Bones & Joints
Bell's Palsy (Facial Palsy)
Bell's palsy responds to B12 (1,000 mcg daily), calcium (2,000 mg), magnesium (800 mg), flaxseed oil (2 tablespoons daily), warm wet compresses twice daily, charcoal poultices overnight, and protective eye care on the affected side — while avoiding cold drafts across the face at night.
Also known as: facial palsy, facial nerve palsy, idiopathic facial paralysis, peripheral facial palsy, lesion (definition: abnormal area of damaged tissue)
📝 At a glance
Likely root causes: Viral infection attacking the facial nerve (most common cause).; A chilling of the face during sleep (cold air draft on the face while the body is covered).; Injury or irritation of a sensory nerve root..
First thing to try: This is the most important specific nutrient for nerve repair in Bell's palsy.
See a doctor if: See a doctor if symptoms are severe, persistent, or worsening, or if you are unsure — natural supports are meant to complement, not replace, professional care.
🔎 Start with the cause
Lasting relief rarely comes from covering a symptom. First find what is feeding the problem, change what you can, and then help the body do what it was designed to do — heal.
Likely root causes
- Viral infection attacking the facial nerve (most common cause).
- A chilling of the face during sleep (cold air draft on the face while the body is covered).
- Injury or irritation of a sensory nerve root.
- Decayed tooth putting pressure on the nerve.
- Following a respiratory infection.
- More common in meat-eaters; rare in vegetarians.
- Most common between ages 20-40.
Change what you can
- This is the most important specific nutrient for nerve repair in Bell's palsy.
- Supporting minerals: Calcium (2,000 mg per day), magnesium (800 mg per day).
- Flaxseed oil: Take 2 tablespoons daily for essential fatty acids to support nerve healing.
- Warm compresses: Apply warm, wet washcloths to the affected side of the face twice a day for 20 minutes each time.
- Follow with gentle massage, moving upward and backward.
- Night protection: Make sure no cold air draft is blowing directly on your uncovered face during sleep — this may have caused or can worsen the palsy.
- Charcoal poultices: Apply charcoal poultices over the weakened nerve area at night.
- Maintain a low-salt diet to reduce fluid accumulation around the nerve.
- Eye care: If the affected eye cannot close, apply pure water to it 4 times daily to keep it moist and free from dust.
- Wear sunglasses to reduce evaporation.
- Occasionally close the eye manually with your finger to rest it.
- Wear an eye patch at night to protect it from drying.
- Facial exercises: As the muscles begin to function again, practice before a mirror: wrinkle the forehead, close the affected eye, purse the lips, move the mouth side to side, blow out the cheeks, try to whistle.
🌿 Then assist nature: remedies & protocols
With the cause being addressed, these are the actual things people do for this — ranked by the community. Vote ▲ on what helped you and ▼ on what didn't, and open How to do it for the steps. Each shows two quick signals: Evidence (how much science backs it) and Gentleness (how safe and in keeping with whole, natural health).
★ Start here — our first-line pick, pinned for safety
Start here alongside prompt medical evaluation — Bell's palsy needs a doctor's exam right away to rule out stroke, and this gentle routine supports comfort and eye safety during recovery.
How to do it ▾
Why it works: Warmth increases local blood flow to the facial muscles and may ease stiffness, while protecting an eye that cannot fully close prevents dryness and injury to the cornea during recovery.
- Apply a warm, wet washcloth to the affected side of the face for about 20 minutes, twice a day.
- Follow each compress with gentle upward and backward massage of the cheek and forehead.
- If the eye on the affected side cannot close fully, use plain saline eye drops 4 times a day to keep it moist.
- Wear sunglasses outdoors to reduce evaporation from the eye, and use a soft eye patch at night.
- Avoid letting cold air blow directly on the uncovered face while sleeping.
20 minutes per compress session · 2 times a day for compresses; eye drops 4 times a day as needed
Caution: Bell's palsy can look like a stroke — sudden facial drooping with arm weakness, leg weakness, slurred speech, or severe headache is a medical emergency, not something to treat at home first. If the eye cannot close, skipping eye protection can allow the cornea to dry out and become damaged, so do not delay this care. Do not apply the compress so hot that it burns or reddens the skin — warm, not scalding.
When to get help: Seek emergency care immediately for sudden facial weakness accompanied by arm or leg weakness, trouble speaking, confusion, or severe headache, since these can signal a stroke rather than Bell's palsy.
Source: Traditional home health guide
Comments & experiences ▾
Also helps — ranked by the community (vote to reorder)
A supportive nutrition pattern alongside medical care and the gentle compress routine, not a substitute for evaluation.
How to do it ▾
Why it works: B vitamins support healthy nerve function and essential fatty acids are part of the fatty covering (myelin) that insulates nerves, so a nutrient-rich diet may support the body's own repair process.
- Build meals around whole grains, legumes, and plenty of vegetables for a steady supply of B vitamins.
- Add 1-2 tablespoons of ground flaxseed or flaxseed oil daily for essential fatty acids.
- Keep added salt modest, since excess sodium can contribute to fluid retention.
- Talk with a doctor about whether a B12 supplement is appropriate, especially if you eat little or no animal products.
- Stay consistent with this pattern for several weeks, since nerve healing takes time.
Ongoing daily eating pattern · Every day during recovery
Caution: Do not take high-dose vitamin supplements without a doctor's guidance, since some can interact with medications or cause side effects at high amounts. This diet supports general nerve health but has not been shown to speed Bell's palsy recovery specifically, so keep expectations realistic.
When to get help: Seek emergency care immediately for sudden facial weakness with arm or leg weakness, slurred speech, or severe headache.
Source: Traditional home health guide
Comments & experiences ▾
This may help once some movement has returned, alongside continued medical follow-up.
