Acupuncture Services of Central NY

During my training in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), we were taught that acupuncture and Chinese herbal formulas were often used in China to treat herpes zoster – more commonly known as shingles. But as luck would have it, I never encountered a case in the student clinic. Two weeks ago my 78 year-old diabetic mother complained of back pain that was excruciating during the night and subsided during the day. She did not remember straining her back. Then on the third day, she noticed a cluster of blisters on her right side. She called her doctor and was told that she had shingles and that there was very little that they could do for her other than prescribe a pain medication (which has been quite ineffective to treat her pain).

I immediately dragged out all of my notes from school and rummaged through all of my reference materials. I learned that my mother is in the age group with the highest incidence of shingles and with the greatest risk of developing postherpatic neuralgia – pain that may last years after the blisters have healed! Luckily, I found many protocols in TCM that can be very effective in reducing the severity and duration of the pain.

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Posted by Joyce Marley at 07:52 AM | Treating Herpes Zoster (Shingles) with Bloodletting Therapy

In China, acupuncture is recognized as the most effective of all therapies for the treatment of herpes zoster (shingles). Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) usually attributes shingles to a combination of excess and deficiency in the body. Therefore, shingles usually affects older patients whose constitutional energy is deficient or younger patients who are suffering from exhaustion. The more pronounced the weakness of the patient, the more likelihood of complications and the more prolonged the course of the disease is likely to be.

Shingles is explained in TCM by the presence of pathogenic damp, heat and wind in the body. TCM acupuncture treatment of shingles is based on pattern differentiation according to the pathogenic factor and the energy channels involved. If damp is predominant, the lesions are more likely to be in the lower part of the body with more fluid discharge from the blisters. If heat predominates, blisters show more heat and redness and the pain is more severe. If wind predominates, the lesions are more likely to be in the upper part of the body with greater itching sensation.

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Posted by Joyce Marley at 07:05 AM | Acupuncture Treatment of Shingles

Another TCM modality that is often used with good results in the treatment of herpes zoster (shingles) is moxibustion. Moxabustion is the burning of moxa over acupuncture points on the body to penetrate the muscles and activate blood circulation. The main ingredient in moxa is the herb Ai Ye, or wormwood leaf.

Moxa comes in many forms. A moxa stick looks like a cigar. The end is lit and the lit end is held approximately 1 inch from the skin surface. The stick can be moved in a circular motion or used in a pecking motion over the point for several minutes until the area is pink and pleasantly warm. Moxa sticks can be used over DU14, a point located below the C7 vertebra at the base of the neck, to boost the immune system. Moxa sticks can be used to warm the local area.

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Posted by Joyce Marley at 09:00 AM | Treating Herpes Zoster with Moxibustion

The pain associated with herpes zoster, or shingles, can be debilitating, especially in the elderly. The pain is a combination of burning, itching and stabbing and is especially severe at night. Most adults who develop herpes zoster have had chicken pox as a child. Herpes zoster is a reactivation of the same varicella-zoster virus that can lie dormant in the body after a bout of chicken pox. The virus often invades the ganglia of the spinal nerves and the blisters characteristically break out unilaterally along the dermatome associated with the affected spinal nerve(s). An outbreak of shingles often follows a time of emotional stress and can attack the body when the immune system is compromised.

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Posted by Joyce Marley at 04:55 PM | Treating Shingles With "Surround the Dragon" Acupuncture Technique

The World Health Organization has recognized over 40 common health problems that acupuncture can effectively treat. Most people are aware that acupuncture treats pain, but many do not know the wide range of painful conditions that are commonly improved with acupuncture. Acupuncture treats pain anywhere in the body, including but not limited to: back pain, frozen shoulder, carpal tunnel syndrome, TMJ, trigeminal neuralgia, arthritis, fibromyalgia, sciatica, plantar fasciitis, shingles pain and migraines.

But acupuncture can also treat digestive disorders such as nausea, acid reflux and irritable bowel syndrome. It is commonly used to treat asthma and sinus problems. Acupuncture is very powerful to treat gynecological problems including PMS, menopausal symptoms, endometriosis and even infertility.

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