Postherpetic Neuralgia: Practical Experiences Return to Traditional Chinese Medicine

Abstract

Post-herpetic neuralgia (PHN) is a complication of herpes zoster that can cause different types of pain in the affected area. It often occurs mainly in severe cases of herpes zoster. The problem is defined as a persisting pain for 90-120 days after relieving of acute phase of herpes lesions. This complication causes suffering in patients and reduces the quality of life. In western medicine's viewpoints, PHN is due to disturbance in local and dermatomal nerves. There are several topical and systemic drugs that are used to manage the pain relief. In traditional medicine (TM), PHN is mostly due to incomplete heat and damp clearing in liver and spleen meridians, qi and toxic pathogens stagnation, accumulation of yin (blood stagnation in microcapillary), internal fire, and heat and obstruction of meridians. Acupuncture works based on the eradication of wind, clearing of heat, and destroying of damp by regulating qi and blood movement. In clinics, several methods of TM are used to relief PHN, such as simultaneous needling, surrounding needling, acupuncture, electro acupuncture, moxibustion, wet cupping or hijamat, and herbal medicine. In this review, we discussed all these methods and their role in reducing PHN and pain.