Bell's Palsy: Managing to Save Face

Written by Gary Cordingley


What could be more central to our sense of self than our faces? So imagine what it would be like to watch powerlessly while half your face progressively droops like melted wax. That's what happens in Bell's palsy.

Bell's palsy is a condition causing weakness or even total paralysis ofrepparttar muscles on one side ofrepparttar 138484 face, typically developing over 3-72 hours. It can occur at any age and affectsrepparttar 138485 genders about equally. People with diabetes and depressed immune systems are at increased risk of having this condition, as are women inrepparttar 138486 third trimester of pregnancy. Bell's palsy affects about 11 out of 1000 people sometime during their lives.

The problem lies withinrepparttar 138487 facial nerve, also known asrepparttar 138488 seventh cranial nerve. The nerve is like a telephone-cable and contains thousands of individual nerve-fibers. There are two facial nerves, one for each side ofrepparttar 138489 face, and by farrepparttar 138490 most common pattern is that one side ofrepparttar 138491 face is affected and notrepparttar 138492 other.

The facial nerve ultimately connectsrepparttar 138493 brainstem (junction betweenrepparttar 138494 upper brain and spinal cord located atrepparttar 138495 base ofrepparttar 138496 skull) torepparttar 138497 muscles ofrepparttar 138498 face. Alongrepparttar 138499 way it travels through a narrow canal inrepparttar 138500 skull bone. After exiting this canal nearrepparttar 138501 bottom ofrepparttar 138502 ear it divides into thousands of tiny branches before reachingrepparttar 138503 facial muscles.

In Bell's palsyrepparttar 138504 portion ofrepparttar 138505 nerve withinrepparttar 138506 skull's bony canal becomes inflamed for unclear reasons, though an infection with herpes simplex virus (the same virus that causes cold sores) is suspected in most cases. The condition is not contagious.

Becauserepparttar 138507 bony canal is rigid and narrow,repparttar 138508 swollen nerve-bundle has little room to expand, and compression ofrepparttar 138509 nerve-fibers can further injure them and cause more loss of muscle function. MRI scans ofrepparttar 138510 head can detectrepparttar 138511 inflammation, but only if gadolinium (the MRI-equivalent of x-ray dye) is infused into a vein prior to scanning.

The weakness inrepparttar 138512 lower facial muscles produces a lop-sided smile. Patients sometimes mis-identifyrepparttar 138513 side of their face that is affected: they focus onrepparttar 138514 side ofrepparttar 138515 face that is "drawn" rather than onrepparttar 138516 side that lacksrepparttar 138517 ability to draw. Weakness inrepparttar 138518 lower face also interferes with talking, eating and drinking, and beverages can dribble fromrepparttar 138519 corner ofrepparttar 138520 mouth. Weakness ofrepparttar 138521 upper face causes flattening of forehead-wrinkles and inability to raise an eyebrow.

Butrepparttar 138522 most significant problem is weakness inrepparttar 138523 muscles that closerepparttar 138524 eye, including those involved in blinking. Blinking—like other things we take for granted until they're gone—is an underappreciated but important activity that cleanses and moistensrepparttar 138525 front ofrepparttar 138526 eyeball. So people with Bell's palsy experience dryness and irritation ofrepparttar 138527 eye onrepparttar 138528 side ofrepparttar 138529 weakness. As a result, they try to blink even more frequently, but end up blinkingrepparttar 138530 unaffected eye more thanrepparttar 138531 eye that really needs it.

Other symptoms include pain in or behind an ear in about halfrepparttar 138532 cases. Pain usually fades withinrepparttar 138533 first 1-2 weeks ofrepparttar 138534 illness. Because branches ofrepparttar 138535 facial nerve modifyrepparttar 138536 senses of hearing and taste, patients can also notice excessive loudness of sounds, and foods might not taste as they should.

Hyperventilation – Anxiety & Panic

Written by Joanne King


I have written in past articles about shortness of breath. Hyperventilation is somewhat different to shortness of breath. Let me explain.

Shortness of breath is shallow short quick breaths. Hyperventilation is quick “deep” breaths. The biggest cause of hyperventilation is anxiety. Of course there can be other underlying causes; an emotional outburst can cause hyperventilation.

I experienced hyperventilation a few times in my anxiety and panic days and I can assurerepparttar experience is quite frightening. It was usually triggered by a thought, often in fear that I was unable to breathe.

Inrepparttar 138483 old days hyperventilation was treated withrepparttar 138484 old “paper bag” trick. In some places this method is still practiced. I have read many contradicting arguments onrepparttar 138485 “paper bag” method and personally I just prefer not to use nor recommend this method to anyone.

I do have a much simpler method of calming hyperventilation down and it doesn’t require carrying anything around.

Now first off, if you arerepparttar 138486 person witnessing someone hyperventilate, try to reassure and comfortrepparttar 138487 patient. If you can removerepparttar 138488 “fear” or anxious” provoking thing, do so. I have a mate that is absolutely petrified of cockroaches, every time she would see one she would begin screaming and hyperventilate. Simple fix, I’d removerepparttar 138489 cockroach from her sight.

Cont'd on page 2 ==>
 
ImproveHomeLife.com © 2005
Terms of Use