Shingles is a horribly uncomfortable disease that affects thousands of people every year. This disorder can affect anyone, but it is often seen in older individuals who have weakened immune systems and other comorbidities.
There are a number of treatment options available for those who suffer from shingles. But one rarely used treatment option, which has phenomenal outcomes, is chiropractic care. In this article, we’ll take a closer look at shingles and discuss how chiropractic care can help patients deal with this issue.
What Is Shingles?
Shingles is a disorder caused by the varicella-zoster virus. This specific virus is the same pathogen that causes chickenpox in children. As you might imagine, shingles is similar to chickenpox in that it causes itchy, irritating bumps on the skin.
Other shingles symptoms include fever, headaches, and a general feeling of malaise. Obviously, these symptoms are characteristic of many different illnesses. Therefore, the red, itchy spots and blisters are the most important symptom to consider.
Interestingly, once the varicella-zoster virus enters a person’s system, it never really leaves. Rather, it lies dormant in the body for months or even years, waiting for an opportunity to proliferate and attack tissues. Whenever a person has a depressed immune system, the virus is easily able to invade other areas of the body, leading to the characteristic symptoms of shingles.
Spreading Shingles
Contrary to popular belief, shingles is not contagious. Although, as a point of clarification, a person who has never contracted the chickenpox virus may catch chickenpox from a patient who is suffering from shingles.
Above all else, the major concern with shingles is how to get rid of it. Much like chickenpox, shingles will usually resolve on its own, without intervention or treatment. However, there are a few different treatments that may bear consideration based on an individual patient’s specific issues.
Shingles Treatments
Because shingles is caused by a virus, antibiotics, which are designed to fight bacteria, generally won’t help. Instead, patients are often prescribed antiviral medications which work with the patient’s immune system to destroy the pathogens. Sometimes, this might be a good idea, especially for patients with very weak immune systems.
However, many people want to avoid taking harsh medications, as these substances can cause side effects that are often worse than the disease itself. For these people, other, more natural treatments need to be made available.
For instance, simply increasing the intake of healthy, nourishing foods can help to boost the immune system, allowing it to clear the virus. Additionally, patients seeking natural cures may simply use pain relieving methods, such as warm baths, in order to find some relief from their symptoms.
Unfortunately, one of the best treatments which is often overlooked for shingles is chiropractic care. Chiropractors provide tons of benefits to these patients, as we’ll see in the next section.
How Can Chiropractic Care Help with Shingles?
Shingles is intimately connected to the nervous system. Therefore, any treatments for shingles should address the nervous system as well. Chiropractors are concerned with keeping the spine in perfect alignment, allowing it to communicate with all other areas of the body more easily.
This improved connection between the immune system and the rest of the body is accomplished through the use of spinal adjustments. These are gentle, quick treatments that push misaligned spinal segments back into place.
Thus, the connection between the spine and other areas of the body is restored through chiropractic care. This can lead to the healing of many conditions, including shingles.
Are you dealing with the pain and discomfort of shingles? You deserve relief! Your local Parker chiropractor at Awaken Chiropractic can help you today. Book your appointment now!
