[YEA]  04/29/2012: Quantumchick from Irvine, California: "I've received so many great natural remedies from this site that I want to contribute one of my own.

I suffered from a bout of shingles, got the pain to calm down with drinking apple cider vinegar, spraying it on the lesions, and eating raw unrefined coconut oil. The episode lasted maybe a couple weeks.

My mom passed recently, and with the stress of that, it came back and I did not realize it until after the funeral - they were all on the left side of my body, on the front. Talk about painful!

Well, I didn't have anything in the house and I'd bought some salve that had helped previously but it was all gone. I noticed a jar of african shea butter my cousin had left and thought what the heck - it might work.

I put some on, and went out for the day. Almost immediately I noticed that the stabbing pain and itch disappeared and the raised bumps had gone away too!

Needless to say, I scraped that jar then went in search of more on Amazon. com - I ended up buying a pound of it.

Another benefit is that it fades the scarring and marks that shingles leaves.

Even though the skin got 100% better, I had tremendous post-herpetic neuralgia. My skin was so sensitive, it hurt to put anything on it.

For that, what has worked like a charm is Turmeric capsules - 500 mg x 2, 4 times a day, along with homeopathic remedy Hypericum Perforatum (30x 4 times a day). I'm still taking it, but it started working on the post shingles pain after the first few doses.

Because I read about this stuff online, and I was eager to try anything that might work, I just went to my local health food store to get the Hypericum, and went to Walmart and bought the Turmeric.

Hope this is helpful for anyone who is suffering from this terrible, painful condition!"

[YEA]  01/14/2008: RJ from Cleveland, Ohio: "I recently had a shingles, which I never knew anything about until now. This web site was a big help in helping me understand the disease and what I could do about it.

I actually used multiple remedies to help cure shingles and the excruciating pain that went along with it. I went to a doctor to find out what it was and he confirmed that it was shingles and prescribed Valtrex an antiviral pill (which will not kill the virus), 1 per day for 10 days. I did take it but it didn't do a thing for the outbreak or the pain.

First thing I did was start taking Vitamin C 1000 mg fizzy packets x 3 every hour, by the fourth or fifth hour, I had diarrhea. Not a problem, cut it back to 1000 mg every 3 hours for the next 2 days. This helps to jump start the immune system and Vitamin C doesn't build up in the body and you can't get enough from fruits and vegetables. I also started taking l-lysine 2 tablets in the morning and 2 before bed (1500 mg each time). This also helps to boost immune system and kill the virus. Unfortunately, I did have to take some ibuprofen for the pain from time to time but that was only one or sometimes twice a day for a few days. I also took twice a day 2 ounces of apple cider vinegar mixed with either orange juice or grape juice (not at the same time as the vitamins) until the outbreak was gone.

For the outbreak, I tried putting zinc oxide cream (the worst thing to do) on the outbreak, it did nothing and it was painful to get off because it is made with petroleum. I also tried honey for its' ability to heal, it may have helped but it was messy and I didn't see any results. I did put tea tree oil on for a full day and it seemed to keep it from spreading but I did not see a lot of healing. I then took and put apple cider vinegar directly on the sores and wrapped them in cellophane to keep from drying out and left on for 2 hours. It was painful but it really brought out the sores. I then took baking soda and sea salt mixed with water and applied with a wet wash cloth and let sit on for an hour and then reapplied a few times. This felt great because it had a cooling effect on the sores and took away a lot of the pain. I used to have acne as a teenager and we would go to the beach in the summer and every year, my acne clear up like I had none at all, so I tried it and immediately the sores began to heal. I only needed to use for one to two days for the baking soda and salt water and only once for the apple cider vinegar. Once everything was dried up, I put some calamine lotion on for help with itching and I was surprised when it eliminated the dark marks from where the sores were. For the pain that continued after the sores, I thought it would go away, but unfortunately, it hung around a while and made life tough. I finally tried vitamin E d-alpha, not dl-alpha 1200 IU's twice a day and the pain went away after 2 days. I read that Vitamin C and Vitamin E should be taken together so I took 1000 mg of Vitamin C with the Vitamin E at the same time.

Also, watch your diet and eat a lot of fruits and vegetables. There are some that say the virus uses foods like nuts and chocolate as food to grow and survive, so starve it and you have a better chance that the natural remedies will kill and eat the virus.

Good Luck and I hope this helps someone because many of these same things worked for others and I know that they helped me a lot. Thanks to those that shared."

[YEA]  10/08/2010: Capowrs5 from Davenport, Fl replies: "This 'cocktail' absolutely works! It's amazing.. The minute I felt an outbreak start, I took it and it was better the next day... No rash at all."

