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Shingles

kesavaross said:
I'm a window cleaner with about 180 customers. I've never known a time when so many of my customers have shingles. One customer is in his early 30's. Also in the block where I live I've heard of 3 residents with shingles.

With my customers I used to hear of the odd one, mainly old age pensioners, every so often. Is there an epidemic of shingles all of a sudden?
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Haven't heard of a case of shingles for years, I assumed I got it several years back because a co-worker came down with it, then I suddenly had it.
 
My elder brother had shingles two months ago, 45 years after his bout of chicken pox (I've had neither). As he also suffers from Chronic Fatigue he put the shingles down to a lock-down depression of the immune system, so expects other childhood diseases to re-appear.
 
I don’t have a spleen ( that is another story ) so I was afraid of the shingles vaccine because it was a live weakened chicken pox virus.

Now it is dead two shot vaccine, but I still will not take it which makes my doctor unhappy.

So far I have been lucky, but my luck could run out.
 
I thought shingles was only contagious from skin to skin contact, or using a towel, etc, from a person with shingles when the rash is active? Or have I got that wrong?

I also clean the windows of 36 shops. Some weekly, some fortnightly, some when they phone me. Over time I have got to know many many more people than average person and about their lives, their stories, and their day to day living. Some I have known from when their children were small and are now grown up with children of their own. And over time, many have died. Some long term customers are more than customers, they are friends. There's one now old lady, who was my very first customer 22 years ago, that if I'm going past her house, and I have time, I call in for the very British reason of a chat and a cup of tea. Last time I was there, we sat in her garden and pondered time and it's passage. Window cleaning is a very social job.

Apart from the shingles thing, I've noticed a lot of complaints about brain fog, problems remembering things, complaints about constantly tired, no energy, no incentive to do things, little or no laughter, time going so by so fast, procrastination, and the main one, the whole world has gone mad and the previous order of 'things' has vanished.

Is there a pattern to all this?
 
My aunt had shingles, but I don't know of anyone else in our family that has. It is caused by stress and a suppressed immune system. When she was a kid she had chicken pox when she was about 12. It was mild, no fever, just a few blisters on her had and arms. When she got shingles the blisters were in the same place. The medicine the doctor prescribed was $1200 for 1/2 ounce. She refused it as her insurance wouldn't pay for it and that was more than she got a month. She got the bag balm out of the barn and used that. It helped her immensly, kept the pain and itching at bay.

Any virus you get can reside in your system with no symptoms because your immune system keeps it controled. That is why some people get colds over and over, same virus but they get it even when not exposed because they don't have a strong immune system.
 
kesavaross said:
I'm a window cleaner with about 180 customers. I've never known a time when so many of my customers have shingles. One customer is in his early 30's. Also in the block where I live I've heard of 3 residents with shingles.

With my customers I used to hear of the odd one, mainly old age pensioners, every so often. Is there an epidemic of shingles all of a sudden?
Click to expand...
When I was a kid people who got shingles (that I knew about) were old. My mother's friend who was in her late 50's had shingles and she was somewhat high strung and always stressed. She told me that she and her sister got shingles a lot.
 
kesavaross said:
I thought shingles was only contagious from skin to skin contact, or using a towel, etc, from a person with shingles when the rash is active? Or have I got that wrong?

I also clean the windows of 36 shops. Some weekly, some fortnightly, some when they phone me. Over time I have got to know many many more people than average person and about their lives, their stories, and their day to day living. Some I have known from when their children were small and are now grown up with children of their own. And over time, many have died. Some long term customers are more than customers, they are friends. There's one now old lady, who was my very first customer 22 years ago, that if I'm going past her house, and I have time, I call in for the very British reason of a chat and a cup of tea. Last time I was there, we sat in her garden and pondered time and it's passage. Window cleaning is a very social job.

Apart from the shingles thing, I've noticed a lot of complaints about brain fog, problems remembering things, complaints about constantly tired, no energy, no incentive to do things, little or no laughter, time going so by so fast, procrastination, and the main one, the whole world has gone mad and the previous order of 'things' has vanished.

Is there a pattern to all this?
Click to expand...
Yes, you got it wrong, shingles is not contagious. The chicken pox are contagious and maybe you could get that from someone with shingles if you touched their pox and had never had chicken pox as a kid,.
 
charliebrown said:
I don’t have a spleen ( that is another story ) so I was afraid of the shingles vaccine because it was a live weakened chicken pox virus.

Now it is dead two shot vaccine, but I still will not take it which makes my doctor unhappy.

So far I have been lucky, but my luck could run out.
Click to expand...
The last vaccine I had was the polio one when I was maybe 7 or 8. I was assured by my parents I had the BCG but I've never had the mark left on my arm. I'm now 64. I haven't seen a doctor since I was about 14. As a child I had measles, chicken pox, and tonsillitis when I was about 10 or 12 that turned into glandular fever. I was off school for about 6 months. It was hell. Since then I've only had various colds, flus, some mild some and heavy duty apart from a horrific dose of hives 5 or 6 years ago which was cured in days by herbs by an Ayurvedic doctor.

