at the end of years it suddenly becomes active in the form of shingles – a serious, dangerous, infectious viral disease. And its carrier did not even know about the existence of a “dangerous neighbor”!

Initially, an elderly person is worried about muscle pain.Then, on day 2-3, a hives-like rash appears.

Pus-filled blisters on days 6-7 expand to cover a large area of ​​the body. Then they burst, causing a colossal risk of infection for others.The symptoms are very unpleasant: pain in the muscles, fever, weakness, purulent blisters covering large areas of the body, itching ,. All this is the herpes virus. Which is the causative agent of both chickenpox and shingles.

What is the danger and insidiousness of the disease

Having lived in a person all his life, the herpes virus infects its carrier precisely at the moment of weakening of immunity, i.e.e. in old age. Since the virus causes inflammation of the dorsal roots in the spinal cord, this is considered the main insidious symptom.

In addition, infection occurs in the same way as with chickenpox – by airborne droplets. But the second variant of infection is also possible – contact. It ceases to be dangerous only at the moment when the bubbles are covered with crusts.

There seems to be no connection between the outwardly unpleasant, uncomfortable and extremely painful sensations caused by shingles and the human immune system … But it is.The connection is immediate! The disease manifests itself at the time of age-related failure in the immune system. Prior to this, the virus lived in a dormant state. But the failure of the protective layer of the body, plus environmental factors, and the virus attacks an elderly person in the most ugly, painful and infectious way. The main provocateurs of the virus are:

• Hypothermia
• Lack of control in the use of medicines, incl. hormonal
• Stress and overwork
• Diseases affecting the area of ​​hematopoiesis.

At the slightest appearance of muscle discomfort, an elderly person needs to sound the alarm. And, without waiting for the rest of the symptoms, contact a dermatologist and neurologist.

Visual examination, special tests and additional procedures will allow specialists to diagnose, prescribe treatment and provide important behavioral recommendations. Since the risk of infection for those around the elderly person is extremely high, it is imperative that everyone knows how to protect themselves.

An elderly patient should strictly follow the complex drugs and procedures prescribed by doctors. They are designed to relieve pain, relieve itching, stop the formation of new foci of the disease and speed up recovery.

Since the painful sensations are excruciating, during this long-term period (up to six months), an elderly person needs the help of relatives. A blistering rash covers the body around the girdle, so it is problematic to treat the lesions on your own, for example, on the back.

The main thing is not to despair: to go forward to recovery, carefully following all the prescriptions of doctors. Medicines, prescribed procedures, an appropriate menu rich in vitamins and minerals – will support the immune system and lead to recovery

Preventive measures

Not everyone in old age can remember whether he had chickenpox in childhood. And all the more, it cannot know whether the herpes virus lives in it in a dormant mode.

Therefore, the main measure for the prevention of herpes zoster disease can be the usual recommendations for a person who has reached old age:

• Lead a healthy, positive lifestyle and quit bad habits
• To temper the body with feasible gymnastics, walks in any weather in the fresh air, water procedures
• Observe good rest with the time recommended by doctors for sleep and wakefulness in old age
• Reception of vitamin complexes agreed with doctors, rich in minerals and vitamin D.

These measures are well known, not burdensome, simple and easy to implement. Only not many people who have reached retirement age are in a hurry to apply them. Only those who want to live their silver period of life in an interesting and worthy way will be able to feel their effectiveness!

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October 27, 2019

Herpes Zoster treatment consultation in St. Petersburg

Shingles (Herpes zoster) is a common viral infection in adults that occurs in all age groups.Most often, elderly people are ill – at least one episode of herpes zoster is recorded in 5-10 people per 1000 population. The incidence among young and middle-aged people is 2-3 times lower.

Why does Herpes zoster arise?

The cause of the disease is the Varicella zoster virus, a member of the herpesvirus family. In the initial infection, which mainly occurs during childhood, it causes chickenpox. After that, the viral particles remain in the nerve ganglia of the body for life and can be activated under favorable conditions.Since herpes zoster is not associated with current infection, there are no epidemics of the disease.

Reasons for activating the virus

The trigger factor for the multiplication of Varicella zoster and its exit from the nerve nodes is a decrease in the body’s immune defense. Physiological suppression of immunity is observed in the elderly, and temporary disturbances in the functioning of the immune system occur in acute and chronic diseases, stress, poor low-calorie diet, mental and physical overstrain.

At risk are patients:

● with congenital and acquired immunodeficiencies;

● receiving immunosuppressive therapy;

● receiving courses of chemoradiation therapy;

● have undergone bone marrow transplant or internal organ transplant.

