Acupuncture and moxibustion are growing in popularity as therapeutic approaches to treat herpes zoster and postherpetic neuralgia.
To analyze current research trends in treating herpes zoster and postherpetic neuralgia with acupuncture and moxibustion, a systematic search was carried out on several Chinese and English databases. The search focused on literature published from the beginning of 2014 to the end of 2023. Using CiteSpace software, the authors performed data analysis, concentrating on various criteria including authorship, institutional contribution, source, keywords, and temporal trends.
The analysis of 1612 publications confirmed the increasing interest in applying acupuncture and moxibustion for the conditions mentioned. Two particular peaks in publication in the Chinese database were found in 2019 and 2023 and a significant increase in English publications was observed in 2020. Notably, Guohua Lin and Jingchun Zeng emerged as the most active authors in the Chinese and English databases respectively, and Chengdu University of TCM and Zhejiang Chinese Medicine University were the most productive institutions. "Herpes zoster" was identified as the most consistent keyword in Chinese literature, while "postherpetic neuralgia," "acupuncture," and "management" were more often used in English publications. Treatment approaches like fire needle therapy and electroacupuncture were highlighted as effective in managing herpes zoster and postherpetic neuralgia. Animal studies suggested these therapies work by modulating neuroinflammatory markers and intracellular signaling pathways.
