It is a disease that feels even worse than it looks. Shingles is
most common in people older than 50, but anyone who has ever had
chickenpox is at risk. Twenty percent of the population will get
shingles in their lifetime. Carl Bozeman has shingles, a virus
that causes blisters on the skin. It is extremely painful and
there is no cure, but new research is providing hope. "Most
people who have had chicken pox are walking around, and they
have virus in their body, and at some point in their lives it
can actually reactivate," says Dr. Diannna Guan of the
University of Colorado. Researchers are first giving patients
the mouth sore medication, Zovirax, by IV for two months. Then,
patients are given the herpes medication, Valtrex. Carl is now
drug free and wears whatever he wants, with no pain.