[YEA]  10/13/2012: Heather from Springfield, Mo: "I work in a very high stress job and had a second outbreak of Shingles for the year. I immediately turned to my tea tree oil, applied I with a cotton swab and covered the area with 3m waterproof bandaid. Now three days after doing this once a day, they are well on their way to healing. The pain went away within a few minutes of applying the oil as well as the itching. I am going to keep this oil on hand at all times!"

07/12/2008: Lore from Ocala, FL, USA: "Shingles: try the Zapper from Prof. Dr. Hulda Clark... go to: www.drclark.com ... what helped me was a Healer in Germany with the laying on of hands...after a week I was completely free of pain... God Bless and be well !!!"

[YEA]  10/27/2012: Gus from Agnes Water, Qld Australia: "Hi heres my adapted paste for Shingles, adapted from thi site of course!

1tsp coconut oil.
1tsp cayenne pepper.
2tsp apple cider vinegar.
1tsp neem oil.
2tsp kaolin clay
2 cloves cut up garlic .

Combined all ingredients and applied, results in 24 hours are amazing. Applied quite frequently. regards"

[YEA]  08/25/2009: Ann from Deer Park, Wa: "After suffering reoccurrence of shingles for about 20 months, I found out that it is a sign that there is a serious underlying medical problem. I worked on healing my digestive problems and as soon as the digestive system started working properly, the shingles quit reoccurring. If you keep getting shingles, look for another medical problem"

04/12/2012: Lou from Pietermaritzburg, Kwazulu-natal South Africa: "A reliable cure for Shingles is the crushed herb Turmeric used in curry or to boil with rice which gives it a bright yellow colour. This herb is a wonderful antiseptic for shingles. Simply take a teaspoon of it with jam or peanut butter twice a day and within a week your painful shingles is history. I use it on a daily basis but I have never had shingles and am quite healthy, I am 76yrs old. Lou"

[YEA]  10/16/2010: Mitch from Gatineau, Quebec, Canada: "My 85 year old mom has been suffering excruciating pain due to shingles (along the nerve on the back of her leg to her waist) for the past 3 weeks. The pain was unbearable and she could not sleep at all because of the pain. I could no longer bear to watch her suffer so much so I looked up this site and found turmeric and apple cider vinegar. I made 00 capsules filled with tumeric and gave her 2 capsules before going to bed last night and mixed ACV with 1 tbsp honey and made her drink it. When I came to see her this morning, she said that it was the first night she had not felt any pain in the last 3 weeks. She has become a believer in natural remedies and so have I. Thanks to everyone for your testimonies."

06/25/2012: Jennifer from Raleigh, Nc: "I went to the doctor with a fist sized rash, and was told shingles... The whole mess started with deep muscle itching in my leg for a week, then I thought I scratched the skin and had an infection/rash. There were also two bumps on the sole of my heel that made it painful to walk-- the doctor listened to my description of events and except for the heel thing, diagnosed shingles right away. She thought maybe the heel break out was because the nerves in the heel are connected down the leg. She prescribed Valtrex, I refused steroids. I wasn't really in any pain. I filled the scrip and then went home and googled it.

Everything I looked at and read said I was in for 6 weeks or longer of intense pain, seeping sores and so on... Yikes, I could not take even a week off work!

I read about Vitamin C and started taking 1000mg at different intervals from the Valtrex, 3X a day for Valtrex and 4X a day for the Vitamin C. I applied Caladryl (calamine lotion with itch reliever) to my rash as needed, about 3 times a day. I was back at work after three days.

I never got open sores from the rash, just bumps. I did get more rash and bumps, some would go away and others came, up and down my upper thigh (and butt), but I did not experience weeping sores or have intense pain, and was walking fairly normally after three days. The bumps on my heel stayed dark, but hurt less to walk on.

I think it was the vitamin C, but I did not stop taking the Valtrex. I didn't seem to take enough Vitamin C to cause diarrhea, just loose stool one day. Another thing with the C, it seemed to calm me down a little bit. I work on my feet 12 hours a day 5 or 6 days a week as a restaurant manager, and have never been good at sitting still, but the C, I think, might have calmed me a bit."

12/03/2008: Tony from Chantilly, Va: "Some of you may know,but for those who don't...There's a vacine for the cure of shingles called (Zostavax) no perscription is needed as it is given just like the flue shoot at most local clinics,walgreen's & cvs drug stores. The average cost is $225 and can only be given befor yon contract the virus or once you're over it. Hope this helps to rid everyone of Shingles."

EC: More info here: http://www.drugs.com/zostavax.html

03/15/2010: Tom from Elgin, Il replies: "Pharmacies charge just $25 for the vaccine, I just called after my doctor wanted $225."

11/30/2011: Colleen from Whitewater, Wi replies: "Before anyone runs out to get a zostavax shot, please do your research. As with all vaccines, there are risks and unproven efficacy, and only "work" if your immune system is strong enough to build the antibodies... So goes the idea. Problem for those with shingles is that their immune system is obviously not up to snuff, since shingles is caused by an opportunistic virus, rearing its ugly head when one is under stress, suffered trauma or generally immune deficient. That said, why in the world would you subject yourself with a different strain of herpes zoster (live attenuated) virus if your immune system is not up to the task?

