Bell’s Palsy
By Dr. Renae Haldeman · New to some of these words? See the glossary.
In earlier posts, I have said that many things can throw the body’s energy out of balance. Two of them are our emotions and our surroundings.
Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) teaches that the elements around us are closely tied to the balance in our bodies. These elements are fire, water, earth, metal, and wind/wood. When our body is struggling to find balance with any one of these, we see physical, mental, and emotional symptoms.
Two things that can upset our emotions are work and relationships. Some people go to extremes and say, “If work causes stress, then I won’t work,” or “If my relationships are hard, then I will give up on them.” The truth is that we may do well to patiently stick with some situations in order to reach a higher goal, which is wisdom and balance. Steadiness in our surroundings and our emotions go together. We can help the body find balance by changing how it responds to upset.
Bell’s Palsy (a sudden weakness or drooping of one side of the face) is a good example of both our surroundings and our emotions attacking the body. In Western medicine, the cause of Bell’s Palsy is unknown (the word for this is “idiopathic”). TCM believes Bell’s Palsy comes from the stressors I mentioned above.
A 45-year-old man came to the clinic unable to close his left eye or raise his left eyebrow, with the left side of his face drooping. He told me he was a lawyer working toward becoming a partner, an active member of his church, a father of 5 children ages 16 to 5, and a husband. He also ate too often at the fast food restaurants closest to his office for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. His regular doctor suggested he try acupuncture for his symptoms. He would not have tried it otherwise. His serious case of Bell’s Palsy brought him to the clinic for acupuncture and moxibustion (a warming treatment using the herb mugwort) 3 times a week for 8 weeks. During this time, he got back the use of his face muscles, was able to move his eyebrow again, and no longer needed the tape that kept his eye closed and moist. In short, he recovered completely, and fairly quickly for such a serious case, thanks to acupuncture and moxibustion.
Earlier this year, a teenager came to Renaissance Health Centre with Bell’s Palsy that began at the end of the fall holiday season. The teen was stressed about upcoming finals at school and, like many teens, was not getting enough sleep because of a desire to do well. This young person had never tried acupuncture, but was very motivated because the problem affected the face. After two acupuncture treatments, the facial symptoms were mostly gone.
In both cases, the wood/wind element was under attack. In TCM, the wood/wind element is linked to the liver, the “stress organ.” It is the element of movement. If there is too much movement or too little movement, the body can fall out of harmony. Acupuncture can help set the whole body back into balance.
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This article is educational and is not medical advice. Individual results vary. Please talk with a licensed healthcare provider about your own health.