Last Friday, we posted an article in our weekly newsletter about facial paralysis. This response came to me from Judy Stein, one of our regular customers, who currently lives in Israel. I thought it was worth sharing for those of you who have patients with Bell’s palsy or other facial paralysis issues. Enjoy and Thanks for reading!
Honora Lee Wolfe

Hello from Israel

I just returned from 3 weeks of observation at Guang An Mien Hospital in Beijing. There are HUNDREDS, if not thousands, of patients presenting DAILY with facial paralysis. They are all treated with a method similar to that which you describe this week in the Blue Poppy newsletter:

For weakened facial muscles: Surface acupuncture - that is, needles inserted horizontally under the skin, from the direction of the droopiness towards the center of the face. For example:

If the patient has difficulty closing eye, needle down shallowly towards eye along GB, BL and DU meridians, starting up on forehead with shallow needles. This opens all the face meridians.

For difficulty opening eye: 3 shallow needles inserted close to GB14 upwards along GB, BL and DU meridians, up into the forehead

Do this on afflicted side, balancing on the other side with 1 well-placed needle on eye (tai yang), nose (LI20) and mouth area (ST4)

Depending on location of facial droop, a combination of several - on afflicted side: ST 3,4,6,7,8, Tai Yang, BL2, GB 2 and 3, GB 14 GV 26 or 24 - with kyu to shin (moxa on needles)on several of these, and about 4 of the needles connected to electro stimulation, mostly around mouth and eye. Needles with moxa are threaded through small cardboard shaped like a business card, shielding face from heat.

For tight facial muscles: Also electro (but no moxa) on a few GB points on back of head: (GB 8-11 possibilities, plus either GB 19 or 20). I also saw moxa put on the needles at SI 19, SJ 21.

Also bilateral needles at LI 4.

Treatment series was 3 times weekly for 2-3 months, then a week rest, then another series. It was reported to me usually 1-2 series did the trick.

When I told Dr. Lin, veteran professor of this method, that often cortisone is given in the West, for these cases, she was aghast, saying, "But our method has no side effects!!"

Keep up the useful articles and blogs.

Regards,
Judy Stein,L.Ac.,M.S.W.

For More in depth treatment of this condition, see Jason and Linda Hao's new book from Blue Poppy, Chinese Scalp Acupuncture.