Bell's Palsy Treatment
Each year, 11 to 40 people suffer from Bell’s palsy, the most common disorder affecting facial nerves. Bell’s palsy results from acute damage to the facial nerves that cause muscle weakness. In Bell’s palsy, facial nerve weakness is sudden, there is auricular pain, and headaches are common. Auricular pain may also affect the ability to tolerate noise, as well as taste on the same side. It typically takes about three weeks for patients with Bell’s palsy to recover normally, with or without medical intervention. It can, however, take up to nine months for full restoration, and 30% of patients experience complications, such as facial weakness or persistent lacrimation, that require further medical treatment.
Bell’s palsy is a medical condition that causes facial paralysis, short-term weakness, or complete lack of movement on one side of the face. The causes of facial nerve palsy are not completely clear, but some studies suggest that inflammation and swelling of the facial nerve may be linked to viral infection. Stress, lack of sleep, chemotherapy, and other factors can weaken one’s immune system, making patients more prone to contract infections that might cause Bell’s palsy. Fortunately, there are treatment options available; acupuncture is an effective way to speed up recovery and restore strength in facial muscles affected by Bell’s palsy. Traditional Chinese medicine believes that optimal wellness and health rely on the steady flow of qi along invisible pathways known as ‘meridians’. Stimulating these pathways through acupuncture can produce profound effects on a person. Therefore, acupuncture has been found to be an especially effective method for treating Bell’s palsy symptoms.
By optimizing nerve and endocrine control, increasing sleep, reducing anxiety and depression, stabilizing blood pressure, and blood sugar, enhancing GI function, mobilizing stem cells, and all together, acupuncture can promote the regeneration of damaged facial nerves by producing amplified synergistic effects through this network.
