Management of acute Bell’s palsy (~Ardita) associated with hypertension through Ayurveda: A case report

Bell’s palsy is an isolated, unilateral, peripheral, lower motor neuron facial nerve paralysis. The acute stage presents as facial asymmetry, muscle weakness and twitching, drooping of the eyelids, etc. Globally, its incidence ranges from 15 to 40/100,000 population/year. In Ayurveda, the Bell’s palsy can be correlated with Ardita (~facial paralysis) based on signs and symptoms such as deviation of the angle of the mouth, decreased activity of ipsilateral side of eyes, difficulty in chewing and watering of eye. A 46-year-old male patient presented with complaints of weakness on the left side of the face, deviation of the mouth toward the right side, incomplete closure of the left eyelid, difficulty in chewing food, and watering of the left eye for the past five days and was diagnosed as acute Bell’s palsy. The patient was managed with Ayurveda interventions including Nasya (~medication through nasal route) and Talam (~medicated paste on the crown or forehead) along with oral Ayurveda medications for 14 days. There was marked improvement in symptoms, such as watering of eyes and facial asymmetry. Moreover, the disease severity on House-Brackmann Facial Nerve Grading Scale reduced from Grade V to Grade I after treatment. The patient was asymptomatic at 15 days of follow-up, and there was no reoccurrence till 30 days of follow-up. Thus, it can be inferred that Ayurvedic interventions provide promising outcomes in the management of acute Bell’s palsy on outpatient basis, without any long-term hospitalization. Furthermore, the case in its acute stage can be timely managed without disease progression or future complications or recurrence.