If you’re dealing with shingles, you know just how painful it can be.
These days it seems there are all kinds of products and home remedies out there that claim to help. But can hot peppers do the trick? It turns out, the right product just might. First, let’s start with some of the tried and true methods. Some claim a cool bath or cool shower can help with the pain and itchiness, plus when your skin is clean there’s less of a risk of infection. Along the same lines, a cool compress may be used to help with itching, pain and inflammation.
Oatmeal is also known to help relieve itching, plus you can try a thin layer of petroleum jelly, then cover the rash with a sterile bandage.
There are also some creams and lotions that seem to help, including Calamine lotion, which can be used after the blisters scab over. Others sometimes try an antihistamine cream, just as long as it isn’t applied to any open blisters. Yet another option is rooted in hot peppers. Zostrix HP is a creme made from capsaicin. It’s often used to treat minor muscle aches and pains, but it can also be used to help with the pain after shingles. You may feel some stinging or burning when you use it on your skin, so be sure not to use it until your rash has already crusted over.
Another option is to include more red foods in your diet to help prevent future outbreaks. This includes things like red peppers, watermelon and cherries. While a good, balanced diet may not completely take away the risk of shingles, eating food that helps build a strong immune system will only help you in terms of healing. With all of the products on the market, it’s fairly easy to introduce at least some form of red peppers to your diet.