Shingles: Let the Girdle Out

The shingles virus is also known as the Herpes Zoster virus (not at all associated with other herpes viruses), which translates as belt or girdle from Latin and French origins. The Herpes Zoster skin rash erupts around the trunk of the body – like a girdle! I’m so glad I never had to wear one, but if wearing a girdle isn’t pleasant, not so much more is having shingles.  It can take away your breath with pain, bind up the back with lesions and squeezes the life out of you!

How does one end up so “strangled?”  The most common string that stretches this girdle is a weakened immune system. Fatigue, stress, chicken pox exposure and other causes – even surgery and x-rays – tighten the nerve endings in your body near the skin to blister and develop the infamous shingles rash.  The stress of these vents creates an acidic environment in your blood, which encourages the shingles virus to thrive.

Let’s look at the foods that can foster an alkaline environment in your body so that stress, acid and shingles can be averted.

Firsthand, you should know best what foods affect your energy, give you pain or limit your function and thinking. Notice if it is carbs that bring your energy down, or desserts (my own downfall). It is best to avoid these foods at all time, but especially if you are scared of getting shingles, fear the onset is upon you or fighting to regain your health from a shingles episode.  The last thing you want to do is trigger something in your body through food that would result in introducing the shingles virus into your blood stream.

Second, avoid processed, sugary or simple-carbohydrate foods, not only because they are acid-producing but also because they raise blood sugar level too quickly; plus they tend to be nutrient-lacking and may be toxic, too.

Acid-producing foods such sugar, some protein, caffeine and processed foods stress the body to maintain the proper pH level, which fights off bacteria and viruses introduced into the system.  To compensate, alkaline minerals (magnesium, potassium, calcium and sodium) are depleted from vital organs and bones to neutralize the acid.  It is almost like sucking the life out of your bones leaving them dry and brittle when forced to draw these alkalizing building blocks of your body.

“For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.” ~ Newton’s Law

By robbing your body of sodium, potassium, magnesium and calcium minerals from the bones and organs to remove acid from the body, the strain may go undetected. Eventually, your body becomes defenseless and the damage shows up as fatigue, illness and disease.

An acid environment effectively:

• Decreases body’s ability to absorb minerals and other nutrients
• Decreases the energy production in cells
• Decreases ability to repair damaged cells
• Decreases ability to detoxify heavy metals
• Makes tumor cells thrive
• Can lead to shingles!

Foods: are they Acid or Alkaline-forming?

Let’s get it straight.  A food’s performance in the body as either acid or alkaline actually has nothing to do with the actual pH of the food itself. Let’s take lemons, for example.  We all know lemons are acidic, but through the digestion process the end product is alkaline.  On the other hand, meat (like almost all animal products) tests alkaline but leaves acidic residue in the body.

To balance you body and restore yourself to health, your diet should be 80% alkaline forming foods.  If you are healthy and concerned about a healthy pH balance within, then keep your foods to 60% alkaline. Here is a food chart to help you navigate proper pH consumption.

Ways to Alkalize Your Body

The basics of an alkaline diet are as follows:

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  Eat plenty of vegetables.
• Eat foods high in Vitamin B such as brown rice, leafy greens, avocado and brewer’s yeast (or molasses).
• Eat fruit daily.
• Don’t eat too much dairy products and grain products.
• Minimize direct protein from eggs, meat and fish. Choose nuts and seeds as protein sources.

Remember, the American quick-food diet is what forms acid:

• Highly sweetened foods
• Pastries
• Red meat
• Colas
• Highly processed foods

These are the foods to reduce to a sensible amount. Take it from me, I’ve battled breast cancer and have had to cut these items out of my diet to regain health. Remove anything that contains stimulants and undesirable chemical additives, too.

Eating and Drinking Alkalizing Tips

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  Apple Cider Vinegar is alkaline and can be taken internally with water. Or, apply to the skin as a liniment to help pain relief and heal blisters.
• Try juicing a combination of carrot, cucumber and beet juice for alkalizing your body.
• A bath in oatmeal and Epsom salts can help neutralize the acid in the body.
• Take apple juice at night. Drink natural cranberry juice during the day.
• Alkalizing spices and seasonings:
  • Cinnamon
  • Curry
  • Ginger
  • Mustard
  • Chili Pepper
  • Sea Salt

Drink plenty of water, which is essential for neutralizing acids in your body and helpful for cleansing out toxins.  In fact, being dehydrated can contribute to the development of shingles.  Drink non-chlorinated water to strengthen your immune system.  If necessary, consider installing a Reverse Osmosis filtration system at your kitchen sink to help condition your water.

Natural Cures For Shingles Treatment

Just when you thought that childhood bout of chickenpox would never irritate again, it has returned with a vengeance. There’s the same maddening itch that you had as a child, those unsightly dots, as well as severe burning and a blistering rash.  Here are a few additional tips to alkaline food therapy that will help ease the shingles virus pain:

• Start shingle treatment by eating a diet of fruit and vegetables. This is good for fighting any illness!  Raw foods are often your best defense against invading bacteria, virus or infection.
• A good diet and reducing daily stress will help boost your immune system.
• Get plenty of rests.
• Avoid any stressful work or anything that can make you stress.
• Be sure to smile even though you are in pain (smile releases certain hormones that calms you down). Make yourself happy and always be happy.
• Avoid heat, tight clothes and itchy fabrics like wool.
• Apply capsaicin cream to relieve nerve pain and help dry the lesions.

Peace of mind is Alkaline.  You can loose the shingles girdle, and maybe even a few pounds, by reaping the benefits of healthful, delicious and life-giving alkaline food.  Strengthen your immune system and prevent disease with the health benefits of an alkaline diet.