What to do if you accidentally get viral shingles!

Herpes is a common skin disease caused by a virus. Viral herpes is caused by viruses that attack the human body through the respiratory tract, oral cavity, genitals, etc. and has a long incubation period. When the body's immunity is reduced, symptoms will appear on the skin during special periods such as colds and fevers, gastrointestinal disorders, menstruation, and pregnancy. What should I do if I get viral shingles?

1. Herpes simplex: Herpes simplex is a skin disease caused by the herpes simplex virus. It tends to invade the junction of the skin and mucous membranes, and manifests as localized clustered small blisters. Herpes simplex is called "heat sores" in traditional Chinese medicine. It tends to occur at the junction of skin rash and mucous membranes, especially at the corners of the mouth, lips, and around the nostrils. It is characterized by the appearance of clustered small blisters on the basis of erythema, mostly in a cluster; the blister fluid is transparent at first and then turbid, and after being scratched, it becomes eroded, oozing, and scabbing, and may also be secondary to infection. The course of the disease is about 1-2 weeks, and it may relapse at the original site after recovery.

Hand, foot and mouth disease mostly occurs in preschool children, especially infants aged one or two years old. The blisters are as big as sesame seeds, the blister fluid is pearly white and surrounded by a red halo. It mainly occurs on the flexor surfaces, lateral edges, and soles of the palms and feet of the fingers (toes); small blisters on the oral mucosa and tongue are prone to rupture and form ulcers, causing conscious pain and affecting eating, and infants and young children often drool. The entire course of the disease is about one week and recurrence is rare. 2. Herpes zoster: Herpes zoster is an acute viral skin disease caused by the herpes virus. It is characterized by dense small blisters distributed in a band-like manner along one side of the peripheral nerve, neuralgia, and local lymphadenopathy. Shingles first causes local skin tingling for 1-5 days, followed by the appearance of multiple clusters of small blisters on the face, chest, back, waist and abdomen. Their distribution is limited to one side of the body, arranged in a band, and the pain is often severe. After a week, the blisters begin to dry up and form scabs, and then fall off and heal, which usually takes 2-3 weeks. Elderly people may suffer from postherpetic neuralgia. After recovery, you will have permanent immunity, so the disease will not recur.

Chickenpox is common in children under 10 years old. The blisters are as big as mung beans and are mainly distributed on the head, face, trunk, and proximal limbs. The blisters are clear at first like water droplets on a lotus leaf, but then become turbid. The blister walls are thin and easy to break, and there is often itching. After 2-3 days, the blisters gradually dry up and form scabs, and they heal after 1 week of scab removal. Adults have significant systemic symptoms of chickenpox, with more rashes and more itching.

There are still many unresolved issues regarding the treatment of viral herpes, and treatment cannot completely eliminate the virus and prevent recurrence of the disease. Currently, treatment is divided into general treatment, antiviral treatment and traditional Chinese medicine treatment, all of which are necessary. General treatment is actually symptomatic treatment, while antiviral treatment is causal treatment. Traditional Chinese medicine treatment mostly relies on syndrome differentiation and treatment, treating both the symptoms and the root causes, to effectively prevent recurrence. Common treatments include nerve root block therapy, drug therapy, physical therapy and psychotherapy.

1. Drug treatment: Commonly used drugs used clinically to relieve acute postherpetic neuralgia include antidepressants, anticonvulsants, moderate and severe analgesics.

2. Psychotherapy intervention: Psychotherapy plays a significant role in the diagnosis and treatment of general pain clinics, and is even more important in the treatment of PHN patients. Most patients have a certain degree of depression tendency after experiencing long-term pain. Without systematic psychological assessment and treatment, it is very difficult to satisfactorily control postherpetic neuralgia clinically.

3. Insufficient kidney qi: Viral herpes is common in recurrent genital herpes. The herpes is dry and small, with no subjective symptoms, but it often recurs. This is due to insufficient kidney qi and the incomplete elimination of the evil toxins of lust. Due to insufficient kidney qi, it is often accompanied by soreness in the waist and knees and general fatigue. Therefore, it is mainly based on nourishing the kidney and liver.

4. Damp-heat: Viral herpes often presents with clusters of blisters with red halos or erosions around them, and mild itching. Symptoms include yellow and red urine, bitter taste in the mouth, thirst, red tongue with yellow and greasy coating, and a stringy and slippery pulse. This is due to a daily preference for fatty, sweet and greasy food, which causes dampness and heat to flow into the liver meridian.

5. Accumulation of toxic heat: Viral herpes is characterized by large and red herpes, local swelling, obvious pain, enlarged inguinal lymph nodes, or low fever, difficulty urinating, red tongue, and slippery and rapid pulse. This is due to uncleanness, external contamination, and accumulation of toxic heat in the genitals.

6. Physical therapy: Electroconvulsive therapy can relieve abnormal pain; for refractory cases, psychotherapy and social support are also necessary.

7. You should strengthen your nutrition, exercise appropriately, and enhance your immunity: If you have shingles, you cannot expect the disease to heal naturally. You should actively seek treatment to prevent it from turning into postherpetic neuralgia.