Acupuncture significantly reduced a facial pain called
“first bite syndrome” which is not satisfactorily treated by conventional
approaches, according to a report published in the American Journal of
Otolaryngology.
First bite syndrome refers to facial pain characterized
by a severe cramping or spasm in the parotid region triggered at the beginning
of a meal by chewing, swallowing or even simple contact with generally acidic
food. It is potential sequelae of surgery of the upper cervical region
involving the infratemporal fossa, parapharyngeal space, and/or deep lobe of
the parotid gland. The incidence, risk factors, treatment options and outcomes
of first bite syndrome are poorly understood. Pharmacologic and surgical
treatments are used to treatment the condition but none of them prove to be
effective in the long-term.
Recently Dr. FR Fiorini and colleagues in Italy used
acupuncture to treat two patients (a male and a female) with first bite
syndrome after upper neck surgery for a plomorphus adenoma of the parotid gland
and a cervical sympathetic chain neurinoma. Electroacupuncture was applied on relevant
acupoints and lasted for 30 min a session, once a week for 6 weeks. A self-coded
questionnaire comprising of qualitative and quantitative description of pain was
performed. The scores range from 8 to 44, corresponding to the lowest and the
highest discomfort possible. At the end of acupuncture, the scores dropped from
33 to 25 in the female patient, and from 30 to 15 in the male patient.
The authors found that acupuncture was very effective in
treating the condition and suggest that acupuncture may represent a therapeutic
alternative in future treatment.
Reference:
Fiorini FR et al., Potential
use of acupuncture in the treatment of first bite syndrome. Am J Otolaryngol.
2015 Jan 30. pii: S0196-0709(15)00043-5. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25783766
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