| If you suddenly develop severe pain in a | | | | lasting the rest of your life. Fifty percent |
| limited area on one side of your body, you | | | | of people over 60 who develop shingles, and |
| may have shingles and need treatment | | | | are not treated, will suffer from |
| immediately to prevent that pain from lasting | | | | post-herpetic neuralgia and have severe pain |
| for the rest of your life. Shingles is | | | | in that nerve for the rest of their lives, |
| Chicken Pox the second time around. It's | | | | while fewer than seven percent treated with |
| called postherpetic neuralgia and when you | | | | acyclovir will suffer permanent pain. |
| have severe pain that is not caused by an | | | | Cortisones offer little protection. If you |
| injury and your doctor cannot find a cause, | | | | develop postherpetic neuralgia, your pain can |
| you should get a blood test for herpes zoster | | | | be treated with a .025% capsaicin (pepper) |
| and start taking Famvir or Valtrex | | | | cream and tegretol or gabapentin |
| immediately to prevent the pain from becoming | | | | anticonvulsant pills. A report in the New |
| permanent.The first time you get chicken pox, | | | | England Journal of Medicine offers a more |
| blisters form over most of your body. After a | | | | effective treatment for post-herpetic |
| week, your immunity drives the chicken pox | | | | neuralgia: 60 mg of methyl prednisone, |
| virus from your bloodstream, but it remains | | | | injected directly into the spinal fluid, once |
| in your nerve roots for the rest of your | | | | a week for four weeks, lessens and even cures |
| life. One of every in six people who get | | | | the pain.For journal references on this |
| chicken pox will have the virus escape from | | | | article see |
| nerves many years later to cause painful | | | | |
| grouped blisters on the skin over the | | | | Gabe Mirkin has been a radio talk show host |
| infected nerve on one side of the body.If you | | | | for 25 years and practicing physician for |
| wait for characteristic blisters to form, it | | | | more than 40 years; he is board certified in |
| may be too late to prevent the pain from | | | | four specialties, including sports medicine. |