What is Shingles - Herpes Zoster: Shingles (known also as Herpes Zoster) is a very sore, rash caused by the same virus that causes chickenpox. It affects a limited area of the body and skin. Not only can it be very painful but it can also make you feel weak, tired and many even cause severe depression.
What causes Shingles - Herpes Zoster: You can only get shingles if you have previously had chickenpox. After having chickenpox the virus lies dormant in the nerves, and shingles occurs when it is revitalised in one particular nerve to the skin, this explains the way it affects a certain band or area of the skin. Many times the outbreak is caused by a decrease in your body's natural resistance or a weakness to the immune system. Most people who get shingles are more than 49 years old.
Shingles - Herpes Zoster - Symptoms: Usualy the first symptom of shingles is often over-sensitivity or a burning sensation on the skin in the affected area. After a few days, a rash develops. It usually appears as a band or path, following the route of a nerve under the skin. At first, the rash consists of small red spots and reddened skin in the same area. The spots then turn into small blisters, which dry up after a few days, and gradually form scabs. Shingles is often a very painful condition, since it affects the nerves, the pain may continue after the rash has cleared, sometimes lingering for months or years.
Shingles - Herpes Zoster - Treatment: Shingles is most often treated with acyclovir, famciclovir, or valacyclovir (also named: Valtrex). Your doctor will decide which of these medicines might work the best for you. Most of the medications work better if they are started within the first couple of days after you get the shingles rash. Often a doctor will also prescribe a steroid medicine to reduce the pain and swelling. If you get Shingles of the eye it is often treated with antiviral medicines and steroids.
Shingles - Herpes Zoster - Prevention: There is a study under way for a vaccine to prevent shingles, called the 'Shingles Prevention Study'. The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) is asking for volunteers for the study at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Clinical Center in Bethesda, Maryland. Interested people should call for more information: Toll-Free 1-877-841-6251
There is a website that provides cures, facts and other great information on Shingles - Herpes Zoster and numerous medical conditions, the website is called: All About Health, and can be found at this url: http://www.rb59.com/medical-health-info
You may publish this article in your ezine, newsletter, or on your web site as long as it is reprinted in its entirety and without modification except for formatting needs or grammar corrections.
Got a Question? Ask.
Ask the community a question about this article:
Q&A Powered by:
Latest Medicine Articles
Using Sunscreens For Proper Skin Care
By: Ryan J Bell | 21/08/2008
The sun can have a hypnotic effect. It lures millions of people to the beach to bask in the warm sunlight. It tempts them to slather on a sunscreen and "lay out" in pursuit of that rich, chestnut skin tone. While most people intuitively know that the sun can damage...
Dealing With Wrinkles: Skin Care Basics
By: Ryan J Bell | 21/08/2008
Wrinkles are commonly associated with aging. However, when proper skin care is neglected, wrinkles can appear sooner than they should. An assortment of products and treatments are available that promise to reduce and even eliminate wrinkles. Some promise more than they can deliver. Below, we'll briefly discuss the factors that...
5 Reasons Why Anti Wrinkle Skin Cream is Better Than Cosmetic Surgery
By: Sean Saunders | 21/08/2008
Getting older is something we all have to deal with. There is no treatment that reverses aging nor is there a cure to stop it. It's going to happen no matter what we do. On the other hand, there is no reason why we have to accept and/or live with...
Cellulite Removal That is Not Only Easy But Completely Pain Free
By: Sean Saunders | 21/08/2008
If you're interested in learning the methods of cellulite removal, then you should pay close attention to the following information. The below natural cellulite remedies will not only aid you in burning off cellulite from your body, but they will also assist in making sure cellulite never plagues your body...
The Hpv Vaccine: Why it Won't Promote Sexual Promiscuity
By: Dr. Shobha S. Krishnan, M.d. | 21/08/2008
Ever since the FDA approved the HPV vaccine two years ago, its introduction into the health community has been embroiled in a medical, social, cultural and political controversy. At first glance, the debut of a vaccine to fight most cervical cancers looks like an exciting advance in the history of women’s health.
