Liang, male, 39 years old, date of visit: 2021-01-18
Main Complaint: Facial paralysis for 1 week.
Present Illness:The patient reports that one week ago, after drinking and being exposed to cold wind, he experienced disappearance of the right forehead lines, disappearance of the nasolabial fold, slight pain in the right ear, right eye closure revealing 3mm of white, water leakage while drinking, and the mouth corner tilting to the left, with normal taste sensation. No numbness or weakness in limbs, no transient blackouts, no headache or vomiting. An MRI of the brain at another hospital showed no abnormalities, diagnosed as:“Peripheral Facial Nerve Paralysis”, treated with “Mecobalamin, Vitamin B1” and other medications (details unspecified) with no significant improvement, thus he came for consultation.
Past medical history: Generally healthy.
Physical Examination: Tongue dark, white coating, pulse wiry and thin. Right facial area slightly hard on palpation, significant tenderness at Fengchi (GB20) and Yifeng (SJ17).
Diagnosis: Facial deviation – Wind Cold Invading the Collaterals
Prescription:
1. Wind Egg Therapy (on the affected side of the face)
2. Acupuncture treatment: bilateral Fengchi (GB20), Yifeng (SJ17), Xiakong (PC8), Taichong (LR3), Taixi (KD3), Zusanli (ST36), Sanyinjiao (SP6), Waiguan (SJ5), left Hegu (LI4), right Qianzheng (SI17), Qianliao (ST3), Yingxiang (LI20), Dicang (ST4), Chengjiang (CV24), Yangbai (GB14).
3. Mild moxibustion on bilateral Zusanli (ST36) and bilateral Yongquan (KD1).
After treatment on the same day, the patient was able to close his eyes, right ear pain disappeared, and the forehead lines and nasolabial folds were slightly more pronounced than before. Continued treatment with Wind Egg combined with acupuncture daily, by the third treatment, the forehead lines were symmetrical, the affected side’s eye blinked naturally, the nasolabial folds were symmetrical, but there was still a slight left deviation of the right lip. After three more treatments, it returned to normal, and the patient was advised to avoid wind and cold, and to adjust diet and emotions.
Commentary
Why did the patient respond so quickly? In addition to acupuncture unblocking the meridians, dispersing wind and expelling evil, alleviating facial nerve edema, it is also related to the use of Wind Egg to quickly expel wind evil.
“Facial deviation” is a term in traditional Chinese medicine, equivalent to modern medicine’s facial nerve paralysis. The “Treatise on the Origins and Symptoms of Various Diseases – Facial Deviation” states: “Facial deviation is due to deficiency of the body receiving wind, with wind entering the muscles around the mouth.”
The muscles of the foot Yangming channel are involved, and when they are deficient, wind can invade, causing the meridians to become tense and unregulated, leading to facial deviation. It can be seen that the ancients believed this condition was often due to vacuity of the collaterals and invasion by wind.
Traditional Chinese medicine holds that: “When the righteous qi is present within, evil cannot invade.” This means that if one’s resistance is strong, even if there are adverse external factors, one can remain safe.
From the patient’s tongue diagnosis, before treatment, the patient’s tongue edges were red, with a thin yellow coating, indicating deficiency of liver yin and liver qi stagnation transforming into heat. The patient had been staying up late for a long time, darkly consuming liver blood, and during the night drank alcohol which generated dampness and heat, stirring up internal wind, indicating that the patient’s internal wind was caused by staying up late and drinking.
The onset of the patient coincided with the beginning of 2021, a time when, according to the Five Movements and Six Qi, the wind is particularly strong, making the body prone to kidney essence deficiency and internal wind movement. Many sensitive individuals have already experienced symptoms such as difficulty bending finger joints, muscle twitching, itchy skin, night sweats, insomnia, and abdominal distension and pain.
Facial paralysis is also a manifestation of the patient’s internal wind, and it was precisely the external wind that triggered the internal wind on that windy night after drinking, thus expelling wind was particularly important in the patient’s treatment process.
“Wind Egg Therapy” is a folk treatment method from the Guangxi region, where eggs are boiled in medicinal liquid, the yolk is removed, and the egg is rolled back and forth over the affected area, having effects ofexpelling wind, dispersing evil, and unblocking the meridians.
Traditional Chinese medicine believes that chicken eggs are sweet and neutral, entering the spleen and stomach meridians. “The chicken belongs to the metal of the rooster, also known as the wood of the xun, possessing the qi of metal and wood…” (from “Bencao Sibian Lu”)
The xun hexagram symbolizes wind, and eggs share the same nature as wind, matching with the wood element of the five elements. According to the principle of “taking images and comparing categories,” similar qi seeks each other, and when hot eggs roll over the affected facial area, they warm and open the meridians, drawing out wind evil to the surface.
Acupuncture treatment was carried out after Wind Egg Therapy, combining distal and proximal points, selecting Fengchi (GB20) and Yifeng (SJ17) to further disperse wind evil, and local points to unblock the meridians. Distal points included Zusanli (ST36), Sanyinjiao (SP6), and Taixi (KD3), supplementing both pre-natal and post-natal qi and blood to resist external evils.
The foot Shaoyang Gallbladder channel’s Jing point Xiakong (PC8) and the foot Jueyin Liver channel’s Shu point Taichong (LR3) extinguish wind and relieve pain; Waiguan (SJ5) is the meeting point of the hand Shaoyang Yangwei channel, and is the Luo point of the hand Shaoyang Sanjiao channel, which connects the Yangqi of the body and governs the exterior, can connect qi and blood, tonify Yang and benefit qi. “Facial and mouth points are treated on the opposite side,” selecting the Hegu (LI4) point on the opposite side reflects the principle of “treating the left disease on the right side.”
【Further Education】
How is Silver Egg Therapy used for Facial Beauty?
Folk medicine believes: “Eggs are the premise of life, the most spiritual substance, through contact with human skin, they can absorb toxins from the body, and the nature of these toxins can be reflected in the color change of the silver coin.”
What magical reactions can occur when silver and eggs are combined?
Let’s take a look together!
Doctor’s Introduction
Liao Ting
Attending physician, Master of Medicine. Member of the Traditional Chinese Medicine Preventive Medicine Professional Committee of the Guangxi Traditional Chinese Medicine Association, trained under Professor Xie Sheng, a renowned TCM physician in Guangxi. Skilled in combining traditional Chinese medicine and acupuncture to treat internal diseases, especially digestive system diseases, obesity, gynecological disorders, etc. Also has in-depth research on special acupuncture techniques such as “over-eye heat, piercing heat, closing method” and aspects like Five Movements and Six Qi, constitution identification, and dietary guidance. Participated in two national natural science foundation projects and published seven related papers.Consultation hours: Monday to Friday all day, Saturday morning, Monday evening (19:00-22:00)
Chen Shu
Physician, Master of Medicine, member of the Guangxi Acupuncture Association. Skilled in using acupuncture, cupping, and other external treatment methods of traditional Chinese medicine, combined with herbal medicine, dietary therapy, and psychological counseling to regulate constitution, manage sub-health populations, and treat pain syndromes, psychological disorders, skin diseases, and common internal diseases.Consultation hours: Monday to Friday all day, Saturday morning, Monday evening (19:00-22:00)
▌Appointment and Online Consultation Methods
WeChat Appointment: Scan the QR code below
Text: Liao Ting, Chen Shu
Video: Guangxi Satellite TV “Bai Shou Tan Mi” program
Editor: Zhao Neng
Review: Ban Xia
