Question:
In December 2003, on holiday abroad, I suffered a severe attack of shingles, which covered my neck, head, back, shoulder, arm, face and chest on my right side. My doctor at home told me the shingles had attacked two parts of my nervous system, when it usually only attacks one. I took my several months to recover: my neck was painful and my right arm had a constant painful ache like hitting yourself with a hammer. It was also weak for about five months. Now those symptoms have returned. Is this still the effect of the original illness or is there a possibility of the shingles returning? And can you tell me what I can do to alleviate it please?
Answer:
Shingles are caused by the varicella-zoster or V-Z virus, which is the same as the chickenpox virus: varicella is chickenpox. Shingles, or zoster, appears in people who have previously had chickenpox. The initial infection produces chickenpox, a common and usually mild disease of childhood where watery eruptions on the skin are preceded by sore throat and bronchitis. The virus then gets lodged in the body in ganglia, collections of nerve cells outside the spinal cord, located a long the spinal column the spinal cord. Once there, it goes into a period of hibernation, taking the minimal nutrition it needs from the nerve cells. It can lie dormant for decades '?without showing any symptoms or discomfort whatsoever.
Years later, when immunity to the virus is lost or the immune system is weakened by illness or age, the viral cells can multiply rapidly and spread down a nerve and nerve branches until they reach the skin surface. That is shingles, which causes degenerative changes in the skin similar to chickenpox, and can be extremely painful. The watery blisters become cloudy as white blood cells accumulate and the debris from destroyed skin is deposited. The only good thing is that when the blisters burst and dry, the hard crusts peel off without leaving a mark in the majority of cases.( The reason this virus leaves no long term scaring in most people is because the infection is restricted to the skin surface, unlike smallpox now eradicated- which attacked deeper layers of skin and left indented scars in survivors.) Generally, as your doctor says, only one nerve and its branches are involved, most frequently the one in the middle of the trunk. The nerves in face and neck are less commonly involved.
In your case, the branches of the nerves that feed the shoulder, arm and hands are also involved. I suspect that after your initial infection, the virus must have lodged in multiple ganglia including the neck area. The nerves involved are usually sensory which is why you gel all sorts of sensations such as burning, pain, tingling and itching and the area of the skin feels very sensitive to touch. On rare occasions, motor nerves (those responsible for voluntary movement are involved and sufferers may experience weakness or loss of power in the arm, as you report. Even when the skin eruptions are completely gone, the pain and discomfort may continue for weeks or years, depending on the damage the virus causes as it moves a long the nerve. The more severe the attack, the longer the symptoms persist. Once the pain and burning subsides, however, you can be assured that the attack is over. In your else, the return of the pain in your neck and right arm could be nerve pain caused by problems in that area. Here are some suggestions. In the initial stages of an attack, antiviral drugs are useful which your doctor will prescribe.
At your stage, I would tend to focus on supporting the immune system and treating the neck and upper back.
*Avoid yeast products, coffee, alcohol, citrus fruits, canned products, excess sugar ... Make sure you sleep well to replenish your energy stores: take 1 tablet of Brento at night for one month to relax and get into the habit of good sleep.
* Boost your immune system-with one tablespoonful of Bioprash in a little milk with some Manuka Honey, daily for three months.
* Take one 15 mg tablet of zinc citrate daily for two months'.Take a multivitamin and mineral daily for two month!.
* Give yourself a neck and shoulder massage twice weekly for two months: see my website for details which you can download freely, or look in Therapeutic Yoga, the book I co-wrote with Jiwan Brar or have professional massage sessions.
* Book in for acupuncture or homeopathy with an appropriately trained and qualified practitioner. These sessions will reduce the burning pain and tingling in the arm. Your GP may be able to recommend good local practitioners; in some cases they are attached to surgeries...
