Herpes Zoster is a medical condition in which rash and blisters appear on the skin, following the distribution pattern of a nerve ending, usually seen only in one half of the body. The rash is accompanied by a burning pain of severe or moderate intensity. This infection is caused by an activation of the chicken pox virus within the spinal cord, due to various reasons such as stress, exposure to cold, reduced immunity, and concurrent illness or infection.
While the rash usually subsides within a week or two, damage to the nerve may persist due to incomplete treatment or an absence of treatment. This results in severe pain in the affected area, usually lasting from several weeks to several months or years. This condition is known as post-herpetic neuralgia, and is usually seen in the elderly. This pain can be incapacitating for the affected person, and frustrating for the attending physician, since the condition is usually intractable to treatment.
Ayurvedic medicines have bee found to be very useful in the treatment of post-herpetic neuralgia. The treatment is aimed at providing immediate, symptomatic pain relief to the affected individual, in addition to treating the root cause of pain, which is the nerve damage due to Herpes Zoster infection. Treatment is advised for a period of four to six months, which is the time normally required for a complete healing of the affected nerve. Repeated reassurances and encouragement for the affected individual are necessary, since the pain resolves completely only with a healing of the nerve. Concurrent administration of modern pain killers may also be required for severe pain for a few weeks, so as to maintain the morale of the patient and help to maintain compliance to the full course of treatment.
Ayurvedic medicines can thus help treat post herpetic neuralgia, which is usually considered very resistant to treatment.
The writer, Dr. A. A. Mundewadi, is available as an online Ayurvedic Consultant at www.ayurvedaphysician.com
