Fighting Shingles
A Thermophysiological Approach
From the essay
This paper presents a thermophysiological approach to mitigating Shingles (Herpes Zoster) by examining how controlled, exercise-induced internal heating may influence viral latency reactivation, immune readiness, and symptom severity. Shingles is caused by Varicella–Zoster Virus (VZV), a herpesvirus fundamentally different from cold and flu viruses. VZV hides in the nervous system for decades and reactivates when host immunity declines. While Shingles is not transmitted through nasal mucosa or respiratory pathways—and thus is not temperature-dependent in the same way as rhinoviruses or influenza—VZV reactivation and progression are still significantly affected by immune system strength, micro-circulation, metabolic stress, and local tissue environment.
Adapted from PDF pages 1.