Red Peppers for Pain From Shingles

QUESTION: I suffered from a terrible attack of shingles. While the rash is
now gone, the pain hasn't, and nothing seems to control it, though I have
taken everything. My friend tells me he read where red peppers could do me
some good, but I don't know how to fix them. Is there anything you could tell
me to help me?
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ANSWER: It's not cajun cooking you need, but to know that an oil made from
plants of the capsicum family, a family that includes cayenne or red pepper,
was touted to reduce the pain in cases of shingles (doctors call it herpes
zoster). A purified form of this extract is called capsaicin (sold under the
brand name of Zostrix), and apparently works in these cases. Scientists
believe that a chemical, called Substance P, may play a role in transmitting
pain and that the when capsaicin is used in a cream, applied to the area of
pain, it works to neutralize the action of Substance P. Although the
medication is available in rather low concentrations, reports are that it
works well. At present they are investigating the use of higher
concentrations, which apparently are even more effective in controlling the
pain that becomes chronic in many shingles sufferers.