Trigeminal neuralgia When the facial nerve hurts
“This is the most severe pain I’ve ever had,” “The pain shoots like lightning down one side of my face,” “When the pain comes, my eyes water.”
This or something similar is how people with trigeminal neuralgia experience their distressing nerve pain.
A branch of the trigeminal nerve, the three-part cranial nerve whose branches supply the face, is affected. Usually the shooting nerve pain lasts for a few seconds, rarely up to two minutes. The pain of trigeminal neuralgia is one of the most severe pains of all. The pain attack may be followed by redness or secretion from the lacrimal, nasal and salivary glands.
To date, the actual causes of trigeminal neuralgia are unknown, but attacks can be triggered by touching the cold.
How does Vedic Medicine view trigeminal neuralgia?
Trigeminal neuralgia from an Ayurvedic point of view
According to the Maharishi Ayurveda approach, trigeminal neuralgia starts with the loss of natural balance.
Metabolic residues and toxins, called “ama” in Ayurveda, are constantly produced – due to our way of life – which, in the case of trigeminal neuralgia, irritate a branch of the tripartite cranial nerve. Poor quality food does not provide the body with enough nutrients to protect the nerve sheaths of the nerve fibers from degradation.
However, according to Ayurveda, no two patients are alike and so every trigeminal neuralgia is different. The Ayurvedic approach in our clinic is based on holism.
What can Ayurveda do for you?
In Vedic medicine, trigeminal neuralgia is addressed by combining various treatments into a multi-faceted approach adapted to your individual situation, as determined in a comprehensive diagnosis by one of our physicians.
An integrated approach
Increasingly, patients are finding that conventional therapies alone are not enough.
They recognize that the path to recovery must take place at all levels. For example, in the case of trigeminal neuralgia, the focus can be on the elimination of toxins or the strengthening of the nervous system. It is important to bring the natural regulatory principles back into a necessary balance. Dietary recommendations, helpful exercises as well as special herbal mixtures – all put together especially for you – help you to lead a more conscious lifestyle. So that your natural self-healing powers can effectively mitigate the attacks of trigeminal neuralgia.
