ABSTRACT
Objective:To compare the clinical efficacies between thin-cotton moxibustion plus surround needling and Western medication in treating herpes zoster (HZ). Methods:Eighty-three HZ patients were divided into two groups according to their admission sequence, 41 cases in the thin-cotton moxibustion group and 42 cases in the Western medication group. The thin-cotton moxibustion group received thin-cotton moxibustion on the surface of lesions plus surround needling around the lesions, once a day. The Western medication group was intervened by Acyclovir intravenous injection, 0.25 g per dose, once a day, along with external application of Acyclovir cream 3-5 times a day. After 10-day treatment, the blister-healing time, crusting time, pain-reducing time, onset time of action, lesion-healed time, and occurrence of post-herpetic neuralgia (PHN) were compared. Results:During the study, a case dropped out in the thin-cotton moxibustion group, and 2 cases dropped out in the Western medication group. The recovery and markedly-effective rate was 92.5% and total effective rate was 97.5% in the thin-cotton moxibustion group, versus 72.5% and 87.5% in the Western medication group, and the between-group differences were statistically significant (P Conclusion:Thin-cotton moxibustion plus surround needling can produce a more significant efficacy than Acyclovir in treating HZ, and it can markedly reduce the occurrence of PHN.