Golden Needle Practitioner Library

Honora Lee Wolfe, Dipl. Ac., Lic. Ac., FNAAOM

Keywords: Chinese medicine, acupuncture, AIDS, herpes zoster

Herpes zoster is a commonly seen accompanying complaint of AIDS. Happily, it is usually a complaint that can at least be benefitted by acupuncture. As an example of this, I would like to present a study published by Wu Xin of the Zhejiang Provincial Academy of Chinese Medicine & Medicinals. The title of this study is “The Acupuncture-moxibustion Treatment of 43 Cases of AIDS Accompanied by Herpes Zoster.” This article appeared in issue #10, 2002 of the Zhe Jiang Zhong Yi Za Zhi (Zhejiang Journal of Chinese Medicine) on page 431.

Cohort description:

All 43 patients in this study had been diagnosed with AIDS and were seen in the acupuncture out-patient ward of a hospital in Nambia where the Chinese author worked for some time. Among these, 25 were male and 18 were female, 21-52 years of age. These patients had had herpes zoster for from 10 days to two months.

Treatment method:

The points chosen consisted of: Zu San Li (St 36), Yang Ling Quan (GB 34), San Yin Jiao (Sp 6), He Gu (LI 4), Wai Guan (TB 5), Chu Chi (LI 11), Feng Chi (GB 20), Da Zhui (GV 14), and Shen Shu (Bl 23). Among these, Yang Ling Quan, Wai Guan, and Feng Chi were needled with draining method. The rest of the points were needled with supplementing method. All the needles were retained for 30 minutes. At the same time, the affected area was treated with moxibustion, presumably with a moxa roll. Treatment was given once every other day, with 10 treatments equaling one course. Subsequent courses of treatment were given after a one week rest.

Treatment outcomes:

After 1-3 courses, four cases were cured. This meant that their aching and pain had disappeared, their ulcers had scabbed, and the skin lesions had healed. Twelve patients got a marked effect. This meant that their aching and pain had markedly decreased, their ulcers had basically healed, and their skin had basically healed. Another 21 patients got some effect. This meant that their aching and pain as well as their lesions had become less. Six patients registered no effect, meaning that their pain did not decrease, their ulcers were still oozing, and their lesions were as yet unhealed.

Representative case history:

The patient was a 36 year old male who was examined on Nov. 18, 2000. This patient had been diagnosed with AIDS and had begun treatment for that. Three weeks previously, he had developed pustular lesions on his right chest and rib-side regions. A number of these blisters had ruptured. The pain in the affected area was so great that the man could not sleep at night. His tongue was red with yellow fur, and his pulse was bowstring and rapid. Therefore, the author needled him with supplementing method at Zu San Li, He Gu, Chu Chi, and Da Zhui, while draining Wai Guan and Yang Ling Quan. In addition, he moxaed the affected area with a moxa roll. After one course of treatment, all this patient’s symptoms were eliminated and his skin had healed.

Discussion:

Herpes zoster is a commonly seen complication of AIDS. Although this condition is mainly due to heat toxins, it is Dr. Wu’s opinion that one cannot simply clear and resolve heat toxins because the patient’s righteous qi is vacuous and weak. Therefore, he suggests that, in such cases, it is better to support the righteous and secure the root, thus increasing the patient’s immunity. To achieve this effect, Dr. Wu supplements Zu San Li, San Yin Jiao, He Gu, Da Zhui, and Shen Shu. Then, because the lesions of herpes zoster mainly manifest along the course of the shao yang channel, he needles Yang Ling Quan and Wai Guan to course and free the flow of the channel qi. Finally, according to Dr. Wu, moxaing the affected area can dispel evils and stop pain.

I have chosen to present this study to Western readers for two reasons. First, it is a good example of dividing root and branch conditions. Dr. Wu thinks that the root is vacuous and insufficient, so therefore the majority of his attention is to supplementing the former and latter heaven roots, even though the tip or branch condition involves damp heat or heat toxin evils. As, I think, Dr. Wu correctly points out, without supporting the righteous, there is no qi to dispel the evils from the patient’s body. Therefore, Dr. Wu does not worry about the possibility of “supplementing repletion.” Conversely, Dr. Wu does not risk draining vacuity, i.e., too aggressively trying to clear and drain the evil qi. I think this study is a good example of simultaneously dealing with complex patterns of vacuity and repletion where supplementing and draining are carried out at the same time.

Secondly, I would like to point out Dr. Wu’s use of moxibustion on heat toxin lesions. As Dr. Wu says, “Moxaing the affected area can dispel evils…” even when those evils are hot or warm in nature. This is a good example of using moxibustion not because it is hot in nature but because it is stronger than needles in dispelling disease. In my opinion, many Western practitioners are too fastidious in their use of moxibustion, eschewing it in all warm and hot diseases. However, in terms of the Chinese medical literature, the teachings of numerous Asian practitioners, and my own clinical experience, this need not be the case. Moxibustion can definitely be used in the treatment of warm hot diseases, as Dr. Wu’s above protocol aptly exemplifies.  

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