Bell's Palsy: Natural Support

Malfunction or damage to the facial nerve - a cranial nerve (originates in the brain), results in a condition diagnosed as Bell's palsy. With this condition, we see distortion and imbalance of the face. It affects chewing, and controlling fluids when drinking, as well as speech patterns, and some eye function. 

There can be many causes of Bell's palsy; the term is used for the symptoms only. Most victims develop a sudden weakness of one side of the face. The eyebrow becomes difficult to raise, and the eye doesn't close well. The ability to smile becomes impaired. Some sufferers of Bell's palsy experience flu-like symptoms, as well as ear pain, or changes in taste sensation. It is not unusual for the person afflicted with these symptoms to wonder if they are having a stroke. Conventional medical treatment may be in the form of steroids.
 

In my clinical experience, Bell’s palsy can occur as a consequence of chronic infection, often undetected by conventional laboratory testing. This condition has been known to occur as the result of Lyme disease (a tick-spread bacterial infection), as well as Herpes, and other viruses. 

Acupuncture patients commonly report success overcoming this facial paralysis. In 2012 I had the privilege of being requested to contribute my Bell's palsy treatment protocols to the professional journal, Medical Acupuncture. I have found ear acupuncture (auricular therapy) to be a fantastic approach, particularly when combined with upper neck treatment (Atlas Orthogonal chiropractic) and sometimes homeopathic type bio-energetic supplementation. 

We can treat appropriate ear acupuncture points using neuroelectric therapy and/or semi-permanent ear acupuncture needles. There is no specific protocol of points to treat; it is different for each patient. We use the analytical tools to determine what acupuncture points on the ear should be treated. 

Bell's palsy has also been clinically observed to result from mechanical problems in the upper neck. Direct physical treatment using the Liebell Clinic’s signature chiropractic technique, called Atlas Orthogonal can be very effective. Because it is a treatment meant to eliminate interference to nerve function, it is often my frontline treatment for people suffering Bell's palsy. 

If Bell’s palsy has been known to be triggered by infection of some kind, bio-energetic supplementation to support the immune system can be very important and effective. It appears to safely and naturally address infectious causes of Bell’s palsy that conventional medicine tends to ignore. I have seen many patients whose Bell’s palsy was triggered by Lyme disease.   

Finally, direct application of cold laser therapy to the skin of the face and upper neck serves as an additional complement to other treatments. 

The goal is to provide comprehensive, whole-body, wellness-based treatment on multiple levels: 

1) The energetic reflex level through auricular (ear) acupuncture.  

2) The structural/neurological level via specialized upper cervical chiropractic correction (Atlas Orthogonal procedure). 

3) The microbial level with bio-energetic immune support 

4) The cellular level through cold laser therapy.