Acupuncture is effective for the treatment of facial paralysis and improves patient outcomes for patients taking medications.
Hospital researchers find acupuncture effective for the treatment of facial paralysis. Across multiple hospital investigations, researchers document effective acupuncture protocols that yield significant positive patient outcomes for facial paralysis patients. In addition, acupuncture, infrared therapy, and moxibustion demonstrate the ability to significantly improve positive patient outcome rates for patients taking pharmaceutical medications.
Facial Acupuncture Needling
Acupuncture and infrared heat therapy are effective for the treatment of facial paralysis. Researchers from the Third People’s Hospital in Chongqing determined that combining acupuncture and infrared heat therapy with conventional facial paralysis medications improves the rate of positive patient outcomes for the the treatment of this condition. Facial paralysis is a disorder in which the facial muscles are dysfunctional, causing immobility, and it may occur in any age demographic. In the Third People’s Hospital investigation, facial paralysis patients who received supplementary infrared heat therapy and acupuncture reported a 91.67% total treatment effective rate while those in the control group reported a 60.42% total treatment effective rate. The addition of acupuncture and infrared therapy increased the effectiveness by 31.25%.
The study involved 96 patients with facial paralysis. Onset was within 6 days of treatment. Of the 96 patients, there were 46 males and 50 females. Patient ages ranged from 46 to 65 years old. The patients were randomly divided into 2 groups: the treatment group and the control group with 48 patients in each group. The control group was given conventional facial paralysis medications: vitamins, hormones, brain glycosides, carnosine and antiviral drugs. The treatment group underwent acupuncture therapy and infrared heat therapy in addition to receiving the same conventional medications as the control group. The total treatment duration was 2 weeks.
For acupuncture, the principles for the treatment of facial paralysis focused on restoring nerve function via improving local blood circulation, eliminating edema, and reducing facial nerve inflammation. The selection of acupoints for facial paralysis treatment largely involves the Yangming and Taiyang meridians. The acupoints include: Zusanli, Hegu, Fengchi, Yifeng, Taiyang, Jiache, Dicang, Zanzhu, and Xiaguan. The Zusanli and Hegu acupoints improve qi and blood circulation and eliminate excess wind (feng). The Fengchi, Yifeng and Taiyang acupoints eliminate wind (feng) and pernicious influences (Xie). The Jiache, Dicang, Zanzhu and Xiaguan acupoints are selected based on the symptoms presented by the individual patient.
from Acupuncture and Herbs News and Research https://ift.tt/1sI5Et9
