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Navigation: Home > Conditions > Stroke > Here Bell's Palsy -- Causes and Top 10 Natural Remedies Related Links: Ideal Breakfast to Prevent Stroke Drinking Sodas Raises Your Risk of Stroke by 300% Stroke News Top 10 Tips to Prevent Stroke Complex Migraine or Stroke-Learn the Difference! Conditions Owning a Cat Cuts Stroke Risk by 40% Snoring Increases Stroke Risk by 67% March 11, 2011, Last Updated June 13, 2014 By Louise Carr, Associate Editor and Featured Columnist Imagine the distress caused by a sudden weakening of the muscles in your face. You can’t smile or close your eye, and can only move half of your facial features. What does it mean if your face becomes paralyzed? Are you having a stroke? One of the most common forms of facial muscle weakness is Bell's palsy. Every year, 25 out of 100,000 people in the United States suffer from this frightening but often temporary condition, according to Teixeira, Soares, Vieira and Prado in their 2008 work “Physical therapy for Bells palsy.” Bells palsy, although frightening, is very different from a stroke – the weakness is confined to the face and full recovery occurs in 70 percent of cases after two to three months (UK’s National Health Service). What is Bell's Palsy? Bell's Palsy is a sudden – normally taking effect over one or two hours – weakening of the facial muscles, most commonly on one side of the face only. Bell's palsy is connected with a problem affecting the facial nerve. The facial nerve supplies the muscles you need to smile, frown, wink and close your eyes. Signs of Bells palsy include a drooping face, difficulty chewing on the affected side, difficulty speaking and the inability to close your eye. Loud sounds may make you uncomfortable and normal speech can sound like shouting. You may even lose the sense of taste on certain parts of the tongue. Can you prevent Bell's palsy and its associated, distressing signs? Is there anything you can do to cure Bells palsy? A course of steroids started at the onset of symptoms helps improve the chances of full recovery. But are there any natural remedies that may prove useful? What Causes Bell's Palsy? Unfortunately the causes of Bell's palsy are not clear. It is thought that the area around the facial nerve becomes inflamed, squashing the nerve as it passes through the head. When the nerve stops working correctly, the muscles it supplies stop working too. Many experts believe Bells palsy is caused by a virus infection – the cold sore virus, or the chickenpox virus. Experts don’t fully know why, but these common viruses lay dormant to reactivate again in later life. In the case of the chickenpox virus, it can also reactivate to cause shingles later in life, so if you have had Bell's palsy, you are at increased risk for shingles also. Who Suffers From Bell's Palsy? Anyone can suffer from Bell's palsy – men and women are equally affected – but Bell's palsy is most common between the ages of 10 and 40, according to BMJ Clinical Evidence. Around one in 70 people will experience Bells palsy at some point in their life. However, people with diabetes are significantly more likely to suffer (Adour K, Wingerd J, Doty HE. “Prevalence of concurrent diabetes mellitus and idiopathic facial paralysis (Bell's palsy)” 1975) and pregnant women and people with weakened immune systems may be more at risk of experiencing the condition. Thankfully, Bell's palsy usually resolves itself with treatment. According to Holland and Weiner, 2004, “Recent developments in Bell's palsy,” almost everyone who can still move their facial muscles to some extent recover completely. However, according to England’s National Health Service, around three in 10 people with Bell's palsy will continue to have weakness in their facial muscles after six months and two out of 10 will suffer a long-term issue with the facial nerve and their face will look different to normal. Is there anything you can do to lessen the chances of a serious problem with Bells palsy? We looked at the available evidence to list the top 10 most useful remedies for beating Bell's palsy. Top 10 Natural Remedies for Bell's Palsy 1. Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy Helps Treat Bell's Palsy? Does the air that we breathe help treat Bell's palsy? Not exactly, but breathing 100 percent pure oxygen at increased pressure may do so. One 1997 study from University of Zagreb School of Medicine, Split, Croatia found hyperbaric oxygen was more effective than a regular drug to control the symptoms of Bell's palsy. Patients recovered significantly more quickly when using the oxygen therapy than with the drug or placebo. 