How to do it ▾
Why it works: As the facial nerve heals, repeated gentle movement in front of a mirror gives the brain visual feedback that may help coordinate the return of voluntary muscle control.
- Sit in front of a mirror in good light once the muscles begin to show any movement.
- Practice slowly wrinkling the forehead, then relaxing.
- Practice closing the affected eye gently, then opening it.
- Practice pursing the lips, moving the mouth side to side, and blowing out the cheeks.
- Stop if any exercise causes pain or noticeable muscle tightening (spasm), and go back to it more gently next time.
5-10 minutes per session · 1-2 times a day
Caution: Forcing movement too early or too hard can encourage abnormal muscle patterns (synkinesis) that are harder to correct later. Stop and check with a doctor or physical therapist if you notice new tightness, spasm, or the wrong muscles moving together.
When to get help: Seek emergency care if facial weakness returns suddenly and severely, or is accompanied by limb weakness, slurred speech, or severe headache.
Source: Traditional home health guide
Comments & experiences ▾
How the numbers work: a weighted voting system — trusted published sources cast endorsement votes for each protocol, and your ▲/▼ adds to them. Not medical advice.
🩺 When to see a doctor
- See a doctor if symptoms are severe, persistent, or worsening, or if you are unsure — natural supports are meant to complement, not replace, professional care.
🌿 The seven pathways to health
Seven pathways for your bell's palsy (facial palsy) — tap the circle to check one off (saved on your device), or ask Remy for help.
“Disease is an effort of nature to free the system from conditions that result from a violation of the laws of health... In case of sickness 1cause should be ascertained, 2go to work intelligently to remove the disease. 3Unhealthful conditions should be changed, 4wrong habits corrected. 5Then nature is to be assisted in her effort 6to expel impurities and 7to re-establish right conditions in the system.”
🌿 Overview
Bell's palsy is a paralysis or weakness of one side of the face caused by a lesion of the facial nerve, usually from a viral infection. It commonly follows a respiratory infection or results from chilling of the face. Symptoms appear suddenly, which can cause it to be mistaken for a stroke — but Bell's palsy affects only the face, not the limbs. The prognosis is generally good: 80% of those with partial palsy recover completely, and three-fourths of those with complete palsy recover without any treatment. Meat-eaters develop it far more often than vegetarians.
Bell's palsy is a sudden weakness or drooping of one side of the face, caused by temporary inflammationThe body's natural response to injury — like redness, swelling, or heat around a sore spot. More → or compression of the facial nerve, often thought to follow a viral trigger. It can come on over hours, causing the eye and mouth on one side to droop, difficulty closing the eye, and changes in taste or sensitivity to sound — and understandably, because it can mimic a stroke, it is alarming.
The single most important point is that sudden facial weakness should be assessed urgently to rule out a stroke, which is a different emergency. Once Bell's palsy is diagnosed, the encouraging news is that most people recover well, often within weeks to a few months. Medical treatment started early (such as a short course of steroids) improves recovery, so prompt diagnosis matters. Around that, important supportive care includes protecting the affected eye, which may not close fully — using lubricating drops and covering it, especially at night, to prevent damage — along with rest and gentle facial care.
Common signs
- Sudden onset of weakness or paralysis on one side of the face.
- Drooping of corner of the mouth, sometimes with drooling.
- Inability to close the eyelid on the affected side, with watering of that eye.
- Pain behind the ear on the affected side.
- Pain in the temple or neck.
- Tingling or pricking sensation on the skin.
- Impairment of taste.
- Most recover in 2 weeks to 3 months.
🍃 Supporting foods & habits
The gentle, everyday foods and supports that help in the background — secondary to the active remedies above. Vote on what helped you.
A B-vitamin-rich diet supports nerve healing; protect the eye on the affected side, which may not close fully.920
How the numbers work: this is a weighted voting system — every published book or article recommending a remedy counts as an endorsement vote, and your ▲/▼ counts too. Not medical advice. *Ties are broken by our editor score (sources, safety, simplicity, cost, lifestyle fit, eight-laws alignment).
🍽️ Eating to help
Food is one of the gentlest medicines — small, steady changes help most.
Vegetarian diet reduces risk significantly. Avoid meat. Eat whole-food diet with emphasis on B vitamin-rich foods. Flaxseed oil daily. Low-salt diet during recovery.
⚖️ Good to know
- Bell's palsy is NOT a stroke — but it can look similar.
- If you have facial drooping along with arm weakness, leg weakness, speech problems, or severe headache, call emergency services immediately — this may be a stroke.
- If the eye cannot close, aggressive eye care is essential to prevent corneal damage from drying.
- Most cases resolve without treatment, but with proper care, the rate and completeness of recovery improves.
- Do not use prednisone (often prescribed) without careful consideration — it has significant side effects and the spontaneous recovery rate is already high.
⚕️ What a doctor may offerConventional treatments for this condition — for your information.Show ▾
RemedyRank's heart is natural healing — and honest information. Here is what conventional medical care commonly involves for this condition, listed to inform, never to promote. Decisions about treatment belong with you and your own physician.
Bell's palsy (sudden facial weakness) is treated with steroids and eye protection; most recover.
Commonly offered
- Oral steroids started early (within 72 hours)–
- Antivirals in some cases–
- Eye protection (drops, taping at night) for the affected eye–
- Most people recover over weeks to months–
Worth knowing
- Sudden facial droop — get evaluated promptly to rule out stroke.
- Protect the eye that can't close fully to prevent damage.
- Lack of recovery after months warrants further evaluation.
👍/👎 shares whether a treatment helped you — community experience, not medical advice. For full professional details, see the sources under “Learn more” below.
📚 Learn more
Sources for further reading. These open in a new tab.
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