BellÕs Palsy Acupuncture
Acupuncture
treatment for BellÕs Palsy
-By Hong Jin, L.Ac.
BellÕs Palsy is a
sudden onset disease of facial musclesÕ malfunction. It is caused by various pathogens attacking the facial
nerves.
BellÕs Palsy, which
is caused by cerebral vascular disease—damage of upper facial nervous nucleus—can be differentiated from central facial
nerve paralysis. The latter has
the following symptoms:
PatientÕs forehead winkles are normal,
Tip of tongue is deviated from the center,
Blood pressure is high,
Patient can still frown and close eyes, because only the lower facial
nerves are affected,
Patient cannot move the lower part of his/her face normally.
When the following
symptoms are present, the paralysis (could be temporary) of peripheral facial
nerves is established:
Usually on one side of the face, the patientÕs forehead winkles disappear
TongueÕs location is unchanged—tip of tongue is still centrally
located
Blood pressure is normal
Facial expressive muscles are paralyzed
Facial skin is numb
Eyebrow drops
Corner of eye and cleft of eyelids is enlarged
Line from nose to lip is flat
Corner of mouth is lowered
Two sides of face are not symmetrical. The face is pulled to the healthy side. On the affected side, the patient cannot
lift eyebrow and forehead or move the lips to make a complete circle or
completely expose the teeth.
When the eyes are closed, the eyebrow is pulled to the opposite upper
area. White sclera is exposed. The tear secretion pore is turned out with
the lower eyelid. Tear is spilled
out like a rabbitÕs eye.
When patient blows through his/her mouth, mouth corner cannot be closed
tightly.
Food is often left in the mouth on the affected side.
There could be
associated symptoms such as: earache,
headache, neck pain, damaged hearing, minor facial pain, and up to 2/3 or all
of the taste on the tongue is lost.
Some patients can
fully recover within 30 days due to the inner strong zheng
qi
(good energy = immune function) without any kind of treatment and
medication. Yet many patients
seeking acupuncture treatment do need medical assistance due to their
relatively weak zheng qi.
Acupuncture works very
effectively on BellÕs Palsy. For patients who have had the symptoms less than 6 months,
after having acupuncture, most of them can recover completely—100% back
to normal. If the patients have
had it for more than 6 months, it is possible that a few of them can never
recover 100%.
Causes:
The facial nerve (7th
Cranial Nerve) is damaged by internal and external xie
qi (pathogens).
Internally: weak zheng qi and weak organsÕ function; blood and energy is over
consumed; emotional imbalance; depression; stress; lack of blood supply; and
unstable protecting function of the skin from the internal xie
qiÕs attack.
Externally: usually xie qi, such as cold and/or wind, attacks the face, and yang (representing positive +) channels are
blocked, so that energy and blood cannot travel normally due to the
obstruction. Usually, xie qi invades the
channels of the stomach, large intestine, liver, gall bladder and spleen. A few cases are caused by attacks from HerpeÕs Zoster virus or some unknown virus.
In Chinese Medicine,
the stomach and the large intestine channels mainly dominate the face. Liver governs tendons, spleen
governs muscles, and the gall bladder channel passes through the
ears. Due to an insufficient blood supply to the facial nerves and tendons,
muscles loose their function. The
pressure and ache of an ear is due to the obstruction of the gall bladder
channel.
Length of
procedure:
Acupuncture works
on this disease more effectively than any other treatment. Usually, the patients we see have been
treated by various treatments from conventional medicine. It has been proven that acupuncture has
no side effects if done properly. Based
on the individual's condition, the patient needs acupuncture every day or every
other day for a period of time. The patient usually feels the improvement after 1–3
treatments. However, full recovery
depends on each personÕs strength of zheng qi and rapidness of its reinforcement.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
(Jane) Hong Jin, a
California licensed acupuncturist, mainly trained in China, has more than 20
years experience. Her specialties include:
BellÕs Palsy,
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, Migraine/Chronic Headache, Tendonitis, Breast Lumps,
Varicose Veins, Pains/Stiffness/Spasm, Auto/Work/Sports Injuries
3042 S. Hacienda
Blvd., Hacienda Heights, CA 91745
(Northeast corner
of Hacienda Blvd. and Colima Road) (626) 369 6658
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