Imagine that you are getting ready to go to work and are feeling totally fineone minute, and then suddenly realizing that half of your face feels a cold, numbing sensation, like you’ve just been to the dentist and had your mouth frozen with the anaesthesia. By the time you look in the mirror, the affected side is totally paralyzed and your normally smiling face now has one corner that droops down. One of your eyes has a swollen eyelid that can no longer close shut. When you try to eat, you keep biting your lip because you can no longer feel it, and the numbing sensation is starting to radiate to the other side of your face. For most people with Bell’s palsy, the effects can be severely disfiguring and can cause great anxiety. Often the first thing that people think of is that they’ve had a stroke.
Bell’s palsy is a peripheral (affecting the peripheral rather than the central nervous system)facial paralysis that results from damage to the seventh cranial nerve, or “facial nerve”. Due to paralysis of the facial nerve, symptoms can include inability to lift or close one eye, difficulty moving facial muscles on one side of the face, lacrimation (eye tearing) on the affected side, distortion of taste (especially on the first 2/3 of the tongue) and tingling around the lip area (all on the affected side).
The condition has an abrupt onset and is idiopathic in nature (no known cause). Bell’s affects approximately 40, 000 people in the United States each year. Persons who tend to be most at risk are pregnant women, and persons afflicted with the flu virus, cold, respiratory illness, or diabetes. Some patients have reported having severe ear, nose, mouth or gum infections and/ or headaches prior to developing Bell’s palsy. While the cause of Bell’s palsy has not been confirmed, it is likely that viruses such as the herpes simplex virus (that contributes to mouth sores) as well as other herpes viruses such as herpes zoster (which leads to shingles) are responsible for the inflammation of the facial nerve causing facial paralysis.
Common treatment therapies involve the use of acyclovir or Valtrex (an anti-viral drug for targeting the herpes viruses), prednisone (which blocks immune function to prevent inflammation of the affected nerve and surrounding tissue), and corticosteroids (for reducing inflammation around the nerve and any pain associated with the inflammation). The prognosis for Bell’s palsy ranges from complete recovery within a few weeks (85% of patients) to chronic symptoms of facial paralysis (15% of patients). In addition, it is necessary to rule out other causative factors for facial paralysis including those that affect the central nervous system such as cerebrovascular accidents (stroke) and intracranial tumors. This can be determined through differential diagnoses and X-rays, ultrasound, and MRI.
In traditional Chinese medicine, this condition is due to pathogenic wind-cold attacking the Shaoyang (Liver, Gall Bladder) and Yangming
(Stomach, Large Intestine) channels as well as the tendons and muscles. This can occur when a patient is exposed to wind (e.g. sleeping near an open window, driving with the windows down, going on a boat when the winds are strong) and is more common in the spring and autumn months. Often people with Bell’s palsy have a deficient immune system (possibly due to genetics, unresolved or chronic illness, improper diet, exposure to toxic chemicals or drugs, or undue physical and emotional stress).
As a result, they are more vulnerable to
outside sources such as further exposure to physical and emotional stress factors or
viral and bacterial pathogens. The exposure to the external source causes the
immune system to produce an inflammatory response in the affected region
resulting in swelling of the surrounding tissues. This swelling can then
obstruct the normal function of the nerves and vessels (ie. the facial nerve).
As a result, there is an obstruction of qi (vital energy) and blood in these
areas that leads to malnourishment of the tendons and muscles and thus a
propensity for the facial muscles to become lax or “paralyzed. The lack of
nourishment to the local area can therefore cause symptoms of numbness and
tingling, which are common signs of qi and/or blood deficiency in TCM
(Traditional Chinese Medicine).
The treatment principle is to use a few distal and several local
acupuncture points to eliminate wind, regulate qi and blood in the Shaoyang and
Yangming channels in order to remove obstruction and restore facial nerve
function. While some cases of Bell’s palsy will spontaneously resolve within a
few weeks, this is likely due to the severity of the attack (e.g., the less
severe, the easier and less time it takes for the body to fight off the disease).
In most Bell’s palsy cases however, the patient has a deficient immune system that prevents them from
effectively combating the illness and subsequently, the condition may linger or
even return. Since acupuncture can help to move the blood circulation and
energy to the affected site to help restore function, and also has immune enhancing
effects, it is a welcome addition to the treatment of peripheral facial
paralysis that can increase the potential for a faster and complete recovery.
To prevent future recurrences of the disease, it is also necessary to eliminate
any possible factors that can tax the immune system, and maintain a healthy
lifestyle involving proper rest, moderate exercise, a balanced, nutritious diet
(lots of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, legumes, fish, and reduced
portions of red meat, poultry and dairy), and creative outlets for relieving
stress.
In our experience, many people afflicted with long-term peripheral
facial paralysis who have not improved after taking western drugs, are then entered into programs
to rehabilitate the facial muscles. While these programs are effective to a
certain extent, incorporating traditional Chinese medicine on a regular basis through
acupuncture, cupping, and herbal medicine can significantly improve results and
help to resolve the condition. So for those who are currently suffering from
Bell’s, don’t give up hope!
About the author: ChineseHerbalAdviser
