Snake strand sore (she chuan chuang) is referred to as red lumbar-winding fire (chan yao huo dan) in Chinese medicine, and commonly referred to as spider sore (zhi zhu chuang). In modern medicine it is called herpes zoster. The most common factors leading to outbreaks are due to weakness of right qi with opportunistic evil toxin invading the liver and gallbladder channels, which then leads to stasis and stagnation in the channel vessels with warm heat sweltering internally and blocking the skin. Besides orally taking herbs to clear heat and resolve toxin, fortify spleen and disinhibit damp or invigorate blood and transform stasis, treatment combined with a heated filiform needle (fire needle) greatly reinforces the treatment and produces superior results.