Both patients and doctors are constantly surprised by Botox’s wide range of cosmetic and medical applications.
Botox has just been discovered to be effective in treating the discomfort of shingles, a highly inflammatory and frequently unmanageable illness.
Pain from Shingles? Botox May Help.
Purified botulinum toxin A, or Botox, is widely used in the field of medical aesthetics for its potent wrinkle-reduction and prevention effects.
In the medical field, Botox injections can be used to treat a variety of conditions, including Bell’s palsy, hyperhidrosis (excessive sweating), urinary incontinence, and chronic migraines or cluster headaches.
The varicella-zoster virus, also responsible for chickenpox, is the root of shingles. Many people who have had chickenpox never have another outbreak because the virus remains latent in their nerve roots. But for those who aren’t so lucky, it awakens (usually in older people) and causes a painful rash that lasts for days.
About half of shingles sufferers benefit from standard pain treatment, but the other half has been left in agony… until now.
New research from neurologists suggests that Botox can alleviate shingles discomfort by inhibiting the production of molecules necessary for nerve communication. Long-lasting alleviation was reported, with relatively mild pain at the injection site being the only major side effect.