Summary: Listen in as Dr. Mike provides the answers to a wealth of health and wellness questions.Here you'll find the answers to a wealth of health and wellness questions posed by Healthy Talk fans. Listen in because what you know helps ensure healthy choices you can live with. Today on Healthy Talk, you wanted to know: There are a few commercials promoting the shingles vaccine. I'm in my 60s and am healthy, but did have chicken pox as a kid. Do I need the vaccine or are there other alternatives? Shingles, also known as herpes zoster, is a viral infection (varicella-zoster virus) causing a painful inflammation of the nerve ganglia that erupts the skin around the middle part of your body. This is the same virus that causes chicken pox. If you've already had chicken pox, you're not safe. In fact, the virus remains in your body. The risk of a shingles outbreak increases as you age. Shingles causes a burning and painful sensation, and can last up to 30 days. You can use nonsteroidal creams, like capsaicin to help with the pain. As far as the vaccine, Dr. Mike wants you to know that it does decrease your risk of developing shingles by 55 percent. Personally, Dr. Mike thinks this is a great vaccine and it's something you may want to consider. However, there are natural things you can do like take vitamin C, seaweed extract, zinc, and reishi mushroom extract. If you have a health question or concern, Dr. Mike encourages you to write him at askdrmikesmith@radiomd.com or call in, toll-free, to the LIVE radio show (1.844.305.7800) so he can provide you with support and helpful advice.
