Some Frequently Asked Questions, first published in SAGA Magazine (3)
Professor George Lewith
Following an attack of shingles nine months ago, I still have severe pain in my right buttock. I had acupuncture when the rash began but it was too painful. Is there anything else I can try
It sounds very much like the nerves didn’t heal properly after your attack of shingles, and you have developed a very unpleasant post herpetic neuralgia. In most instances the pain will slowly settle but it can take a year or two. There are some conventional medications which can help a little but ‘magic cures’. Your first port of call should be your General Practitioner and possibly, referral on to a pain clinic.
As far as complementary medicine is concerned acupuncture can be of benefit, as may homeopathic and herbal medicines, but there is very limited evidence that you are going to get big effects from any complementary medical approach. I would suggest that you make sure you take some Zinc (15 mg per day on an empty stomach) and a vitamin B complex for a period of three or four months to give the damaged nerves the best possible nutritional opportunity to heal.
If you wanted to try something that didn’t involve conventional medication, then acupuncture should be your first port of call and I would suggest at least 6 – 8 treatments to see whether you can get benefit. There is a suggestion that if all people with acute shingles had acupuncture, then there might be less chance of them developing post hepatic neuralgia. There are no definitive studies supporting this suggestion.
Useful contacts: Faculty of Homeopathy: Tel 020 7566 7810, website www.trusthomeopathy.org and the Society of Homeopaths: Tel 01604-621400, 2 Artizan Road, Northampton, NN1 4HU, British Medical Acupuncture Society: Tel 01606 786782, website www.medical-acupuncture.co.uk/, British Acupuncture Council: Tel 020 8735 0400, website www.acupuncture.org.uk/
My tongue is red raw with a mustard colour in the centre and feels like it has a fur coat on. A specialist said it is lichen planus but offered no treatment. Can you help?
It certainly sounds as if you may have lichen planus but you seem a little bit vague about the diagnosis so the first thing to do is to be absolutely certain that the diagnosis of lichen planus is correct, you might need a biopsy. You will need to be reviewed regularly by a conventional specialist, just to make sure that the lichen planus doesn’t develop into anything more sinister.
It’s very difficult to treat with conventional medicine and there isn’t a proven answer within any of the complementary medical therapies hence your doctor’s advice that there is nothing that can be done.
In my experience sometimes homeopathy can help to relieve some of the soreness, and it is certainly worthwhile checking out your nutritional status and perhaps taking some supplements that include at least 15 mgs of Zinc daily on an empty stomach and a good broad spectrum vitamin B complex. A sore tongue can be particularly painful and sometimes just using a simple salt mouthwash may help relieve some of the pain and discomfort.
Occasionally a very small dose of old fashioned anti depressants (Amitriptyline) may help relieve some of the pain and soreness, but that will require you to see your own General Practitioner for a prescription.
Although there are no definitive clinical trials my view is that your best option would be to see a homeopath. My experience of treating this illness suggests that sometimes you get benefit from a combination of homeopathy and nutritional approaches. Useful contacts: Faculty of Homeopathy: Tel 020 7566 7810, website www.trusthomeopathy.org, the Society of Homeopaths: Tel 01604-621400, 2 Artizan Road, Northampton, NN1 4HU, British Society for Allergy, Environmental and Nutritional Medicine: Tel 01547-550378, website www.bsaenm.free-online.co.uk/index.html.
My doctor prescribed a daily tablet for osteoporosis of the spine, but I have had to stop taking it because of the side effects. Is there a natural substitute?
Osteoporosis is potentially quite a serious condition. It depends how severe your osteoporosis is, what age you are, and in particular what other medications you are taking. For instance regular oral steroids which may be used for conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, asthma and some inflammatory bowel conditions may trigger osteoporosis at a relatively young age. There are a range of different conventional treatments for osteoporosis, some of which involve daily medication, and others of which involve weekly medication. Some of the conventional treatments are injectable so that often gets round a proportion of the side effects that you may be experiencing.
Regular weight bearing exercise, making sure that you take at least a gram of Calcium in your diet each day, or a Calcium supplement is certainly beneficial. It is also suggested by nutritionists that adding in a small amount of Zinc (at least 15 mgs a day) and Magnesium (200-400 mgs a day) may help to stop further deterioration. However, the only remedies that are actually proven to reverse osteoporosis are those conventional medications that can be prescribed by your own General Practitioner.
My husband has heard there are herbal remedies that can boost an older man’s libido. Is this true and, if so, are they safe?
I note that you are not suggesting your husband is impotent, but just in case this is part of the problem there is a herb called Yohimbine which can be used by herbalist to treat male impotence. The clinical trials are not definitive but safety studies so far suggest that if it is prescribed by a competent and trained individual it seems safe. A lack of libido can be triggered by many things, in particular mild depression. It may be that either herbal or homeopathic medications can help, in particular St John’s Wort that can frequently be used safely in the treatment of mild depression. Constitutional homeopathy may also be of real value to help improve libido, as may acupuncture. These non-specific generalised “health improvements” are frequently reported by patients receiving a whole variety of different complementary medical interventions. I would suggest that if you want to revitalise you sex life your choose a constitutional approach and visiting a homeopath, herbalist or acupuncturist. Useful contacts: Faculty of Homeopathy: Tel: 020 7566 7810, website: www.trusthomeopathy.org and the Society of Homeopaths: Tel: 01604-621400, 2 Artizan Road, Northampton, NN1 4HU. British Acupuncture Council website: www.acupuncture.org.uk/ , 63 Jeddo Road, London, W12 9HQ, Tel: 020 8735 0400. European Herbal Practitioners Association 8 Lion Yard, Tremadoc Road, London, SW4 7NW, Tel: 020 7627 2680, E-mail: info@euroherb.com
At the start of winter, I usually start taking vitamin C and Echinacea to ward off colds, but a friend tells me I’m wasting my money. Is she right?
The evidence for Echinacea is that it may help cut short an acute viral infection by a day or two, but there is no evidence that it will prevent viral infections occurring. Using it as a preventative isn’t therefore a terribly good idea. There is huge debate about vitamin C, some people suggesting that it is what keeps them going during the winter, while others point to the rather mixed evidence from clinical trials that tends to suggest that vitamin C is not an effective preventative medication. If you want to prevent colds and flu during the winter, there is some evidence, particularly in studies carried out in children, that using a regular daily dose of Acidophilus (good gut bacteria or probiotics) will help to prevent simple respiratory tract infections. If you want to consider doing something preventative then my suggestion would be a healthy balanced diet, a sensible amount of exercise and take a daily probiotic.
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