ABSTRACT
<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To observe the effect of bleeding and cupping therapy on postherpetic neuralgia (PHN) and preliminarily discuss the analgesic mechanism.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Sixty-four cases of PHN were randomized into two groups, 32 cases in each one. In the bleeding and cupping group, the local pricking with syringe needle and cupping was applied in the local painful area, once every two days. And totally 8 treatments were required. In the pregabalin group, pregabalin was prescribed for oral administration, 150mg/time, twice a day. And totally 16 days of medication were required. Visual analogue scale (VAS) score and the changes of P substance content in the peripheral and local serum before and after treatment were observed in the two groups.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>VAS score and peripheral serum P substance after treatment were lower significantly than those before treatment in the two groups (all P<0.01). The result in the bleeding and cupping group was much more significant (P<0.01). The local serum P substance after treatment was reduced significantly than that before treatment in the bleeding and cupping group [(93.86 +/- 9.87) pg/mL vs (46.13 +/- 6.31) pg/mL, P<0.01].</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Bleeding and cupping therapy achieves the definite efficacy on PHN and it can reduce significantly peripheral and local serum P substance content in the patients. It is possibly one of the mechanisms of analgesic effect.</p>