[ ZHU Lian 's type-Ⅰ inhibition acupuncture combined with Zhuang medicinal thread moxibustion for acute herpes zoster].

Objective: To observe the clinical efficacy of ZHU Lian 's type-Ⅰ inhibition acupuncture combined with Zhuang medicinal thread moxibustion for acute herpes zoster (HZ), and explore the possible analgesic mechanism.
Methods: Sixty-six patients with acute HZ were randomly divided into an observation group (33 cases, 1 case dropped off) and a control group (33 cases, 1 case dropped off). The patients in the control group were treated with valaciclovir hydrochloride tablets, mecobalamin tablets and vitamin B ₁ tablets for 14 days. The patients in the observation group were treated with ZHU Lian 's type-Ⅰ inhibition acupuncture and Zhuang medicinal thread moxibustion. ZHU Lian 's type-Ⅰ inhibition acupuncture was given at ashi points (around herpes site), Qimen (LR 14), Geshu (BL 17), Quchi (LI 11), Xuehai (SP 10) and Neiguan (PC 6); Zhuang medicinal thread moxibustion was given at Changzi point, Kuihua point, Xionglongji point, Zhuang medicine Jiaji points; both the treatment was given once every other day for 14 days. The symptom improvement (blister stopping time, scab forming time, scab removing time) in the two groups were observed. The pain visual analogue scale (VAS) score and serum levels of interleukin (IL)-6, IL-8, substance P (SP) in the two groups before and after treatment were compared. The clinical efficacy of the two groups and the recurrence rate of neuralgia 1, 2, 3 months after treatment were evaluated.
Results: The blister stopping time, scab forming time and scab removing time in the observation group were earlier than those in the control group ( P <0.05). Compared before treatment, VAS scores and serum levels of IL-6, IL-8 and SP in the two groups were decreased after treatment ( P <0.05), and those in the observation group were lower than those in the control group ( P <0.05). The total effective rate in the observation group was 96.9% (31/32), which was higher than 84.4% (27/32) in the control group ( P <0.05). The recurrence rates of neuralgia 1, 2, 3 months after treatment in the observation group were 9.7%, 6.5%, 3.2%, which were lower than 29.6%, 22.2%, 14.8% in the control group ( P <0.05).
Conclusion: The ZHU Lian 's type-Ⅰ inhibition acupuncture combined with Zhuang medicinal thread moxibustion have better analgesic effect and lower recurrence rate of neuralgia in patients with acute HZ, and this effect might be related to the reduction of serum IL-6, IL-8 and SP levels.