Bell's Palsy is a form of temporary facial paralysis that results from damage or trauma to one of the two facial nerves. It is the most common cause of facial paralysis. As you may have already learned from your medical doctors, there is no cure or standard course of treatment for Bell's Palsy right now from the perspective of Western Medicine.  However, you may not know that acupuncture has been the primary and standard form of treatment for Bell's Palsy in many Asian countries, such as China, Japan, and Taiwan for several centuries.

 In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), Bell's Palsy is categorized as a symptom of External Wind Assault, which is caused by Wind invasion due to deficiency of  Qi in the Channels (or meridians) that go to the face.  In TCM theory, there are 14 channels going through our bodies, and we are healthy when Qi circulates smoothly in the channels. If there is any blockage, deficiency, or external pathogenic invasion, such as extreme cold weather or a virus, interrupting the balance of the flow, we will feel uncomfortable or be ill. Bell's Palsy is mostly due to problems in the Yangming “Yang Brightness” Channel (click the picture to see the Channel in red ).  Acupuncture, by inserting needles into specific points, is to clear the blockages in this channel and restore the balance flow of Qi , the key element to recover all normal facial functions.

What We Can Do

Our acupuncturist, Dr. Jin, specializes in treating Bell's Palsy. He has helped hundreds of patients regain their confidence and get back to their daily lives. Dr. Jin primarily uses traditional Chinese acupuncture formulas to treat Bell's Palsy, and patients are expected to see and feel improvement within the first course (3 sessions) of treatment which is normally finished in 5 days.