Integrative approach to the treatment of postherpetic neuralgia: a case series

To determine if the addition of alternative therapy to conventional medicine enhances the treatment of pain in postherpetic neuralgia (PHN).

A review of literature from 1988-1998 was conducted on the MEDLINE database, searching for information on the current treatment of PHN. The literature review found that although many medications have been used to reduce the pain of PHN, no treatments have been completely successful in decreasing pain. Data on pain reduction in PHN following treatment with a multifaceted alternative therapy combined with conventional treatment were compiled from a group of patients in the principal investigator's family medicine practice.

The alternative therapy employed in this study, combined with selected medications, showed an average pain reduction of 72.1 percent. There was a 77-percent average pain reduction in patients with herpes zoster (HZ) onset of more than one year and a 68-percent reduction in patients with HZ onset between one month and one year. Almost two-thirds of the 56 PHN patients reported pain reductions of between 75 and 100 percent.

These preliminary data suggest the combination of alternative therapy and selected conventional medications provides good pain relief for most patients presenting with PHN. Randomized trials with appropriate control groups are needed to validate the effectiveness of this therapy in the treatment of PHN.