Conditions from PHN are Eased Fast with Plant Medicine

The pathophysiology of postherpetic neuralgia (PHN) remains unclear. However, pathologic studies have demonstrated damage to the sensory nerves, the sensory dorsal root ganglia and the dorsal horns of the spinal cord in patients with this condition. The most established risk factor is age; this complication occurs nearly fifteen times more often in patients more than fifty years of age. Other possible risk factors for the development of postherpetic neuralgia are ophthalmic zoster, a history of prodromal pain before the appearance of skin lesions and an immunocompromised state.
The most common chronic complication of herpes zoster is postherpetic neuralgia. About twenty percent of patients with herpes zoster develop postherpetic neuralgia. Pain that persists for longer than one to three months after resolution of the rash is generally accepted as the sign of postherpetic neuralgia. Affected patients usually report constant burning, lancinating pain that may be radicular in nature. Patients may also complain of pain in response to non-noxious stimuli. Even the slightest pressure from clothing, bedsheets or wind may elicit pain.
Although postherpetic neuralgia is generally a self-limited condition, it can last indefinitely. Less than one quarter of patients still experience pain at six months after the herpes zoster eruption, and fewer than one in twenty has pain at one year. Treatment is directed at pain control while waiting for the condition to resolve over time. Pain therapy may include multiple interventions, such as topical medications, over-the-counter analgesics, tricyclic antidepressants, anticonvulsants and a number of nonmedical modalities. Occasionally, narcotics may be required.
Trials have shown analgesics to be more efficacious than placebo but not necessarily more so than other conventional treatments. Over-the-counter analgesics such as acetaminophen and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs have not been shown to be highly effective in the treatment of postherpetic neuralgia. However, these agents are often useful for potentiating the pain-relieving effects of narcotics in patients with severe pain. Because of the addictive properties of narcotics, their chronic use is discouraged except in the rare patient who does not adequately respond to other modalities.
Tricyclic antidepressants can be effective adjuncts in reducing the neuropathic pain of postherpetic neuralgia. They most likely lessen pain by inhibiting the reuptake of serotonin and norepinephrine neurotransmitters. The tricyclic antidepressants share common side effects, such as sedation, dry mouth, postural hypotension, blurred vision and urinary retention. Treatment can occasionally lead to cardiac conduction abnormalities or liver toxicity. The potential for these problems should be considered in elderly patients and patients with cardiac or liver disease.
The anticonvulsants appear to be equally effective, and drug selection often involves trial and error. The dosages required for analgesia are often lower than those used in the treatment of epilepsy. Phenytoin, carbamazepine and gabapentin are often used. Anticonvulsants are associated with a variety of side effects, including sedation, memory disturbances, electrolyte abnormalities, liver toxicity and thrombocytopenia. Side effects may be reduced or eliminated by initiating treatment in a low dosage, which can then be slowly titrated upward.
Plant medicine for postherpetic neuralgia is an effective, anti-inflammatory, and analgesic treatment. Acute conditions from postherpetic neuralgia are often eased immediately with plant medicine with its powerful soothing, calming effect. When applied to areas of PHN, these active compounds are known to stimulate and then block small-diameter pain fibers by depleting them of neurotransmitter substance P. The anesthetic and sedative properties naturally occurring in the extracts in plant medicine provide great relief for those suffering from PHN.
The pain-reducing and analgesic effect of this treatment produces an antispasmodic effect calming PHN-induced pain in the nerve endings. They have the demonstrated capacity to calm the nervous system both peripherally, from external pain in the nerve endings, and centrally, from the anxiety or nervous tension associated with PHN. It has been shown that plant medicine helps the system in response to unproductive stress of any kind. This helps provide a balancing effect which is highly beneficial for those suffering from PHN. To learn more, please go to http://www.fonworld.org.