Fire-acupuncture combined with electro-acupuncture appears to be the most effective acupuncture method for treating herpes zoster.
For the methodology, the researchers identified all randomized controlled trials related to acupuncture treatments for herpes zoster across seven databases. During the screening process, the effectiveness rate from each trial was noted as primary outcomes. A Bayesian network meta-analysis was then performed using multiple software tools.
In discussing the results, the researchers discovered that fire-acupuncture plus electro-acupuncture stands out as the top-performing treatment. This was followed by body acupuncture combined with moxibustion, fire-acupuncture alone, and several other combinations of acupuncture methods and western medicine. Importantly, no significant difference was found between the outcomes of direct and indirect comparisons.
