Bell's Palsy Recovery Series: Causes, Symptoms & Recovery

This may be where you are right now, but it isn’t where your story ends.

Yesterday your tongue felt weird in your mouth, your eye kept watering and your face felt tingly.  Today you woke up and half of your face was drooping and you weren’t able to move it.  Your first thought is immediately that you are having a stroke.  You go to the hospital and they run a lot of tests.  You are scared and uncertain.  Why is this happening?  The doctor comes back with your test results and thankfully you aren’t having a stroke.  But they tell you that you have something called Bell’s Palsy.

Bell’s Palsy can be frightening, one day your face moves normally, and the next, part of it feels frozen.  When suffering from Bell’s Palsy, muscles on one side of your face suddenly become weak or paralyzed.  It usually happens as a result from the facial nerves getting inflamed or irritated, often after some type of viral infection.  This year, we’ve been seeing a lot of tick related facial paralysis.

It is usually considered a temporary condition, with 85% of people recovering within 3 months.  However, we see a lot of people here at South Shore Acupuncture and Wellness that have been suffering from Bell’s Palsy for many years.  We even see people that, although considered as “recovered,” they are still left with some lingering weakness or asymmetry that is exacerbated by occasional flair ups. At our clinic, we use acupuncture, ATP Resonance BioTherapy®, and 03 Therapy to help accelerate nerve recovery and restore function naturally.

This post kicked off our Bell’s Palsy Recovery Series. Over the next several weeks, we explored the physical, emotional, and practical sides of recovery. As well as the holistic therapies that can help along the way. See the full series linked below:

Next Post: Supporting Faster Nerve Recovery in Bell's Palsy Recovery

The Emotional Impact of Sudden Facial Paralysis
Bell’s Palsy & Ticks — What’s the Real Relationship?
How to Smile Again — Literally and Emotionally
Managing Discomfort and Eye Irritation After Bell’s Palsy
When Progress Feels Slow: Resolving Residual Weakness in Bell’s Palsy
The First 72 Hours After Bell’s Palsy Onset
When Someone You Love Has Bell's Palsy