Clinical effect and mechanism of <italic>yizhen</italic> therapy on post-herpetic neuralgia

ObjectiveTo observe the clinical effect of yizhen therapy on post-herpetic neuralgia （PHN） and explore its mechanism.MethodsNinety two patients with PHN， visited Foshan Fifth People’s Hospital （Foshan Rehabilitation Hospital Co.， Ltd.） from January 2023 to April 2024， were selected as the subjects. These patients were divided into three groups， a sham-acupuncture group （31 cases， one dropped out）， an acupuncture group （31 cases， one excluded） and a yizhen therapy group （30 cases）， based on a randomized， single-blind method. Pregabalin was administered in each group. Additionally， the sham-acupuncture was delivered in the sham-acupuncture group at same acupoints as in the yizhen group， during which， the needles were not invaded， and the therapy was operated for about 20 min each time. In the acupuncture group， acupuncture was exerted at conventional acupoints， about 20 min each time. In the yizhen therapy group， yizhen therapy was delivered at Jiaji （EX-B2） and Ashi points， 15 to 20 min. The treatment was administered consecutively for 5 days in each group， and 2 weeks of treatment were required， at the interval of 2 days. Before and after treatment， and 1 month after treatment completion， the scores of the short-form McGill pain questionnaire （SF-MPQ）， Hamilton anxiety scale （HAMA）， Pittsburgh sleep quality index （PSQI）， and Hamilton depression scale （HAMD） were evaluated， as well as the safety. The contents of substance P （SP）， interleukin-6 （IL-6）， and tumor necrosis factor alpha （TNF-α） in the serum were detected in each group. The clinical effect was evaluated.ResultsThe total effective rates in the yizhen therapy group and the acupuncture group were 93.33% （28/30） and 80.00% （24/30）， respectively， higher than 53.33% （16/30） in the sham-acupuncture group （Pyizhen therapy group or the acupuncture group increased in comparison with the sham-acupuncture group （Pyizhen therapy group was higher （Pyizhen therapy group and acupuncture group （Pyizhen therapy group was lower when compared with the acupuncture group and sham-acupuncture group （Pyizhen therapy group and the acupuncture group， the contents of SP， TNF-α and IL-6 were reduced in comparison with those before treatment， and these indicators in the yizhen therapy group were lower when compared with the acupuncture group and sham-acupuncture group （PConclusionThe combination of yizhen acupuncture therapy and pregabalin is effective and safe in treatment of PHN. It can regulate the levels of pain and inflammatory factors in the serum， alleviate pain， thereby improving patients’ emotional state and sleep quality.