Bells Palsy

"Bells Palsy" Issue / Symptom Connections

Below you will find various relationships to, and potential clinical treatment approaches for bells palsy.

Content Related to Bells Palsy

It is critical to appreciate that in Chinese Medicine, treatment for "bells palsy" is rarely focused on the symptoms exclusively. Alternatively, a practitioner is looking at the factors that led to the development of "bells palsy" - i.e. the "cause(s)".

For non-practitioners, we recommend reading treating the "cause" and not the "symptoms" for more on the overall approach and the importance of the TCM diagnostic system in formulating treatment approaches.

Within TCM, "bells palsy" is potentially related to one or more of the following diagnostic patterns: blood stagnation, liver blood stagnation, lung wind invasion - wind cold, lung wind invasion - wind heat, and/or spleen qi deficiency.

The above patterns are common examples. In clinical situations, however, there are any number of other possibilities. Many times there will be a layered combination of patterns in an interwoven blend with their symptoms - some being the cause of an issue and the result of another issue. While initially complex, this is illustrative of the the web of relationships that Chinese Medicine is designed to approach.

Related Acupuncture Protocols

When developing an acupuncture protocol a practitioner is very often focusing on the causal diagnoses in Chinese Medicine terms, not on the condition itself. To illustrate and guide developing an acupuncture treatment for someone experiencing bells palsy, this issue is referenced in the following acupuncture protocol section:

• View EX Huatuojiaji at C4 (Sides of Spine at C4)
  
      .5 cun lateral to the lower border of the spinous processes of C4
  
      C4 innervates the areas of the mouth, jaw and chin.  May be used for a range of dental issues, bell's palsy, tmj as well as shoulder tension and/or neck issues due to holding tension in the upper parts of the body. Used extensively within…
• View LU 7 (Broken Sequence)
  
      1.5 cun above the wrist crease, superior to the styloid process of the radius (not on the LU 5 - LU 9 line in TCM). Jap…
  
      Exterior Wind - body aches, chills/fever, runny nose, scratchy throat, sneezing. Internal Wind - bell's palsy, twitching, spasms, lockjaw. As Master Point of the CV, paired with KD 6 of the Yin Qiao Mai - treats genitourinary and gynecol…
• View SI 18 (Cheek Bone Hole)
  
      Directly below the outer canthus of the eye in a depression on the lower border of the zygoma.
  
      Local point for facial disorders, Bell's palsy, trigeminal neuralgia, spasm, twitching of the eyelids, facial muscles, etc.. Upper jaw tootache. Yellowing of the sclera.  
• View ST 2 (Four Whites)
  
      Below the pupil, in a depression at the infraorbital foramen.
  
      Any eye problem - red, painful and/or itchy eyes, excessive lacrimation, twitching of the eyelids. Facial paralysis. Good alternative to ST 1 and safer to needle for those not properly trained.
• View ST 3 (Great Bone-Hole)
  
      Directly below the pupil in a depression at the level of the border of the ala nasi.
  
      Local point - Twitching eyelids, pain a/or swelling of the cheek, trigeminal neuralgia, toothache. Deviation from stroke, bell's palsy, facial paralysis. Swelling of the knee (Deadman text).
• View ST 6 (Jawbone)
  
      One finger width anterior and superior to the angle of the mandible at the belly of the masseter muscle with teeth clen…
  
      Eliminate wind from the face - TMJ, toothache, Bell's palsy, twitching, facial pain/paralysis. Loss of voice, deviation of mouth/face, lockjaw.
• View ST 42 (Surging Yang)
  
      Between the 2nd and 3rd metatarsals and the cuneiform bone, between the tendons of the long extensor muscles of the big…
  
      Issues on the upper end of the channel (i.e. mouth/face/head) - upper mouth/teeth issues, toothache, deviation of the face as in bell's palsy or stroke. Local point for foot pain - pain, swelling, redness - also motor control issues of th…
• View ST 44 (Inner Court)
  
      Proximal to the web margin between the 2nd and 3rd metatarsal bones, in a depression distal and lateral to the 2nd meta…
  
      Ying Spring Point - Clears heat from the channel and organ - febrile disease with absence of sweating.  Useful for issues of the Face & Jaw along with LI 4 - toothache, facial pain, bell's palsy, stroke, sore throat, eye pain. Damp H…
• View ST 45 (Severe Mouth)
  
      .1 cun posterior to the corner of the nail on the lateral side of the 2nd toe.
  
      Release heat a/or move stagnation from the channel and organ - headaches, toothaches, facial pain, sore throat, TMJ, bell's palsy, facial deviation from stroke. Agitation a/or insomnia w/heat signs, excessive dreaming, loss of consciousne…