To kick off your research...

Chickenpox Vaccine Linked with Shingles Epidemic

http://herpesz.com/chickenpox-vaccine-linked-shingles-epidemic

"New research published in the International Journal of Toxicology (IJT) by Gary S. Goldman, Ph. D. , reveals high rates of shingles (herpes zoster) in Americans since the government's 1995 recommendation that all children receive chicken pox vaccine. Goldman's research supports that shingles, which results in three times as many deaths and five times the number of hospitalizations as chicken pox, is suppressed naturally by occasional contact with chicken pox."

[....]

"Using a shingles vaccine to control shingles epidemics in adults would likely fail because adult vaccination programs have rarely proved successful, " said Goldman. "There appears to be no way to avoid a mass epidemic of shingles lasting as long as several generations among adults."

Reading through these remedies I'm truly shocked at the number of middle age adults and younger who are afflicted with this disease which "primarily afflicts the elderly"... No surprise that the diagnosis was missed repeatedly in many of EC's forum posters, and it seems to lend credence to Dr. Goldman's research and findings, that the chickenpox vaccine (zostavax) can be linked to a shingles epidemic.

I've never had shingles, only know people who have suffered this, and can only imagine the desperation one feels, so much that they'll try anything to avoid recurrence of shingles. Just be cautious and well-informed before trying something which may do more harm than good.

Bottom line... Mother (nature) knows best!"

10/26/2012: Diane from Philadelphia, Pa replies: "I was given the Zostavax Vaccine in early August. By mid-September, I had a small patch of shingles on my arm (about the size of a half dollar). Two weeks later (early October), a large fever blister broke out on the corner of my mouth. Two weeks later (mid-October), I had heart pain and palpitations. The heart pain went away, but the palpitations were so bad that I went to the emergency room - twice! Terrifying! According to cardio tests, my heart was fine, but I believe the heart palpitations are a reaction to the shingles virus and my body's fight against the invader (remember, this is a LIVE virus vaccine). While the doctors did not explicitly agree with me, they did not totally dismiss the thought that heart palpitations could be a side effect of this vaccine. I wish I had never gotten it...

Meanwhile, in seeing my distress, my sister suggested I take Alka Seltzer Gold (it must be the Gold as there's no aspirin in it) and It Worked! Within 15 minutes, the palpitations were gone! Hope this helps someone else.

Thanks EC for all your efforts to help others!"

11/16/2012: Kate59 from Kingston, Ny, United States replies: "I am 53 and was recently diagnosed with shingles. Glad to have found this site! Right now I am typing this while slathered with a salve made today from Vit. E oil, aloe vera gel, cayenne pepper, 50 drops of pure essential eucalyptus oil and corn starch..... Covered with gauze bandages and a t-shirt. I haven't had any pain from this, but I am not taking any chances. I had used a homeopathic anti-pain cream when the area was aching everynight at bedtime. I didn't know the shingles were emerging. Oh, I just drank 1/4 cup ACV and chased it down with 500mg. of lysine and a teaspoon of raw honey.

About the vaccine: I totally agree that the chicken pox vaccine is causing the outbreak of so many with shingles. And after (of before) having shingles, unfortunately many people will get the vaccine. Who knows what new complications will arise.

I've been studying herbs, homeopathics, blood-type diets, macrobiotic diets, you name it. for 30 years! Problem is I was low on lysine, too much sugar, post-menopausal, recently had a stressful weather-related event in the northeast USA.

I consider this a wake-up call for me to eat right, build my immunity up once again and thrive!

Thanks everyone for some great information. This site is a keeper!"

11/19/2012: Kate59 from Kingston, Ny, United States replies: "Update on my shingles: It's day 6 and I have been alternating ACV on gauze padsand Eucalyptus oil pats, and taking L-Lysine, my chinese anti-viral herbs, Vit. C, B-complex, Raw Honey with propolis, and drinking the ACV. Eating nutritiously, but sparingly as my appetite has decreased. My energy level began to improve on Day 5. This morning, I noticed scabbing on one of my larger blisters and drying on most of my rash. I have photographed the stages of my shingles and am keeping a log, as I want full documentation for the naysayers. After contemplation, I remembered I had fell on my tailbone On Oct. 27 and it hurt for a week until I got myself adjusted. Then with the power out for 5 days, I was somewhat emotionally stressed, but I really think the fall and my diet had the most to do with it.

This site is fantastic. I've read every single post on this site about shingles and taken the best as suggestions for myself. I am blessed that my pain level is low, but I think that may be because I don't use OTC or scripts, just homeopathy and herbs."