Korean-Western Integrative Medicine for Bell’s Palsy: A Review of Randomized Controlled Trials

Abstract

This review aimed to compare the effectiveness of Korean medicine (KM) with Korean-Western integrative medicine (KWIM) at treating Bell’s palsy. A literature search of several databases for relevant randomized controlled trials was performed. Six studies that compared KM with KWIM to treat Bell’s palsy were included in this review. Acupuncture and steroids were the most commonly used treatments in KWIM. A comparison of the effectiveness of KW with KWIM did not produce consistent results. Both KM and KWIM were useful intreating Bell’s palsy. KWIM was more effective than KM when the Western medicine was a steroid and was given in the early stages of treatment. However, these findings are limited due to the low quality and number of included studies. KM and KWIM are both effective in Bell’s palsy, and KWIM is more effective than KM. However, more high-quality randomized controlled trials are required.

Keywords

• bell’s palsy
• integrative medicine
• randomized controlled trial