Reflexology treatment for trigeminal neuralgia

Patients with trigeminal neuralgia may suffer from a sudden onset of severe paroxysmal, spastic, cutting or pricking pain over the innervating areas of the trigeminal nerve, including forehead, upper and lower lips, and nasal or orbital region. At the beginning, the duration of the attack is short and the interval between attacks is long, and then the duration is gradually prolonged and the frequency and severity of attacks are gradually increased. The attacks are often induced by emotional distress, cold or hot stimulation, chewing food, washing the face, brushing the teeth or speaking.
    
Differential diagnosis: Patients whose symptoms are caused by wind and cold pathogens may suffer from paroxysmal attacks of pain aggravated by cold stimulation and "alleviated by heat, pale complexion, edema of face, pale tongue with white coating, and tense pulse. Patients with fire pathogens in liver and stomach may suffer from burning pain on face, flushed face, red eyes with much eye residue, restlessness, anger, thirst, constipation, yellow and dry tongue coating, and wiry and rapid pulse. And patients with qi deficiency and blood stagnation may suffer from repeated attacks of facial pain over some years, pathological leanness of body, shallow breath, no desire to speak, aggravation of attacks after fatigue, red tongue with scanty coating, and thready and weak pulse.
    
Treatment:
Foot massage: The massage is applied to head (1), frontal sinus (2), liver (18), stomach (15), kidney (22), eye (8), ear (9), palate (47) and lower jaw (46) reflecting areas (Fig. 71).
   
Foot acupuncture:
1) Meridianal acupoints: At Lidui (ST 45), Jiexi (ST 41), Chongyang (ST42), Xiaxi (GB 43), Taixi (KI3), Xingjian (LR2), a moderate reducing technique is applied and the needles are retained for 20 minutes.

2) Foot acupoints: A moderate twisting stimulation is applied at Face (FA-P 4) acupoint for all patients with trigeminal neuralgia, and Liver (FA-P 9) and Stomach (FA-P 8) acupoints are added for patients with fire pathogens in liver and stomach. Moxibustion after acupuncture is applied to patients attacked by wind and cold pathogens.