Dr Maggie Ju Acupuncture London Chelsea, North Kensington, Notting Hill, and Richmond

Bell's palsy (BP) is a common condition that affects the peripheral facial nerve, resulting in unilateral weakness or paralysis of the face. It is a type of cranial mononeuropathy and accounts for 70% of peripheral facial palsies. Despite its prevalence, the cause of BP is not fully understood. Acupuncture has been widely used to treat neuropathy, and previous studies have suggested that it can improve facial motor symptoms, reduce pain around the ear, and speed up recovery. In a recent study, researchers investigated the effect of acupuncture on the acute stage of BP. The study enrolled a total of 345 patients who had been newly diagnosed with BP and underwent acupuncture treatment between August 2016 and December 2021. Patients were followed until they had fully recovered. If recovery was incomplete within 6 weeks, the next follow-up was at 12 and 24 weeks. The facial function was assessed at all visits. The results of the study showed that patients who received acupuncture withi...

Bell’s palsy is a rare condition and about 1 in 5000 people in the UK develop the condition each year. Bell’s palsy is facial nerve paralysis caused by facial nerve inflammation with unknown cause. Virus infection is a possible cause. The symptoms include acute unilateral paralysis of all facial muscles. Numbness and pain may be present. They are from mild muscle weakness on side of the face to completely loss of the facial muscle movements of that side. It could affect the eyelid and mouth and make them difficult to open. Other symptoms include irritation of the affected eye, pain underneath the affected ear, increased sensitivity to sound or ringing in the affected ear, drooling from the mouth on the affected side of the face, dryness of the mouth, changed sense of taste, pain around the jaw, difficulty of eating and drinking, impaired speech and headache, dizziness. There is no specific treatment for Bell’s palsy. In most cases of Bell’s palsy, the symptoms will begin to improve wit...