Shingles, also known as herpes zoster and chicken pox are caused by the varicella-zoster
virus. After chicken pox heals the virus is stored in what are known as cranial nerve
ganglion and can later reappear in a different disease, shingles (herpes zoster). Shingles
affects approximately 20% of persons sometime in their lives. It is more common after
50 but can occur at any age. Pain may occur in the affected area for a day or two before
the skin gets red. Painful blisters develop which develop into crusts that fall off in 3 or 4
weeks. The name “shingles” arose from the multiple overlapping dried crusts that looked
somewhat like the pattern of overlapping wood roof shingles. It occurs only on one side
of the body, often on the trunk but sometimes on the arm, leg or face. If it occurs in the
eye special treatment is needed. Partial or total loss of vision can result if shingles is not
treated.
Shingles is much less contagious than chicken pox. A person who has never had chicken
pox can catch chicken pox if there is direct contact with the shingles blisters. Shingles
cannot be passed from one person to another because it must develop in someone who
has had chicken pox earlier in life. An attack of shingles does not confer immunity. A
person can have shingles more than once.
The treatment for shingles or chicken pox in adults is the antiviral medicine acyclovir,
famciclover or valacyclovir for 7 to 10 days. It can also be given intravenously. It is
important to treat as early as possible because starting acyclovir after the third day of the
development of skin blisters has questionable benefits.
After the skin blisters have disappeared sometimes post herpetic neuralgia can develop
and last for weeks or months. Post herpetic neuralgia is a painful condition that is difficult
to treat. Treatment is with prednisone and acyclovir and pain medicines.
There is now a vaccine to prevent chicken pox. It has not been determined if it will
prevent shingles.
Patients in this office with shingles are prescribed the conventional therapy mentioned
above. In addition they are offered the option of a new treatment with intravenous
vitamin C or Nambudripad Allergy Elimination Technique (NAET). A copy of excerpts
from a book on the treatment of viral diseases with vitamin C by Thomas Levy, M.D. is
provided. Dr. Levy is a cardiologist, internal medicine specialist and a lawyer. Dr. Levy
indicates that large doses of vitamin C intravenously can kill all viruses. A copy of
excerpts of the book by Dr. Levy is attached. Shingles is caused by the varicella-zoster
virus. Indeed in our experience treating shingles with intravenous vitamin C accelerates
the recovery time.
Intravenous vitamin C should be given within the first few days after the skin lesions
develop. Usually one or two injections of intravenous vitamin C are sufficient to cure a
case of shingles.
Pain of Post herpetic neuralgia may occur after the skin blisters and redness disappear.
In this stage intravenous vitamin C has not been effective in our experience. Prednisone
and acyclovir have been used but usually are not very helpful. We have used Russian
Scenar technique with dramatic improvement in some cases and of no help in others.
Shingles, Case Report: A Lady in her 70’s worked in her flower garden early one
morning. Then she took a nap. Around 10 a.m. she awakened with pain around her left
eye and redness and some blisters on the skin of her left forehead. She went to the
hospital emergency room. A diagnosis of shingles was made. Fan vir was prescribed
and she was referred because concern of involvement of the left eye. Intravenous vitamin
C 12,500 mg was administered. The inflammation resolved and no other treatment was
needed.
Shingles: A lady age 49 had shingles with wide spread bright red painful skin lesion over
the left side of the back of her chest present for a week. She had had pain in that area
for a week before the skin lesions appeared or “broke out”. She was taking the
customary Acyclovir medication prescribed for shingles.
A copy of excerpts from a book on the treatment of vial disease with vitamin C by
Thomas Levy, M.D. was given to her to read. She decided to have vitamin C therapy.
She was given 12, 500 mg vitamin C intravenously, which is the customary first dose.
She was advised to take 2000 mg vitamin C every waking hour by mouth. It was
explained that when the body has more vitamin C than it needs, diarrhea will occur as the
indicator. Intravenous vitamin C does not cause diarrhea.
The following morning she reported that the pain subsided the previous day as she was
driving home following the intravenous vitamin C. She said she enjoyed a good night’s
sleep without pain for the first time in two weeks. The large bright red very tender skin
lesion on the back of her chest had faded to a dull red color and was much less tender to
the touch. Vitamin C 50,000 mg was administered intravenously. She was advised to
note bowel dosage (diarrhea) as improvement of the condition required lesser amounts of
vitamin C by mouth. Indeed bowel dosage did occur that day and she decrease the oral
dosage appropriately.
The shingles then resolved.
SHINGLES TREATED WITH NAET
By Paul Honan, M.D.
At the annual summer Nambudripad Allergy Elimination Technique (NAET) conference
July 2000, I asked Dr. Devi Nambudripad how to treat an acute shingles. I had not seen
a new case for a while. Her reply, “You have a herpes and also a shingles vial. Use
them”. I could sense an air of disgust in her voice, “Dummy, use what I have taught you”!
A few days later, orthopedic surgeon, Dr. Barth Conard, (also NAET trained) referred a
new case of shingles because it involved an eye. The 76-year-old lady presented a
history of painful and red, elevated lesions on her left forehead for two days, and the left
eyelids were swollen closed. On examination, there were six elevated red, very tender
and painful lesions, 2-3 cm diameter on the left brow, forehead and scalp and left side of
the nose. She was mentally foggy and verbal responses were slow and lacked
coherence, probably due to a viremia (virus in the blood).
She was Neuromuscular Sensitivity Test (NST) positive when she touched the forehead
lesions, with the herpes test vial and also the shingles test vial and strongly positive to a
combination of both vials.
She was treated with NAET using both vials. Following the treatment, NST to the two
vials was negative. Twenty-four hours later, the skin lesions were not painful and had
reduced in size by two-thirds. The eyelid swelling was greatly reduced. Her mental
status was clear, lucid and normal. She was cheerful and reported she had a good night’
s sleep. NST was negative to the test vials.
That same day, an 86-year-old nursing home patient was examined. For three days, she
had had a painful right eye with the eyelids swollen closed and a 6 x 8 cm elevated red,
very painful and tender lesion on her right forehead. The bulbar conjunctiva was injected
at a +2 or +3 level. The right cornea had multiple epithelial filament lesions each
approximately 0.5 mm diameter that prevented observing for cells in the anterior chamber.
Her pitiful deformed fingers from rheumatoid arthritis made it necessary to use a
surrogate to do MRT testing. Her NST with the herpes and shingle vial was strongly
positive.
She was treated with NAET using the herpes and the shingles vial combined. One day
later the forehead lesion was less painful. The skin lesion had lost its angry red color and
was pale. There were fewer corneal lesions. Again she was treated with NAET. Two
days later when examined at the nursing home the skin lesion on the forehead was not
tender. The lesion was still elevated but was pale in color. The bulbar conjunctiva was
not injected. Another NAET treatment was administered. The corneal filaments
disappeared leaving a punctate corneal epitheliopathy, which cleared in about a week.
