Needles, Herbs and Electricity: A Meta-Analysis of Traditional Eastern Medicine in the Management of Facial Paralysis

In Eastern nations, interventions like acupuncture and herbal medicine are often first-line for patients presenting with facial paralysis. Despite the rising popularity of Eastern medicine in Western nations, literature assessing whether Eastern medicine interventions should be recommended for patients with facial paralysis is lacking. This meta-analysis aims to define what Eastern medicine interventions exist for the management of facial paralysis and assess whether current research supports these approaches as safe and effective. The Pubmed and Cochrane databases were reviewed in accordance with PRISMA guidelines. Inclusion criteria consisted of peer-reviewed studies published between 2000 and 2023 that reported on Eastern medicine, i.e. “complementary” or “alternative” interventions for facial paralysis. Effective and cured rates were the primary outcomes extracted from the literature. Interventions within these studies were categorized into 6 groups: 1. Standard acupuncture, 2. Special needle therapies, 3. Needle therapy + other alternative treatments, 4. Herbal medicine, 5. Alternative treatments + Western medicine, and 6. Western medicine alone. A multiple treatment meta-analysis was performed to assess differences in effective and cured rates. Fifteen studies involving Eastern medicine for the treatment of facial paralysis met inclusion criteria. No significant differences were found in effective and cured rates across groups. Multiple quality concerns were noted, such as the lack of control groups, blinding, and randomization noted in several studies. Many studies failed to report complications, preventing conclusions from being drawn on the safety of these Eastern medicine interventions. This meta-analysis was unable to support the recommendation of Eastern medicine approaches for patients with facial paralysis. No Eastern medicine treatments, combination of Eastern medicine treatments, or Eastern medicine treatments given with Western medicine were seen to be more effective than Western medicine alone.

Publication History

Received: 10 January 2024

Accepted after revision: 26 March 2024

Accepted Manuscript online:
27 March 2024