Assessment Of Reporting Biases
Funnel plots will be used to assess reporting biases if 10 or more studies are included in a meta-analysis. Such a funnel plot asymmetry could be caused by publication or related biases, or by systematic differences between small and large studies. If a relationship is identified, the clinical diversity of the studies will be further examined as a possible explanation and described in the text. However, since graphical evaluation can be subjective, Eggers method will also be used to access the reporting biases.
Acupuncture Beats Drugs For Shingles Nerve Pain
- Details
- 05/27/2014
Acupuncture combined with moxibustion was determined more effective than the drug gabapentin for the treatment of shingles, herpes zoster. New research compared the effects of acupuncture followed by local moxibustion against a group that received gabapentin and sham acupuncture. The true acupuncture group had an effective rate of 94% and the drug group had an effective rate of 86%.
Gabapentin is a pharmaceutical medication often used to treat nerve pain, especially in cases nerve pain due to shingles . True acupuncture was applied to Ashi points. Sham acupuncture is a form of simulated acupuncture used to help establish controls in clinical investigations and assists in ruling out the placebo effect. In this study, sham non-acupuncture points were needled in the distal region of the herpetic lesions. This type of sham control has received recent criticism by researchers in that sham needling may provide medical benefits thereby skewing data towards underestimating the healing powers of true acupuncture.
Moxibustion involves burning herbs, usually Ai Ye , near the skin to provide penetrating warmth. Moxibustion is often combined with acupuncture by licensed acupuncturists in clinical settings. In this study, moxibustion was applied for 15 minutes in the region of the lesions.
Acupuncture And Nerve Damage Prevention
The authors of both the 1999 and 2011 studies agreed that most acupuncture complications reported would have been preventable with sufficient training and anatomic knowledge. Many of the thousands of acupuncture practitioners in the U.S. include physicians and dentists who have already undergone medical training. NCCAM also notes that many states require a license to practice acupuncture, although training standards differ from state to state.
References
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I Think I Have Shingles What Should I Do
Repeat after me: Call your doctor right away, within 72 hours. The earlier the better.
You should start taking an antiviral medication, preferably valacyclovir or famciclovir, within 72 hours of your symptoms starting to help reduce the severity of the infection, how long your skin rash lasts, and how painful it gets. If its been more than 72 hours, you should still talk to your provider. Treatment can still help, especially if you still see new rashes showing up.
Strengths And Limitations Of This Study
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This systematic review will assess the efficacy and safety of acupuncture for postherpetic neuralgia . It will provide a high-quality synthesis of current evidence for policymakers, patients and clinicians seeking innovative and effective ways to treat PHN.
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The ability to generate conclusions of high confidence in this study may be limited, due to the heterogeneity in the forms of acupuncture therapies and the qualities of methodology, and the impossibility of searching in all the electronic databases or other data sources.
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Are There Other Ways To Ease The Pain
Most people with postherpetic neuralgia use medication to control their symptoms. But there are other ways to control the pain, too. They include:
TENS : You use a device that shoots tiny electrical currents into the area of pain on the skin. This helps block the pain.
Cold packs: Try a gel-filled one to numb the area unless cooler objects make your neuralgia worse.
Comfortable clothes: Go for looser fits and fabrics such as cotton and silk.
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Can Acupuncture Help With Nerve Pain From Shingles
The short answer is, YES! Acupuncture can help with the nerve pain from shingles. Acupuncture works directly on the TRPV1 nerve receptor that causes the common burning pain you feel with shingles. If you want to dive into a scientific study that proves acupuncture helps shingles pain, then keep reading. Otherwise, just click the book now button above to setup a visit with Dr. Hanson for the best acupuncture in Tampa, FL.
So if you are experiencing Post Herpetic Nerualgia then know that Acupuncture is something that can really help ease your pain. Read on for more information about acupuncture and how it could help ease your symptoms of nerve pain.
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Vas Pain Score Before And After Treatment
A total of 6 articles evaluated the VAS scores before and after treatment, but only 4 articles stated the standardized average difference of the improved VAS score before and after treatment the other 2 only stated the average score number and standard difference before and after treatment, and thus were excluded from the comparison. The comparison results are shown in Figure 6. The results were I2=92% and P< 0.00001 thus, a random-effects model was used. The SMD was 0.87 . The statistical test results showed P=0.05, and were not statistically significant in experimental group and control group.
Figure 6
Acupuncture Points And The Nervous System
Acupuncturists insert needles at specific acupuncture points, which lie along pathways called meridians. These meridians form an interconnecting network throughout the body, through which vital energy is thought to flow. Some acupuncture points lie over muscles or organs, but many others lie over nerves, and when the needle is inserted deeply enough, direct trauma to the nerve can result. Nerve damage can also occur when acupuncture needles break off inside the body, and later migrate to a location where they cause nerve injury.
