Herpes Virus Cure with Acupuncture

Herpes is a family of viruses that can cause a range of maladies, including cold sores, genital herpes and herpes zoster (also known as shingles). Their common thread is that they cause painful or itchy blisters or sores. Medications can often control the symptoms, and holistic and folk remedies can also bring relief, but herpes is not curable. Because acupuncture is often used to provide pain relief, it's been tried with some success for herpes infections, particularly herpes zoster.

Acupuncture

Acupuncture is an ancient Chinese medicinal art. Traditionally, the Chinese believed that vital energy, called qi, that circulates through the body along 12 energy paths, called meridians on the body. Disease would take hold when there's an imbalance of qi. The procedure involves sticking very fine needles into points-- there are more than 1,000 of them--along the meridians to get the qi back on track. Acupuncture has some scientific evidence of effectiveness for certain uses, and western medical practitioners theorize that it may work by causing the release of endorphins to relieve pain or influencing neurotransmitters. In some ways it's a natural fit for herpes because it's often used to reduce pain. It's also used to relieve conditions ranging from drug addiction to tennis elbow to the common cold.

Herpes Zoster

Herpes zoster is a reactivation of chickenpox, which most people acquired as children. But herpes zoster emerges in adulthood, usually after age 60, and the symptoms are quite different. Blisters and sores form along the back and ribcage area, usually on only one side of the body. Tingling, burning and aching are common, and sometimes the pain is extreme. Most often the blisters resolve in a matter of weeks, but in some patients the related nerve pain can longer for years. Acupuncture has been shown to provide relief for acute and chronic cases of herpes zoster, reducing the intensity and the duration of the associated pain. Some patients experience complete resolution of symptoms. There are few if any side effects from acupuncture.

Genital and Oral Herpes

Acupuncture is far less studied as a treatment for oral and genital herpes relief. Unlike herpes zoster, these conditions usually follow a shorter course, lasting a few weeks per episode at most, and do not result in lingering nerve pain as herpes zoster often does. Limited study of acupuncture as a treatment for oral and genital herpes has suggested that it may quell outbreaks, lengthen the remission period between outbreaks and prevent recurrences.