Bells palsy may be one of those conditions that you’ve not heard of, but for those affected, it can be a life-altering diagnosis. Thankfully, there is a proven, natural approach to help: acupuncture. And studies show that de qi, a specific application of acupuncture techniques, leads to an almost 20% improvement above using standard acupuncture.
What Is Bells Palsy?
Bells Palsy only affects the facial muscles, resulting in partial paralysis of the face and/or lack of control of those muscles. Typically, it only affects one side of the face. Those who have Bell’s palsy may look as if their face is drooping, and until properly diagnosed, it may resemble the aftereffects of a stroke.
The direct cause of Bell’s palsy is a dysfunction in cranial nerve VII, making it a mononeuropathic issue. Diagnosis is a process of elimination, and the reasons for its occurrence have been debated among the medical community. Some research points to herpes viruses, including varicella-zoster and Epstein-Barr. There is also thought that inflammation of facial nerves may produce pressure on the nerve closer to the skull, thereby blocking the transmission of neural signals or damaging the nerve.
Traditional Treatment Options
Although Bells palsy is a serious condition, it is treatable. The symptoms tend to occur within 72 hours of nerve damage, so time is of the essence. With early detection, the damaged nerve function can actually be restored. Traditional allopathic approaches to treating Bell’s palsy include corticosteroid injections, antiviral medications (due to the hypothesized link between Bell’s palsy and herpes), and physiotherapy to maintain muscle tone and stimulate facial nerves. In some cases, surgery is recommended to correct the problem when other treatments have failed to restore nerve activity.
Acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine for Bell’s Palsy
Because the main issue behind Bell’s palsy is the lack of nerve function due to communication errors in the body, acupuncture has proven to be a viable treatment plan, as well as an alternative to more traditional approaches. The main objective of acupuncture is to remove blocks in blood flow and allow the body to heal itself. It is for this reason it has been so effective in patients with Bell’s palsy.
Standard acupuncture involves inserting a very small needle into the skin along specific meridian points across the body. In the case of Bell’s palsy, many of those points are naturally in the face and head. While this standard approach does make a marked difference in the symptoms of Bell’s palsy, active stimulation of the de qi sensation center elevates the effects of acupuncture. De qi involves stimulating the needle following insertion, by moving it manually or attaching a special machine that causes very small vibrations. According to one study by Wei Wang, M.D., Ph.D., of the Chinese Ministry of Education, after six months of treatment, nearly 90% of patients enjoyed complete facial muscle recovery, compared with 71% of patients treated with traditional acupuncture, which did not include active stimulation. In this particular study, acupuncture was used in combination with prednisone, a doctor-prescribed corticosteroid.
No-Treatment Options
[tweet_dis]It should be noted that the effects of Bell’s palsy are short term[/tweet_dis], sometimes lasting days into months. When a patient doesn’t undergo treatment, for whatever reasons, she is likely to see full improvement within one year in two-thirds of all cases. What patients risk with no treatment, however, are lasting effects of the palsy. Loss of taste, chronic facial spasms, facial pain, corneal infections, and incomplete regeneration of the damaged facial nerve have all been recorded as lasting effects of Bell’s palsy.
Who’s at Risk?
Although there’s no crystal ball to say who will get Bells palsy, there is some evidence of heredity at play, and diabetics and pregnant women seem to be afflicted more often than the general population. Annually, it affects approximately 20 of 100,000 people and 1 person in 65 in a lifetime.
Find Answers
If you believe you have been afflicted with Bell’s palsy, it is best to move quickly to seek treatment. Call your medical professional for a solid diagnosis and then call Harmony and Health Acupuncture. We have experience reducing symptoms and restoring the nerve damage associated with Bell’s palsy. Time is of the essence; don’t wait.
