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Q.

What are some at-home treatments for shingles?

Related Topics: Shingles
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  • Keep the affected area clean, dry, and exposed to air (without clothes covering it) as much as possible. Don't scratch or burst the blisters. If the pain keeps you from sleeping, try snugly binding the area with an elastic sports bandage.
  • For the first three or four days, try ice for 10 minutes on, five minutes off, every few hours. Later, apply cool, wet compresses soaked in aluminum acetate, available over the counter in the form of astringent solution, powder packets, or effervescent tablets.
  • To desensitize nerve endings, crush two aspirin, mix them with 2 tablespoons rubbing alcohol, and apply the paste to the blisters three times a day.
  • To cut down on itching, ask your pharmacist to mix 78% calamine lotion with 20% rubbing alcohol, 1% phenol, and 1% menthol. You can apply this mixture continuously until your blisters scab over.
  • Other remedies for itching include frequent applications of vitamin E oil or gel from the aloe vera plant. Dusting colloidal oatmeal powder -- available over the counter -- where clothes rub against your skin or taking a warm (not hot) bath with colloidal oatmeal may reduce pain.

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