Herpes

Having sex without a condom is like just having sex and then … you get sgot right into your head or your heart and die a painfil death

Herpes zoster is also known as “shingles.” It is an infection of the skin. The virus lives in your central nervous system (CNS). The CNS includes the brain and the spinal cord. The brain and spinal cord connect to nerves in the skin and the rest of the body. People 50 years or older get herpes zoster most often. A person who has not had chickenpox can get chickenpox from you if you have shingles. You can have shingles more than once. 

Causes: A germ called varicella causes both chickenpox and shingles. This germ can infect you but not cause any symptoms. This is called lying “dormant.” The virus can become active at any time, causing symptoms. 

Signs and Symptoms: You will have small fluid-filled blisters on red skin. The blisters usually appear in a wide band on one side of your body. This is because they are following the path of a nerve, making the skin near it very tender. The sores may take a few hours to a few days to show up. You may also have chills, fever, or nausea. You may have pain in your abdomen (belly), chest, or face. 

Your skin may feel like it’s burning. Pain may be constant or come and go and may last for 3 to 5 weeks until the rash is gone. Some people have pain, itching, or skin burning for months or years. 

Wellness Recommendations: Many people notice that they get shingles when they are under stress (work, a death, or other problems). Try reducing stress (see RELAXATION TECHNIQUES document). Do not bandage the skin sores. When bathing, gently wash the blisters but do not open them because this could cause an infection. Until the rash is healed, stay away from people who have not had chickenpox or who are sick. 

Medical Care: Aspirin or other pain-relievers that you can buy in a store may be helpful to control fever and to lessen pain. You need rest and liquids. Lukewarm baths and calamine lotion may help you feel better. Use heat to lesson pain. Heat brings blood to the area and helps it heal faster. Use a heating pad (turned on low), a hot water bottle, or sit in a warm water bath. Do this for 10 to 20 minutes every hour for as long as you need it. Do not sleep on the heating pad or hot water bottle. This can cause a bad burn. 

There are a variety of medical treatments for herpes zoster, including: 

·         Antiviral medications are helpful if used shortly after the outbreak occurs. 

·         Antidepressants, in low doses, can help if chronic pain develops afterward. 

·         Anticonvulsants can be used if chronic pain develops. 

·         Capsaicin creams (made from hot peppers) can be used on the skin to reduce chronic pain (once the sores have healed). 

·         Analgesics are sometimes used for pain but are usually not very effective. 

·         A TENS (transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulator) unit at the affected site may decrease pain. 

HOW TO TREAT YOUR SYMPTOMS: 

Dietary Measures 

There are no dietary treatments that help herpes zoster. Avoiding nuts and chocolate may be helpful. 

Herbs and Supplements 

Before taking any herbs or supplements, ask your caregiver if it is OK. Talk to your caregiver about how much you should take. If you are using this medicine without instructions from your caregiver, follow the directions on the label. Do not take more medicine or take it more often than the directions tell you to. The herbs and supplements listed may or may not help treat your condition. 

Herbs 

1.       Cayenne (Capsicum frutescens) applied to the skin helps the pain that sometimes happens after the sores go away. This has been studied in people. Do not apply to open wounds. 

2.       Licorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra) has been used for many years, but it has not been studied in people who have herpes zoster. Licorice extract is applied to the skin. 

Supplements 

1.       Lysine, an amino acid, is used, but has not been studied in people who have herpes zoster. 

Complementary Therapies 

1.       Acupuncture has been helpful for the nerve pain that sometime happens after herpes zoster has gone away. For more information, read the ACUPUNCTURE document. 

2.       Biomagnets have been found to help in other nerve pain and may help in the nerve pain that sometimes happens after zoster has gone away. For more information, read the MAGNET FIELD THERAPY document. 

Other ways of treating your symptoms: Other ways to treat your symptoms are available to you. 

Talk to your caregiver if: 

·         You would like medicine to treat herpes zoster. 

·         Your symptoms have not gone away or improved by these self-help measures. 

·         You have questions about what you have read in this document. 

