Shingles

How Chinese medicine differentiates shingles (herpes zoster), the three patterns you'll actually meet in practice, and the points for each. Acupuncture only — no herbs.

This page is educational, for practitioners and students — it is not a diagnostic tool and does not replace a proper in-person assessment. Shingles usually needs medical diagnosis and antiviral treatment, especially if near the eye; acupuncture is a complementary, not a replacement, approach.

General Acupuncture Points

Acupuncture points traditionally used for shingles — 9 key points, used across most of the patterns below rather than tied to just one.

Point	Key action
LR-3	Subdues Liver-Yang, promotes the smooth flow of Liver-Qi, invigorates Blood.
G.B.-34	Promotes the smooth flow of Liver-Qi. Removes obstruction from the channel.
T.B.-6	Regulates Qi, benefits the chest and costal region, clears Heat.
ST-36	Benefits Stomach and Spleen, tonifies Qi and Blood.
SP-6	Strengthens the Spleen, resolves Dampness, nourishes Blood.
SP-9	Regulates the Spleen, resolves Dampness, opens the Water passages.
BL-20	Tonifies Spleen and Stomach, resolves Dampness, nourishes Blood.
SP-10	Cools Blood, invigorates Blood and eliminates stasis.
L.I.-4	Expels exterior Wind, stops pain, removes obstructions from the channel.

The Three Patterns

↑ reinforcing ↓ reducing ⊥ even method — technique below follows standard Excess/Deficiency treatment principle for each pattern, not tied to a specific point-by-point source. None of this condition's three patterns has a genuine match in the site's pattern decks (checked pattern-by-pattern below) — consistent with the site's established finding that skin-condition patterns rarely find a genuine cross-reference, since deck slides sharing similar Damp-Heat/Blood-stasis vocabulary are almost always framed around a different body system.

1. Damp-Heat in the Liver Channel

Clinical manifestations: Bright red, tense blisters along one side of the ribcage; intense burning or stabbing pain in the rash; a bitter taste in the mouth; irritability and a short temper; dark, scanty urine; brought on by emotional stress, a diet heavy in greasy or spicy food, or an underlying constitutional tendency to Damp-Heat; eased by cooling foods and a calm environment.

Tongue: Red, especially at the sides, thin yellow or yellow greasy coating. Pulse: Wiry, Slippery, Rapid.

Treatment principle: Drain excess Fire from the Liver and Gall Bladder, clear Damp-Heat from the lower burner, resolve toxic Heat in the skin.

LR-3 ↓ G.B.-34 ↓ T.B.-6 ↓

Note: no moxa. This site's "Damp-Heat in the Liver" slide is genitourinary-framed (scrotal/vulvar dampness and itching) with no rash or dermatomal blister content, so no pattern link is given here.

2. Spleen Deficiency with Dampness

Clinical manifestations: Pale pink or flesh-colored blisters with loose, easily broken walls that may weep clear fluid; poor appetite, bloating after eating, loose or unformed stools; a heaviness in the body and limbs, as if "wearing a wet coat"; fatigue and drowsiness, especially after meals; brought on by irregular meals, cold raw food and drinks, overthinking and worry, or damp weather; eased by warm cooked food and rest after meals.

Tongue: Pale, swollen, tooth-marked, white greasy, moist coating. Pulse: Soggy and Slow, or Slippery, soft and lacking force, especially at the right middle position.

Treatment principle: Strengthen the Spleen and drain Dampness, promote urination, regulate Qi, harmonize the middle burner.

Tonify Spleen

ST-36 ↑ BL-20 ↑

Drain Dampness

SP-6 ⊥ SP-9 ⊥

Note: moxa applicable on the Tonify-Spleen points. No deck slide combines a deficiency presentation with these Dampness signs into one pattern, so no pattern link is given here.

3. Qi and Blood Stagnation

Clinical manifestations: Fixed, stabbing pain in the area of the previous rash (post-herpetic neuralgia); pain that is worse with pressure and at night; a dark, purplish complexion or lips; irritability or emotional tension; brought on by long-standing untreated stagnation left over after the acute rash has healed; eased by gentle movement and stress reduction.

Tongue: Dark purple, stasis spots, thin white coating. Pulse: Wiry and Choppy, or Wiry-Thready.

Treatment principle: Invigorate Blood and dispel stasis, move Qi and Blood to prevent further obstruction.

SP-10 ↓ LR-3 ↓ SP-6 ↓ L.I.-4 ↓

Note: no moxa. This site's "Liver-Blood stasis" slide is gynecological/hepatic-framed with no post-herpetic-neuralgia or localized-old-rash content, so no pattern link is given here.

Related conditions

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