Facial Pain Like a Knife
TCM Treatment for Trigeminal Neuralgia
Precise Acupuncture Point Selection · Chinese Herbal Medicine Dispelling Wind and Cold · Pain Relieved When Qi and Blood Flow Freely
WhatsApp to book now🖼️ Image Placement: Please insert an AI-generated image — Patients experience knife-like or burning pain in the face, which SYT Wellness Chinese medicine practitioners treat with professional acupuncture.
Causes of Trigeminal Neuralgia
The trigeminal nerve is the thickest sensory nerve in the face, widely distributed across various facial skin regions, controlling sensory functions of the face, mouth, and nasal cavity. When a patient experiences brief, paroxysmal, lightning-like severe facial pain, modern medicine calls it trigeminal neuralgia.
Traditional Chinese Medicine believes that the fundamental cause of this condition is insufficient vital energy and invasion by external wind-cold. The cold evil invades both sides of the face, leading to blockage of local meridians and impeded circulation of qi and blood. "Where there is blockage, there is pain," thus triggering paroxysmal, severe facial pain.
This condition is more common in adults, with more female than male patients, especially after middle age. If not treated promptly, the frequency and severity of attacks may gradually worsen.
Clinical Manifestations and Triggering Factors
During an attack of trigeminal neuralgia, patients experience sudden, knife-like, needle-prick, or burning pain in the face. The affected side of the face often has reflex muscle spasms, and the pain is often unbearable, preventing patients from carrying out normal daily activities.
The following daily activities and factors can trigger pain attacks:
Each attack lasts from a few seconds to about a minute, but multiple attacks can occur in a day, severely impacting the patient's quality of life and ability to eat. Specific trigger points exist on the facial skin and oral mucosa of the affected side. These are called "Ashu points" in TCM and "trigger points" in Western medicine. Touching them immediately causes pain, so patients often avoid touching the affected side of their face.
TCM Treatment Methods
SYT Wellness Chinese medicine practitioners use a comprehensive treatment plan of acupuncture combined with Chinese herbal medicine. Based on the distribution of each branch of the trigeminal nerve, they differentiate syndromes and select precise acupoints to unblock facial qi and blood, combined with wind-expelling and cold-dispersing Chinese herbs. This dual approach from both internal and external aspects improves the condition, treating both the symptoms and the root cause.
1. Acupuncture Treatment
According to the locations of the three branches of the trigeminal nerve, different acupoints are selected for precise unblocking of facial meridians, promoting the flow of qi and blood to achieve the effect of "no pain where there is flow." Combined with local treatment at Ashu points, it directly targets the affected area and effectively relieves pain.
2. Chinese Herbal Medicine Treatment
Based on the patient's individual constitution and condition, Chinese herbal medicine that expels wind and cold, invigorates blood and unblocks collaterals, and relieves pain is prescribed. This regulates vital energy internally, enhances disease resistance, treats both symptoms and root cause, and effectively prevents recurrence of trigeminal neuralgia.
Acupuncture for facial pain mainly targets points such as Zanzhu, Yangbai, and Hegu.
Acupoint Selection Details
Based on the distribution of the three branches of the trigeminal nerve, Chinese medicine practitioners use the following acupoints:
(Ophthalmic)
(Maxillary)
(Mandibular)
✳️ Actual acupoint selection is determined by SYT Wellness registered Chinese medicine practitioners based on individual conditions. The above is for reference only.
Warm Tips — Daily Care Recommendations
During TCM treatment, proper daily care can effectively enhance therapeutic effects, reduce the frequency of attacks, and accelerate recovery.
Get more rest and stay warm, avoiding cold exposure. When going out, cover your face, especially in cold or windy weather, to prevent cold wind from directly hitting your face.
Avoid irritating foods such as shrimp, crab, spicy foods, cold drinks, and alcohol, to prevent aggravating inflammation and triggering pain attacks.
Do more "strengthening exercises" to boost your physical constitution, enhance vital energy, regulate immune function, and fundamentally prevent recurrence of trigeminal neuralgia.
Frequently Asked Questions
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