Introduction
Sudden facial paralysis where one side of your face droops and won’t move. Every time you look in the mirror you feel anxious, and if food falls out of your mouth when eating, it’s really frustrating. In traditional medicine, facial paralysis is seen as a disruption in the circulation of Qi (氣) and Blood (血), and stimulating specific acupoints helps restore nerve function. This article explains five effective acupoints for facial paralysis and self-acupressure techniques.
Five Acupoints Effective for Facial Paralysis
1. Yifeng — TE17
Location: Located in the depression between the mastoid process (bone behind the ear) and the lower jaw border. Place your finger behind the ear and push down; the point where the bone becomes hollow is Yifeng.
Benefits: A major treatment point for facial nerve paralysis. By stimulating the facial nerves and muscles, it promotes functional recovery of paralyzed muscles, improves blood circulation, and reduces inflammation. It also alleviates tinnitus and hearing loss symptoms around the ear.
Acupressure technique: Find the Yifeng point with your thumb tip, then slowly massage it in circular motions or press it vertically for about 1-2 minutes. Start with gentle pressure and gradually increase the intensity. Perform 2-3 times daily, preferably 30 minutes after meals.
2. Sizhukong — TE23
Location: Located in the depression at the outer end of the eyebrow. Use your index fingers on both hands to simultaneously find both outer eyebrow ends.
Benefits: By stimulating the facial nerve distribution area, it relieves muscle stiffness around the eyes caused by facial paralysis and restores eye-blinking function. It’s also effective for alleviating headaches and migraines, while loosening muscle tension around the neck.
Acupressure technique: Find Sizhukong with both index fingers simultaneously, then slowly press and massage in circular motions for about 10-15 seconds. Don’t apply painful pressure; you should feel a slight dull sensation. Repeat 3-5 times daily.
3. Yangbai — GB14
Location: Located directly above the pupil, on the forehead about 1 cun (approximately 3cm) above the eyebrow. When looking straight ahead with eyes open, place your finger on the pupil and move up about 1-2cm.
Benefits: An important acupoint for the facial nerve, it relieves muscle tension in the face and improves nerve signal transmission. It alleviates eye fatigue and discomfort from elevated eye pressure, and helps reduce forehead wrinkles. It’s particularly effective at balancing the facial muscles distorted by facial paralysis.
Acupressure technique: Find Yangbai with both index or middle fingers, then slowly press for about 1-2 minutes. Don’t press too hard; start with about 60% pressure. Perform 2-3 times daily, in the morning and evening.
4. Yuyao — EX-HN4
Location: Located directly above the pupil, in the central area of the eyebrow. It’s about 1-2cm toward the inner side (toward the nose) of Yangbai. Find the depression in the central area above both eyebrows.
Benefits: An extra point outside the primary meridians, it activates nerve signals in the facial and head areas. By directly stimulating the eye area muscles paralyzed by facial paralysis, it promotes recovery and improves the eye-blinking reflex.
Acupressure technique: Press Yuyao with both index fingers simultaneously, applying slow, deep pressure for about 1 minute. You may feel slight discomfort at first, but adjust the pressure as you become accustomed. Perform 2-3 times daily, maintaining pressure for about 1-2 minutes each time.
5. Dicang — ST4
Location: Located about 0.4 cun (approximately 1-1.2cm) outside the corner of the mouth. Find the depression below the cheekbone with the mouth corner as the center.
Benefits: By directly stimulating the nerves around the mouth, it restores the drooping mouth corners and improves food dripping caused by facial paralysis. It promotes saliva secretion to maintain oral health and reduces facial swelling.
Acupressure technique: Find Dicang outside the mouth corners with both index or middle fingers, then massage in circular motions or press gently for about 1-2 minutes. It’s more effective if you repeatedly open and close your mouth slightly while applying acupressure. Perform 3-5 times daily, especially before and after meals.
5-Minute Self-Care Routine
Morning routine (3 minutes): After cleansing your face with warm water, perform in this order: Dicang (30 seconds) → Yuyao (1 minute) → Yifeng (1 minute) → Yangbai (30 seconds).
Evening routine (2 minutes): 30 minutes before sleep, perform acupressure in this order: Yifeng (1 minute) → Sizhukong (1 minute).
Tips: Before acupressure, warm your fingers by soaking them in warm water to improve blood circulation. Perform all acupressure with consistent, comfortable pressure, and reduce intensity if you feel pain. Recovery is faster if you begin within the first three months of facial paralysis onset.
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