Acupuncture & Chinese Medicine to Treat Bell’s Palsy
Dr. Shawne J. Lopes, DACM, LAc
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When it comes to healing the body of serious acute or chronic disease, I am a firm believer in a Functional Integrated Approach. Based on my experience, Utilizing a combination of modern medicine and holistic functional medicine has provided the best outcome for our patients.
According to Chinese Medicine, Bell’s Palsy is a combination of an external pathogen, or an external wind and a weakened Wei Qi, or a weak immune system that is unable to combat this external pathogen.
In Western pathology, Bell’s Palsy occurs when a viral infection affects the facial nerve VI/VII, causing loss of muscle control to one side of the face. This can cause facial dropping, loss of control in the eyes lids, smile muscles, lip muscle, etc. At the onset of the virus, patient’s may feel an intense ear pain, headache, pain behind the eyes, or neck pain. There may or may not be a change in your energy level, though many do complain of feeling fatigued or as if they are coming down with cold.
Typically when patients are first seen in our clinic showing signs and symptoms of Bell’s Palsy, we recommend that they are seen by their Medical Physician right away. Your medical doctor may recommend antiviral and/or steroidal treatment to keep the virus from progressing, as well as conduct further diagnostic testing to rule out stroke or any other life-threatening conditions.
You can be seen in our clinic to begin your treatment to address your Bell’s Palsy as soon as signs or symptoms of Bell’s Palsy appear. In conjunction with prescribed treatment from your medical doctor, we use our own immune boosting protocol to provide you with the best outcome.
Our Approach and Process:
Complete health history to gain a deeper understanding of your existing constitution and understand any factors that may have contributed to the health imbalance. Many times, physical and mental stress play a significant part in weakening our immune system, thus making it more difficult for our bodies to combat viruses and/or bacteria. We also gain a deeper understanding of other lifestyle patterns such as nutrition, sleep habits, and exercise habits, to name a few.
Take-home Treatment Plan: Once we’ve completed our deep dive into your healthy history, we come up with a treatment plan for you as your body heals. Acupuncture is a powerful treatment protocol in itself, however our additional recommendations help to accelerate the recovery process. Plans may include nutritional recommendations in the form of both food and supplementation, a personalized Chinese herbal formula to help combat the external pathogen while boosting your immune function, recommendations around lifestyle habits, and/or therapeutic facial exercises.
Acupuncture Treatment Plan: Our recommendation on frequency and approach to your gentle acupuncture treatment also depends on what stage your body is in your Bell’s Palsy recovery process. For example, for acute Bell’s Palsy patient’s, we may avoid any direct treatment to your face while the virus runs it’s course with the help of your prescribed medication and the treatment plan we recommend. Initially your treatments may focus on boosting your immune system before we move onto addressing the affected facial area. This also varies from patient to patient based on your individual health patterns and constitution.
Ongoing Maintenance: Our goal is to keep you as strong as possible to prevent any reoccurrence of the virus or a relapse in any symptoms. As with all our treatment plans, we meet you where you are and do not have a one-size-fits-all treatment approach. We work together to determine the quantity and frequency of your treatments based on your individual response and progress.