Patient's question:
These days, the weather has been hot, and the constant blowing of air conditioning has caused my body to feel a bit stiff, with symptoms of facial paralysis.Doctor's answer:
It could be Bell's palsy, which is a condition where the facial nerve is paralyzed. Common causes include exposure to cold air from fans or drafts during summer. Some patients may experience a sense of fatigue and low spirits before the onset, with half of their face becoming numb, drooping eyelids, and intermittent pain behind the ear. Many patients also notice that after eating hot pot or being directly exposed to air conditioning or fans, they wake up the next morning to find their mouth drooling and, upon looking in the mirror, observe symptoms of a crooked mouth and eyes. When these symptoms reappear, it is usually a sign that Bell's palsy is about to occur.In clinical diagnosis, the commonly used medications are to stabilize local blood circulation in the early stage, completely eliminate facial nerve edema, and provide nutrition to the facial nerve. These treatments are then combined with traditional Chinese medicine acupuncture, infrared therapy, and medium-frequency electrotherapy. In the later stages, the expressive function can be significantly improved with these combined therapies.