Is the Shingles Vacine Right for You
Is the shingles vacine right for you? If you are over 60 and had chicken pox as a child, there is a shingles vaccine that can help reduce the chances of you getting shingles.
Is the shingles vacine right for you? If you are over 60 and had chicken pox as a child, there is a shingles vaccine that can help reduce the chances of you getting shingles.
Shingles, also known as the Herpes zoster virus, is a reactivation of the chicken pox virus. This usually occurs during adulthood. However, unlike the rash caused by the chickenpox virus, which covers large parts of the body, shingles will usually only affect a small area of skin on one side of the body. After the chickenpox virus ends in childhood, it resides within the spinal column. The virus remains there, dormant, until at some future time, it is activated. As the shingles virus reactivates, its activity is limited to a single nerve branch. This explains why the shingles rash is generally restricted to one side of the body. Despite the sound of its medical name, the Herpes Zoster virus is not to blame.
Is there a shingles cure? To understand if there is a cure for shingles, you need to fully know what shingles are. Shingles are an area of painful blisters that can appear on one side of the body, usually around the abdomen or back. The blisters caused by a shingles flareup are filled with fluid. The blisters are caused by the varicella-zoster virus, which is a virus from the herpes family that causes chicken pox in children. Shingles can sometimes cause permanent damage to vision and hearing capability in extreme cases. If shingles is found near the eyes and ears it should be treated immediately.
Severe pain on the areas of the blisters is one symptom experienced by most of the people who are affected by shingles. This severe pain can be triggered by a gentle touch or air movement over the affected area. Medications used in curing shingles during the initial stages of the outbreak is to reduce the pain and the impact of shingles after the rashes have gone. Medicines used for cure includes acyclovir (Zovirax), famciclovir (Famvir), or valacyclovir (Valtrex). These medicines are used to reduce the pain and discomfort that is caused by shingles.