Park Won-sang, director of Gwanghwa Mosaeng Oriental Medicine Hospital
| [사진설명] Park Won-sang, director of Gwanghwa Mosaeng Oriental Medicine Hospital |
In the hot and humid summer, one of the things we recommend to elderly patients is immunity. This is because the high humidity makes it easy for bacteria to multiply and the body’s immunity is also lowered in hot weather.
Since the immune system acts as a kind of protective film to protect our body, various problems occur when the immune function is lowered. Guan wasa, which is common among the elderly, is one of them. Guanwasa, as the name suggests, is a disease in which the mouth and eyes are crooked.
Peripheral facial nerve palsy, which is often caused by virus penetration, is called oropharyngeal palsy, and is characterized by tremor under the eyes or muscle spasms around the lips in the early stages of symptoms. As symptoms progress, the face may feel stiff, and it may be difficult to blink or even wrinkle the forehead.
Guanwasa treatment has a golden time, so it is recommended to receive treatment within 3 to 4 days of symptom onset. If the treatment time is missed, sequelae such as unintentional joint movements or loss of taste may remain, such as closing the eyes when opening the mouth. Therefore, if you suspect oropharyngeal pain due to cramps, numbness, or pain in the face, it is important to visit a nearby medical institution and receive professional treatment as soon as possible.
In this case, oriental medicine treatment can be a good option. This is because it not only relieves stiffness of facial muscles, but also raises immunity and fundamentally solves the cause of oral wasta. This can also be seen through the high preference of patients. In fact, according to data from the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service last year, 95,323 patients with facial nerve palsy received oriental medicine treatment, more than those who received medical treatment.
As such, oriental treatment, which is highly preferred by patients with facial nerve palsy, is carried out through an integrated oriental treatment including acupuncture treatment and herbal medicine prescription centered on facial chuna therapy (SJS non-resistance therapy). Facial Chuna Therapy is a treatment developed independently by Jaseng Oriental Medical Hospital to professionally treat facial nerve palsy, and is effective in correcting crooked facial muscles. The oriental doctor gently pushes and pulls the facial muscles, corrects them and retrains the nerve muscles. Then, acupuncture treatment is performed to stimulate the damaged facial muscles and nerves and help restore function. In addition to this, the treatment effect can be increased if a prescription of herbal medicines that help restore facial nerve and muscle function, such as Wasahae Pyo-tang, are combined.
In particular, the efficacy of Wasahae Pyo-tang in the treatment of facial nerve palsy has been scientifically proven. According to a research paper published in the SCI (E)-level international academic journal ‘Journal of Inflammation Research’ by Jaseng Oriental Hospital Spine and Joint Research Institute, the extract of ‘Taekran’, the main herbal medicine of ‘Wasahae Pyo-tang’, activates nerve regeneration factors to damage nerves. has been shown to alleviate
Maintaining your immune system is also important. This is because fatigue accumulation as well as high temperature and high humidity environment is the main cause of weakening of immunity. To manage this, it is good to have a regular sleeping habit. Get enough sleep for 7-8 hours and wake up at a set time.
For seniors, treatment and management are more important as the sequelae of oropharyngeal disease can be severe due to aging of the facial nerve. In the hot summer, try to manage your immunity to avoid exposure to various diseases, and if you have symptoms of guanwasa, use the strengths of oriental medicine to quickly overcome them and return to your daily life.
Reporter Lee Yong-gwon