SEEK CARE IMMEDIATELY IF: 

·         You become confused, get neck stiffness, or have trouble walking or moving muscles. 

·         You get blisters on your eye or eyelids. 

Genital herpes results from an infection by herpes simplex virus. There are several different kinds of human herpes viruses. Only two of these, herpes simplex type 1 (HSV-1) and type 2 (HSV-2), can cause herpes. HSV-2 is most often responsible for genital infections. HSV-1 usually causes oral herpes, but it can also cause genital herpes about 10-30% of the time. While the herpes virus can infect anyone, not everyone will show symptoms. Risk factors include early age at first sexual activity, multiple sexual partners, and a medical history of other sexually transmitted diseases (STDs).

The first symptoms of a primary herpes infection usually occur within two to seven days after contact with an infected person but may take up to two weeks. Symptoms of a primary infection are usually more severe than those of recurrent infections. For up to 70% of people, a primary infection causes general symptoms such as tiredness, headache, fever, chills, muscle aches, loss of appetite, and painful, swollen lymph nodes. These symptoms are greatest during the first three to four days of the infection and disappear within a week.

Most people with genital herpes experience prodromes, or symptoms of the oncoming disease. This might entail pain, burning, itching, or tingling at the site on the genital area, legs, or buttocks where blisters will form. The prodrome stage may occur anywhere from a few hours, to one or two days before an outbreak of the infection. Following that, small red bumps appear. These bumps quickly become fluid-filled blisters that may also fill with pus, and become covered with a scab. The blisters may burst and become painful sores. Blisters may continue to erupt for a week or longer. Pain usually subsides within two weeks, and the blisters and sores heal without scarring by three to four weeks. It is possible to pass the virus to other parts of the body by touching an open sore and then bringing the fingers into contact with the mouth, the eyes, or a break in the skin. The highest risk for spreading the herpes virus is the time during the appearance of blisters up to the formation of scabs. However, an infected person can spread herpes virus to other people even in the absence of sores.

Women can experience a very severe and painful primary herpes infection. In addition to the vaginal area, blisters often appear on the clitoris, at the urinary opening, in the rectum and around the anus, and on the buttocks and thighs. The cervix is almost always involved, causing a watery discharge. About one in 10 women get a vaginal yeast infection as a complication of herpes. In men, the herpes blisters usually form on the penis but can also appear on the scrotum, thighs, around the anus, and in the rectum. Men may also have a urinary discharge with a genital herpes infection. Both men and women may experience painful or difficult urination, swelling of the urethra, meningitis, and throat infections, with women experiencing these symptoms more often than men.

It is unknown exactly what triggers a latent herpes virus to activate, but several conditions seem to be connected with the onset of an active infection. These include illness, stress, tiredness, sunlight, menstruation, skin damage, food allergies, and extreme hot or cold temperatures. Most people with genital herpes experience one or more outbreaks per year. About 40% experience six or more outbreaks per year. Active recurrences of herpes are usually less severe than the primary infection. There are fewer blisters, less pain, and the time period from the beginning of symptoms to healing is shorter than the primary infection.

Genital herpes is a sexually transmitted disease caused by the herpes simplex virus. The disease is characterized by the formation of fluid-filled, painful blisters in the genital area.

Genital herpes is a sexually transmitted disease spread by vaginal, anal, and oral contact. The first herpes infection a person has is called a primary infection. It develops about four to seven days after contact with the disease. Once a person has been infected with the herpes virus, it cannot be completely cured. Instead, the virus can lay latent in the sensory nerve ganglia for days, months, or even years between outbreaks. When the virus becomes activated there is a recurrent infection of the skin. An active herpes infection is then obvious because of the sores that develop. However, an active infection may occur without visible sores. Up to 75% of people with herpes may not know they have the infection.

Newborn babies who are infected with herpes virus experience a very severe, and possibly fatal, disease called neonatal herpes. In the United States, one in 3,000-5,000 babies born will be infected with herpes virus. Babies usually become infected during passage through the birth canal, but they also can become infected during pregnancy if the membranes rupture early.