Will 5/2 help recover from Shingles?

This topic contains 6 replies, has 5 voices, and was last updated by hermajtomomi 10 years, 1 month ago.

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Samia

1:42 am
14 Mar 14
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Hello all

Wondered if anyone might have any experience or knowledge about this.

I’ve had shingles for the past 3-4 weeks and am still struggling with the pain and exhaustion. I wondered if doing 5/2 might help my body start to recover.

Any ideas?

MountainMyst

10:31 pm
14 Mar 14
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Hi Samia, I don’t know if it will help, but I wouldn’t think it would hurt. since the body uses the fast time to do other things like healing, I would give it a try.

you sure have my sympathies. I only had a mild case and it was no fun. rest and be good to yourself. let us know how you get on. Phyllis

Samia

9:50 am
17 Mar 14
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Thanks Phyllis, it sure isn’t a pleasant thing to get!

I came to the same conclusion, so I’m going to try it from today and see how I go.

Linds

10:07 am
17 Mar 14
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Hi Samia, you have my sympathies, I had it over Christmas and it was like nothing I have ever experienced before. I didn’t do the 5:2 over Christmas but started again in the new year. In all it was about 8 weeks before the pain finally went although it did start to get easier after about 4. I don’t know if the 5:2 helped but I don’t think it did any harm. Hope you’re feeling better soon. Linda

saperlo

2:53 pm
17 Mar 14
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Hi Samia,

Sorry to hear about your shingles; it really is a horrible condition, particularly because of when it occurs. This is usually when we are “run down” and often that can be on top of another illness or when we are chronically stressed, etc.

It is caused by a virus that most of us pick up in childhood (usually without any symptoms) and which than lives on deep in our nervous system. When we are immune-supressed or run down it re-appears in the distribution of a nerve (hence the pattern of the rash).

Anyway, because it is associated with being run down I would recommend that you don’t fast just now but that you do concentrate on eating a immune-nutritious diet with lots of fish and fresh veggies. Once the varicella has gone and you feel better you can start the diet again.

Although it’s late into the active phase, your GP can prescribe an antiviral that even now will help reduce the post-herpetic pain (These are best given in the prodromal stage i.e. before the rash at the “tingling” point…I presume you have some already?)

Feel better soon. David

Samia

3:38 pm
18 Mar 14
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Thanks Linda and David.
I have tried my first fast and have no adverse physical symptoms to note.

I know plenty about Shingles having experienced it once before many years ago. I’m looking for ways to boost my immune system which is where the fasting comes in. I’m not particularly run down or ill with anything else but my diet has already become incredibly healthy over the past 4 weeks!

hermajtomomi

4:44 pm
18 Mar 14
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You have all my sympathy, Samia, as do all you others who have had shingles. I know how horrible it can be. I had it relatively mildly but it was on my face, dangerously close to one eye, which had the quacks scurrying around like headless chickens (or should I say ducks?). The shingles developed as a result of steroids I was given to treat polymyalgia rheumatica. Which they cleared up within days, BUT also screwed up my immune system, hence the shingles, followed by excruciating post-herpetic neuralgia.

The worst thing for me was having to take steroids, albeit in gradually reducing doses, for a period of 2 1/2 years “just in case”. Predictably they made me inflate like a balloon with a great big pudden face, so horrible that I actually deleted all my own wedding photos before anyone could see them. As soon as I came off the beastly things I lost about 3 kilos without even trying – this was about 2 years before the Fast Diet came on the scene.

Re doing 5:2, listen to your body. If it tells you it’s feeling good carry on. If not, wait a little longer before embarking on this healthy and usually enjoyable way of eating.