안녕하세요^^ 한주 잘보내셨는지요? 이제 본격적인 겨울이 시작되었습니다. 원장님들 건강관리 잘하시길 바랍니다. 이번 편에서는 역시 한의원 다빈도 질환 중의 하나인 구안와사에 관하여 다루어 보도록 하겠습니다.

Dr.Lee: Next patient, please, Ms. Ahn.

Nurse: Ok, doctor. Mr, Maxwell, would you please go to the doctor’s consulting room?

Maxwell: Yes.

Dr.Lee: Hello. Nice to meet you, Mr. Maxwell.

Maxwell: Nice to meet you, doctor. Sorry for my ugly face, though.

Dr.Lee: You seem to suffer from bad facial nerve palsy.

Maxwell: I think so. That’s why I came to see you.

Dr.Lee: When did it start?

Maxwell: 3 days ago, I had to work overnight. I was very tired in the next morning and started feeling a funny sensation* on my face. After that pain started from behind my left ear. I thought it would be something temporary so I went to bed. In several hours, I woke up to find out that my face wasn’t normal. *funny sensation: 이상한 감각

Dr.Lee: All right. Let me take a close look at it. Close your eyes and then scrunch up* your forehead, I mean, try to lift your eyebrows. Ok, and is your left eye dry and irritating?
*scrunch up: 찡그리다

Maxwell: Yes, because I can’t close my left eye.

Dr.Lee: Are you experiencing drooling at the corner of your mouth?

Maxwell: Yes, I can’t eat and drink normally.

Dr.Lee: Can you taste food as before, not impaired?

Maxwell: It’s a little hard to tell but I think it’s a bit weird.

Dr.Lee: Have you become over-sensitive to certain sounds?

Maxwell: Yes! I can’t tolerate certain noises that I didn’t even pay attention before.

Dr.Lee: Judging by your symptoms, you’re suffering from Bell’s palsy, grade 4, which is moderate to severe. Bell's palsy is a paralysis or weakness of the muscles on one side of your face. Damage to the facial nerve that controls muscles on one side of the face causes that side of your face to droop*. The nerve damage may also affect your sense of taste and how you make tears and saliva. This condition comes on suddenly, often overnight, and usually gets better on its own within a few weeks. Bell's palsy is NOT the result of a stroke or a transient ischemic attack(TIA). While stroke and TIA can cause facial paralysis, there is no link between Bell's palsy and either of these conditions. *droop: 아래로 처지다

Maxwell: Thanks doctor for your detailed explanation. How long does it usually take to get well?

Dr.Lee: No matter what kind of treatment you receive, it’ll become worse for 7~10 days after onset. Judging from your grade, it may take 4~6 weeks for complete recovery. I’ll prescribe herbal medicine to speed up your recovery and it’s recommended for you to visit my clinic 4 times a week for acupuncture therapy.

Maxwell: All right. Thank you, doctor.

궁금하신 점이나 건의사항 있으시면 lsi99@hanmail.net 로 컨택해주세요.
Published by Lee, Sang-il
Edited by Anna Joy Toombs & Troy Flowers