In the fall and winter, the cold weather makes people with poor immunity susceptible to diseases. In particular, middle-aged and elderly people should be careful of herpes zoster, commonly known as “herpes zoster”, known in Chinese medicine as “herpes zoster”, “spider sore” or “herpes zoster”. It is a viral infection and a common acute herpes-like skin disease in clinical practice. Herpes zoster is called “herpes zoster” because the virus is nerve-friendly and always develops in strips along the nerves. Herpes zoster occurs on the chest, abdomen, lower back and face, and is often located on one side of the body. Early treatment of herpes zoster is the key The best time to treat herpes zoster is within 3 days of onset, but many patients do not receive early treatment. What are the reasons for this? It is understood that in the early stages of shingles, some patients do not have any skin abnormalities, no papules or blisters, but only pain, so it is very easy to misdiagnose. For example, when herpes zoster invades the face and there is pain, the patient mistakenly thinks it is a toothache and runs to the stomatology department; when herpes zoster invades the lower back, the patient thinks it is back pain and runs to the orthopedics or rehabilitation department. Even when herpes appears on the skin, some patients think it is eczema or skin allergy and apply ointment on their own. From the onset of the disease to the correct department, the patient’s experience of enduring pain, blindly using medication on their own, and going to the wrong department greatly delays the diagnosis and treatment of the disease. Delayed treatment of shingles can cause posterior neuralgia Because of the delay in early treatment, it becomes quite tricky later on. Because the nerve inflammation is not controlled in time, the nerves are destroyed, leading to intractable posterior neuralgia. Pain that persists for more than a month after the skin herpes has healed is called postherpetic neuralgia. Some patients suffer from persistent or episodic severe pain 3 months after the acute herpes zoster lesions have healed, known as “postherpetic neuralgia”. Data show that 25-50% of shingles patients over the age of 50 are left with post-herpetic neuralgia. This pain can even last for years, and the chronic pain can cause mental disorders such as high blood pressure, sleep disorders, anxiety or depression, and in some cases, even the desire to live. Once herpes zoster is diagnosed, early treatment will not only shorten the course of the disease, but will also reduce to avoid the occurrence of post-herpetic neuralgia, which is of great significance to the patient.