Why do people have facial paralysis? Can we still turn on the air conditioner and fan whenever we want?

Every summer, news about facial paralysis caused by prolonged use of fans or air conditioners appears in major media, scaring many friends (excluding Tadpole) so much that they dare not even turn on the air conditioner or fan.

Source: Sina Weibo screenshot

Although it is the beginning of autumn, the high temperature has not left us far away. As the saying goes: After the autumn, the heat will kill the old cow. In such weather, it is really difficult for people to insist on not blowing the cool breeze...

So, what exactly is facial paralysis? Why do people get facial paralysis? Can we still turn on the air conditioner and fan whenever we want?

01

Does facial paralysis mean having no expression?

In recent years, we often see many actors with poor acting skills (such as those who play cold and domineering CEOs) being evaluated by netizens as having "facial paralysis-style" performances, as if facial paralysis is another name for having no expression.

Screenshot from the web drama "Never Expected"

What many people don’t know is that although the expressionless look in daily life is often called "facial paralysis face", there is still a big difference between it and real facial paralysis.

Typical manifestations of facial nerve paralysis patients

So, what are the symptoms of true facial paralysis?

To answer this question, we must start with the definition of facial paralysis.

Facial paralysis commonly referred to refers to a disease called idiopathic facial nerve palsy, also known as Bell palsy, which is a peripheral facial nerve palsy caused by nonspecific facial neuritis.

The facial nerve, which originates from the brain, can control the movement of all facial muscles except the levator palpebrae superioris and the masticatory muscles. It also regulates the secretory function of the lacrimal glands, sublingual glands and submandibular glands, and plays an important role in the production of taste and some facial sensations.

The vast majority of facial nerve paralysis only affects one side of the facial nerve, and rarely does it occur on both sides. Therefore, patients with facial paralysis who have paralysis of the facial muscles on one side usually have symptoms such as crooked mouth, lisping when speaking, drooling, and sometimes accompanied by pain in the face, behind the ear, inside the ear, and other parts of the body.

Therefore, facial paralysis does not mean having no expression. On the contrary, an exaggerated and distorted expression is the most common manifestation of facial paralysis.

02

Who should take the blame for facial paralysis?

Although facial paralysis is not life-threatening, it can seriously affect appearance. Moreover, due to the paralysis of facial muscles, daily activities such as eating and talking cannot be carried out normally, which is a heavy blow to the patient's physical and mental health.

So, why do people suffer from facial paralysis when they are fine?

So far, the medical community has not yet identified the exact cause of facial paralysis. Many people believe that the disease is caused by neurotropic viruses invading the facial nerve, leading to nerve edema and local compression and paralysis of the facial nerve. Others believe that the onset of facial paralysis is related to the patient's own immune response.

As for the claim that behaviors such as using fans or air conditioners for a long time, not drying your hair after washing it, and suddenly catching a cold can cause facial paralysis, although many people in life firmly believe this, there is no clear evidence that there is a direct correlation between facial paralysis and these factors, and there is no obvious seasonal variation in the onset of facial paralysis, so there is no conclusion that facial paralysis is more likely to occur in summer.

Reports on heat stroke are also hot news in the summer

Therefore, in order to "prevent" facial paralysis, it is completely unnecessary to insist on not turning on the air conditioner despite the high temperature warning. Not only may it not have a preventive effect, but once you suffer from heat stroke due to staying in a high temperature environment for a long time, it may also cause multiple organ system failure and be life-threatening.

03

How to prevent and treat facial paralysis?

The incidence of facial paralysis in the population is about 0.2 per 10,000 people, and it is distributed in all age groups, among which men aged 20-40 are the most common.

Most patients with facial nerve paralysis will begin to recover on their own within 1-2 weeks after onset, even without any treatment. It usually only takes a few weeks or months to return to normal.

However, there is also a small number of patients whose facial paralysis symptoms cannot be fully recovered throughout their lives, and they may also be left with sequelae such as loss of taste, paroxysmal facial spasm, or even some facial muscles may lose their normal motor function forever.

In this era when everyone is paying more and more attention to their image, it is possible that one will remain with crooked eyes, a slanted mouth and drooling for the rest of their life, which is even scarier than a ghost story.

So, is there any way to effectively prevent and treat facial paralysis?

Unfortunately, since the pathogenesis of facial paralysis is not clear, we cannot prevent facial paralysis in a targeted manner. We can only try to avoid possible causes of facial paralysis such as infection, trauma, and emotional disorders based on clinical experience.

There is a lack of specific and effective drugs and therapies for facial paralysis in medicine. The only options are conventional nutritional nerve support, anti-inflammatory and anti-infection treatments to alleviate the symptoms of facial nerve paralysis and accelerate the recovery of facial paralysis.

Physical therapies such as massage and acupuncture, which have become popular in recent years, may have certain therapeutic effects on eliminating local neuroinflammation in patients with facial paralysis and promoting the recovery of facial nerve function. However, these are only at the empirical level and lack support from literature and research results.

We know very little about facial paralysis, but based on current relevant results and literature, the cool air from air conditioners and fans is not the root cause of facial paralysis, so there is no need to be afraid of the wind.

Of course, don’t be too greedy for coolness. After all, in this hot summer, catching a cold due to the wind is a very uncomfortable thing!

END

#Audit Expert

Yin Tielun is deputy chief physician of the Department of Neurology at the Airport Campus of Peking University Third Hospital.

Tadpole's original work, please indicate the source when reprinting

Editor/Heart and Paper