Bell’s Palsy
Bell's Palsy can occur at any age and effects men and women equally. The symptoms of Bell’s Palsy can start suddenly with weakness in the facial muscles on one side of the face, which cause half of the face to appear to droop. Typically the symptoms showing at the 48 to 72 hour mark are as bad as they will get.
When Bell’s Palsy happens people have a hard time making an expression, such as wrinkling the forehead, blinking or even smiling. When the smile becomes one-sided, it can cause dry mouth or drooling. If the eye on that side doesn’t like to close or blink, it can lead to can lead to dry eyes. A numbness or heavy feeling is common as well as trouble tasting with the front part of the tongue.
The exact cause of Bell’s Palsy is unknown, but from a Western Medicine perspective it could be the result of swelling and inflammation of the nerve that controls the muscles on one side of the face (trigeminal nerve) or a reaction after a viral infection.
Luckily for most people, Bell's palsy is temporary. Symptoms usually start to improve after several weeks, with complete recovery in about six months.
In Chinese Medicine, Bell’s palsy is considered a ‘wind attack’. It is believed that Bell’s palsy is caused when wind and cold invade the meridians, muscles tendons, and especially the trigeminal nerve of the face. It can happen when the immune system and the body’s defenses are weak. When the immune system is deficient, the flow of Qi and blood becomes impaired, which results in malnourishment of the facial muscles and tendons.
The aim of an acupuncture treatment to treat Bell’s palsy is to expel wind and cold from the meridian, to improve the circulation of Qi and Blood, as well as to stimulate the trigeminal nerve. TCM can get excellent results with this condition as it incorporates multiple modalities into the treatment.
We have found that the combination of facial cupping, facial microcurrent and acupuncture to be a fantastic way to support and reduce the symptoms of this condition. We show our clients how to do at home facial cupping and acupoint stimulation protocols to increase the speed of recovery between sessions.
Did you Know:
Approximately 40,000 individuals are diagnosed with Bell's Palsy in the United States each year.
The trigeminal nerve (affected with Bell’s Palsy) is the largest of the 12 cranial nerves.
At Striving for Health we understand that every person is unique, which means their particular treatment needs will also differ. No one treatment is a good fit for everyone. We work with our clients to customize the best approach to address their specific symptoms.
We offer several different treatment options together to address Bell’s Palsy. They can all be done during an Acupuncture session.
