Q Are there foods I should avoid during facial palsy treatment? I usually enjoy coffee and salty food.
A Caffeine dries out the mucous membranes, and salty or heavily seasoned food raises blood viscosity and hinders circulation. Cutting back during treatment is good for recovery.
Detailed Answer
During the recovery phase of facial nerve palsy, it is wise to review eating habits that hinder blood flow and circulation around the nerve. Caffeine dries the mucous membranes and lowers sleep quality, interfering with the rest the nerve needs to recover, and excessive alcohol places a burden during steroid use and should be avoided. Rather than cold and irritating foods, maintaining digestive function with warm, easily digested meals helps with the absorption of herbal medicine and overall recovery.
Korean Medicine Clinic Perspective
At Dongjedang, we see salty food and strong seasonings as raising blood viscosity and further blocking circulation to the facial area. In a state of upper-heat-lower-cold (sangyeol-hahan), where heat has gathered in the head and face, excessive caffeine and spicy food can drive that heat up even further, so moderation is needed. The key to a recovery-phase diet is to open the channels of qi and blood with warm broth-based dishes or porridge that place little burden on the stomach.
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