Americans are increasingly concerned about vaccine safety after four people in Pfizer-BioNTech trials and three people in the Moderna trials developed Bell’s palsy, a condition that causes temporary weakness or paralysis of the facial muscles.
While it may sound scary, experts say Bell’s palsy is more common and less severe than people think.
Bell’s palsy, also known as peripheral facial nerve palsy, can occur at any age, according to the Mayo Clinic. The exact causes are unknown, but it’s believed to be the result of swelling and inflammation of the nerve that controls the muscles on one side of the face, or a reaction after a viral infection.
Dr. Anthony Geraci, Northwell Health’s Director of Neuromuscular Medicine in Great Neck, New York, says at least two Bell’s palsy patients visit his office a month, and they always recover within several weeks.
“Ninety percent, if not more, of patients who have Bell’s palsy experience a mild, transient weakness of the side of the face which is completely resolved within three months, the majority within a month and a half,” he said. “It’s a relatively benign condition.”
According to the Mayo Clinic, symptoms of Bell’s palsy may include rapid onset of mild weakness to total paralysis on one side of the face, facial droop, pain around the jaw or behind the ear, increased sensitivity to sound, headache, a loss of taste and changes in the amount of tears and saliva produced.
But Geraci says most of his patients experience mild to moderate symptoms. That could include numbness or tingling to the tongue, or maybe an off-kilter smile or less blinking in one eye than the other.
He says symptoms can be so subtle most people wouldn’t notice someone has Bell’s palsy to look at them.

Bell's Palsy is too much of a side effect

Wahala dey oo

I will stay with our traditional herbs....