Signs or Symptoms

Acute paralysis or weakness on one side of your face Facial droop and difficulty with facial expressions

Facial stiffness

Pain behind or in front of your ear

Headaches

Loss of taste on the front of your tongue

Changes in your production of tears and saliva

Description

Bell’s palsy is a weakness, or paralysis, of the muscles that control expression on one side of your face. This results from damage to a facial nerve, one of which runs beneath each ear, near your jaw joint, to the muscles on the same side of your face.

Causes

The cause of Bell’s palsy is unknown although many times credited to an infection of the nerve

Standard treatment

The standard treatment is to prescribe a corticosteroid medication and to give time for the nerve to heal.

AK Approach

The nerve that is involved exits the skull near the jaw joint. Imbalances in the bones of the skull or contractions in the muscles of the jaw can cause excessive pressure on this nerve and lead to this condition. Testing is done to determine if there are any imbalances in the motion of the cranial bones or in the functioning of the muscles where the nerve exits. If these are found, very specific corrections are done to remove this stress. Nutritional testing is done to ascertain if there are imbalances that would speed the healing of the nerve.