A little over two weeks ago a burning that was becoming more and more severe on my left thigh made me fear I was once again getting peripheral neuropathy.

Since I switched to organic food, without the pesticides engineered into it, I've been using a lot less vitamin B12. Originally my doctors told me I had permanent nerve damage... but then a holistic doctor prescribed a B12 shot a day, which seemed excessive, only when I tried it my peripheral neuropathy went away... not over night, but over about two or three months.

So, here was this burning again. Scared, I used a couple 5mg methylcobalamin lozenges a day...

Then, two weeks ago the shingles broke out.

I discovered that by using 2 grams of vitamin C an hour with a lot of liquid I could change the pain to itching. Unfortunately I thought that meant complete healing was taking place, and I stopped using the C. The pain came back when the vitamin C wore off.

Now, two weeks later the eruptions are fading away, becoming smaller and smaller red dots.

One interesting thing came up when I was tweeting about my experience of shingles: a doctor (MD) in England tweeted to me that years ago physicians routinely prescribed B12 shots for shingles to reduce the neuropathy. He said he hadn't ever read about that being the case, just that it was what he knew and did, as did his colleagues.

Since the "norm" for shingles appears to be three weeks, not two, I'm attributing my early healing not only to the vitamin C, but also to the vitamin B12 I used.

I'd be curious to hear your shingles experience.

If you use an antiviral medication within three days it will help tremendously. My cousin did that and it worked out great. That's what I would do if I ever had them again.

Here is an interesting site:

http://www.webmd.com/skin-problems-a...tment-overview

Many people have found the amino acid l-Lysine very effective in preventing shingles outbreaks. It inhibits the viral activity and even if taken at the first signs of an outbreak, can shorten the duration or prevent it completely.

Benfotiamine has greatly helped my moms shingles. It's amazing supplement. She takes it daily and if she gets a bad spell she ups the dose.

Very interesting information. Thanks. I have L lysine but don't use it all the time.

So, were your outbreaks less than two weeks? I just wonder if you had a shorter attack than I did.

I meant to add that when I was tweeting about how B12 helped my shingles. I used B12 lozenges (Methylcobalamin) before the fever blisters came out... I thought my peripheral neuropathy was coming back.

Anyway, after I tweeted about using B12, a doctor in England tweeted to me that in the old days doctors there prescribed B12 for the neuropathy associated with shingles. He said he hadn't read any documentation, but it was his experience that the practice was wide spread.

I thought that was neat to know.