The current study was conducted to assess the potential efficacy of acupuncture in controlling intense or very intense pain in patients with Herpes Zoster in comparison with standard pharmacological treatment. One hundred and two patients were randomized to receive either acupuncture (n=52) or standard pharmacological treatment (n=50) for four weeks. Response rates, mean changes in pain intensity, differences in total pain burden with an area-under-the-curve (AUC) method over a one-year follow-up, and differences in the incidence of Post-Herpetic Neuralgia (PHN) were evaluated. Both interventions were largely effective. No significant differences were observed in response rates (81.6% vs 89.2%; p = 0.8), mean reduction of visual analogue scale (4.1+/-2.3 vs 4.9+/-1.9; p = 0.12) and McGill Pain Questionnaire scores (1.3+/-0.9 vs 1.3+/-0.9; p = 0.9), incidence of PHN after three months (48.4% vs 46.8%; p = 0.5), and mean AUC during follow-up (199+/-136 vs 173+/-141; p = 0.4). No serious treatmentrelated adverse events were observed in both groups. The authors concluded that this controlled and randomized trial provides the first evidence of a potential role of acupuncture for the treatment of acute herpetic pain. BMC Complement Altern Med. 2011 Jun 5;11(1):46. PMID: 21639941