How to recognize herpes zoster?

The disease begins with prodromal phenomena: malaise, fever, decreased performance.Patients complain of tingling, numbness, burning of limited areas of the skin, in the area of ​​which, after a few days, severe pain occurs.

The period of extended clinical manifestations begins with a sharp rise in temperature. Against the background of fever, pink spots with a diameter of up to 5 mm appear on the skin, which turn into bubbles with transparent contents within a day, and then shrink into crusts. The rash is located on one side of the body, most often on the skin of the chest, on the face.They have a characteristic localization due to the course of the affected nerve.

Atypical forms of the disease

In some cases, the course of herpes zoster differs from the classical scheme, which complicates timely diagnosis. There are several forms of Herpes zoster:

1. Abortive. Has minimal clinical manifestations: malaise, weakness, redness and swelling of the skin without rashes. The duration of the disease does not exceed several days.

2. Bullous. Skin symptoms are pea-sized or larger flaccid blisters filled with clear fluid. This type of herpes zoster is accompanied by severe intoxication.

3. Hemorrhagic. It develops in patients with a suppressed immune system. In this case, the lesion affects the deep layers of the skin: the bubbles are filled with bloody contents, dark brown crusts appear.

4.Gangrenous. Another variant of Herpes zoster, typical for elderly and debilitated patients. Skin inflammations do not heal for a long time, they turn into ulcers, which leave behind rough scars.

5. Generalized. It is characterized by the spread of a herpetic rash over a large area of ​​skin outside the innervation zone of one nerve. This form is observed in immunocompromised patients.

What is postherpetic neuralgia?

This is the most unpleasant consequence of herpes zoster – prolonged pain in the area of ​​the affected nerve, which bothers the patient after the rash has disappeared.Postherpetic neuralgia is caused by damage to the outer sheath of nerves. 10-20% of patients suffer from pain within 1 month after suffering an episode of Herpes zoster. In 1% of patients, excruciating pain persists for more than 12 months. With age, the incidence of complications increases dramatically.

Which doctor should I contact?

For classic herpes zoster with skin rashes, consultation with an ID-Clinic dermatologist is required. The doctor will conduct an initial diagnosis, if necessary, give a referral to a neurologist, infectious disease specialist.To make a diagnosis, the patient will need to undergo an extended examination.

Taking into account the results obtained, the doctor selects an individual treatment regimen using antiherpetic drugs, painkillers and other medications. With the timely initiation of therapy, the prognosis is favorable.

Methods for the prevention of shingles

Patients with reduced immunity in case of contact with a patient with chickenpox are recommended to inject human immunoglobulin or immune plasma.The drugs reduce the risk of developing shingles, but they are most effective when used in the first 96 hours after exposure.

The Zostavax vaccine against herpes zoster can be given to people over 60 years of age. It is performed once and reduces the risk of developing Herpes zoster by 51%, and also reduces the intensity of pain by 61%, and the likelihood of postherpetic neuralgia by 66.5%.

Make an appointment

To obtain comprehensive information on the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of shingles, contact the ID-Clinic specialists.Leave a request in the online form on the page, and the clinic administrator will contact you shortly.

Shingles – treatment, symptoms, causes of the disease, the first signs

Description

Shingles – a pathology that is caused by the herpes simplex virus type 3, accompanied by damage to the skin and nervous tissue. Has code B02 according to ICD-10. Unlike other viral infections, it develops not during the initial infection, but after the transferred chickenpox and the period of the asymptomatic stay of the virus in the body.It manifests itself as symptoms of general intoxication, itching, burning paroxysmal pain and the formation of a skin rash along the nerve, more often intercostal. Antiviral and pain relievers are the mainstay of treatment.

Shingles (herpes zoster) is found everywhere, develops after overt or latent chickenpox. The prevalence reaches 4-12 cases per 1,000 people per year. People of middle and older age are more often affected. In children and adolescents, the disease is diagnosed 10 times less often than the average for the population.Most cases end with recovery, relapses are rare. Residual pain, sometimes excruciating, disrupting normal life, can bother for several years.

Reasons for development

The causative agent of shingles is Varicella Zoster Virus (human herpesvirus type 3), which causes chickenpox. People who have had chickenpox in the past, usually in childhood or adolescence, are ill. After recovery, the virus can persist throughout life in the body, reactivate when favorable conditions appear, often after several decades.

