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Wan-Mei Woo |
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What is Bell’s palsy? |
| Bell’s palsy is a condition that causes facial muscles to weaken or become paralyzed. This condition is caused by trauma to the 7th cranial nerve, also referred to as the CN-VII nerve. Bell’s Palsy is caused by an inflammation within a small tube called the fallopian canal. The inflammation of the fallopian canal results in impairment of all functions controlled by the 7th nerve. |
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WHAT CONDITIONS CAN INCREASE THE CHANCE OF HAVING BELL'S PALSY? |
| Older people are more likely to be afflicted, but children are not immune to it. Children tend to recover well. Diabetics are more than 4 times more likely to develop Bells palsy than the general population. The last trimester of pregnancy is considered to be a time of increased risk for Bell's palsy. Conditions that compromise the immune system such as HIV or sarcoidosis increase the odds of facial paralysis occurring and recurring. |
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Symptoms of Bell's palsy
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 Patient had left sided facial nerve paralysis. A classical Bell's Palsy |
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When the facial nerve is
paralyzed, considerable attention must be given to maintaining a
healthy eye, which requires a constant flow of tears. These tears
are spread out over the eye by blinking, but blinking is diminished
or eliminated in facial nerve paralysis. Diminished blinking and the
absence of tearing together can reduce or eliminate the flow of
tears across the eyeball, resulting in drying, erosion, and ulcer
formation on the cornea and possible loss of the eye. Closing the eye with a finger is an effective way of keeping the eye moist. Use the back of the finger to ensure that the eye is not injured with the finger tip. Protective glasses or clear eye patches are often used to keep the eye moist, and to keep foreign materials from entering the eye. If the eye is dry, you may be advised to use artificial tears to keep it moist. The drops should be used as directed by your doctor. You may have to put one or two drops in the affected eye every hour while you are awake, and place ointment in your eye at bedtime. |
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Effective treatment by Acupuncture & Traditional Chinese Medicine |
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1. Acupuncture needle points: (ST 2,4,6,7) (SI18,20) (RN24) (GB14) SJ17) (EX-HN16) (LI4) (ST37) The treatment is given once daily and for ten session as a course. 2. Cupping: Two or three points are employed each treatment session, small jars are selected, and flashing method is applied to each point for ten minutes and once every other day. 3. Moxibustion: Three to five points are employed each treatment session, mild-warming moxibustion with moxa stick or ginger moxibustion is applied to each point for 15 minutes. The treatment is given once daily. |