Everyone Healthy Library
Postherpetic Neuralgia
Condition / disease reference page from the Everyone Healthy database.
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Connected health information
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Condition overview
Attributes
Commonalityis uncommon
Linked signs and symptoms
8Each sign/symptom opens its own page and links back to related conditions.
Linked drugs / medications
1Medication information is educational only. A doctor or pharmacist should advise whether any medicine is appropriate.
Treatments, therapies and supportive options
4Grouped by treatment type. These are educational database links, not personal treatment recommendations. Evidence labels are shown only where stored in the EH database.
Alternative medicine
1Linked diagnostic tests and investigations
0No linked diagnostic tests are listed yet.
Biological markers/agents
0This visual map shows biological markers/agents reported as increased or decreased with this condition. These are educational relationships only; test results must be interpreted by a qualified clinician because ranges vary by lab, method, age, sex and clinical context.
No biological marker/agent links are listed yet for this condition.
Introduction / full article
Postherpetic Neuralgia
Efficacy of Alternative and Other Treatments According to GRADE* Ranking:
Peppermint Oil [1, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10]:
Please note, this management does NOT treat the condition itself. It may mildly help with some of the symptoms, and even then has insufficient evidence to back up this claim at present.
Recommendation: no recommendation (There is insufficient evidence to support claims that peppermint helps to treat neuralgia)
Grade of Evidence: very low quality of evidence
Germanium (Germanium Sesquioxide, Vitamin O) [1, 2, 3, 4]:
WARNING: Germanium may cause permanent Kidney failure. Even organic supplements, though less toxic than inorganic supplements, have caused kidney and liver damage. NOT TO BE USED.
Recommendation: strongly against (Evidence shows that Germanium is not effective in treating neuralgia in any way, and is also toxic, causing severe kidney and liver damage.)
Grade of Evidence: moderate quality of evidence
Aconite (Aconitum Napellus, Monkshood, Fu-Tzu):
Please note, this management does NOT treat the condition itself, and it not recomended for use because it is EXTREMELY TOXIC and can cause irregular heartbeat, heart failre, and death, even when only used only on the skin.
Recommendation: strongly against (Aconite has been shown to be extremely toxic, and can lead to irregular heartbeat, heart failure and death)
Grade of Evidence: moderate quality of evidence
* www.gradeworkinggroup.org
Summary References
Treatments:
1. Ades T, Alteri R, Gansler T, Yeargin P, "Complete Guide to Complimentary & Alternative Cancer Therapies", American Cancer Society, Atlanta USA, 2009
2. Baselt, R. (2008). Disposition of Toxic Drugs and Chemicals in Man (8 ed.). Foster City, CA: Biomedical Publications. pp. 693–694.
3. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9237323
4. http://www.cancer.org/Treatment/TreatmentsandSideEffects/ComplementaryandAlternativeMedicine/HerbsVitaminsandMinerals/germanium
5. http://www.cancer.org/Treatment/TreatmentsandSideEffects/ComplementaryandAlternativeMedicine/HerbsVitaminsandMinerals/peppermint
6. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17420159
7. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19507027
8. http://www.medicine.ox.ac.uk/bandolier/booth/alternat/AT022.html
9. http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginfo/natural/patient-peppermint.html
10. http://nccam.nih.gov/health/peppermintoil/index.htm
11. http://www.ucsfhealth.org/adult/medical_services/neuro/neuraliga/conditions/phn/signs.html
12. http://postherpeticneuralgia.net/
13. http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/1143066-overview
14. http://www.patient.co.uk/health/Postherpetic-Neuralgia.htm
15. http://www.healingchronicpain.org/content/neuralgia/default.asp
16. http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/postherpetic-neuralgia/DS00277/DSECTION=symptoms
17. http://www.nationalpainfoundation.org/articles/691/postherpetic-neuralgia
18. http://www.aetna.com/cpb/medical/data/700_799/0725.html
19. http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/postherpetic-neuralgia/Pages/Introduction.aspx
20. http://www.msd-trinidadtobago.com/pubs/mmanual_ha/sec3/ch29/ch29c.html
21. http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/007423.htm