The following article presents the very latest information on Bell's Palsy. If you have a particular interest in Bell's, then this informative article is required reading.

Bell's palsy develops as a result of damage or trauma to the facial nerves, likely from inflammation in response to a virus. Facial nerves lie on either side of the face, and typically Bell's palsy affects only one side. Doctors suspect that most cases are caused by a viral infection such as herpes simplex (cold sore virus) or viral meningitis. Bell's palsy has also been associated with influenza, Lyme disease, headaches, high blood pressure, chronic middle ear infection and trauma, and occurs more frequently in people with diabetes, pregnant women and elderly people with reduced immune function.

The symptoms of Bell's palsy usually come on suddenly and peak within 48 hours. They range in severity from person to person, but can be painful and distressing. The eye on the affected side of the face cannot close completely, a corner of the mouth droops and there may be difficulties with simple everyday tasks such as speaking and eating. Similar to when you get procaine (Novocaine) at the dentist's office, you may not be able to prevent yourself from drooling. Other symptoms include facial weakness, twitching, pain around the jaw or behind the ear, headache, loss of taste, ringing in one or both ears and sensitivity to sound on the affected side.

COPING WITH BELL'S PALSY

Some cases of Bell's palsy are mild, and symptoms soon pass on their own without treatment. In fact, most people experience significant improvement within two weeks, and recover completely in three to six months. Frustratingly for sufferers, there is no specific laboratory test to diagnose Bell's palsy and no standard course of treatment. However, Dr. Cordingley emphasizes that it is still important to see your physician in order to rule out other causes of facial paralysis. If you live in a part of the country where Lyme disease is common, you should get tested -- and if necessary, treated for it.

Despite limited evidence of their utility, doctors' current best guess for treatment of Bell's palsy continues to be steroids along with the antiviral drug acyclovir. Dr. Cordingley acknowledges that theoretically these both make sense, since steroids help control inflammation and acyclovir fights certain viral infections. However, randomized, controlled trials of the drugs failed to show benefit for the treated groups, and then there are the side effects. I mentioned those of steroids already, and acyclovir is not much better. Its possible side effects include upset stomach, vomiting, diarrhea, dizziness, fatigue, agitation, hair loss and vision changes.

WHAT YOU CAN DO

To ease your discomfort and prevent complications of Bell's palsy, there are a number of options beyond steroids...

The information about bell's presented here will do one of two things: either it will reinforce what you know about bell's or it will teach you something new. Both are good outcomes.

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