Have you controlled shingles or herpes with a diet change?

I’m a bit off topic but I was wondering if you have had the shingles vaccine?
My mom had shingles a lot brought on by stress but never had the vaccine.

I don’t believe the vaccine will help me. I asked our former jelly infectious disease doctor about it. I asked him if there were studies he knew if regarding people with recurrent episodes and if the vaccine helped. I also told him I was reluctant t get the vaccine (and he is very pro-vaccine) because in my mind, my logic, if an outbreak is not causing my immunity to spike, why would the vaccine? Theoretically, getting sick should boost our immunity. Like if you get measles you become immune to measles, that sort of thing. He agreed. He didn’t know of any specific studies, but he agreed the vaccine likely wouldn’t help me just thinking about it logically. Is still be interested if there are any studies done regarding situations like mine.

The shingles vaccine only has about a 50% efficacy rate to begin with. I’ve wondered about how those studies were conducted. I’ve never researched it.

One might think just get the vaccine, what do you have to lose and there might be an upside, but I’m a little vaccine shy, but not one of those anti-vaccine people.

In countries like the UK they don’t give the chicken pox shot yet, I’m not sure about the shingles shot. Some argue children getting chicken pox used to help boost the immunity of adults, and protecting children from chicken pox will create more shingles cases for now. I don’t know what I think about that. It sees to me people having shingles should boost immunity just as much as children with chicken pox. I think shingles is under-reported.

I’m much more concerned now that I started getting it on my face. Incidents of stroke go up among young shingles sufferers. I think even heart attack too, which I hadn’t realized. Plus, the concern about my sight.

Enter “Lysine shingles” into your Google search and a number of reference sites pop up. I don’t know how many include scientific studies, per se, but some might be helpful for you.
Good luck with your research.

I have googled. Did you find legitimate studies?

I didn’t look specifically. Because you had misspelled “lysine” I thought maybe you hadn’t found what you were seeking.
I also don’t know what you would consider “legitimate studies”.
Because supplements have been so vilified by the scientific and medical communities, you may have trouble finding studies.

You mention personal e perience in your details, maybe you could try it? If something (not wildly outlandish) is even rumored to help, and won’t harm you, you could give it a try. After all, chicken soup wasn’t scientically verified to be helpful for rhinovirus symptoms until fairly recently.

I am already adjusting my diet to give it a try. The way I came across the diet suggestion was from googling.

Well, then good luck with that. If you notice an improvement, please let us know. I am also concerned about recurrences, my last shingles event was on my face, I really don’t want to repeat that.

My son takes Quantum Super Lysine+ when his cold sores act up, and we take it when we get rhinovirus, and it does seem to help. I linked to their product overview page, rather than the specific product, because they have other immune boosters that might be better suited.

Yes, if you can get adequate quantities from diet alone, that is best; but it’s not easy, so I don’t have a problem taking supplements. Since I have autoimmune disease, I shouldn’t take immune boosters (so I no longer take the above product for colds); but for my other supplements I like the company MegaFood because they source their products from food sources rather than synthetics – the majority of their ingredients are organic, or at least GMO-free. A large number of their products are gluten-free and several qualify as vegan, as well. I use them for my Vitamin D and Magnesium, my sweetie and I take their “over 40” multi-vitamins, and we all take their Vitamin C. At my last blood test, my D levels were good – even a bit high – after having been low for a while. I didn’t realize the women’s multi had 1K of D3 in addition to the 2K I was advised to take by my physicians, so I was actually taking more than I thought. I have since cut the dosage back as recommended by my Rheumatologist; but I found it a validation of the product’s efficacy.

@hearkat Thanks for the links, I haven’t looked at them yet, but I will. My understanding is the Lysine inhibits the viral replication, not that it boosts immunity. I’ll have to read up on that more.

Regarding your vitamin D, you probably know I talk about D a lot, does 2k a day actually keep your D at a normal level? I have to take much much more. I only ask because I’m curious about what might be the difference between people like me, and others who don’t need to take near as much. I know more people like me.

I don’t know the exact levels but upon initial diagnosis with rheumatism 3 years ago, I was told they were low and advised to take 2k/day. Since then I have been told to continue doing that. I switched to a new Rheumy a few months ago, and it was he who remarked that my levels were high and told me to cut to 1k/day. I may have been high for a while, but the previous ‘Dr.’ was inept, hence the switch. Shortly after that visit, I realized that I was unintentionally taking 3k/day because of the additional amount I didn’t realize was in the multi. I have modified my dosage and will continue taking 2k/day. On days that I know I will get some outdoor time, I only take 1k/day.

@hearkat Do you go in the sun? I find it fascinating your levels got high on that dose. I think it was Gail who once told me she stayed in normal range at 2k a day. I wonder if there is something in common with those of us who struggle to stay in the normal range even at 3 times that dose.

I would suggest you look at your blood tests yourself, don’t rely on the doctors, but I assume if they actually told you it was high then it probably was.

The last time I went to my endocrinologist she looked at my chart and told me no one showed her the latest tests. I had been surprised she didn’t call me since my glucose was very high, I had looked at the results myself from the lab. At that appointment she wrote down her cell phone and told me to text her whenever I get a blood test done.

Thank goodness they changed the federal laws for pt access to lab work.