Hives, or urticaria, makes mosquito bites seem small time in terms of itching. It's caused by a long term build up of toxins in the body. Most of those toxins come from just living in this toxic society but a lot come from diet also. Along with the herbs came a change of diet. I follow the 'eat this' and 'don't eat this' and my health is now spectacular. No aches, no pains, no anything. Basically no wheat, no gluten, no hard cheese, no garlic, no onions, no tomatoes, and no red meat (I'm a veggie anyway), no oranges, pineapple or grapefruit and half a lemon in a pint of hot water every morning. Plus of course, no fast foods and no processed food. It's better to eat just boring boiled vegetables than anything processed that is 'full of taste'.

Added after, no margarines either. Only butter or ghee. And no olive oil, while in the UK or in any cooler northern country, and no oils made from any type of corn, etc, Especially not rapeseed oil. And definitely nothing made including sugar beet. Also, only chocolate made from 85% or above cocoa. No white or brown sugar, only palm sugar. No soft fizzy drinks as they're full of poison, and no carbonated water or drinks (bad for arthritis, etc, along with any green vegetable) and no cold drinks (bad for digestion). Bang went my cold beers. I drink gluten free beers now at room temperature. It's ok, but not quite the same.

I follow the diet as best I can. I did a have a dark chocolate Bounty the other day.

This Ayurvedic doctor also recommended I take a natural antibiotic, poo poo'd by main stream medical science, called Colloidal Silver. Since taking it daily, I've not a had a cold or anything in 5 or 6 years. The above sounds extreme. Now I'm used to it, and reading labels, and being selective when I eat out, and where I eat, and what I eat I am amazed at how little notice I took before about what I put into my body. My diet now is much more tasty and enjoyable than it was before because now, I only eat real healthy foods. Apart from the occasional slip up that is. I had a gherkin a few a few weeks back. Boy oh boy, the next day did the loo pay the price. So did I.

My point is, diet and state of mind are the clue to health. Fear and worry and poor diet along with that poor state of mind lead to sickness and ill health. It's not a lottery, We choose how we live and think and how we live dictates our health. Diet is the most important aspect of our health along with how we think. Potatoes and many other vegetable are still cheap. Learn to enjoy them with butter, organic salt and pepper.
 
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JahaRa said:
Yes, you got it wrong, shingles is not contagious. The chicken pox are contagious and maybe you could get that from someone with shingles if you touched their pox and had never had chicken pox as a kid,.
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Thanks for the correction. I'm not up on such things. Much appreciated.
 
kesavaross said:
The last vaccine I had was the polio one when I was maybe 7 or 8. I was assured by my parents I had the BCG but I've never had the mark left on my arm. I'm now 64. I haven't seen a doctor since I was about 14. As a child I had measles, chicken pox, and tonsillitis when I was about 10 or 12 that turned into glandular fever. I was off school for about 6 months. It was hell. Since then I've only had various colds, flus, some mild some and heavy duty apart from a horrific dose of hives 5 or 6 years ago which was cured in days by herbs by an Ayurvedic doctor.

Hives, or urticaria, makes mosquito bites seem small time in terms of itching. It's caused by a long term build up of toxins in the body. Most of those toxins come from just living in this toxic society but a lot come from diet also. Along with the herbs came a change of diet. I follow the 'eat this' and 'don't eat this' and my health is now spectacular. No aches, no pains, no anything. Basically no wheat, no gluten, no hard cheese, no garlic, no onions, no tomatoes, and no red meat (I'm a veggie anyway), no oranges, pineapple or grapefruit and half a lemon in a pint of hot water every morning. Plus of course, no fast foods and no processed food. It's better to eat just boring boiled vegetables than anything processed that is 'full of taste'.

Added after, no margarines either. Only butter or ghee. And no olive oil, while in the UK or in any cooler northern country, and no oils made from any type of corn, etc, Especially not rapeseed oil. And definitely nothing made including sugar beet. Also, only chocolate made from 85% or above cocoa. No white or brown sugar, only palm sugar. No soft fizzy drinks as they're full of poison, and no carbonated water or drinks (bad for arthritis, etc, along with any green vegetable) and no cold drinks (bad for digestion). Bang went my cold beers. I drink gluten free beers now at room temperature. It's ok, but not quite the same.

I follow the diet as best I can. I did a have a dark chocolate Bounty the other day.

This Ayurvedic doctor also recommended I take a natural antibiotic, poo poo'd by main stream medical science, called Colloidal Silver. Since taking it daily, I've not a had a cold or anything in 5 or 6 years. The above sounds extreme. Now I'm used to it, and reading labels, and being selective when I eat out, and where I eat, and what I eat I am amazed at how little notice I took before about what I put into my body. My diet now is much more tasty and enjoyable than it was before because now, I only eat real healthy foods. Apart from the occasional slip up that is. I had a gherkin a few a few weeks back. Boy oh boy, the next day did the loo pay the price. So did I.