Immunity disorders associated with various diseases are considered the main reason for the activation of the virus. Especially often, the disease occurs in cancer patients, as well as in people who have undergone organ and bone marrow transplants. The incidence rate in this group is 25-50%. In second place are people with AIDS, among them every fourth is sick. Other provoking factors are:

• blood diseases;
• prolonged stress;
• severe injuries;
• hypothermia;
• severe somatic and endocrine diseases;
• taking chemotherapy and hormonal drugs.

The risk of shingles increases dramatically with age. People who have had chickenpox in utero or at the age of less than 1.5 years are more likely to suffer.

Pathogenesis

During initial infection, the virus enters the body through the respiratory tract. Then the pathogen multiplies, penetrates into the ganglia of the cranial nerves and the dorsal roots of the spinal cord, where it remains in an inactive state after recovery. With a decrease in the protective functions of the body, the virus again goes into an active state, affects the skin and sensitive fibers of the nervous tissue.

Usually one or more adjacent nerves on one side are affected. Less commonly, there is a bilateral lesion or a generalized form. With the defeat of the cranial nerves, symptoms appear from the side of the organ of vision or hearing.

Classification

Specialists use the clinical classification of herpes zoster, which includes the following forms of the disease:

• Vesicular – with small blisters on the skin.
• No rash – no dermatological changes.
• Generalized – with a rash all over the body.
• Disseminated – with rashes along the nerve and separate “dropouts”.
• Ophthalmic herpes – with damage to the cornea, other parts of the eyeball, optic nerve.
• Hunt’s syndrome – with the involvement of the organ of hearing, paralysis of the facial nerve.
• Atypical forms : abortive, hemorrhagic, bullous, gangrenous, ulcerative necrotic.

Symptoms

Photo: wikipedia.org

The main symptoms of shingles are skin changes and neurological disorders. In 80% of cases, the increase in body temperature is insignificant, weakness, weakness and other symptoms of intoxication are not pronounced sharply. A bright general symptomatology is present only in every fifth patient.

The duration of the prodromal period is 2-3 days, less often about a week. At this stage, 70-80% of patients are concerned about constant or paroxysmal pain along the affected nerve.Painful sensations, burning, baking, pulsating, shooting. Sometimes soreness is noted only when touched. In other cases, severe itching is the first symptom.

With damage to the nerves of the trunk

Vesicular form is the most common. With this type of disease, the onset of the stage of advanced clinical manifestations is accompanied by the appearance of small nodules (papules) on the surface of the skin in the area of ​​the affected dermatome – an area of ​​the skin that is innervated by the involved nerve and is located in the area of ​​pain.More often the area of ​​the chest, innervated by one or more adjacent intercostal nerves, suffers.

After 1-2 days, the nodules are transformed into vesicles (vesicles). After another 3-4 days, new rashes are added to them. Separate elements of the rash sometimes coalesce. The serous contents of the vesicles become purulent, the vesicles turn into pustules and, after a few days, break open with the formation of crusts. The crusts disappear within a month. For some time, areas of skin peeling, hypo- and hyperpigmentation remain in the affected area.

Other forms of herpes zoster differ from vesicular in the nature and prevalence of the rash:

• Abortive . Skin rashes remain at the papule stage and do not turn into vesicles.
• Hemorrhagic The content of the vesicles becomes bloody.
• Necrotic ulcer . It is characterized by the formation of ulcers and areas of necrosis, followed by scarring at the site of the elements of the rash.
• Bullous .Vesicles merge into large bubbles – bullae.
• No rash . The skin remains unchanged, the clinical picture is limited to pain and itching.
• Generalized . Due to the rash that spreads throughout the body and is even detected on the mucous membranes, it resembles classic chickenpox, but with pain along the nerve.
• Disseminated . Along with the rash along the nerve trunk, islets of rashes are found outside of it.

The average duration of most forms of the disease is 2-3 weeks. In the abortive form, the rash resolves in a few days. In patients with necrotic ulcerative form, the skin is restored after a few months. The period of the disease also lengthens with infection of the elements of the rash, especially in patients with the bullous form, since large blisters are more likely to fester.

Nerves at the level of the abdomen and coccygeal region suffer less often than intercostal ones. In the first case, there is pain in the muscles of the anterior abdominal wall.In the second, there are disorders of urination, urinary retention.

With damage to the cranial nerves

Ganglionitis of Gasser’s node develops when the trigeminal nerve is damaged, accompanied by rashes and extremely intense pain in the innervation area of ​​one or more branches of the nerve trunk. It is the second most common localization of herpes zoster after the defeat of the intercostal nerves. Half of the face is edematous, the skin temperature is elevated, the nerve exit points are painful to touch.