2. Vitamin Therapy as a Remedy for Bell's Palsy Vitamin B12, B6 and zinc have been recommended for treating Bell's palsy as they encourage nerve growth. Vitamin B12, in particular, is popular with alternative therapists. A 1995 study from University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia found injected Vitamin B12 was better than steroids for treating Bell's palsy. Vitamin B12 can only be found in animal foods. Foods rich in Vitamin B12 include cooked clams (1648% of the daily recommended value), oysters (408%) and mussels (340%). Vitamins may also play a part in preventing Bell's palsy. Although the precise cause of Bell's palsy is unknown, keeping your immune system strong and healthy may help reduce your risk of experiencing the condition, according to advice from the UK’s National Health Service. Keeping your vitamin levels tip-top is one excellent way to boost your immune system. 3. Acupuncture is a Treatment for Bell's Palsy Can the ancient art of acupuncture treat your Bell's palsy? When combined with moxibustion (a form of traditional Chinese medicine), acupuncture was more effective in treating Bells palsy than a regular drugs treatment, according to a 2004 study from Chengdu University of TCM, Chengdu, China. However, a 2010 review of published trials by West China Hospital, Sichuan University, China concerning acupuncture’s potency failed to find any direct evidence of the therapy working. 4. Biofeedback Fights Bell's Palsy Biofeedback is a method of controlling the uncontrollable – biofeedback puts automatically-occurring bodily functions like heart rate and blood pressure within your conscious control with the aid of a biofeedback machine. The aim is to teach the unconscious system to act in the correct way when it comes to lowering pain, or reducing blood pressure. Some biofeedback machines can measure muscle tension and brain wave activity, which is where the therapy may come in useful for treating Bells palsy. 5. Botox is a Remedy for Bell's Palsy Not just for a pretty face, Botox may help reduce the severity of Bel'ls palsy symptoms. A 2007 study from Melbourne's Brain Research Institute, Australia found Botox along with facial exercise training helps rearrange damaged areas responsible for facial movements. Scientists looked at 20 sufferers for six months in order to assess the potential of Botox and came to the conclusion about its benefits. 6. Protect Your Eye if You Have Bell's Palsy When you suffer from Bells palsy you cannot fully close your eyelid and your eye is at risk of damage. Not to mention a permanently open eye can be painful and distressing. Try an eye patch or glasses to protect the eye until Bell's palsy is brought under control and sleep with your eye taped together to protect it until your eyelid becomes usable again. At regular moments throughout the day, use a clean finger to open and close your eyelid. This will help keep the eye moist. You can also use artificial tears or eye drops to counteract the dryness that comes from not being able to water your eye. 7. Could Turmeric Help Treat Bell's Palsy? Turmeric, the herb in the ginger family, may possess anti- inflammatory powers which in turn could make it an effective Bell's palsy treatment. Much of the speculation is based on turmeric containing curcumin, an antioxidant. However, specific research into turmeric’s effect on Bell's palsy needs to be completed before we can draw any firm conclusions. 8. Green-Lipped Muscles as a Bell's Palsy Treatment? On a similar note, the green-lipped muscle shows promise as an anti-inflammatory. Could chowing down on these Japanese appetizers help reduce Bell's palsy symptoms and lessen the condition’s duration? Again, further research is needed on the mollusk’s effectiveness for Bell's palsy specifically but one 2000 study from the University of California found it had greater potency in reducing inflammation than plants and fish oils currently used for this purpose. 9. Molybdenum Combats Bell's Palsy The trace mineral molybdenum – found in dark, leafy vegetables, legumes and whole grains – may not be a household name but it is being touted as a remedy for Bell’ s palsy among other conditions. Molybdenum comes in tablet and liquid form. 10. Physical Therapy Relieves Bell's Palsy Symptoms Massaging your face, gently manipulating the muscles and exercising your features on the advice of a physical therapist should help take away the symptoms of Bell's palsy, right? A 2011 review of research into facial exercise therapy by Universidade Estadual de Londrina-UEM, Londrina, Brazil said yes – researchers discovered this kind of movement therapy is effective for treating Bell's palsy. Relaxation techniques such as meditation and yoga may also help reduce muscle tension which can contribute to facial pain, plus help you deal with the stress caused by the sudden arrival of this condition. Related Links Shingles -Causes and Natural Remedies Ideal Breakfast to Prevent Stroke Stroke News Migraine Headaches-Causes and Top 10 Natural Remedies |
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| Clams are rich in Vitamin B12, which encourages nerve health and helps Bell's Palsy. |