Immidiate Relief from Shingles

Most patients come to see me for chronic issues like chronic pain or skin conditions. But Chinese medicine can also give fast relieve and healing.

This patient was a old patient of mine, who had found relief for irregular menses and digestive issues. But this time, she came in with Shingles. I noticed a number of my patients had shingles this spring. Shingles are a reemergence of the chicken pox virus which usually travels along the course of a nerve.

She is a young woman in her 30's. The lesions were on the left side of upper back and scapula on the small intestine channel and traveled down her arm on two specific channels, the left pericardium and heart channels. The lesions were red, hot, and somewhat itchy, but the pain was not extremely intense. The upper back and scapula was the most intense region of lesions and discomfort.

She also complained of alternating chills and fever and slight nausea. Pulse was stringlike and she had an thin fur on her tongue.

Diagnosis: Shao yang pattern with heat erupting on the tai yang channels

Treatment:
Herbs- Xiao chai hu tang with dao chi san. This formula harmonizes the body and will drain heat from the heart channels.
Topically- patient used neem oil, a natural Indian oil for rashes and skin diseases.
Acupuncture- SJ 5, GB 41, Du 20, and Plum Blossom needle around the lesions

Results: After herbs, patient was feeling immediately better. She felt the neem oil help remove the feeling of heat. The herbs also removed the feeling of heat and discomfort. Shingles usually stay around for 2-3 weeks with a lot of pain, discomfort and itch. After only one week her lesions were almost all gone on her upper back. There were only a few on her arm which were not bothersome.

Usually I treat chronic issues, but Chinese medicine can also be very useful for acute problems with almost immediate relief.