Top reasons to get acupuncture for Bell’s Palsy

Bell’s palsy involves acute spontaneous paralysis of the facial nerve on one side of your face. It is known to have an inflammatory and infections cause.

Since symptoms are often sudden and resemble stroke symptoms, patients should seek immediate medical attention to rule out causes and get proper treatment.

Most cases, approximately 70%, of patients recover spontaneously in 3 to 6 months. However, it is all dependent on the underlying causes, initial treatment, and patient’s health status. There are people who have residual paralysis and facial weakness, that becomes chronic and does not spontaneously recover.

This can be quite frustrating and lead to long-term complications. We hear in our office the #1 frustration is confidence issues related to the paralysis and how it may affect their speech and daily activities.

Read our previous post on how acupuncture can help Bell’s Palsy, here.

How can acupuncture help?

Acupuncture is highly effective at treating bell’s palsy and getting treatment as quickly as you can after onset is key for an improved and successful outcome. In most cases, those who receive acupuncture soon after onset of symptoms, recover within weeks to a month.

The goal with acupuncture treatments are to aid in promoting the recovery process and minimize the risks of complications, ex. Long-term effects.

What do the studies say?

The studies on acupuncture and bell’s palsy show that acupuncture is safe and had limited to no side effects. One study that looked at the effect of acupuncture and a control group that received standard intervention of deltacortone or dibazol, showed that the group receiving acupuncture had a superior effect, 74% cure rate compared to the control group.

If you recently have been diagnosed with Bell’s Palsy or still suffer from long-term symptoms, there is hope!

At Starting Point Acupuncture in Bothell, we specialize in complex and chronic conditions, Bell’s Palsy being one of them. Call our office today, (425) 686-4498 to set-up your initial consultation to learn how we can help your specific concerns.

Sources:

Uptodate.com

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4431843/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7133542/

Liu Min. Comparison of acupuncture and drug treatment for 130 patients with facial palsy. Journal of Clinical Acupuncture 1996;12(5,6):56.