Herpes zoster
StarEssentials of Chinese Acupuncture (Beijing, Shanghai and Nanjing Colleges of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 1980) — the standard prescriptions of the Chinese colleges.
Points
-
He-Sea of the Large Intestine; clears heat
Reduce.
-
Sea of Blood; cools and moves the blood
Reduce.
-
He-Sea of the Bladder; clears heat from the blood
Reduce.
Needling Safety
Cited hazards for these points. Tick what applies to the patient to see the cautions that follow from it.
Treatment Principle
Clear heat and cool the blood with reducing technique.
Indications
Method
All three points are needled with reducing technique.
⚠ Cautions
Herpes zoster near the eye (ophthalmic zoster) needs urgent eye care; early antiviral treatment, ideally within 72 hours, reduces post-herpetic neuralgia, so refer for medical assessment. Immunocompromised patients need medical management. Avoid needling into the vesicles.
About
A brief appendix prescription in the book for herpes zoster, the girdle-shaped eruption with burning pain.
Rationale
LI11 drains heat from the yangming, SP10 acts on the blood, and BL40 is a classic point for clearing heat from the blood; together they target the heat in the blood that the eruption is read as. The book gives no fuller explanation for this appendix entry.
Clinical Notes
The book adds that needling the Huatuo Jiaji points (EX-B2) at the spinal levels matching the lesion is also worthwhile; these are an optional addition and are not part of the listed points.
Sources
- Beijing College of Traditional Chinese Medicine, et al. Essentials of Chinese Acupuncture. Beijing: Foreign Languages Press, 1980. Chapter III, Herpes Zoster (appendix to Erysipelas), p. 385.
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