Imagine, if you will, feeling a bit of numbness around your mouth. Go to the mirror and the shock of your life. Half of your face is drooping, your lower eye is a gap from the eye socket. Your eyebrow is hanging down, and you have no creases left anywhere on that side of your face.
Try to get a few words out to call out a loved one and all your words are slurred.
Your first worry is a stroke ... that's what it looks like, that's what it feels like.
Panic sets in and your shortly discover it's not heart related ... the doc tells you it is your facial nerve that has basically "seized up". He doesn't know the cause, no one does. He doesn't know a treatment, no one does. And, he tells your that it could last days, weeks, even up to six months.
It happened to a friend of mine. Some of the problems I wouldn't have dreamed of. For example, he has to wear an eye patch to prevent wind and dust from hurting his eye. While the dropping of his mouth and cheek are dramatic, it's far more dramatic when you see the entire face. The eye patch helps ... it sort of hides a bit of the nerve damage.
My research went into over drive. I needed to help find a treatment for my friend.
I discovered that one of the treatments that I take could have benefit with Bell's Palsy. That is, Hemp Seed Oil with Beta Caryophyllene. Well, mainly Beta Caryophyllene.
Beta Caryophyllene is a sesqui-terpene. It has a long list of benefits including anti-inflammatory, anti-virus, anti-fungus, immune boosting, uplifts the mood, helps minimize and/or eliminate pain, helps with sleep, and more.
I mixed up a batch of Hemp Seed Oil with a light amount of Beta Caryophyllene. I also mixed up a batch of Beta Caryophyllene in a bottle dropper to use with herbal teas at bedtime.
My friend tried it out and within 24 hours we noticed a marked improvement in his Bell's Palsy symptoms. The droop lessened. The skin tightened a bit. Far more significant a change than the previous 2 1/2 months.
More research and found a reference to a treatment that involved massaging the area with a mix of essential oils in a carrier base.
The reference was about a real life situation where a wife helped her husband by mixing a batch of four essential oils in a base of jojoba oil. I researched each of the essential oils and determined two of the essential oils were a poor choice for this particular treatment. The other two, however, were spot on.
We mixed up a batch in a tablespoon of jojobo oil using three drops of frankincense essential oil, and two drops of peppermint essential oil. The next day was even more significant improvements.
That same night, we decided to try using the mix of hemp seed oil and beta caryophyllene massaged into the neck line. You see, beta caryophyllene is a sesqui-terpene and crosses the blood brain barrier. I figured the best way to do that would be to massage the mix at the base of the neck, closest to the spinal cord. I figured the mix would be absorbed into the body and wend its way into the brain. There, the benefits of anti-inflammatory, anti-virus, anti-fungus, etc would have benefit in the brain (and eye, face, etc).
My friend decides to massage the neck area with the Jojoba Oil with essential oils instead.
At this point, I need to remind that we are using Hemp Seed Oil mixed with Beta Caryophyllene (ingested), Jojoba oil with Frankincense Essential Oil and Peppermint Essential Oil (massaged onto affected Bell's Palsy area) . Plus, now massaging the neck area too.
All came to a head this morning. And some tears. The eye is nearly back to normal. The droop is dramatically improved. The mouth area droop is dramatically improved. Much easier to talk. Much easier to eat and drink. Plus, my friend reports no headache, improved sense of well being and some optimism. He also reports that infection material from his eye is nearly completely gone. The tears are from his spouse, thrilled to finally see some significant changes.
More research from me. I discover that both Frankincense Essential Oil and Peppermint Essential Oil are both high in sesqui-terpenes and cross the blood brain barrier.
Wow, I'm trying it myself now.
The purpose of this article, though, is to offer some optimism to anyone affliceted by Bell's Palsy. It seems it is more common than I knew about. I had only heard about it once before, but never to anyone close. This time it's real, it's affecting a close friend.
Beta Caryophyllene is a sesqui-terpene that cannot be taken by itself. I mix it with Hemp Seed Oil – OR – take it with an herbal tea. With an herbal tea: put the tea bag (I use chamommille tea) in a cup and add four drops directly on the tea bag. Then pour hot water and let it steep (about 5 minutes), then drink.
The essential oils cannot be ingested and cannot be applied directly, They need a carrier oil. My friend used jojoba oil, but you can also use coconut oil, sweet almond oil, or anything else you are comfortable using to massage on your skin. We used one tablespoon in a small plastic cup and added three drops of Frankincense Essential Oil and two drops of Peppermint Essential Oil.
Please keep in mind that I am not offering medical advice. Only my own experiences. I urge you to discuss this and any other treatment with your doctor BEFORE trying it out.