How do you treat shingles with acupuncture?

Steroids, zovrax: Shingles is from activation of dorsal horn varicella zoster. To treat the patient needs rest and a course of an antiviral medication at the highest dose permitted by weight of patient. An oral dose of steroids, such as a Medrol (methylprednisolone) dose pack for six days, will decrease inflammation. It is good to recommend an immunization for people 50 or older who had chicken pox to avoid the disability from shingles.

Pain of dermatome: The pain from shingles is in a dermatome. Use of acupuncture can stimulate nerves in a different way and thereby diminish the perception of pain to the cortex. The pain fibers become less dominant as the acupuncture dilutes the input to the brain. This relaxes the patient and could decrease pain in that way, too.

Auricular Acupunctur: Auricular acupuncture can be used to treat shingles along with standard medical approaches. "auriculotherapy manual: chinese & western systems of ear acupuncture" 2nd edition by terry oleson lists a herpes zoster protocol.