1. Discuss Medication Options with Your Healthcare Practitioner
Many people recover from Bell's Palsy without pharmaco-intervention, but your physician may recommend a course of oral corticosteroids to decrease nerve aggravation and help you heal more quickly. Most experts believe that the treatment has a greater chance of success when you begin no more than a week after symptoms surface. While short-term steroid side effects are usually mild, be sure to discuss drug contraindications with your doctor. Remember to follow your prescription instructions carefully, since prednisone and other steroids must be started and finished gradually. Some physicians choose to prescribe antiviral medications like acyclovir, famciclovir or valacyclovir to stop the speedy replication of herpes and other viruses that may cause facial nerve irritation in Bell's Palsy patients. They may also opt to prescribe prednisone and antivirals together, hoping the steroids will calm nerve compression while the antivirals kill harmful infections.
2. Protect the Affected Eye
Since most Bell's Palsy patients experience total or partial facial numbness, they may not be able to close their eyes. It's important to wear dark glasses to protect your eyes outside, and to patch your affected eye to keep out bacteria, dirt and dust. Since you may not be able to blink, your pupils will quickly dry out. Apply saline drops regularly to moisten and soothe the affected pupil, and ask your physician for an eye ointment to keep your eyeball from drying out at night. Wash your hands thoroughly and manually blink your eye with your fingers throughout the day. This keeps foreign matter at bay while moisturizing the eye.
3. Exercise and Massage the Facial Muscles
You may experience moderate discomfort with Bell's Palsy, and some patients agree that exercise and massage help reduce pain caused by nerve compression. Sit in front of a mirror to observe changes as you exercise. Begin by scrunching up your face tightly, then slowly releasing the muscles. Wrinkle your nose, raise your eyebrows, smile and open your mouth widely. Practice your repertoire of distorted facial expressions regularly to release muscle tension. Avoid becoming frustrated if you don't notice any movement, since it can take weeks--or even months--for Bell's Palsy symptoms to improve or vanish. Don't overdo these exercises, however. Work the muscles gently, since the primary purpose of the exercises is to maintain the brain-to-nerve-to-muscle connection--not give your face the ultimate workout. After washing your face, gently massage a moisturizer into your skin. You may feel some mild discomfort when you first begin, but it generally decreases as your hands become warm and the muscles relax. While there is no permanent benefit to this, it improves your blood flow, helps skin remain supple and helps you to relax.
4. Practice Relaxation Techniques
Since there is some research that indicates Bell's Palsy is linked to stress, many health practitioners urge patients to develop a relaxation practice. Whether you prefer to work out, garden, meditate, do yoga or practice deep breathing, it is important to set aside time for yourself to focus on something besides your medical condition. Remember, Bell's Palsy is generally temporary, and most patients experience a full recovery of facial movement, eye function and nerve feeling. Relaxation is a powerful antidote to tension and has also been found to improve immune function--which may help combat Bell's Palsy and other medical conditions.
