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

Facial spasm, also known as hemifacial spasm, is a relatively rare condition characterized by involuntary twitching of the facial muscles on one side of the face. Though typically not painful, it can lead to discomfort and impair normal facial expression and vision. The most prevalent cause of facial spasm is the compression of the facial nerve by an artery. This nerve plays a crucial role in controlling facial muscles responsible for moving the eyebrows, closing the eyes, and manipulating the mouth and lips. While conventional treatments involving anticonvulsants and muscle relaxants are used to manage facial spasm, a growing body of evidence suggests that acupuncture could offer a promising alternative. Over the past decade, various studies have explored the effectiveness of acupuncture in treating facial spasm, and the results have been encouraging. One of the early studies compared acupuncture with acupressure in 86 patients with facial spasm. The findings revealed that acupunctu...

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...