Acupuncture for Bell's Palsy

What is Bell's Palsy?

Bell's Palsy is the most common disease of the facial nerve. It is due to an inflammatory reaction in or around the facial nerve near the stylomastoid foramen.

The London Acupuncture Space recommend weekly acupuncture for bell's palsy for at least six weeks. Where there is a sudden onset, for example related to pregnancy or childbirth, immediate acupuncture is advised to optimise recovery.

 

Acupuncture for Bell's Palsy Research

According to Liu (1995), when acupuncture was initiated within three days post-onset in 684 cases of facial nerve paralysis, 100 percent of the patients were cured or there was a marked improvement (1).

Other studies (Gao, Chen, 1991) revealed that 80% of cases that were treated at more than 2 months post-onset, and 83 percent of severe cases, were cured or had excellent effect (2). Acupuncture may often lead to significant clinical improvement (3).

References


1. Liu YT. A new classification system and combined treatment method for idiopathic facial nerve paralysis: report of 718 cases. American Journal of Acupuncture 1995; 23(3),205-210.

2. Gao HB, Chen D. Clinical observation on 60 cases of peripheral facial paralysis treated with acupointure penetration needling. International Journal of Clinical Acupuncture 1991; 2(1),25-28.

3. NIH Consensus Development Conference on Acupuncture, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda MD, Nov 1997; 93-109.

Acupuncture for Bell's Palsy in Pregnancy Case Study