A few days ago, Xiao Gao inexplicably appeared left lumbar pain, he did not seek treatment in a timely manner to the hospital, but thought he had a lumbar muscle sprain, to the affordable pharmacy to buy a pepper pain can be applied externally, who knows that the pain is not relieved, but more and more serious, not only can not sleep every night, a few days later also appeared blisters! This time he panicked, thought the cream allergic, rushed to the hospital to treat. In fact, there are many patients like Xiao Gao, who often think they are suffering from low back pain and delay the best treatment time. No, they are actually suffering from a disease called herpes zoster. Herpes zoster is a viral infection that attacks the skin by invading the nerves. Elderly people and people with chronic wasting diseases are prone to infection, and often once infected, their condition is more serious than that of young people. The folklore of this disease is known as “string of waist dragon”, “waist wrapped around the fire Dan”, this is because herpes zoster invading the chest and waist area accounts for more than 60% of the incidence of the disease. In fact, the disease can also affect the head, face, ears and upper and lower limbs. Because of the nerve-friendly nature of the virus, the onset of the disease is always along the nerves in a strip-like pattern, hence the name “herpes zoster”. Why do many patients fail to receive timely treatment? It is because when you have shingles, pain is often the first symptom, which can last for a few days or even a dozen days. When there is no rash, it is often misdiagnosed as a migraine, lumbar strain or other illness, and treatment is delayed and exacerbated. So what are the consequences of delayed treatment? The blistering lesions of shingles are often absorbed and crusted over after two weeks, so patients generally think that the lesions have improved, even if they are treated, but they are not. One of the most common and difficult to treat complications is post-herpetic neuralgia. The so-called posterior neuralgia is a burning, pins and needles pain or tightness caused by the herpes virus that damages the nerves. This pain is often unbearable and agonizing for the patient. The duration and degree of pain are related to the following factors: 1. the timeliness of consultation after the onset of the disease 2.The patient’s age. 3. The patient’s physical condition. Therefore, the older the patient is, the longer the duration of pain, the earlier the consultation, the shorter the duration and the lesser the degree of posterior neuralgia. Therefore, timely and correct treatment is the key to reduce your pain, so why do some patients who have been seen for a long time still feel the pain still? Here, I like to make an analogy for patients: the shingles virus is like a mouse in the house, what should we do when a mouse comes? Of course, the first thing to do is to exterminate the mouse. The mice are easy to exterminate with poison, but what about the mice that chew up our furniture? We need to repair it slowly. Doctors can use drugs (neurotropics), equivalent to send more craftsmen to help us repair furniture. But because nerves are one of the most difficult tissues in the human body to repair, it takes some time and is not a quick fix. Ancestral medicine believes that the disease is mainly due to the deficiency of the root and the symptoms, with the deficiency of positive energy being the key cause, often striking when we are tired (e.g. staying up late at work, alcohol abuse, etc.), without seasonality or age difference. Treatment is mainly based on eliminating the evil in the early stage, and supporting the positive in the later stage. Therefore, the use of Chinese herbal medicine to support the positive and drive away the evil and activate blood circulation and remove blood stasis, together with external light therapy physical therapy, are all aimed at early repair of the damaged nerves. Generally speaking, the effect of light therapy is still significant, and it can significantly shorten the course of treatment. For patients treated in our clinic, after five sessions of treatment.