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Evaluation Of The Risk Of Bias Of The Included Studies
Two authors of this review will assess the risk of bias of the included studies, using ROBIS tool. The ROBIS is a tool to assess the risk of bias of SRs, which involves assessment of 4 domains: study eligibility criteria identification and selection of studies data collection and study appraisal and synthesis and findings. The evaluation of the risk of bias is associated with each domain which will be judged as âlow risk,ââhigh risk,â or âunclear risk.â
Search Methods For Identification Of Studies
We will retrieve 8 electronic databases from their inception to October 31, 2020, which include 4 Chinese databases: China Biology Medicine disc , VIP database, Wangfang database, China National Knowledge Infrastructure , and four English databases: PubMed, Cochrane Library, Excerpt Medical Database , Web of science. The language will be restricted to Chinese and English. References of the included literatures and PROSPERO database will be also screened to supplement the potential eligible SRs and MAs. The proposed search strategy for PubMed is presented in Table âTable11.
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How Acupuncture Can Help Combat Shingles Pain
The numbers surrounding shingles are eye-opening one in three people in the United States develop the condition during their lifetime, and 13% of those who have shingles and who are 50 years of age or older go on to struggle with postherpetic neuralgia .
PHN is incredibly difficult to treat since it involves hyperactive nerve activity, leaving people to try to manage the discomfort through medications. To avoid a lifetime of potentially risky drug use, many people turn to acupuncture to relieve PHN, with great success.
In the following, the team at Family Wellness Acupuncture explores how acupuncture can provide welcome pain relief in the face of ongoing PHN.
Data Extraction And Management
Data extractors will independently extract data from the included trials by using a piloted data extraction form that has been discussed and developed by all the reviewers. The extracted data will include data for trials, participants, interventions, outcomes and miscellaneous items such as funding sources and ethical approval. Any disagreement in data extraction will be resolved by discussion or consultation with a third arbitrator. If data presented in studies are unclear, missing or presented in a form that is either unextractable or difficult to reliably extract, the authors of the study will be contacted for clarification.
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Hearing Loss And Facial Weakness
Complications of herpes zoster oticus and Ramsay Hunt syndrome might include hearing loss and facial weakness. For most people, these are temporary symptoms, but it is possible for the damage to become permanent, especially if shingles is left untreated.
Ramsay Hunt syndrome accounts for up to 12% of facial paralysis. In some cases, it has a worse outcome than Bells palsya condition that causes temporary weakness in the muscles of the face.
How Does Acupuncture Treat Post
From a Western biomedical perspective, acupuncture treats post-herpetic neuralgia pain by releasing endorphins and blocking pain signals. From a Chinese medical perspective, acupuncture treats pain by harmonizing Qi and Blood, and harmonizing the bodys organ systems.
I dont often use electro-acupuncture in my practice, but this is a case when it is really beneficial. Electro-acupuncture can block pain signals locally and at on their way to the spinal column before going to the brain.
Herbal medicine is also an important adjunct treatment to acupuncture.
To make an appointment with me for treatment, please go to the Appointments page. If you have further questions, feel free to ask me through the Contact page.
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Strategy For Article Retrieval
The Embase, PubMed, Medline, and Cochrane Library databases were searched from January 1980 to March 2021 using the following search terms: Acupuncture, Herpes zoster, treatment, ischemic, cerebrovascular, herpes, Pharmacoacupuncture, and Randomized controlled trial. The terms were optimally combined to retrieve the most relevant articles. The search words had to appear in the scope of the title, keywords, or abstract. Some references in the included articles were also traced, and the full texts of the articles were manually searched and included in this study. After the retrieval, qualified randomized controlled trials were selected according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria for the meta-analysis.
Analysis Of Literature Publication Bias
An inverted funnel plot of the total efficiency of acupuncture in treating HZ and the improvement in VAS pain scores was produced to determine whether the articles had any publication bias. As Figure 10 shows, the total efficient graphic was asymmetrical, and almost all of the included studies fell within the inverted funnel plots. Only few studies did not fall into the inverted funnel plot. The possible reasons were few literatures included in the meta-analysis and the heterogeneity between the articles. The funnel graph shape exhibits a symmetrical blade leakage, so incorporate research does not present literature publication bias.
Figure 10
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Types Of Facial Nerve Paralysis
Facial nerve paralysis is often described as central or peripheral. Central facial nerve paralysis is caused by a problem affecting the brain. It causes weakness in the lower part of the face. Peripheral facial nerve paralysis is caused by a problem affecting the nerve. It causes weakness in the whole face, including the forehead.
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Recipes For Itchy Skin Caused By Shingles
Some essential oils have an affinity for relieving itchy skin and calming inflammation. Combine the essential oils below with an equal amount of carrier oil and apply evenly with a clean cotton swab 3-5 times a day. Using the oils in a 50/50 ratio will help stave off the virus, however, try a patch test first as this is a very strong dilution to use. You can, of course, add more carrier oil to dilute the recipes further to suit your needs.
Shingles Recipe for Itchy Skin #1
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Relieving Pain With Acupuncture
The ancient art of acupuncture has been used in Asia for centuries to treat many conditions and relieve pain. It’s now being used in the United States and other Western countries to ease everything from low back pain, to nerve pain , to headaches, fibromyalgia, and menstrual cramps and more.
