Zak Acupuncture | Acupuncture for trigeminal neuralgia | Chinese acupuncturist in Bristol And London

This website does not provide specific medical advice and the information provided should not be used as a substitute for seeking medical advice from a registered health practitioner.

Trigeminal neuralgia means trigeminal nerve distribution areas of paroxysmal recurring short intense pain. Its clinical manifestations are : sudden attack like lightning, severe short-term pain, like a knife-like nature, the tunnel-like gill, or tear means of a fire like kind. Often no sign of attack, which strictly limited to the trigeminal nerve feeling disclaimer region. The pain lasted just a few seconds to 1 ~ 2 minutes, and can lead to the ipsilateral facial twitch reflex. More pain to the side, often facial movements or facial touch a certain point (called "plate-point" or "trigger point") evoked. Acupuncture treatment of trigeminal neuralgia the long-term effect, usually more consolidation. If relapse, treatment can be effective. Given the current primary trigeminal neuralgia modern medicine also lacks an effective without the side effects of treatment, acupuncture therapy of the disease is clearly based tackled opened a new avenue.

Body acupuncture
     Points
     Main Points : Yuyao, Sibai, Xiaguan.
     Points allocation : Jiachengjiang.
     Treatment
     I support pain from Yuyao. Acupuncture : Yuyao diagonally from the bottom piercing 0.3 to 0.5-inch, to be electrified needle flu-like send the eyes and forehead, Lifting 20 ~ 50.
     Ⅱ pain from Sibai. Acupuncture : From above Sibai oblique angle of about 45 degrees into the needle. Prickly 0.5 to 0.8-inch, to be electrified needle-like flu spread on the upper lip and teeth and other places, repeatedly mentioning inserted 20 to 50 times.
     II and III or III-branch pain from Xiaguan. Acupuncture : piercing needle into about 1.5 inches deep, electrified needle-like tongue flu spread to other places or mandible, Lifting 20 ~ 50. If Xiaguan treatment ineffective available from Jiachengjiang. Acupuncture : From Jiachengjiang forward ramp below about 30 degrees into the needle, piercing 0.5-inch, to be electrified needle-like flu spread to the lower lip, Lifting 20 ~ 50.
     The above points and the affected were admitted. Failure to obtain the required needle flu, should carefully adjust the direction and depth of acupuncture, until satisfied. A general meeting the next day, 10 times as a course of treatment. Severe disease conditions, under the circumstances, a daily meeting.

Prescription: Hegu (LI 4) ; Taiyang (EX-HN 5 ), Cuanzhu (BL 2) and Yangbai (GB 14) for pain of the first branch; Sibai (ST 2), Yingxiang (LI 20) and 0uanliao (SI 18) for pain of the second branch; Xiaguan (ST 7), Da-ying (ST 5) and Jiachengjiang (Ext.) for pain of the third branch.

Modification: For wind attacking the meridians, Waiguan (TE 15) and Fengchi (GB 20) are added; for up-ward adverse flow of liver and stomach fire, Taichong (LR 3) and Neiting (ST 44) are added; for consumption of qi and blood as well as stagnation in the vessels and me-ridians, Sanyinjiao (SP 6), Zusanli (ST 36) and Geshu (BL 17) are added.

Performance: Local selection of acupoints is made according to the pathological conditions. Twirling and ro-tating or mild reinforcing and reducing needling tech-niques are used. Hegu (LI 4) is needled with reducing needling technique; Sanyinjiao (SP 6 ) and Zusanli ( ST 36) are needled with reinforcing needling technique with the addition of moxibustion; Geshu (BL 17 ) is needled with mild reinforcing and reducing needling techniques. The manipulative techniques for the local acupoints should be mild, while the manipulative techniques for the distal acupoints should be drastic. The needles are retained for 30 minutes or for 1 hour for severe cases and manipulated several times at intervals according to the pathological conditions. The needling is done once a day or once every other day for patients with chronic disease or weak consti-tution.

