There are three types of stroke.

Ischemic stroke occurs when the brain artery was blocked by a blood clot.

Hemorrhagic stroke occurs when a blood vessel bursts or ruptures.

Transient Ischemic Attack (TIA) is a temporary disruption of blood flow to the brain that doesn’t cause permanent damage.

Symptoms of a stroke often appear without warning

• confusion, including trouble with speaking and understanding
• a headache, possibly with altered consciousness or vomiting
• numbness or inability to move parts of the face, arm, or leg, particularly on one side of the body
• vision problems in one or both eyes
• trouble walking, including dizziness and lack of co-ordination
• bladder or bowel control problems
• depression
• pain in the hands and feet that gets worse with movement and temperature changes
• paralysis or weakness on one or both sides of the body
• trouble controlling or expressing emotions

If you think someone may be having a stroke, act F.A.S.T. and do the following simple test:

F—Face dropping: Ask the person to smile. Does one side of the face droop?

A—Arm weakness: Ask the person to raise both arms. Does one arm drift downward?

S—Speech difficult: Ask the person to repeat a simple phrase. Is the speech slurred or strange?

T—Time to call 911: If you see any of these signs, call 9-1-1 right away.

The faster a person with suspected stroke receives medical attention, the better their prognosis will be, and the less likely they will be to experience permanent damage or death.

Bell’s Palsy is usually a one-side facial paralysis condition. It could occur when some facial nerves damaged  by some virus attacks such as herpes virus, shingles virus etc. Patients may find one side  facial droop,the affected eye not able to close completely,  saliva and tear production changes, and the sense of taste changes.

Acupuncture has been known as one of the most efficient treatments for acute stroke, post-stroke and facial paralysis rehabilitation in China for decades.

Acupuncture could improve the following symptoms from stroke and facial paralysis:

• general motor function
• stiffness 
• cognition
• dysphagia
• speech problems/aphasia
• post-stroke depression
• urinary incontinence
• constipation
• dry eyes
• blurry vision
• pains
• etc

For stroke rehabilitation, it is believe the earlier the acupuncture treatment starts, the quick and  better consequence the patient would get.

For acute stroke, the acupuncture treatment  could begin right after the patient’s vital signs stable.