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Imagine waking up with the most excruciating pain you have ever known. Burning, searing, stabbing pain across your face, shoulder, or torso. You rush to urgent care, thinking you surely destroyed your body during that pickleball tournament, but unfortunately for you, it’s something much, much worse, SHINGLES!
Shingles, also known as herpes zoster, is a viral infection that causes a painful rash. The varicella-zoster virus causes it, the same virus that causes chickenpox. After a person recovers from chickenpox, the virus remains dormant and can reactivate years later, causing shingles. The rash usually appears as a band or a strip of blisters on one side of the body, typically on the torso or face.
You are prescribed antiviral medication, pain reliever, and sometimes antibiotics. But the pain continues, and you cannot sleep, and you think it will NEVER end!
We CAN help end that pain earlier than the 4-6 weeks usually prognoses for a mild case.
Acupuncture treatment for shingles aims to reduce pain, alleviate symptoms, and promote overall well-being. The insertion of needles into specific points stimulates the release of endorphins, the body's natural painkillers. This can help to reduce the intensity of the pain associated with shingles and provide long-lasting relief.
Acupuncture can also help boost the immune system, which is crucial for fighting the varicella-zoster virus. By improving immune function, acupuncture can help shorten the shingles outbreak's duration and prevent future outbreaks.
In addition to pain relief and immune support, acupuncture can help alleviate other symptoms associated with shingles, such as itching, burning, and tingling sensations. Many patients report a decrease in these uncomfortable sensations after acupuncture treatment.
It is important to note that acupuncture should be used as a complementary therapy alongside conventional medical treatment for shingles. It is not a substitute for antiviral medication prescribed by your physician.
However, your acupuncture treatment will continue after your antiviral medication is finished and the pain remains.
We want to see patients diagnosed with shingles within the first seven days of the diagnosis. In this time frame, we can usually reduce the symptoms by 80% after two weeks of treatment.
By delaying acupuncture treatment, you may create a situation where the virus is resolved, but the pain remains, known as post-herpetic neuralgia.
This pain can last for years!
Do not wait! Call us when you know you have shingles, and let us help you. The sooner you come in, the sooner you will be pain-free.