What is Bell’s palsy?
One thing that medicine often does is use words that make things incomprehensible to most people and Bell’s palsy can seem to fit into that category. The first article we found in looking for research states ‘Bell’s palsy is a common cranial neuropathy causing acute unilateral lower motor neurone facial paralysis’. [1] So what on earth does that mean, it sounds very scary? Palsy is a type of paralysis and in the case of Bell’s (Sir Charles Bell first described this type of paralysis) it means there is a sudden and spontaneous paralysis of one side of the face caused by a particular nerve being compressed. It is very frightening and bewildering as it is easily confused with a stroke. However Bell ’s palsy only affects the face, including the forehead, and there is no weakness in other parts of the body. It is the commonest cause of facial palsy affecting 20 to 30 people per 100,000 a year. A GP will see a case on average every 2 years. [2]
There is no conclusive cause of Bell’s palsy although there are five major theories including viral infection. The affected nerve is long and complicated. [3] The usual drug treatments prescribed are steroids and antiviral medicines with the aim of reducing the compression of the nerve as quickly as possible. For 70% of people they make a full recovery but this can take well beyond six months. [2] As facial expression is so key to an individual Bell’s palsy can lead to distress, alienation and depression.
So what about acupuncture and Bell’s palsy?
According to Chinese Medical diagnosis, Bell’s Palsy is often from an External Pathogenic Factor (EPF). This means the treatments are about expelling the EPF, strengthening the body’s defensive energy (Wei Qi) and stimulating local movement. This is done with local needling in the face as well as needles across the body. The key to the highest success rates and quickest recovery is getting acupuncture as quickly as possible. A patient who was treated last year for this condition managed to get in to treatment within the first week. After each session the changes in facial movement were clear to see. After the first session, the patient was able to close their eye lid, which had been fixed open by the paralysis.
The patient attended clinic twice a week for 3 weeks, by which time, there was no need for them to continue with treatment and the Bell’s palsy was totally resolved.
As is often the case for acupuncture systemic reviews result in statements that say there is a signal in the research that acupuncture may be beneficial however more high quality randomised trials need to be done. [4] One meta-analysis states that acupuncture was associated with an effective response rate as compared with other therapy interventions. [5] In one very complicated study they looked at functional connectivity in Bell’s palsy and the impact of acupuncture. In simple terms, they looked at the nerve activity and concluded that acupuncture induces a tendency to recovery. [6] Another looked at laser speckle contrast imaging and also found blood flow and metabolic activity improved in the affected facial tissue by the use of acupuncture. [7] Finally, for the scientific evidence another group looked at the intensity through the sensation of de qi (the sensation at the acu-point) in relation to Bell’s palsy. They found that a stronger intensity of de qi was associated with better therapeutic effects. [8]
A D Acupuncture has experience of treating patients with Bell’s palsy and the results have been heart warming.
This amazing testimonial comes from a lovely patient:
“An absolutely fantastic service from the brilliant and talented Alice at AD Acupuncture! I went in with a bad case of Bell's palsy and a degree of scepticism...and finished my course four weeks later, symptom free and a complete convert! Feeling returned to my face for the first time after onset during my first treatment and the next morning I could move the corner of my mouth. It was quite unexpected and dramatic! I would highly recommend this for anyone suffering from this condition, or indeed anyone who simply wants a bit of time out to relax and de-stress.”
Remember, if you or someone you know experiences Bell’s palsy, get in touch with an acupuncturist as quickly as possible, this will really make a difference to the speed of recovery.
1. Bell’s Palsy: aetiology, clinical features and multidisciplinary care. Eviston TJ et al. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry 2015;86:1356-1361
2. https://www.facialpalsy.org.uk/causesanddiagnoses/bells-palsy/
3. The etiology of Bell’s palsy: a review. Zhang W et al. Journal of Neurology (2020) 267:1896-1905
4. Compare the efficacy of acupuncture with drugs in the treatment of Bell’s palsy. A systematic review and meta-analysis of RCT’s. Zhang R et al. Medicine (2019) 98:19
5. Efficacy of Acupuncture for Bell’s palsy: A systemic review and Meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials. Li P et al. PLoS ONE 10(5)May 2015
6. Functional Connectivity modulation by Acupuncture in patients with Bells’ palsy. Bian Y et al. Evidence based Complementary and Alternative Medicine Vol 2016 Article ID 5928758
7. Efficacy of manipulative acupuncture therapy monitored by LSCI technology in patients with severe Bell’s palsy: A randomised controlled trial. Zhong W. Evidence based Complementary and Alternative Medicine Vol 2020 Article ID 6531743
8. Effectiveness of strengthened stimulation during acupuncture for the treatment of Bell’s palsy: a randomised controlled trial. Xu S et al. CMAJ 2013 185(6)