以上2图的这位阿姨经过两次治疗后就没再长出新的水疱。照片是第2次治疗后隔天照的，疱疹上白色的部分是我给她擦上的药。只要不长出新的疱疹，治疗就算完成了。皮疹会慢慢干燥、结痂、脱落，遗留暂时性的暗红色色素沉着斑。之所以选择这两张图片是因为这位阿姨很勇敢，她的疱疹长在颈部、耳后、后发际甚至深入耳内，疼痛的程度可想而知，但她始终忍耐着，令我非常佩服。
记得09年11月诊所刚开张不久的某天，我接到一通电话，电话中患者的亲人问我会不会“抓蛇”，我蒙了一下，一时没回过神来，何谓“抓蛇”？我生平最怕的就是蛇这种诡异凶猛的动物，让我去“抓蛇”恐怕是我自个儿先晕倒！停顿了3秒钟，我恍然一悟，想起指的是从小就听人说所谓的“生蛇”这种皮肤病。
“生蛇”只是民间通俗的说法，其实它的学名称为“带状疱疹”(Shingles/Herpes Zoster)。带状疱疹是由水痘－带状疱疹病毒引起的急性炎症性皮肤病。其主要特点为沿单侧周围神经作带状分布的簇集性水疱，伴有明显的神经痛。而中医因病发特点、疱疹分布如蛇形，故也称为“蛇窜疮”、“缠腰火丹”等。
现在细数，这两年来我医治过无数病例，而疱疹生长的部位也各不相同。常见的生长在腰部、胸部、后背、手臂等位置，比较罕见的有颈项耳后等地方。患者在皮疹出现之前往往伴随不同程度的发热口干倦怠等全身不适，某处疼痛等前驱症状，很多人都容易误以为是心脏、肺部或者肾脏的问题。续而等到1～3天后，患处皮肤出现潮红、不规则红斑，红斑上出现密集成簇的丘疱疹，渐渐还会有粟米至绿豆大小的水疱，清澈透明，晶莹如珠，逐渐变为混浊。而且在2～5日内如果不医治，还会不断有新水疱的出现。
带状疱疹其实并不可怕，运用中医疗法可在2～6次内治愈。可怕的是如果运用西医治疗后，遗留下来的顽固性神经痛是很令医生头痛的，特别是中老年患者。这又是与带状疱疹完全不同的另外一种独立疾病，若运用中医疗法则可以避免顽固性神经痛达95%或以上。我目前治疗过的患者，还没有一例出现顽固性神经痛。
中医认为带状疱疹是由于湿热搏结，兼感毒邪而发病。我目前接触过的患者都有一个共同点：睡在地板上。所谓的睡在地板上是直接将床垫铺在地上，并没有放在床架上。很多人在认知上有误区，认为只要不是底层，2、3楼直接睡在地上就没有湿气，其实不然。马来西亚是个温暖多雨潮湿的国家，所以不管是底层还是2、3楼，湿气都是无法避免的。如果你也是其中一者，看到文章后赶紧去买个床架回来吧！
其二，少喝冰水，如果你注意观察大自然中的一切，你会发现中医与大自然是息息相关的。为什么我这么说呢？一杯冰水如果你放在空气中，时间长了你会发现杯子外布满了水滴，同样的，冰水到了我们体内，也会相应的产生许多湿气，加上这里炎热的天气，“湿热”就这么不知不觉的在我们的体内蔓延开了。
其三，少吃辛辣等刺激性的食物。现代人的饮食多半肥甘厚腻，加上运动少，体态越来越胖，水湿聚积体内，形成内湿。凡是有内湿的人，遇上高温高湿的环境，“湿”与“热”一拍即合，损伤脾胃，百病尤生。
最后，适量的运动与充足的睡眠。俗话说：“人的一生中有三分之一的时间在床上渡过”，可想而知睡眠对我们来说有多重要。充足的睡眠与适量的运动能增强身体的抵抗力，身体就自然健康了。
What is Shingles?
Shingles is a viral infection that causes a painful rash. Although shingles can occur anywhere on your body, it most often appears as a single stripe of blisters that wraps around either the left or the right side of your torso.
Shingles is caused by the varicella-zoster virus — the same virus that causes chickenpox. After you've had chickenpox, the virus lies inactive in nerve tissue near your spinal cord and brain. Years later, the virus may reactivate as shingles.
Shingles is most common in older adults and people who have weak immune systems because of stress, injury, certain medicines, or other reasons.
What are the symptoms?
The signs and symptoms of shingles usually affect only a small section of one side of your body. These signs and symptoms may include:
- Pain, burning, numbness or tingling
- A red rash that begins a few days after the pain
- Fluid-filled blisters that break open and crust over
- Itching
- Fever and chills
- General achiness
- Headache
- Fatigue
Most commonly, the shingles rash develops as a stripe of blisters that wraps around either the left or right side of your torso. Sometimes the shingles rash occurs around one eye or on one side of the neck or face.
Why is shingles should be treated using Chinese Medicine?
There is actually no cure for shingles in Western Medicine. They usually give patients painkillers and skin cream to help them to get well sooner. For patients using Western Medine, most of them may experience severe pain in the area of the rash as well as beyond that area. This pain is called postherpetic neuralgia (PHN), or after-shingles pain. PHN pain results from nerve damage caused by the shingles virus. The pain usually appears in the area of the shingles rash, but the size of the PHN pain region can vary considerably. In some people, PHN pain can last for months or even years.
For the special treatment in Chinise Medicine, shingles can be cured and avoid PHN for more than 95%. We use natural herbs, moxibustion and bloodletting to cure shingles without suffering from PHN.
