Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine is an effective treatment for Bell's Palsy and can significantly decrease the time needed for recovery.

Bell's palsy is a paralysis of the facial nerve (the 7th cranial nerve). This results in the inability to control facial muscles. Although this condition is in itself relatively harmless there are several serious conditions can also cause facial paralysis and a thorough medical diagnosis is essential before beginning any kind of treatment. It is suspected that 'idiopathic' Bells Palsy (i.e. when there is no known cause) is an inflammatory condition, possibly caused by the herpes simplex virus. The conventional approach to treatment is to prescribe anti-inflammatory and anti-viral drugs (e.g. prednisone and acyclovir) though the efficacy of this treatment is controversial.

When it is established that facial paralysis is 'idiopathic', acupuncture is a good treatment option. To treat Bells Palsy, as with any condition, it is important to take a thorough case history to establish and differentiate the 'pattern' of the illness along Traditional Chinese Medicine lines. It is then possible to use acupuncture, moxibustion, herbal medicine to relieve symptoms and speed-up recovery.

In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), Bell's Palsy is often attributed to wind-cold attacking the Liver, Gall Bladder and Stomach, Large Intestine meridians in the face, resulting in stagnation of Qi and blood and facial paralysis. Therefore, treatment often includes points on these channels both locally (i.e. on the face) and distally (further along the same meridians, on the hands for example)