Shingles strikes 1 million Americans each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, with most cases reported among individuals older than 50.

Calamine lotion is one of the staples of childhood and summer. It soothes skin and calms the itch from poison oak and poison ivy and insect bites. The lotion's primary ingredients are zinc oxide and iron oxide. Additional anti-itch medications are sometimes added to improve the lotion’s effectiveness.

Shingles is a common name for the disease known as herpes zoster. It results, according to the American Academy of Family Physicians, when the virus that causes chicken pox reactivates within clusters of sensory nerves near the spinal cord.