Weight Loss Medication for Obesity Treatment
By: Katie | 21/08/2008
If you want a prescription weight loss medication, find out about Xenical, a novel drug that works uniquely to help you lose weight.
Xenical Orlistat a Weight Loss Drugs for Obesity Treatment
By: Katie | 21/08/2008
Xenical is a revolutionary weight loss drugs. It works in a unique way to help you lose weight safely and effectively. Know more about it here.
Reductil Sibutramine to Shed Extra Pounds Off
By: Katie | 21/08/2008
Obesity is defined as an accumulation of excess fats in the body. People of all ages can suffer from obesity. Owing to the present lifestyle trends, more and more people are becoming obese. This medical condition can lead to serious diseases that can even prove fatal.
More from Robert Benjamin
Nain Rouge - The Red Dwarf Of Disaster
By: Robert Benjamin | 24/11/2007 | Religion
The Nain Rouge is a creature that haunts Detroit, Michigan and several other parts of the US. The Nain Rouge is feared by residents as the 'harbinger of doom'. Every time it shows itself terrible events seem to always happen. It appears as a child like creature with red and...
Tulpas: Thoughtform Brought To Life
By: Robert Benjamin | 22/11/2007 | Religion
A thoughtform is a term used to explain a form of energy that can be manifested through the collective efforts of a person or several persons. In Tibetan dialects, thoughtform is translated as tulpa, which can be actualized either consciously or unconsciously by willpower, visualization, and the use of life...
Croup - The Simple Facts And The Cures
By: Robert Benjamin | 15/10/2007 | Medicine
What is Croup: A sickness caused by a virus infection in the area of a child's vocal cords. It is most often recognized by a 'dog barking' cough, and fever. Croup usually lasts for five or six days and mostly affects children between 3 months and 6 years old. Croup...
Earache - Swimmers Ear - Ear Infection - The Simple Facts And The Cures
By: Robert Benjamin | 15/10/2007 | Medicine
What is Earache - Swimmers Ear - Ear Infection: Otitis externa (also called swimmer's ear or ear ache) is an inflammation, irritation, or infection of the outer ear and ear canal.
What causes Earache - Swimmers Ear - Ear Infection: Earache and ear infections are common, especially among teenagers and young...
Headache - Tension Headache - Migraine Headache - The Simple Facts And The Cures
By: Robert Benjamin | 15/10/2007 | Medicine
What is a Tension Headache: Tension Headaches are the most common type of headaches. Nearly everyone will have at least one tension headache in their lifetime.
What is a Migraine Headache: Migraine headaches are a form of headache, usually very intense and disabling. It is a neurologic disease of neuronal...
English Greyhound - The Facts Every Owner Of This Dog Breed Should Know
By: Robert Benjamin | 15/10/2007 | Pets
More likely thought of as being on a racetrack or the side of a bus, English Greyhounds, are probably one of the most ancient dogs. They are thought to date back as far as Egyptian times, but this cannot be proven. It is known that English Greyhounds were brought to...
American Bobtail - The Facts Every Owner Of This Cat Breed Should Know
By: Robert Benjamin | 14/10/2007 | Pets
The American Bobtail has grown in popularity in recent years. Originally bred in the 1960s, John and Brenda Sanders found a male brown tabby cat with a bobbed tail while vacationing in Arizona and bred it with a Siamese female. The resulting litter was born with bobtails, but this feral...
Sore Feet - Foot Pain - The Simple Facts And The Cures
By: Robert Benjamin | 14/10/2007 | Health
What is Sore Feet - Foot Pain: Sore feet is a very common problem that effects millions accross the planet Earth, making simple things such as standing, walking, running, or working, almost a nightmare, because of the pain and discomfort involved.
What causes Sore Feet - Foot Pain: The most frequent...
Health 
