Trigeminal Neuralgia

Conventional medicine

Trigeminal neuralgia causes a sudden, severe, electric shock-like, or spasm pain that lasts several seconds. The pain can be felt on the face, jaw and around the lips, eyes, nose, scalp, or forehead. Symptoms can be brought on when a person is brushing the teeth, touching the face, swallowing, grinding etc.

Trigeminal neuralgia can be treated with Oxcarbazepine /ɒks.kɑrˈbæz.ɨˌpiːn/. It is an anticonvulsant and mood-stabilizing drug, used primarily in the treatment of epilepsy. It is also used to treat anxiety and mood disorders, and benign motor tics, similar drugs, antiseizure drugs such as Tegretol (carbamazepine) or Neurontin (gabapentin). The medicationsKlonopin (clonazepam) and Depakote (divalproex sodium)

Acupuncture

Comparing with conventional medicine, acupuncture has advantage of no side effect, fast recover, lesser or no pain killer or antiseizure drugs.

The diagnosis mostly are Liver Stagnation, or Liver Fire. Patients normally has experienced stress, anxiety. The treatment principle is to cleanse Liver and smooth stagnation Channel to reduce pain. Recommend treatment daily, 30 minutes each day. Sometimes needle manipulation or electric stimulation for 10 minutes.

Treatment normally takes 10 visits per cycle. The first treatment like other pain management acupuncture, sometimes patient can feel more pain in the second day. However, pain will start reduce after the second treatment.

After recover, patients are advised not to be too stress, or face under direct cold or wind. Also be reminded that the Trigeminal Neuralgia can happen again under the similar previous situation. It can be in the same side or opposite side.

Neuro-Ophthalmological condition: eye disease, facial pain, light sensitivity and dry eye

Neuro-Ophthalmological condition: facial pain, light sensitivity and dry eye, thought a rare and poorly understood, it is a version of type 2 trigeminal neuralgia.

The impact on life is usually very severe even though patients have seeked many different treatments. After months of twice a week treatment, conditions normally can be improved remarkably. Instead of being homebound, regular work and living can be acheived. Patients need to have regular acupuncture visits and take herbal suplement.