• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• v.39 no.2
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• pp.139-144
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• 2022

Peripheral facial nerve palsy is a neurological condition/disease characterized by unilateral paralysis of the facial muscles. We report the effects of complex Korean medicine treatment in 2 patients diagnosed with Bell's palsy who developed symptoms 3-4 days following vaccination with ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 and who received oral steroids and antiviral medications. Complex Korean medicine treatments including acupuncture, electroacupuncture, bee venom acupuncture, cupping therapy, herbal medicine, and physical therapy were performed. Symptom improvement was evaluated daily using the Numerical Rating Scale, House-Brackmann Grade, and Yanagihara's Score. Patient 1 was hospitalized for 22 days and Patient 2 visited the outpatient clinic 20 times. In both cases, postauricular pain caused by Bell's palsy disappeared, and symptoms of facial paralysis improved following completion of treatment. These findings could suggest that combined Korean medicine treatment may improve symptoms of peripheral facial nerve palsy.

• Journal of Korean Medicine Rehabilitation
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.125-132
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• 2013

Objectives The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of acupuncture treatment with those of collaborative treatment regarding acute Bell's palsy. Methods Twenty-six patients who received outpatient treatment between March 2012 and February 2013 were divided into 2 groups. The East-West treatment group (EW group, n=12) received prednisolone and then acupuncture afterwards. The Eastern treatment group (E group, n=14) received just acupuncture. Acupuncture was administered 3 to 4 times a week, and both groups were educated to practice facial muscle exercises at home. Evaluations were made before treatment, after 1 week, 2 weeks, and 3 weeks using the House-Brackmann facial nerve grading system. Results Compared to before treatment, the House-Brackmann grades of both EW and E groups after 1, 2 and 3 weeks of treatment significantly decreased (p<0.05). Regarding group comparison, the House-Brackmann grade of the EW group was significantly lower than the E group at 1 week (p=0.043), but there was no significant difference at 2 and 3 weeks. Regarding improvement of House-Brackmann grades, there was no significant difference between the two groups at 1, 2 and 3 weeks (p>0.05). Conclusions Compared to just acupuncture treatment, collaborative treatment with prednisolone significantly improved the House-Brackmann grade after 1 week, but there was no difference as time passed. Because early intervention determines the prognosis of Bell's palsy, collaborative treatment at the early stage will be clinically helpful to patients.

• Journal of Korean Medicine Rehabilitation
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• v.33 no.2
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• pp.87-94
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• 2023

This study aims to demonstrate the effectiveness of facial chuna manual therapy in treating the sequelae of Bell's palsy. Four patients were treated with facial chuna manual therapy once a week for 4 weeks, consisting of facial muscle massage, acupoint pressure, contracture chuna, and synkinesis chuna. The changes in symptoms (contracture and sysnkinesis) were measured using the Sunnybrook Facial Grading Scale (SFGS), Synkinesis Assessment Questionnaire (SAQ), Facial Disability Index (FDI), Contracture/Synkinesis scale using a facial scanning system, Numeric Rating scale (NRS) for synkinesis or contracture, and Was It Worth It questionnaire. After treatments, SFGS, Contracture/Synkinesis scale, and NRS for synkinesis or contracture showed significant improvements. SFGS increased in three cases from 39~76 to 52~85 score. SAQ decreased in two cases from 53.33~57.78 to 40.00~55.56. FDI increased in three cases from 120~128 to 138~145. These results suggest that Korean medicine treatment, including facial chuna manual therapy can be effective in improving the sequelae of Bell's palsy.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.19-28
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• 2008

Objectives : The purpose of this study is to investigate the therapeutic effects of oriental medical treatment and oriental-western medical treatment on Bell's palsy. Methods : From 1st June, 2006 to 31th August, 2007, 30 Bell's palsy patients who visited the Facial palsy center at East-West Neo Medical Center within 7days of onset and treated for more than 4weeks were randomly divided into two groups. Group A was treated with oriental medical therapy(Acupuncture, Herb, Physical therapy) and Group B with both oriental and western medical therapy(Acupuncture, Herb, Physical therapy, Administration of prednisone). We evaluated the treatment effect of each group with the House-Brackmann Gross Grading System before treatment, after 1week, 2weeks, 3weeks and 4weeks of treatment. Results : After 1week of treatment, Group A showed better performance compared with Group B. After 3weeks and 4 weeks of treatment, Group B showed better performance than Group A. Conclusions : These results proved that combination treatment of oriental and western medicine was more effective than just oriental medical treatment in long term treatment of Bell's palsy. But we discovered that there were no significant differences between the two groups.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• v.30 no.5
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• pp.11-23
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• 2013

