6 Ways Of Treating Shingles At Home
Shingles are a skin infection that causes stubborn rashes or blisters on the infected part. It is a viral infection caused by the varicella-zoster virus. It is the same virus that causes chickenpox. When the virus attacks, the skin becomes red and inflamed.
Shingles can be treated with antiviral medicines. Also, you can try home remedies to cure a painful skin infection.
Here’re 6 proven home remedies for curing shingles
- Oatmeal Baths
A quick oatmeal bath could be refreshing as oatmeal improves the skin barrier against rashes. It contains anti-inflammatory properties that soothe the skin. Also, it has amazing skin-cleansing properties that can remove dirt and other pollutants from the skin. Taking an oatmeal bath can calm the itchiness and inflammation associated with shingles.
For an oatmeal bath, you need a cup of oatmeal powder that you can get by grinding the oatmeal. Add this powder to a bathtub filled with lukewarm water. Stir the water to mix the oatmeal. Soak in the tub for half an hour after which you can rinse your body with normal water and pat dry your body.
The advantage of an oatmeal bath is that you can take it daily and it won’t take you much time in soaking in the oatmeal water. Also, you can make advance preparation like grinding oatmeal beforehand for quick a bath.
- Cold/Hot Compress
The cold compress process is applied to control inflammation and swelling after injury especially sports injury. The same therapy can be applied to reduce the inflammation associated with shingles. Since it soothes inflamed skin, it will work on shingles as well.
The hot compress process is good for treating cold sores and it works well. Similarly, the hot compress can be used to alleviate the uncomfortable symptoms associated with shingles.
It is easier to apply a cold/hot compress on the affected area. You only need to apply the compress for 15 minutes and then pat dry the area. Also, the compress should be either washed or disposed of after it is used.
The advantage of cold/hot compress is that it requires no preparation. Also, you can take the treatment once or twice daily or until the blisters are subsided.
- Vitamins
Vitamins D and C are quite effective in treating shingles. Vitamin D has immunomodulatory activities that can alleviate pain and swelling associated with shingles. Vitamin C is also found to be effective against the uncomfortable symptoms associated with shingles. And the good thing is that both the vitamins are available in fruits and vegetables.
If you have shingles, you should consume more food items that contain vitamins D and C. For example, take citrus fruits that are rich in vitamin C. you can add more citrus fruits to your plate. Similarly, you can eat green and leafy vegetables, eggs, and fish to increase your intake of vitamins D and C.
While there should be little need to take vitamin supplements, but you can start taking health supplements to take a sufficient dose of vitamins … Find more