Chinese medicine is often considered the grey area of medical science; for a significant number suffering from Bell’s Palsy however, it turned out to be the number one answer to their problems.
Bell’s Palsy is a type of viral facial paralysis. Usually affecting one side of the face, the causes are usually an infection that causes inflammation in the nerves. Whilst most are given a steroid as a means of helping it, some sufferers need an extra leg-up with vitamins, painkillers and physical therapy. Although the symptoms and effects are temporary, it can be very temperamental and often leaves the sufferer feeling very uncomfortable.
However, when attention was drawn into the Chinese acupuncture known as “De Qi”, it showed vast improvements of the illness – by six months, the symptoms of Bell’s Palsy had more or less vanished.
De Qi is a method of acupuncture that revolves around the pins being gently wiggled against the skin, rather than just being left alone. It is the art of manipulating the body’s senses of aching, coolness, warmth, and tingling, of which signify the body’s positive reaction to the therapy.
Although it is difficult to determine whether the method improves Bell’s Palsy more than conventional means, it cannot be denied that the therapy improves the patient’s mentality.
What if it actually worked?
In researching De Qi at at Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital, it was suggested that the needles may be able to improve the problem by increasing the blood flow to the face, which can carry nutrients towards the source of discomfort easier. It suggests that this improves the recovery rate of the patient.
Chinese medicine is an elusive snake in the medical field – whilst it rarely does harm to anyone, the manner of which it can improve lives is very difficult to pinpoint. In comparison with clinical medicine, De Qi is complex and difficult to pin down, since it is difficult to quantify, if not to understand unless you are a practitioner.
If it helps its patients however, the benefits will likely outweigh the doubts. The question is, in what way?
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