Acupuncture for Bell’s Palsy

By: TLC Acupuncture

Can acupuncture treat Bell’s Palsy?

Our Brisbane acupuncture clinics treat Bells Palsy using acupuncture, electro acupuncture, facial exercises, Red light LED and laser.

Bell’s Palsy effects 1 in 65 people at some point in their life (4) and is three times more likely to effect women during pregnancy (5).

What causes Bell’s Palsy?

Bell’s Palsy comes on suddenly, usually within a 24 hour period. The nerves which control one side of the face become swollen, inflamed or compressed resulting in one-sided facial paralysis with complete relaxation and loss of control of the facial muscles. Exactly what causes this damage to occur is unknown however scientists suspect it to be viral.

The condition can also be associated with a flu-like illness, headaches, high blood pressure, chronic middle ear infection, diabetes, sarcoidosis, tumors, Lymes disease and trauma to the face or skull.

How can acupuncture help?

Acupuncture treatment – being the insertion needles into the body – causes a chain of events that helps stimulate a healing process. Firstly the body recognizes the needles as a foreign invader and the immune system kicks into action. White blood cell counts and blood flow to the area increase improving the immune system response and reducing the inflammation (6,7).

Secondly, the needles, being a conductor of electricity, penetrate the tissues and nerve endings causing an electrical nerve response. This reactivates nerve pathways and activates the areas of the brain which control the healing process in the affected area (8).

Finally, acupuncture has been shown to stimulate the release of various hormones. These hormones not only reduce inflammation but also increase blood flow and promote cellular growth and repair (8)

The combination of all this helps the body in its healing process which may allow nerve function to return.

When should I see an acupuncturist?

We like to get patients in the same day they contact us, as each day matters.

Research indicates that the optimal outcomes with acupuncture for Bell’s Palsy are attained during the acute phase, typically within the first few weeks (9,10). In our clinical experience, we’ve observed that results can still be obtained beyond this timeframe, however they require a more extensive course of treatment for a comparatively milder degree of improvement.

All of our acupuncturists are trained in the treatment of Bell’s Palsy

Disclaimer – Each individual’s treatment and/or results may vary from patient to patient based upon the circumstances of the patient’s specific situation. A result is not promised and/or guaranteed from the act of receiving a treatment.

Clinical research trials for acupuncture an effective treatment for Bell’s Palsy

1. Anti-Apoptotic Mechanisms of Acupuncture in Neurological Diseases: A Review. Wa Cai and Wei-Dong Shen.

2. The Efficacy of Acupuncture in the Treatment of Bell’s Palsy Sequelae. C Ertemoglu Oksuz, A Kalaycoiglu, O Uzun, S NurKalkisim, N BurakZihni, A Yilirim, C Boz.

3. Advances in diagnosis and non-surgical treatment of Bell’s palsy. Y Zhao, G Feng, and Z Gao

12. Effect of Acupuncture Combined with Blood-letting by a Three-edged Needle on 50 cases of Bell’s Palsy at the Acute Stage. J Zhao, Y Piao. J Wang.

References

4. Ahmed A (2005). “When is facial paralysis Bell palsy? Current diagnosis and
treatment”. Cleveland Clinic Journal of Medicine. 72 (5): 398–401, 405.
doi:10.3949/ccjm.72.5.398. PMID 15929453.
5 Cohen Y, Lavie O, Granovsky-Grisaru S, Aboulafia Y, and Diamant YZ. Bell palsy
complicating pregnancy: a review. Obstet Gynecol Surv 2000; 55: 184–8.
6 https://www.hindawi.com/journals/ecam/2014/217397/
7 https://doi.org/10.1142/S0192415X7400050X 8 A Comprehensive Guide To Chinese Medicine, (Second Edition). edited by Leung Ping-chung. p150.
World Scientific, 2015.
9 https://www.hindawi.com/journals/ecam/2019/6073484/abs/
10 http://file.scirp.org/pdf/OALibJ_2017063016495548.pdf
11 Acupuncture Treatment of Facial Palsy. conducted in 2010 by Zahid S, Bokhari H, Zahid S at
the Pain and Plegia Centre, Pakistan. PMID: 22455265 [PubMed]