Objectives : The aim of this study was to explore the experiences of patients admitted for Bell's palsy in a Korean medicine hospital to identify whether admission is necessary and beneficial. Methods : A semi-structured interview was conducted on 9 patients who had experience in both the inpatient and the outpatient treatment for Bell's palsy. Their experiences from inception of first symptoms to admission into the Facial Palsy Center in Kyung Hee University Korean Medicine Hospital were interviewed along with their thoughts and feelings. The interviews took place after discharge home at a pre-scheduled date and time in a quiet room at the hospital between July 2013 and August 2013. The subjects were purposefully selected until saturation of information was met. Results : Nine participants were interviewed and patients' concerns and priorities were identified. At the acute stage, patients experienced anxiety and all of the female patients and one male patient felt embarrassed of their facial disfigurement. With time, the patients felt impatient of their symptoms and turned to Korean medicine for additional treatment. Providing psychological stability seemed to be an important factor for patients. Conclusions : This study provides insight into the experiences of patients with Bell's palsy, and is significantly the first ever qualitative report to focus on the patient's needs and concerns during admission care for symptoms of Bell's palsy. Admission care can provide many physical and psychological benefits for the patients especially during the acute stage.

• Journal of Pharmacopuncture
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• v.12 no.3
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• pp.81-88
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• 2009

Objective : This study was to report Bell's palsy patients with severe pain back of the ear treated by Bee Venom Pharmacopuncture therapy. Methods : The patients was treated by Bee Venom Pharmacopuncture therapy to relieve the severe pain back of the ear. Visual Analog Scale(VAS) was used as an outcome measurement. Results : After Bee Venom Pharmacopuncture therapy, VAS were decreased at all case. Conclusion : Bee Venom Pharmacopuncture therapy can be available for relieving severe pain back of the ear even inducing insomnia.

• Annals of Clinical Neurophysiology
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.117-120
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• 2005

Hemifacial spasm (HFS) may develop after Bell's palsy (BP). But it was not reported that contralateral HFS occurred simultaneously in acute BP. A 25-year-old woman admitted with left HFS occurred simultaneously in acute right BP for 6 days. Past, family, and social history were unremarkable. Nerve conduction studies (NCS) and blink reflex (BR) test showed bilateral facial neuropathies. Brain MRI and cerebral angiography were normal. The symptoms and signs of HFS and BP were improved slowly after acyclovir and prednisolone therapy. Follow-up serial NCS and BR also showed a rapid improvement.

• Journal of Haehwa Medicine
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.259-266
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• 2000

Facial nerve is subject to injury at any point in the course from the cerebral cortex to the motor end plate in the face, so many etiologic varieties of facial paralysis may be encountered, including trauma, viral infection and idiopathic. Author have reviewed the effect of electrodiagnostic test in Bell,s palsy. The electrodiagnostic test is helpful for estimating the prognosis of the Bell's palsy patient.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Laboratory Science
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• v.40 no.2
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• pp.142-146
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• 2008

Facial palsy is a general nerve disease which is occurred in a lateral incomplete or complete facial palsy. But it makes man restrict a social activity and so it is very important that we know the prognosis factors of a patient for medical care. We want to investigate the position and the patterns of the facial palsy according to sex and age. In this study, we performed the excitability test of the facial nerve on 103 patients (male 45 and female 58) which diagnosed as the Bell's palsy having an acute facial palsy, and the rate of the facial palsy was 42% (43 case) in right oculi and 58% (60 case) in left oculi. The facial palsy was appeared widely from young to elderly patients and especially, the rate of the facial palsy was high in age groups from 40 to 50.

• Annals of Clinical Neurophysiology
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• v.3 no.2
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• pp.122-127
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• 2001

Background : Bell's palsy(BP) is defined as an idiopathic peripheral facial paralysis of sudden onset and account more than 50% of facial paralysis. It's etiology is unclear, but herpes simplex virus type-1(HSV-1) has been the most suspicious causative agent of BP that ever been studied. We evaluated the effect of add-on acyclovir in acute stage of BP. Methods : Subject consisted of 35 patients who developed acute idiopathic unilateral facial nerve palsy(16 men and 19 women with age 9-78 years old). The treatments were started within 10 days after onset of BP. Facial nerve function was assessed by the House-Brackman facial nerve grading scale and facial nerve conduction study including blink reflex. Follow-up evaluation were made 2 month after onset. Twenty of 35 patients were treated with combined therapy of acyclovir and prednisone. As a control group, 15 patients were treated with prednisone only. We compared the improvement of neurologic defects at recovery phase. Results : Compared with two groups, difference in grading scale at recovery phase is statistically significant(p<0.01). So, acyclovir-prednisone group showed a significant improvement in grading scale at recovery phase compared with prednisone group. Conclusion : We identified the benefits of add-on acyclovir in the acute stage of BP.