There is a new recipe for killing pain caused by shingles.
Shingles stems from the same virus that causes chicken pox. Decades later it appears as a painful rash and blisters. Nearly one million Americans receive medical care for shingles or its complications every year. Typically treatment means taking daily pain meds, but now a new patch could ease the suffering for months.
Bill Jones, 82, has shingles -- a painful disease caused by the chicken pox virus.
His doctor sent him home with bandages, pain medications and no end in sight.
''He said, it's just gonna have to run its course,'' Jones said.
The rash subsided. the pain hasn't. Jones' problem is like 20 percent of shingles cases -- after the rash, injured nerves remain.
Dr. Miroslav Backonja is testing a new recipe to calm the pain -- a high concentration of capsaicin, a chemical found in hot peppers -- applied through a patch.
The theory is it works by disabling receptors on the problem nerves. In a recent study, 40 percent of people who used the patch for an hour had pain relief for as long as three months.
This kind of relief would get bill back on pace.
A handy-man who hopes being pain-free means a new life for him … and his hobbies.
Side effects of the patch include skin irritation. Capsaicin is also available in cream form. Backonja says the patch may also work for other peripheral nerve pain problems like diabetic neuropathy.
