Schencking M1, Vollbracht C, Weiss G, Lebert J, Biller A, Goyvaerts B, Kraft K.Author information1Department for Complementary and Integrative Medicine, Heart-Jesus Hospital, Dernbach, Germany. m.schencking@krankenhaus-dernbach.deAbstractBACKGROUND: Vitamin C is an immune-relevant micronutrient, which is depleted in viral infections and this deficiency seems to play a critical role in the pathogenesis of herpes infections and in the development of postherpetic neuralgia. The objective of this observational multicenter study was to evaluate the utilization, safety and efficacy of intravenously administrated vitamin C in patients with shingles.MATERIAL/METHODS: Between April 2009 and December 2010 16 general practitioners recorded data of 67 participants with symptomatic herpes zoster who received vitamin C intravenously (Pascorbin® 7.5 g/50 ml) for approximately 2 weeks in addition to standard treatment. The assessment of pain (VAS) and the dermatologic symptoms of shingles such as hemorrhagic lesions and the number of efflorescences were investigated in a follow-up observation phase of up to 12 weeks.
RESULTS: Mean declines of pain scores (VAS), number of affected dermatomes and efflorescences, and the presence of hemorrhagic vesicles between the baseline and follow-up assessments at 2 and 12 weeks were statistically significant. Overall, 6.4% of the participants experienced post-herpetic neuralgia. Common complaints such as general fatigue and impaired concentration also improved during the study. The effects and the tolerability of the treatment were evaluated positively by the physicians. The risk of developing PHN was reduced.CONCLUSIONS: The data presented here provide evidence that concomitant use of intravenously administered ascorbic acid may have beneficial effects on herpes zoster-associated pain, dermatologic findings and accompanying common complaints. To confirm our findings, randomized, placebo-controlled clinical studies are necessary.PMID: 22460093 PMCID: PMC3560828 [Indexed for MEDLINE] Free PMC ArticlePublication typesClinical TrialMulticenter StudyResearch Support, Non-U.S. Gov'tMeSH termsAscorbic Acid/administration & dosageAscorbic Acid/adverse effectsAscorbic Acid/pharmacologyAscorbic Acid/therapeutic use*Attention/drug effectsFatigue/etiologyFemaleHemorrhage/etiologyHerpes Zoster/complicationsHerpes Zoster/drug therapy*Herpes Zoster/virologyHerpesvirus 3, Human/drug effectsHerpesvirus 3, Human/physiologyHumansInjections, IntravenousMaleMiddle AgedPain MeasurementProspective StudiesTreatment OutcomeSubstanceAscorbic AcidFull Text SourcesInternational Scientific Literature, Ltd. - PDFEurope PubMed CentralPubMed CentralPubMed Central CanadaMedicalShingles - MedlinePlus Health InformationVitamin C - MedlinePlus Health InformationMiscellaneousSodium ascorbate - Hazardous
Substances Data BankL-Ascorbic Acid - Hazardous Substances Data BankQ: I Have Shingles. What Do You Suggest? A: A diagnosis of shingles is not something to take lightly. will tell you that this stubborn virus can cause illness for several weeks to months and can cause blindness if it affects the eyes. Shingles are caused by the Herpes varicella-zoster virus--the same virus that causes chicken pox. When we get chicken pox as a child, all of the virus may not be destroyed by our immune system and it may lie dormant in the nerves of the skin for decades only to emerge as shingles when we get older. It is generally seen in people who are immune-compromised, under too much stress or who have been exposed to the chicken pox virus again. children are vaccinated against chicken pox, experts believe we will see more shingles in the future due to the fact that the children did not build enough immunity fromVaccines do not provide the same strong immunity we see when we have
been contracted a disease and survived. Herpes varicella-zoster infection of the central nervous system begins with fatigue and fever, and the affected skin may be very sensitive to touch. skin begin to form around the fourth or fifth day of infection and run along a nerve path generally in patches that look like a branch of a tree. It most often occurs on the trunk area and chest but can also be found on the face across the shoulders and up the neck. It is an extremely painful condition. Often the elderly will experience chronic pain for months to years. Patients diagnosed with shingles are prescribed a narcotic for pain relief and the antiviral drug acyclovir and sent home to endure the virus for six weeks. Good solid research into alternative treatments for shingles shows that complete recovery in less than one week can be obtained with the blisters and pain disappearing in three days. Remember that shingles is a serious illness and requires a physician's care along
with the following recommendations (if the eyes are involved this is an emergency situation and an opthamologist should be consulted immediately). that people have to suffer needlessly because they do not have access to some of the fabulous research in alternative treatments. Any treatment regime for shingles or other herpes viruses should include an excellent diet full of fresh fruits and vegetables and homemade soup. No sugar should be consumed because it stops our natural killer cells from fighting the virus. Four nutrients from the following recommendations are key to fighting the herpes virus. Plenty of solid research has evaluated their effectiveness at fighting shingles; they include vitamin E, vitamin B12, vitamin C, and plant sterols and sterolins. Dr. Melvyn Werbach, in his book Nutritional Influences on Illness, reported that in a research study, 21 patients suffering with herpes zoster showed a dramaticBy the second or third day of treatment using a 1 milligram
