Q Does herbal medicine help facial palsy recovery? How is it different from just getting acupuncture?
A Herbal medicine matched to your pattern, such as Gyeonjeong-san, calms nerve inflammation and replenishes depleted qi and blood to aid recovery. If acupuncture is local stimulation, herbal medicine addresses the flow of the whole body.
Detailed Answer
Herbal medicine used for facial nerve palsy is prescribed according to the pattern of cause and presentation, such as external attack of wind-pathogen (pungsa-oeseup), internal stirring of deficiency-wind (heopung-naedong), or stasis obstruction of qi and blood (gihyeol-eojo). Combining prescriptions such as Gyeonjeong-san with acupuncture and electroacupuncture is effective in calming inflammation around the nerve and supporting the natural recovery process. Whereas acupuncture is a local treatment that directly stimulates the facial muscles and nerve, herbal medicine works to correct the whole-body imbalance that caused the paralysis.
Korean Medicine Clinic Perspective
At Dongjedang, we regard herbal medicine as playing a major role in restoring the run-down body in which paralysis has occurred. For those whose qi and blood are depleted by overwork and lack of sleep, we tailor a replenishing prescription that fills the qi and blood; for those whose circulation is blocked by phlegm-retention and blood stasis, we tailor a prescription that clears these away. The goal is to treat the face with acupuncture and the body's deeper foundation with herbal medicine, raising both the speed of recovery and the prevention of after-effects together.
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