Recently, a middle-aged male presented with herpes zoster in the right thoracic rib cage for one month, and was hospitalized at the Western Hospital for hanging water treatment. The herpes had healed and crusted over, but the pain was still present, and the pain was unbearable at night and kept him awake all night, so he urgently came to me for consultation. On examination, he was found to have clusters of blistering scars of varying sizes on the right side of the anterior midline of the lung, under the ribs and under the right side of the back on the right midline, and significant nerve root pressure next to the spine of the right thoracic vertebrae 5-9. The diagnosis was confirmed as: postherpetic neuralgia. After routine disinfection of the local skin, the herpes scabs were pricked and bled with a plum blossom needle, and cupping was performed for 10 minutes to drain the stagnant blood. The patient’s pain was relieved on the same day and he slept well at night. The pain disappeared completely after 4 days of treatment. Cao Yun, Department of Acupuncture and Moxibustion, Nantong Chinese Medicine Hospital Patients with herpes zoster often have long-lasting neuralgia after the herpes has subsided, and the older they are, the more painful it is. According to Chinese medicine, herpes zoster is characterized by severe stabbing pain, and the main treatment is to clear heat and dampness, and to open the meridians and activate the channels. The treatment of herpes zoster sequelae is mostly carried out with bloodletting therapy, which can improve blood circulation and promote the repair and regeneration of tissue cells and functional recovery. The therapy also has the function of improving the immunity of the body and has a good analgesic effect. After several courses of treatment, the pain left by herpes zoster will disappear quickly.
The picture shows herpes zoster
The picture shows cupping after plum blossom needle buckling
The picture shows the cupped blood stasis
Herpes zoster is caused by varicella-zoster virus, which exists in the posterior spinal nerve ganglion cells for a long time after infection. The disease is prone to develop when there are the following triggers: (1) Physical failure, spring and autumn change of season, etc., when the body’s resistance is reduced. (2) Overexertion. (3) Acute and chronic infectious diseases: such as cold and flu, infectious hepatitis, tuberculosis, measles, malaria, etc. (4) Trauma: such as trauma, fracture, surgery, etc. (5) neurological diseases: such as cerebrovascular accidents, encephalitis, etc. (6) Chronic diseases: such as diabetes, hypertension, pulmonary heart disease, chronic nephritis, uremia, anemia, etc. Herpes zoster has an incubation period of about 1-2 weeks. It is a blistering, painful disease caused by the herpes virus invading the skin and ganglia. In a few patients, the neuralgia continues for a longer period of time, especially in the old and frail, and the pain is severe and even unbearable. The pain usually decreases gradually within 2-4 weeks as the rash subsides, but some patients still feel pain after the rash has completely subsided, which is called posterior neuralgia. Posterior neuralgia can sometimes last for months or even years, causing great pain to the patient. Chinese medicine’s bloodletting therapy is highly effective in treating herpes zoster. When the blisters appear, the sooner the lesions crust over and the pain is relieved, the less pain the patient suffers. There was a patient who came to the doctor with several herpes on his lower back and was cured after a single treatment with bloodletting therapy, without any further rashes or post-neuralgia. The bloodletting therapy for herpes zoster is to get rid of the silt and heat, to drive the evil out, to regulate the blood, to open up the meridians, and to let the dampness and heat go out with the blood stasis, so that the pain stops and the disease is cured. If the patient can be treated in the right way within the shortest possible time, the pain and complications can be reduced and the best results can be obtained. Patients with shingles should rest properly, avoid rubbing the affected area, and keep the affected area clean and dry. It is advisable to eat light food, take more vitamins, avoid spicy and stimulating products, and take Pancreatic and antiviral oral solution. If herpes is combined with infection, antibiotics should be applied promptly.