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Bob & Joy Graham wrote: > = > CAROL, you said > >shingles can be cured by taking large doses > >of the amino acid L-lysine. > = > >Start by taking one 1,000 mg tablet every hour. If that does > >not alleviate the symptoms up the dosage or time interval. > It can't do any harm. > = > Do you know this for a fact? That seems to me to be an extraordinarily= > high dose of L-lysine for anyone to be taking... Do you know if the > L-lysine would interact in any way with antiparkinson's medication? > = > I think a bit of research would be useful here. Does anyone know the > answers to these questions... Kathrynne Holden perhaps? Dear Joy and others, I'm sorry I'm not familiar with the treatment of shingles. Lysine is not one of the large neutral aminos that interferes with Sinemet absorption. I did a quick search which did not produce information on L-lysine in treating shingles. The site I searched is: http://www.medhelp.org/ It is very helpful in getting patient information on many conditions. The information I did get is as follows: What about treatment? In most people with zoster, the condition clears on its own in a few weeks and seldom recurs. Treatment is helpful. It usually consists of pain relievers as well as cool compresses to help dry the blisters. = Thc anti-viral drug, acyclovir, in capsule form, is usually prescribed for severe cases of zoster --with eye involvement, for example--or for those who are immunosuppressed. Acyclovir is given five times a day. = Acyclovir will cause headaches in about two percent of patients and occasionally some stomach upset and lightheadedness. The earlier it is taken after the disease begins the better; early cases of zoster sometimes can be stopped. If taken later it is less effective but even so may lessen the pain. The drug does not seem to prevent post-herpetic neuralgia. = Similar drugs that might be even more effective for zoster are being studied in research laboratories. = Corticosteroids, sometimes in combination with acyclovir, also are used for severe infection, such as in the eyes, and to reduce severe pain. = Post-herpetic neuralgia can be treated with an anti-depressant drug at night and frequent use of pain relievers during the day. An ointment containing capsaicin, an extract of pepper, is also helpful for some people. The ointment is applied to painful areas of the skin three to four times a day. It causes release of a chemical in the skin that eases the pain. = =A9 1988 / American Academy of Dermatology Revised 1991, 1992, 1993 = -- = Kathrynne Holden, MS, RD Editor-in-Chief, "Spotlight on Food--nutrition news for people 60-plus" Tel: 970-493-6532 Fax: 970-493-6538 = http://www.fortnet.org/~fivstar You may wish to contact: Better Business Bureau of the Mountain States, < [log in to unmask]> for further information.