Traditional Chinese acupuncture involves the insertion of extremely fine needles into the skin at specific “acupoints.” This may relieve pain by releasing endorphins, the body’s natural pain-killing chemicals, and by affecting the part of the brain that governs serotonin, a brain chemical involved with mood.
In Chinese acupuncture, the acupuncturist may turn or twirl the needles slightly or apply heat or electrical stimulation to enhance the effects. He or she may also burn a therapeutic herb near the skin this is called moxibustion.
A Japanese form of acupuncture involves more shallow needle insertion than in Chinese acupuncture, and the needles aren’t usually manipulated. Korean acupuncture focuses on applying needles to points in just the hands and feet.
The acupuncturist typically inserts four to 10 needles and leaves them in place for 10 to 30 minutes while you rest. A usual course of treatment includes six to 12 sessions over a three-month period.
For more on treating common pain conditions and learning about other mind-body solutions to relieve pain, buy Pain Relief, a Special Health Report from Harvard Medical School.
Randomization And Allocation Concealment
All patients will be randomly assigned to either the EA combined with medication group or medication group via a computerized central randomization system. If a participant is enrolled, an independent researcher in each center, who has no contact with participants, acupuncturists and outcome assessors, will log into the computerized central randomization system to generate random sequence, dividing eligible participants into two groups in a ratio of 1:1. The researcher will make random allocation cards, each with its group allocation information and sealed into an opaque envelope, which will not be open until the first treatment.
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Multidermatomal Varicella Zoster With Multiple Cranial Nerve Involvement Presenting With Partial Ophthalmoplegia In An Immunocompetent Woman
ABSTRACT: Varicella-zoster virus is rarely the cause of multiple cranial nerve palsies. Partial or complete ophthalmoplegia can occur with VZV infection, but the optimal treatment for this condition is unknown. We report the case of a 79-year-old immunocompetent woman who presented with multidermatomal VZV, herpes zoster ophthalmicus, multiple cranial nerve palsies, and partial unilateral ophthalmoplegia. Our report highlights the use of corticosteroids and antivirals to treat her VZV-associated partial ophthalmoplegia.
The case of an immunocompetent patient who presented with partial ophthalmoplegia, a rare complication of varicella-zoster virus infection, suggests that corticosteroids can be used in conjunction with antiviral medication to treat the condition in select patients.
Key points
- Varicella zoster can affect both sensory and motor cranial nerves, and is a rare cause of complete or partial ophthalmoplegia in both immunocompromised and immunocompetent patients.
- The underlying mechanism of cranial nerve involvement is unknown but may involve direct viral infection and postinfectious inflammation of the cranial nerves.
- There is little evidence to guide treatment of varicella-zoster virus ophthalmoplegia, but the use of corticosteroids in addition to antivirals may target inflammation involved in the pathogenesis of this condition.
Shingles And Postherpetic Neuralgia
After you have had chickenpox, the virus lies inactive in nerve tissue near your spinal cord and brain. Years later, the virus may reactivate as shingles. Postherpetic neuralgia is the most common complication of shingles. PHN is pain resulting from a herpes zoster outbreak along the trigeminal nerve. Postherpetic neuralgia occurs if your nerve fibers are damaged during an outbreak of shingles.
Damaged fibers cannot send messages from your skin to your brain as they normally do. Instead, the messages become confused and exaggerated, causing chronic pain. The most common area to have PHN is along the torso, but pain in the face can also occur. The sensation may be of intense burning or stabbing, and it may feel as if it is shooting along the course of the affected nerve.
PHN typically starts during the shingles outbreak, but lasts after the rash and blisters have healed. Chicken pox causes shingles later in life. People over the age of 60 have an increased risk of shingles. Treatment for PHN does not cure it, but aims to minimize its symptoms.
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Best Essential Oils For Treating The Herpes Zoster Virus
For the most comfortable application, essential oils for shingles should be added to a spritzer bottle with either witch hazel, thin aloe vera juice , herbal hydrosols, or a thin carrier oil like fractionated coconut oil.
The spray should be about a 10% dilution ratio or 60 drops of essential oil in 1oz of liquid/carrier oil.
You can pick and choose from the oils below based on your needs and formulate a simple shingles spray.
Bergamot
Bergamot is one of the most effective essential oils that inhibit the herpes virus and will aid in drying blisters and giving you long-lasting pain relief. It is a powerful antiviral and analgesic essential oil that will also support you emotionally throughout your healing journey.
Be sure to use bergapten-free bergamot essential oil or make sure to completely cover any areas of topical application with clothing if going outside. Bergamot is an extremely phototoxic essential oil meaning it reacts negatively when exposed to sunlight.
Tea Tree
Tea tree essential oil will help soothe redness and irritation on and around the blistering skin. Its anesthetic and anti-inflammatory properties make it a perfect match for treating shingles and reducing pain. If used consistently, you can prevent scarring and further infection.
Lavender
Ravensara
Manuka
Manuka essential oil has been shown to inhibit the herpes simplex virus and may help shorten the duration of shingles. It also has anti-inflammatory and antiviral properties.
Melissa