With damage to any branch of the optic nerve, ophthalmic herpes occurs. Pathology is most often accompanied by keratitis, less often iridocyclitis, episcleritis are detected. Possible optic neuritis with an outcome in atrophy. The rash is located on one side of the face from eye level to crown. In the absence of timely treatment, complications are observed in half of the cases, which can lead to deterioration or loss of vision.

Involvement of the facial nerve is manifested by its paralysis. In the absence of rashes, difficulties in the diagnostic process are possible.With ganglionitis of the geniculate ganglion, Hunt’s syndrome is observed. There is a combination of facial nerve palsy and vestibular-cochlear disorders. The rash covers the auricle, ear canal, eardrum, lateral surface of the tongue.

Complications

The most serious negative consequences are encephalitis, which occurs a few days after the onset of the rash, and a stroke, which develops, on average, 7 weeks after the onset of the disease. The mortality rate for these complications ranges from 10 to 25%; after a stroke, irreversible neurological disorders remain.

Other negative consequences include myelitis with possible residual neurological disorders and retinitis with a frequent outcome in blindness. In some patients, itching or pain persists for a long time. Residual pain syndrome can be observed for several years, be painful, lead to a significant deterioration in the quality of life, be accompanied by depression and a desire for isolation.

Diagnostics

Photo: health.24tv.ua

Dermatologists are engaged in diagnostics and treatment of shingles.If necessary, patients are consulted by a neurologist, an ophthalmologist. The leading role in determining the nature of the pathology is played by typical clinical manifestations. With an atypical course of the disease, erased symptoms, the importance of laboratory tests increases. To detect the virus, PCR or isolation of the pathogen in cell culture is used.

Differential diagnosis most often has to be carried out with zosteriform vesicle lichen. Distinguishing with insect bites, contact dermatitis, pemphigus and other bullous dermatoses is sometimes required.

Treatment

Photo: peoplespharmacy.com

Treatment, mainly medication, involves the fight against viral infection, stimulation of immunity, elimination of pain, normalization of body temperature. In severe cases, infusion therapy is carried out to reduce the severity of intoxication. With a secondary infection of the rash, antibiotic therapy is prescribed.

Bubbles are dried by treating them with a brilliant green solution. Dermatol ointment is applied to the formed crusts.For sluggish shingles, use methacyl ointment. Physiotherapeutic procedures are carried out: laser therapy, quartz, ultraviolet irradiation of the affected skin.

Medicines

Photo: newshd.net

The following medicinal products are included in the drug therapy regimen for shingles:

• Antiviral medicines . Acyclovir is the mainstay of treatment and is effective in the initial stages of the disease. It is administered by intravenous drip in a mixture with isotonic solution.Sometimes used in tablets. The duration of the course is 5 days.
• Diuretics . Furosemide in tablets is necessary mainly for severe forms, it is used to remove excess fluid, reduce puffiness.
• Symptomatic preparations . Patients are prescribed restorative and antipyretic drugs. In case of sleep disorders, medications with sedative and hypnotic effects are included in the scheme. Antidepressants are sometimes used.

A difficult task is the elimination of pain, which, due to its neurological nature, is of high intensity and is poorly relieved by analgesics.Prescribe NSAIDs, paracetamol, aspirin, in case of severe pain, narcotic analgesics are administered, according to indications, central analgesia is performed using anticonvulsants.

To enhance the anti-pain effect, corticosteroids are added to antiviral drugs. For debilitating pain, resistant to the action of other drugs, epidural blockade is performed with a mixture of methylprednisolone and local anesthetic.

Folk remedies

Photo: zen.yandex.ru

Treatment with folk remedies should be carried out only in combination with the intake of drugs prescribed by a doctor. The most effective way to dry the vesicles is to smear with brilliant green solution, which is part of the standard therapy regimen. Additional treatment with hydrogen peroxide and furacilin is possible.

In the presence of blistering rashes, you should wash under the shower. Subsequently, the condition of the skin is improved by baths with the addition of a small amount of potassium permanganate, which has a disinfecting effect.To add to the water, you can use decoctions of chamomile and celandine. The application of regular baby cream helps to reduce the intensity of peeling.

The information is for reference only and is not a guide to action. Do not self-medicate. At the first symptoms of the disease, see your doctor.

References

1. Clinical guidelines for the management of patients with herpes zoster / ed. A.A. Kubanova – 2010.
2. Federal clinical guidelines for the management of patients with herpes zoster / Dubensky V.V. – 2013.
3. Unified clinical protocol “Herpes zoster” / Skvortsova N.Ye., Temkin V.V. and others – 2016.
4. Herpesvirus infection / Filatova T.