(mg) injection of B12 per day, their pain was relieved and blisters rapidly disappeared. In a paper published in the journal Geriatrics, researchers recommended using 1 mg of vitamin B12 injected daily for six days and weekly for six weeks to treat the pain associated with herpes zoster. Pain reduction occurred in two days even in post-pain syndrome that had continued for months to years. in sublingual form has been found to shorten the duration of herpes outbreaks and In another experimental study published in the Archives of Dermatology, 13 patients with chronic pain caused by shingles received 1,200-1,600 international units (IU) of vitamin E daily before meals. Nine of the 13 experienced complete or almost complete control of pain. Two were moderately improved and two were slightlyTwo of the patients who gained complete pain remission had been suffering with post-pain syndrome from shingles for 13 and 19 years respectively. If you have been putting up with post pain from the herpes zoster virus,
adopt the protocol immediately and ask your doctor why he does not know of this Vitamin C is so effective at halting herpes viruses that on initial diagnosis of shingles or outbreak of cold sores, patients should immediately start taking it. Most of the published research behind vitamin C and herpes involves intravenous treatment and dates back as early as 1950. In one early study, 327 patients suffering with herpes zoster were all cured following three days of intravenous (IV) vitamin C. Another study by Klenner showed that, of eight patients receiving 30-50 grams of IV vitamin C, seven reported complete cessation of pain within two hours of theThey also showed drying of the blisters within one day and complete clearing within three days of treatment. Intravenous vitamin C is much more effective than oral vitamin C to treat an acute or new outbreak of shingles, but if you don't have a doctor willing to perform the treatment, take vitamin C in gram doses until
Vitamin C is a potent virus fighter and only 18 percent of North Americans actually get adequate vitamin C in their daily diet. in this important vitamin. How much is too much vitamin C? Robert Cathcart, MD, states that each individual has his or her own vitamin C limit, which is determined by stress, nutritional status and current state of health. To determine your personal vitamin C requirements, start taking gram doses of vitamin C (as mineral ascorbates) until your bowels become loose, then cut back until your bowel movements are normal. This is your personalDepending on your health and lifestyle choices, this level may fluctuate from day to day or week to week. Moducare (Sterols and Sterolins) If our immune system is doing its job, the herpes virus would not be able to get inside our cells and wreak havoc. Under normal conditions, a healthy immune system would destroy the virus before it had a chance to cause symptoms. defense warriors should eliminate the virus, halting it from getting inside our
If herpes is victorious and has made it inside our cells, then the cytotoxic T-cells - the most voracious killers - are supposed to destroy those virus-infectedAlso, our immune system makes immune factors that halt the virus from replicating so that more viruses cannot be produced. If the immune system's army is in perfect working order, we should not get herpes in the first place and, if we do succumb, our immune system should destroy herpes so we do not have to suffer the virus again. Exciting research using sterols and sterolins has found that these simple plant nutrients are effective at enhancing our cytotoxic T-cells and immune factors to destroy the virus forever. Research performed over the last several decades has found that sterols and sterolins increase natural killer cells, the first warriors to attack herpes. and sterolins increase cytotoxic T-cell activity, gamma interferon and interleukin-2, all of which is important for destroying the virus if it manages to get inside our
Cytotoxic T-cell enhancement is especially important when fighting herpes because we want these cells to seek out and destroy the cells that contain herpes so we are no longer affected by this annoying virus. Sterols and sterolins are able to improve immune function and kill the virus. It only takes sterols and sterolins a matter of weeks to several months to totally destroy the virus and normalize immune The following three-day program is recommended for anyone who has just been diagnosed with shingles or if you have post pain from shingles or if you have just developed a cold sore or an outbreak or genital herpes: 2,000 mg of buffered vitamin C every hour for three days, then 1,000-3,000 mg per 2,000mg of lysine per day with food 1 mg injection of vitamin B12 (or 500 microgram (mcg) sublingual tablets of B12 every hour) for three days, then 1,000 mcg sublingual tablets per day thereafter 2 capsules of Moducare three times per day for one week and 1 capsule three times
per day thereafter to ensure your immune army destroys all viruses 400 IU of vitamin E three times per day for three days and then 400 IU per day for 40 drops of echinacea tincture three times per day for three days then stop Homeopathic Rhus Tox 12C, 3 pellets three times per day for one week Quantum lysine cream applied to the blisters as needed Quantum lysine cream is very soothing to the skin. Shingles is so painful that the pressure of a person's clothing or the sheets on the bed cause extreme discomfort. Topical relief of pain and itching is also found when using this ointment for cold sores or genital herpes. By day three, a general feeling of well-being should have returned and lymph gland swelling should have decreased. The blisters will only be a red rash with no crusting and, most importantly, the pain will have diminished. If you do not have a naturopathic doctor or a medical doctor that can give you injections of vitamin B12, take 500