2 Years on From Having Shingles 

How I healed myself from shingles 2 years on, and how am I feeling now.

It’s been 2 years since I had shingles. If you have been following me for a while now, you will already now, I shared my experience in a variety of blogs, to tell how I found out I had, what happened during treatment and how I treated myself holistically.

Since then, I have been asked by a few people how I feel 2 years on from having shingles and do I ever get scared, or at least worried that it will ever come back. 

And truth be told, although it has never come back, the fear is always there that one day it will. But I do take precautions and I do manage my health holistically to ensure it doesn’t come back. But that doesn’t mean I haven’t had a few scares these last 2 years.

To start, and to be clear, especially for anyone new to the blog, I was not given any medical treatments for the virus, as by the time I learned what it was and was properly diagnosed, the virus was half way through its journey throughout my body, and I was told both vaccine and medication would be useless, and simply put, I needed to let the virus run its course and do what it had to do to heal.

To give you a little background about who I am, despite the amount of yoga I do, and mental check in I do through meditation and other life management tools used to help deal with everyday anxiety and stress, I am only human after all.

So, stress does impact me, and I do experience it a lot.

I mean life is life after all – am I right?

This means, from time to time, when I am feeling run down, tired and stressed, the sensations of Shingles do return. The feeling itself gives me anxiety, as the weird yet painful sensations of tight tingles that echoes throughout the area in which I had Shingles 2 years ago, creates discomfort and pain.

And then the worry sets in, that my shingles may be coming back.I am lucky to have many friends in the health and wellness space, as they always provide me with the essential holistic tools, I need to get through times such as these.

When the shingles pain kicks in, this is when I implement their advice to help me get through it and move past it, without any outbreak.

There a variety of things you can do to help prevent it from ever coming back. I wanted to share those with you, so you too can have an arsenal of information to help you fight it naturally and prevent it from ever coming back.

Without further ado – this is how you heal yourself from shingles naturally: My holistic approach to recovery.

But first, let me explain what shingles is, as I had no idea what it was until I got it. It’s a viral infection caused by the varicella-zoster virus; the same virus responsible for chickenpox. It can be a painful and almost debilitating condition.

My symptoms started out with lower back and hip pain in the joints, which I thought was just general pain, as I do get a lot of chronic issues in that area. It was then followed with a small rash on my lower back, which I didn’t think too much of, until it spread all over my left side to the hip, which is when I made the decision to get to the doctor and find out what was going on.

For me, this also came with massive fatigue, low energy, feeling of weakness and brain fog. Dealing with shingles can be a challenging experience, but there are various natural remedies that can aid in the healing process and provide relief from symptoms.  

• Boost Your Immune System

A robust immune system plays a vital role in combating viral infections, including shingles. Ensure your diet includes plenty of immune-boosting foods such as fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds. Vitamin C, found in citrus fruits and leafy greens, enhances immune function.

Additionally, zinc-rich foods like beans, lentils, and whole grains help strengthen your body’s defence mechanism. Herbal supplements such as echinacea and astragalus have been used for centuries to support immune health and reduce the duration of viral infections.

I also took vitamin C and Zinc supplements along with the foods I ate for extra.

• Soothe the Rash

The rash associated with shingles can cause discomfort and irritation. To soothe the affected area, try applying cool, damp compresses. You can also make a natural paste using colloidal oatmeal and water and gently apply it to the rash.

Oatmeal has anti-inflammatory properties and helps relieve itching.

I used aloe vera at times, and when it was irritated after a shower, I did apply a small amount of steroid based cream to help with the inflammation and sooth. But don’t do this without the guidance of a doctor, as you are using steroids, and not always recommended.

• Use Essential Oils

Certain essential oils possess antiviral and analgesic properties that can aid in shingles recovery. Tea tree oil, lavender oil, and chamomile oil are known for their soothing and healing effects on the skin.

Dilute the essential oils in a carrier oil like coconut oil or sweet almond oil before applying to the affected area to prevent skin irritation.

I had my oil burner going daily to help soothe my body and my mind as well. 

• Herbal Remedies

Herbs have long been used to treat various ailments, including viral infections.

Calendula, liquorice root, and St. John’s wort are known for their antiviral and anti-inflammatory properties.

You can use these herbs in the form of creams, teas, or tinctures to alleviate shingles symptoms and promote healing. These can easily be used in skincare products and of course added to the foods you eat as well.

• Manage Stress

Stress can weaken the immune system and exacerbate shingles symptoms.

Engage in relaxation techniques such as meditation, deep breathing exercises, and yoga to reduce stress levels.

These practices can also help alleviate pain and improve overall well-being.

• Maintain Good Hygiene

Keeping the affected area clean and dry is essential to prevent bacterial infections. Use mild, fragrance-free soap and pat the area gently with a clean towel.

Avoid wearing tight clothing that may rub against the rash, and opt for loose, breathable fabrics instead. Try and stay away from having a hot shower as well, as the heat will trigger the rash.

I was lucky enough to not have a rash that was overall very sensitive, a lot of people claim this is the case and at night they find the rash very itchy and hard not to scratch. I didn’t have this issue at all, but the steroid cream did help with that also. Scratching is not good, as you will scar the skin.

• Sunshine, Fresh Air and Exercise

It sounds ridiculous, to be exercising whilst dealing with something so debilitating.

However, I found walking in the fresh air and sunshine, and maintaining my yoga routine to be beneficial to the healing of shingles, as the walking outdoors gave me something else to think about, other than being sick, and the yoga helped me reduce my stress and anxiety about it all as well.

Being outdoors in the fresh air and sunshine really helped my mood and helped me heal faster as well.

• Eat Foods Rich in Lysine

Lysine is an essential amino acid that may help inhibit the replication of the varicella-zoster virus. Foods high in lysine include dairy products, fish, and legumes.

Incorporating these foods into your diet may assist in the healing process.

I also took supplements L-Lysine to help the healing process, as I learned chicken pox is part of the herpes virus, and L-Lysine is very good for dealing with this.

Since having Shingles 2 years ago, I regularly take magnesium, B12, zinc, vitamin C and L-Lysine, along with vitamin D and probiotics, pretty much daily now, to help with stress, anxiety, and to ensure no virus comes back, especially Shingles.

I also spend a lot of time outdoors. Which I am lucky I can do, as I work from home, so I often move my office outside to the garden, so I can sit in the sunshine and fresh air (pretty much every day) to work – which is great for both my body and my mind.

All in all, the fear of shingles returning one day is always at the back of my mind. But I do believe, or rather I am very confident, by implementing all of the above as part of my now daily routine, it will never return.