Objective: To observe therapeutic effects of acupuncture at different opportunities on peripheral facial paralysis.
Methods: Fifty-two cases were randomly divided into a treatment group (n=28) and a control group (n=24). The treatment group at the acute stage (1-10 days) were treated with acupuncture at Dicang (ST 4), Jiache (ST 6), Yangbai (GB 14), etc., with less than 4 points selected on the face and with shallow puncture, and 10 days later electroacupuncture were added at acupoints selected routinely; the control group were treated with the same methods as the treatment group but acupuncture was not given at the acute stage.
Results: The cured rate of 78.6% in the treatment group was significantly higher than 50.0% in the control group (P < 0.05).
Conclusion: Early acupuncture is a key for achieving the best therapeutic effect on facial paralysis.