Trigeminal Neuralgia is a pain that is described as among the most acute known to mankind. It is also known as tic douloureux. It is a chronic pain condition that causes extreme, sporadic, sudden burning or shock-like face pain that lasts anywhere from a few seconds to as long as 2 minutes per episode. The condition is characterized by pain often accompanied by a brief facial spasm or tic. Pain distribution is unilateral and follows the sensory distribution of cranial nerve V, typically radiating to the maxillary (V2) or mandibular (V3) area. If you have trigeminal neuralgia, attacks of such pain are frequent and can often seem unbearable. These painful attacks can be spontaneous, but they may also be provoked by even mild stimulation of your face, including brushing your teeth, shaving or putting on makeup. Trigeminal neuralgia is considered by many to be among the most painful of conditions and has been labeled the suicide disease, due to the significant numbers of people taking their own lives because they were unable to have their pain controlled with medications or surgery.

Trigeminal neuralgia affects the trigeminal nerve, one of the largest nerves in the head. There is some evidence that the disorder runs in families, perhaps because of an inherited pattern of blood vessel formation. It usually occurs after the age of 70 and is unusual in anyone under the age of 50. Although sometimes debilitating, the disorder is not life-threatening. It is a disorder of the trigeminal nerve, which is the fifth and largest cranial nerve. The pain of trigeminal neuralgia may occur in a fairly small area of your face, or it may spread rapidly over a wider area. A less common form of the disorder called "Atypical Trigeminal Neuralgia" may cause less intense, constant, dull burning or aching pain, sometimes with occasional electric shock-like stabs. It affects women three times more frequently than men. This condition may also occur in younger people with multiple sclerosis. Two to four percent of patients with TN, usually younger, have evidence of multiple sclerosis, which may damage either the trigeminal nerve or other related parts of the brain.

The cause of the pain usually is due to contact between a normal artery or vein and the trigeminal nerve at the base of your brain.

Physical nerve damage or stress may be the initial trigger for trigeminal neuralgia.

Sometimes, the cause of trigeminal neuralgia is a blood vessel or small tumor pressing on the nerve.

Disorders such as multiple sclerosis (an inflammatory disease affecting the brain and spinal cord), certain forms of arthritis, and diabetes (high blood sugar) may also cause trigeminal neuralgia, but a cause is not always identified.

Increased sensitivity of the skin or numbness of the affected skin area (feeling similar to a local anesthetic, such as a Novocaine shot).

An attack of trigeminal neuralgia can last from a few seconds to about a minute.

Impaired function of affected body part due to pain, or muscle weakness due to motor nerve damage.

Mild over-the-counter analgesics such as aspirin, acetaminophen, or ibuprofen may be helpful for mild pain. Narcotic analgesics such as codeine may be needed for a short time to control severe pain.

Doctors may sometimes prescribe other medications, such as lamotrignine (Lamictal) or gabapentin (Neurontin).

Pain may be treated long-term with an opioid such as methadone in some patients, but due to the nature of the neuralgia, traditional analgesics typically have negligible effect.

Pain specialists use invasive therapy, including nerve blocks as well as nerve destruction, and nerve decompression techniques, to treat trigeminal neuralgia

If medication fails to relieve pain or produces intolerable side effects such as excess fatigue, surgical treatment may be recommended.

When your back went out of whack, you blamed it on spring cleaning, an entire weekend of hauling boxes from the attic to the basement. And when your knees knocked with pain, you could trace it to that afternoon you spent crawling around your garden planting petunias. But what could make your face hurt? In reality, just about anything. Facial pain has a variety of causes. Your face may hurt because of a sinus infection, a dental problem, a migraine, an allergy, or stress. Food additives such as monosodium glutamate (MSG) can trigger facial pain as well. Because such a wide array of underlying problems can produce facial pain, zeroing in on the exact cause usually require the help of a doctor. However, here are some tips that you can consider to adopt to relieve your pain.

1. Stave Off Stress

Stress does not cause facial pain, but it can make it worse. Consider learning relaxation technique that you can use during tense times such as meditation, visualization, or yoga.

