Acpuncture for Facial Paralysis
What Is Facial Paralysis?
Facial paralysis is loss of facial movement because of nerve damage. Your facial muscles droop or become weak. It usually happens on just one side of the face and is typically caused by:

• infection or inflammation of the facial nerve
• head trauma
• head or neck tumor
• stroke

Facial paralysis can come on suddenly (in the case of Bell’s palsy, for example) or can happen gradually over a period of months (in the case of a head or neck tumor). Depending on the cause, the paralysis might last a short or extended period of time.

Symptoms of Facial paralysis: it has a major impact on a person’s quality of life. You may lose confidence and feel embarrassed. In addition, facial paralysis can cause:

• facial pain
• headaches or dizziness
• earaches, ringing in one or both ears, and sensitivity to sound
• difficulty talking
• inability to express emotion
• difficulty eating or drinking
• drooling
• muscle twitching
• tearing of the eye
• dryness of the eye and mouth

Patients who aren’t able to close their affected eye will need to take extra care to help prevent long-lasting eye damage.

 ​In Chinese medicine, facial paralysis is describes as "Deviation of Eye and Mouth", deviation of the eye and the mouth is derived from invasion of the meridians and collaterals and muscle meridians in the facial region by exogeneous pathogenic wind and cold. it can occur in patients of any age, but mostly at the age of twenty to forty, and more frequently in males. It's main manifestations is sudden onset, usually right after waking up, incomplete closure of the eye in the affected side, drooping of the angle of the mouth, salivation and inability to frown, raise the eyebrow, close the eye, blow out the cheek, show the teeth or whistle, and in some cases pain in the mastoid region or headache, thin white tongue coating, superficial tense or superficial slow pulse. Deviation of the eye and the mouth is due to paralysis of the facial muscles caused by the attack of pathogenic wind and cold on Yangming and Shaoyang Meridians, which leads to malnutrition of the muscle regions of the meridians.

Trigeminal Neuralgia:

Trigeminal neuralgia is a chronic pain condition that affects the trigeminal nerve, which carries sensation from your face to your brain. If you have trigeminal neuralgia, even mild stimulation of your face — such as from brushing your teeth or putting on makeup — may trigger a jolt of excruciating pain.Trigeminal neuralgia affects women more often than men, and it's more likely to occur in people who are older than 50.

Because of the variety of treatment options available, having trigeminal neuralgia doesn't necessarily mean you're doomed to a life of pain. Doctors usually can effectively manage trigeminal neuralgia with medications, injections or surgery.

Please see patient review for Dr. Malinda Lei on trigeminal neuralgia:

http://www.yelp.com/biz/lei-acupuncture-and-herb-sunnyvale
Pat C, Cupertino, CA

"I had severe facial pain for months due to trigeminal neuralgia. Lei Min treated me using acupuncture with great success. It took a few visits, each time I felt the pain lessening.

Lei Min is very experienced in acupuncture. She's really interested in helping people. I will seek her help again if needed"