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Coping with Bell’s Palsy: Using Complementary Medicine

Jan 27, 2015 ● By Ivan Narkevitch

The medical condition known as Bell’s palsy (BP) can come on without prior warning, and causes a sudden weakening in facial muscles, making one side of the face appear to droop. Usually the patient can’t fully close the eye, their smile is one-sided, the eye tears a lot and salivation is affected. It may be accompanied by numbness and facial pain. It is a quite painful and often embarrassing condition that can often be relieved through conventional protocols, accompanied by complementary therapies including massage, acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM).

BP is so named after Sir Charles Bell, a Scottish surgeon who first described the facial paralysis more than 200 years ago. Statistically, 40,000 Americans suffer from this condition every year. BP may occur at any age, but older people, diabetics (up to four times more often) and those in the last trimester of pregnancy are considered higher risk groups. People with a compromised immune system are more susceptible to develop the condition, which may be a reaction caused by a viral infection. BPlike symptoms can be caused by other conditions such as a stroke, infections, tumors and Lyme disease. If symptoms are present, seeing a doctor to rule out other causes is in order.

While the exact cause is unclear, what technically results is a swelling and inflammation of the seventh cranial nerve, which controls the muscles on one side of face. Swelling of the nerve leads to compression of the soft nerve fibers inside the narrow, rigid skull bone corridor, compromising function of the nerve. Normally, a course of corticosteroids is prescribed by the patient’s doctor, along with physical therapy and exercises. Sometimes Botox injections are used medically to “freeze” the tremors.

Alternate treatments may be just as effective in controlling symptoms and healing, including acupuncture therapy, massages and TCM formulas as adjunct medical treatments. In some cases,
BP can cause a permanent inability to drink from a glass or form facial expressions such as smiling or frowning, difficulty eating certain types of food, muscle twitches in the face, and dry eye and mouth, so patients should address this condition aggressively. Early intervention with acupuncture, laser acupuncture, exercises, massage therapy and proper nutritional supplementation help to prevent permanent dysfunction of facial muscles. Significant improvement is usually noticed after as few as three or four sessions of acupuncture.

From an Eastern medicine standpoint, traditional acupuncture theory sees the cause of this condition to be the penetration of pathogenic “cold and wind” in superficial meridians of the face and neck that were not properly guarded by protective qi. Acupuncture therapy restores qi energy circulation in the affected meridians, providing better blood flow, decreasing the inflammation and reducing anxiety. Brief, shallow insertion of tiny needles in specific points maintains “awareness” of the gentle apparatus, transferring electrical signals from facial nerves to specific muscle fibers.

Topical application of cold laser at the acupuncture points helps to boost metabolism in the nerve endings and decrease swelling of the nerve. Daily at-home facial muscle exercises, combined with gentle facial massage, help to support the acupuncture. Using artificial tears helps to decrease dry eye discomfort and prevents permanent damage of the cornea.


Ivan Narkevitch, LAc, LMT, is the owner of SanaMedica Healing Center. For more information or to schedule an appointment at the Skokie or Park Ridge office, call 847-825-2427 or visit SanaMedica.us.