For individuals who suffer with Bell’s Palsy, there is an increasingly greater incidence of suffering from a long term condition known as neuralgia. While neuralgia can affect anyone, those who suffer from conditions such as Bell’s Palsy will realize a greater risk for developing this complex condition.
Neuralgia is simply defines as a cyclical pain, ranging from tingling to electric-type shock, through the head and neck. For some individuals these throbbing nerve pains can last many seconds or may go one for days and weeks. With underlying causes attributed to injury or infection, if you are experiencing this type of pain along the head and neck, it is important to seek out medical attention, even if you suffer from Bell’s Palsy.
When seeking medical attention, your healthcare professional should run a CT scan or MRI to rule out the underlying cause of the neuralgia as related to a tumor or an impingement of an artery. When no underlying factor can be found, the physician will speculate the condition is the result of TMJ or your Bell’s Palsy and, as a result, provide the appropriate treatment to alleviate the nerve pain.
To treat neuralgia, there are a variety of options in terms of prescription medications commonly used to treat neuropathic pain. As an alternative, or a supplement, to traditional medicine, you may also want to consider alternative medicinal options.
B-complex vitamins can significantly improve nerve health and, in most cases, can be obtained orally or through regular dietary modifications. In addition to B-complex vitamins, the use of flaxseed oil may also help to reduce inflammation when suffering from neuralgia.
The potent formula of capsicum, the ingredient that gives peppers their hot properties, can also be effective especially when used as a capsaicin cream. This, along with natural products such as St. John’s Wort, can be purchased at a local health food store and provide some additional options for remedying the nerve pain.
For individuals who suffer from neuralgia, associated with Bell’s Palsy, the pain may linger on for many months, leaving the patient to feel frustrated and losing valuable time in enjoying life due to the overwhelming pain. Using prescription neuropathic medications, along with these natural remedies, most Bell’s Palsy patients report a management of the nerve pain symptoms while the healing process continues. However, this is not to say that in every case recovery is expected as there are many who will suffer with neuralgia for the remainder of their lives.
