Has anyone around you ever had the following situation: when you brush your teeth, water suddenly flows out of your mouth unconsciously, when you eat, you leak food, you don’t know what to eat, when you look in the mirror, you find that the two sides of your face are not the same, the corner of your mouth is crooked, your eyes can’t close, it’s difficult to raise your eyebrows, your face has no expression? Then he exclaims, “Ah, facial palsy! What is facial palsy? Facial palsy, also known as “crooked mouth” and “hanging wind”, is a disease characterized by motor dysfunction of the facial expression muscles. It is a common and frequent disease and is not limited by age. Why does facial palsy occur? There are various causes of facial palsy. Clinically, it can be divided into central facial neuritis and peripheral facial neuritis according to the site of damage. Central facial neuritis Central facial neuritis lesions are located in the cortical medullary tract between the facial nucleus and the cerebral cortex, usually caused by cerebrovascular disease, intracranial tumors, traumatic brain injury, inflammation, etc. 2, peripheral facial neuritis Peripheral facial neuritis lesions occur in the facial nucleus and facial nerve. The common causes of peripheral facial neuritis are: (1) infectious lesions, mostly caused by the activation of viruses latent in the sensory ganglia of the facial nerve; (2) otogenic diseases, such as otitis media; (3) autoimmune reactions; (4) tumors; (5) neurogenic; (6) traumatic; (7) poisoning, such as alcoholism, long-term exposure to toxic substances; (8) metabolic disorders, such as diabetes, vitamin deficiency; (9) vascular insufficiency; (10) congenital facial nerve nucleus The facial nerve nucleus is not fully developed. Facial palsy: What should I do if I have facial palsy? Many of the causes of facial palsy are still unknown, so facial palsy cannot be prevented in a targeted manner. The good news is that most patients heal spontaneously within 3 weeks after the onset of the disease, even if they do nothing. Only a small percentage of patients will have sequelae such as chronic taste loss and paroxysmal facial spasm, and some particularly unlucky patients may permanently lose their facial contracture function and have an impact on their lives. In addition, young people are more likely to heal naturally than older people. There is a lack of specific medications and therapies for facial palsy. The main therapies commonly used today are hormone therapy, antiviral therapy, and nerve nutrition with B vitamins. These methods have been proven to be effective in reducing symptoms and accelerating healing, but their effects are not very significant. Acupuncture and electroacupuncture treatments and facial exercises, which are widely used in China, may be effective, but there are no relevant studies to support them. There are also some controversial treatments such as electrotherapy, botulinum toxin injections, and surgical treatments, all of which are not highly recommended, except to say that they can be tried if all else fails. In addition, since facial palsy may lead to the loss of the ability to close the eyes, special attention should be paid to the protection of the eyes. Use artificial tears and eye ointment to keep the cornea moist, and also cover the eyes with a wet towel or eye mask at night while sleeping to prevent exposure keratitis.