Facialis – Facial Paralysis

Facial palsy, commonly known as Bell’s palsy, is a form of facial paralysis caused by damage to the seventh cranial nerve. This neurological disorder affects about 40,000 people in the United States every year, and it can strike almost anyone at any age, though it disproportionately affects pregnant women and people with diabetes, flu, a cold, or any illness of the upper respiratory tract. This page explains the symptoms of the condition, and how Chinese medicine and acupuncture can support recovery.

Symptoms of facial palsy

The most noticeable symptom of facial palsy is one-sided facial paralysis, usually showing up as an inability to close the eye on the affected side. Alongside this, patients may experience pain, increased tearing, drooling, heightened sensitivity to sound in the affected ear, and a reduced sense of taste. The severity of symptoms and the recovery time vary from patient to patient, but seeking treatment early tends to improve the chances of a faster, more complete recovery.

It is important to stress that sudden facial paralysis always calls for urgent medical evaluation, since similar symptoms can also indicate a stroke rather than facial palsy. The first step in any case of facial paralysis is therefore to see a doctor for an accurate diagnosis, and only once facial palsy has been confirmed should complementary Chinese medicine treatment be combined with ongoing medical follow-up.

Facial palsy and Chinese medicine

Cases of facial palsy can be treated with a combination of acupuncture and Chinese herbal remedies. Chinese medicine has been treating disorders of this kind for more than 2,500 years, and generations of practitioners and patients have relied on traditional methods to cope with a wide range of neurological disorders. In recent years there has been growing interest from Western doctors and patients in acupuncture as a complementary or alternative treatment, particularly in the area of facial paralysis, even though this aspect of acupuncture is still not widely known to the general public.

A case example

A family doctor who knew how effective acupuncture could be for facial paralysis referred a patient who, two days earlier, had begun feeling weakness in the facial muscles, mild pain and constant drooling. After just four treatments the facial muscles had strengthened considerably and the condition had nearly returned to normal, and after about six more sessions no trace of the symptoms remained. This case illustrates well how seeking treatment early can speed up the recovery process.

When to seek treatment

Early treatment, soon after symptoms appear, tends to produce faster results and a better response, but that does not mean chronic cases are hopeless. Even when a long time has passed since the paralysis first appeared, it is worth considering acupuncture treatment, sometimes combined with herbal remedies tailored individually to the patient. Western medicine often treats the paralysis with medication or steroids, but both can carry significant side effects, so it is worth considering acupuncture as a first option or as a complementary treatment. In the initial stage of treatment, for a new case, it is common to give two sessions a week, later moving to one weekly session, depending on each patient’s pace of recovery and progress.

Scheduling treatment

Shai Davids, a Chinese medicine practitioner at Machat Ruach, sees patients at clinics in Jerusalem and Ramat Gan, and tailors an individual treatment plan for each patient according to their condition. Get in touch to schedule treatment.