Fire needle plus cupping for acute herpes zoster: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial

Abstract

Background: Acute herpes zoster (AHZ) is a common skin disease caused by invasion of the varicella zoster virus into the ganglia and skin, and the severe pain is the most complaint, which can seriously disturb the normal life of patients. Fire needle plus cupping is a special acupuncture treatment, which is widely used to treat AHZ for its better analgesic effect in China although it has not been fully verified by rigorous randomized controlled trial (RCT). Methods/design: To test the effect, a three-arm randomized parallel controlled trial protocol has been designed. A total of 105 AHZ patients suffering pain will be randomly divided into three groups in an equal proportion. The interventions are fire needle plus cupping (FC) in group A, famciclovir plus gabapentin (FG) in group B, and fire needle plus cupping plus famciclovir (FCF) in group C. The length for the trial is set for a week time frame. Precisely speaking, the A group (FC) is to carry out 1 treatment per day for the total of 7 treatment sessions within 1 week period. On the other hand, the B group (FG) will take drugs orally three times a day within the trial 1 week. Meanwhile, with its combination element, the C group (FCF) is due to undertake both treatments and drugs as prescribed for A and B groups within the trial week. As an intra-trial arrangement, analgesic medication will be carefully administered for temporary pain release if the sudden intolerable pain appeared. For the primary outcome, this study is due to apply visual analogue scale to identify pain intensity relief. As the secondary outcomes are concerned, this study is aiming to focus on the issues related to changes in substance P and beta-endorphin concentrations in peripheral plasma, as well as those issues of analgesic needs, side effects, symptoms, and physical signs including pain classification, local itching, burning sensation, fever, local lymphadenopathy, skin lesion area, blisters, herpes clusters, vesicular traits, ulcers, and pimples; all these are taken into account for evaluation. For the final stage, the participants are to be followed up for postherpetic neuralgia. Discussion: The results of this trial aim to provide sufficient evidence on FC treatment over both FG and FCF treatments. It will then give a credible alternative treatment to cut down acute pain and to cure AHZ infection.

Effectiveness of self-management of dry and wet cupping therapy for low back pain: A systematic review and meta-analysis

“…The means and standard deviation of total score: 6 ± 2.3. Items are scored as present (1) or absent (0), and a total score is obtained by summation. For example, the item "dropout" is scored 1 if the dropout rate is <15%.…”

“…[ 65 ] The effect of heavy metals, such as Cadmium, has been shown to damage kidneys and cause back pain. [ 1 ]…”

“…[65] The effect of heavy metals, such as Cadmium, has been shown to damage kidneys and cause back pain. [1] And as we know, both the PPI and VAS are reliable pain scales, but their applications are different. The VAS visualizes pain, [39] while the PPI describes the pain as a degree of pain.…”

Acupuncture and moxibustion combined with cupping for the treatment of post-herpetic neuralgia

“…We also found that the VAS score of acupuncture and moxibustion combined with cupping for PHN was significantly lower than that of conventional western medicine treatment. The mechanism of acupuncture and moxibustion combined with cupping in the treatment of PHN may be to regulate the function of local blood vessels and muscles by stimulating local nerves, reducing the symptoms of local smooth muscle spasm, and then exerting a good analgesic effect [41] . In the meta-analysis of Pei et al, [40] it has been found that acupuncture can significantly relieve PHN.…”

“…The mechanism of acupuncture and moxibustion combined with cupping in the treatment of PHN may be to regulate the function of local blood vessels and muscles by stimulating local nerves, reducing the symptoms of local smooth muscle spasm, and then exerting a good analgesic effect. [41] In the meta-analysis of Pei et al, [40] it has been found that acupuncture can significantly relieve PHN. Our research further supports the application of Chinese medicine in the treatment of PHN.…”