2. Hit The Spot

You can also relieve a muscle spasm by applying gentle pressure in the area of the facial nerve. The point is located at the jaw point, just in front of each ear and right below the cheekbone. You can feel it when you open and close your mouth. Steadily press the point on the affected side with your finger for 1 to 2 minutes, keeping your mouth closed. Repeat as often as necessary.

3. Make Nice With Ice

Massage the affected area with a cold pack or a plastic bag filled with ice cubes until the area is numb. For pain in your forehead, apply ice to the back of your neck, just below your skull. For pain across your face, apply the ice just above your jawbone. Lay a thin towel over the affected area so that the ice does not make direct contact with your skin. Limit your treatment sessions to no more than 10 minutes of every hour. Leaving the ice on longer than that could make the pain worse.

4. Pick A Painkiller

A nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) can provide relief, especially if you have trigeminal neuralgia. Try an over-the-counter medication such as aspirin or ibuprofen.

5. Give Peas A Chance

If you do not have a cold pack handy or you are out of ice cubes, use a bag of frozen peas instead. The bag will adapt to the contours of your face.

6. Treat Yourself To A Mini-massage

Pain in your forehead may originate in the back of your neck. Massaging the back of your neck, just below your skull, may bring relief.

7. Heal With Heat

If muscle tightness is causing your discomfort, apply moist heat such as a warm towel to the painful area for about 15 minutes at a time. You can do this five to six times a day.

Can Acupuncture help post-herpetic neuralgia?

New England School of Acupuncture of USA released a research about it,their conclusion is further studies are warranted to further explore these observations of a possible effect of acupuncture on both atrial fibrillation and post-herpetic neuralgia.

So,there are still not clear about it...

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Reference:Acupunct Med. 2008 Mar;26(1):51-6.

Occipital neuralgia is very common problem in clinic,Most of case can lead to headache and vision change,so treatment of occipital neuralgia become more and more important for practitioners.

New research from Chinese medicine hospital in Guangzhou showed: Acupuncture plus acupoint-injection is effective for greater occipital neuralgia, better than the routine western medication.(1)

In my persional opinion,Acupuncture can help circulation of occipital nerves and lead to relive inflammation,that's main reason of acupuncture works. Medication can help symptoms but this results seems temporary.

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(1)J Tradit Chin Med. 2008 Sep;28(3):175-7.

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Patient have so far been to every doctor for his migraines, which come from his neck under the base of his skull. he had mri's of his brain, sinuses and next he's going for his neck. He went this week to a physiatrist. He started pinching patient skin on patient back to patient neck and it was getting very red. He said he wasn't not even touching me hard and there is something going on with my nerves and muscles. He felt patient neck and pressed on the exact spots where he get the pain which leads to his migraines. He then said ok well you can either go get acupuncture or hometherapy. Then said patient can get an MRI but don't really need it! ....

Zak said:It sounds like what you're describing is soft tissue injuries in the neck, which can become worse over time and lead to occipital nerves pain.Occipital neuralgia is very common problem in clinic,Most of case can lead to headache and vision change,so treatment of occipital neuralgia become more and more important for practitioners.

New research showed: Deeply needling local acupoints plus acupuncture at distal acupoints along the Hand and Foot-Yangming Channels can increase significantly the therapeutic effect on trigeminal neuralgia(1)

According to Zak's experience,deep acupuncture mostly can get better results than general acupuncture on treatment of trigeminal neuragia....
So I think relive inflammation around trigeminal nerves is why deep acupuncture (Zak acupuncture)works for it.NOT general acupuncture

What's your opinion?

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(1)Zhongguo Zhen Jiu. 2005 Aug;25(8):549-50.

Trigeminal neuralgia or tic douloureux is sometimes described as the most excruciating pain known to humanity. The pain typically involves the lower face and jaw, although sometimes it affects the area around the nose and above the eye. This intense, stabbing, electric shock-like pain is caused by irritation of the trigeminal nerve, which sends branches to the forehead, cheek, and lower jaw. It is usually limited to one side of the face.