Tag Archive for: bell’s palsy

Bells palsy celebrity acupuncture

Acupuncture for Bell’s Palsy

An American celebrity Carnie Wilson: “Who believes in Acupuncture? I’m treating my Bell’s Palsy with it. IT’S WORKING.” (more on medicaldaily.com)

What is Bell’s Palsy?

It is a condition characterised by a sudden, temporary weakness or paralysis of the facial muscles, typically on one side of the face. It is caused by inflammation or damage to the facial nerve, which controls the movement of the muscles in the face. Bell’s palsy can cause a variety of symptoms, including drooping of the eyelid or corner of the mouth, difficulty smiling or closing the eye on one side, drooling, a decrease in taste sensation, and hypersensitivity to sound in one ear.

Role of acupuncture

Acupuncture for Bell’s palsy was recommended by the World Health Organization in 2002. There were a number of recent controlled trials which investigated the effectiveness of acupuncture. A recent study in the Canadian Medical Association Journal has shown that not only is acupuncture effective for Bell’s Palsy, but stronger acupuncture stimulation leads to significantly better results. This is a crucial discovery, as it helps us treat this condition with acupuncture more effectively, and adds to the growing evidence that acupuncture has real, measurable benefits beyond just a placebo effect.

Why to start acupuncture as early as possible

A study published in 2021 summarised 15 randomised controlled trials and data from 2847 patients. They found that acupuncture was as effective as prednisone. However acupuncture was more effective when treatments started within a week of developing the condition. So, start acupuncture as early as possible.

“Western medicine informed me that there was nothing I could do but wait”

I was diagnosed with Bell’s palsy, paralysis on the right side of my face. My eye was stuck open, my mouth drooped causing me to dribble, and I had no movement in the right side of my face from top to bottom. I awoke one Sunday with my face like this.

Western medicine (courtesy of 1 Emergency Doctor, 1 GP, 1 Neurologist and 5 days of research through medical websites) informed me that there was nothing I could do but wait, and it could take anywhere between 3 months and 3 years to come right with a possibility that I could be like this for the rest of my life.

You were the 3rd Chinese medicine acupuncturist, I called, and the only one that provided hope for me in the first phone call “yes I have treated it, yes I can help” was your response.

You promised very little in the first session except that you could help.

The second session I asked why you were so confident that you could help when western medicine had said there was nothing that could be done. You smiled and told me I’d be better in 10-15 sessions.

I think it was about 13 or 14 sessions later and you said “now you know why I was so confident”. You were right! My face was back to normal in less than 6 weeks!

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