My point is, diet and state of mind are the clue to health. Fear and worry and poor diet along with that poor state of mind lead to sickness and ill health. It's not a lottery, We choose how we live and think and how we live dictates our health. Diet is the most important aspect of our health along with how we think. Potatoes and many other vegetable are still cheap. Learn to enjoy them with butter, organic salt and pepper.
Click to expand...
Hang on;
No tomatoes/onions/garlic/olive oil/rapeseed oil/hard cheeses/beer/gherkins...? shoot me now.
Mind you, if it works for you, fair enough I suppose.
 
kesavaross said:
This Ayurvedic doctor also recommended I take a natural antibiotic, poo poo'd by main stream medical science, called Colloidal Silver. Since taking it daily, I've not a had a cold or anything in 5 or 6 years.
Click to expand...
Don't overdo it with that stuff. It can make your skin go grey. I used to know someone who had to give up using it for that reason.
 
Wombat68 said:
A few years back I had shingles in my eye I would have quite happily removed my own head the pain was so extreme
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The co-worker I caught shingles from also had shingles on his face, which moved to his eye.
Was your vision all right and unaffected?
 
Mythopoeika said:
Don't overdo it with that stuff. It can make your skin go grey. I used to know someone who had to give up using it for that reason.
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I should have said I take for three months at a time and then none for a month. I didn't know that was the reason why though.
 
I'm going to see if I can get the vaccination for shingles - I'm under the NHS age, but frankly, I'll pay.
 
Ronnie Jersey said:
The co-worker I caught shingles from also had shingles on his face, which moved to his eye.
Was your vision all right and unaffected?
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Ronnie Jersey: shingles are not contagious, but someone with shingles can transmit chicken pox to another person.
Did you get chicken pox from that person who had shingles?
 
I had shingles twice also. The doctor was amazed, but the first case was very mild, the second one a bit painful, but not terrible.
 
Endlessly Amazed said:
Why do you think shingles are contagious? Respectfully, I really wish to know.
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Endlessly Amazed said:
Ronnie Jersey: shingles are not contagious, but someone with shingles can transmit chicken pox to another person.
Did you get chicken pox from that person who had shingles?
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That's what my research turned up also. My doctor pointed out further first that you have to know someone really well to spread that virus, from the contents of the shingles blisters, and second that in that event what spreads is chicken pox, and only if the person is not already immune for whatever reason to chicken pox, which then can then progress to shingles. So as usual, not a simple answer. The rest of us will get it because the virus stored in our nervous system becomes active again regardless of whether we are immune to chicken pox. I am adding also that although the statement as always is that you can't get the disease from the vaccine because it's not live, I have a friend who coincidentally developed shingles a week after she got the first shot.
 
charliebrown said:
My daughters had chicken pox before the vaccination came out.

It seems my wife gave them special oatmeal baths ( trade name Aveeno ) and covered them with calamine lotion.
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When I was a kid calamine lotion was the go to for chicken pox and a lot of other things.
 
Wombat68 said:
A few years back I had shingles in my eye I would have quite happily removed my own head the pain was so extreme
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Did you loose your sight? It must have been horrible! I hope you don't have to go through that again.
 
Lb8535 said:
That's what my research turned up also. My doctor pointed out further first that you have to know someone really well to spread that virus, from the contents of the shingles blisters, and second that in that event what spreads is chicken pox, and only if the person is not already immune for whatever reason to chicken pox, which then can then progress to shingles. So as usual, not a simple answer. The rest of us will get it because the virus stored in our nervous system becomes active again regardless of whether we are immune to chicken pox. I am adding also that although the statement as always is that you can't get the disease from the vaccine because it's not live, I have a friend who coincidentally developed shingles a week after she got the first shot.
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And it is something to think about that the chicken pox virus is not the only one stored in our body. People who get colds over and over are probably just fighting the original cold they had. I also noticed (and maybe I am not quite right about this) that when you start dating someone new, one or both of you will get some kind of virus (usuallyl cold like symptoms) because you are exchanging virus'. You get the virus' that you never had before and the other person gets your virus' that he/she never had before.
 
My opinion is that virus are aliens from outer space.

They are just some genetic material in a protein coat, not really alive.

But they cause a lot of trouble for humans.
 
charliebrown said:
My opinion is that virus are aliens from outer space.

They are just some genetic material in a protein coat, not really alive.

But they cause a lot of trouble for humans.
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Why would aliens want to cause such subtle trouble for humans?
 
I wonder if shingles has become more prevalent because of all the stress about nowadays. First we had all the Covid lockdowns, furloughs, job losses etc etc, and now we're moving away from that we've got war, shortages, price rises etc etc.

I was always told that shingles could be triggered by stress - so maybe that's what's happening? The virus is being set off in susceptible individuals who are under more stress than usual.
 
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