Brian Kwon Acupuncture For those of you happen to have shingles and were wondering if acupuncture can help treat the symptoms, I wanted to share some useful information.
Shingles (herpes zoster) is caused by the same virus that causes chickenpox. If you’ve had chickenpox, the virus stays inactive in nerve tissues and may reactivate as shingles later in life. But not everyone who’s had chickenpox will develop shingles.
The reason for shingles is unclear; however, shingles appears to be more common in older adults and in individuals with a weak immune system. Typically, you will experience a rash on one side of the body or your face, along with pain on one side. If you suspect you have a shingles, please see a doctor immediately, ideally within 48-72 hours, who may prescribe you with antiviral medication. For example, if the pain and rash occurring near an eye are not treated, the virus infection can lead to permanent eye damage.
Acupuncture can also expedite the recovery of the symptoms by reducing the rash and pain. The skin lesions will likely clear in 2-3 weeks. But if your shingles pain continues long, it can develop into “postherpetic neuralgia”. Once it gets to this point, it becomes difficult to treat and would impact your daily life.
The CDC recommends the Shingrix vaccine if you are 50 or older. The risk of serious complications from shingles does increase with age.
