What Should You Do for shingles?

If you’ve ever had chickenpox, you could get shingles. The same virus that causes chickenpox is responsible for shingles. The virus can lie dormant in nerve roots for years. It can reactivate if your immune system is weakened by stress, infection, or other health issues. The result: a painful, blistering rash with lingering aftereffects.

Shingles usually heals by itself within a month. However, if shingles appears on the face, serious—and sometimes permanent—vision and hearing problems can occur. To help speed up the healing process and avoid complications, it’s important to see your doctor right away. Prescription pain relievers, ointments, and other medications can provide relief.

There’s a relatively new shingles vaccine specifically for older adults—and experts now strongly advise that adults ages 60 and older get this vaccine. A study in the New England Journal of Medicine showed that the new vaccine cut the risk for shingles in half among adults ages 60 and older.

The editorial content of this online publication is taken from the print version of Your Health Matters published by Blue Ridge Physician Group.

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