Trigeminal Neuralgia: Clinical Understanding of the Most Severe Pain in the World and the Application Value of the Five-in-One Toxin-Extracting Pain-Relieving Therapy Sudden severe pain in the face, such as electric shock-like, knife-li
Trigeminal Neuralgia: Clinical Understanding of "the Most Severe Pain in the World" and the Application Value of the Five-in-One Toxin-Extracting Pain-Relieving Therapy
Sudden severe pain in the face, such as electric shock-like, knife-like, or needle-prick-like pain, which makes daily activities such as brushing teeth, eating, drinking water, and speaking difficult to perform normally—such symptoms often indicate the occurrence of trigeminal neuralgia. Even minor actions like a gentle breeze blowing on the face, simple face washing, or a smile may trigger severe pain. For patients with trigeminal neuralgia, this disease, known in the medical field as "the most severe pain in the world," seriously affects the quality of daily life and brings persistent suffering and challenges.
According to clinical statistics, trigeminal neuralgia is one of the most common cranial nerve diseases. Adults and the elderly are the main affected groups, with the peak age of onset between 48 and 59 years old, and the incidence rate is higher in women than in men.
01 Clinical Cognition of Trigeminal Neuralgia
Trigeminal neuralgia, also known as prosopalgia, is a common clinical cranial nerve disease, mainly characterized by recurrent, transient, paroxysmal severe pain within the innervation area of the trigeminal nerve. From the perspective of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), this disease is named "facial pain"; based on a large number of clinical practices, Tiandao Traditional Chinese Medicine proposes that trigeminal neuralgia belongs to the type of zoster sine herpete (postherpetic neuralgia) occurring in the head and face.
The International Association for the Study of Pain has listed pain as the fifth vital sign after body temperature, pulse, respiration, and blood pressure. Trigeminal neuralgia is recognized by the medical community as the highest-level intractable pain, and its pain intensity even exceeds that of labor pain.
Types of the Disease
Trigeminal neuralgia can be divided into two major categories: primary and secondary:
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Primary Trigeminal Neuralgia: It is the most common type in clinical practice, accounting for the majority of total cases, and is more common in people over 40 years old;
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Secondary Trigeminal Neuralgia: It is caused by organic lesions inside or outside the skull, such as tumors, inflammation, trauma, etc., which compress or stimulate the trigeminal nerve, thereby leading to facial pain.
02 Symptom Identification of Trigeminal Neuralgia
The symptoms of trigeminal neuralgia have distinct characteristics, mainly manifested in the following aspects:
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Nature of Pain: It presents as electric shock-like, knife-like, or tearing-like severe pain, with the feature of sudden onset and sudden termination. Each attack lasts for several seconds to dozens of seconds. During an attack, patients often show extreme pain: some rub their faces violently with their hands, some hit their heads heavily against the wall or roll on the ground, while others remain still, showing a dazed and painful appearance.
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Location of Pain: It is limited to the innervation area of the trigeminal nerve, including the cheeks, lower jaw, teeth, gums, lips, tongue, pharynx, ear canal, around the ears, earlobe, alae nasi, around the orbits, etc. In a few cases, it may involve the eyes and forehead. Pain mostly occurs on one side of the face, and simultaneous bilateral attacks are extremely rare.
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Trigger Points: Patients often have characteristic "trigger points"—these areas are extremely sensitive, and even a slight touch can induce pain. Common trigger points are the outer upper lip, alae nasi, corners of the mouth, lower jaw, etc.
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Triggering Factors: Minor facial touches or daily actions may induce severe pain, such as shaving, facial contact, eating, drinking water, brushing teeth, speaking, making up, a gentle breeze blowing on the face, smiling, washing the face, etc.
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Attack Pattern: The frequency of pain attacks is relatively high, but the number of attacks decreases during sleep; with the progression of the disease, the frequency of pain attacks may gradually increase, and the pain intensity may also increase.
03 Analysis of Etiologies and Inducing Factors of Trigeminal Neuralgia
The etiology of trigeminal neuralgia is relatively complex, and there are significant differences in the etiologies between primary and secondary cases:
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Primary Trigeminal Neuralgia: The etiology has not been fully clarified. Currently, the widely recognized pathogenesis in the academic community is "pulsatile vascular compression"—that is, blood vessels (arteries or veins) compress the trigeminal nerve, leading to abnormal nerve function.
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Secondary Trigeminal Neuralgia: It is caused by definite etiologies, such as tumor compression, inflammatory stimulation, etc.; in addition, diseases such as multiple sclerosis can damage the myelin sheath (the protective structure of nerves), thereby inducing trigeminal neuralgia.
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Association with Zoster Sine Herpete (Postherpetic Neuralgia): Based on years of clinical experience, Tiandao Traditional Chinese Medicine proposes that trigeminal neuralgia is associated with the occurrence of herpes zoster in the head and face. The two have consistency in symptom manifestations (unilateral onset), inducing factors, and treatment responses.
Inducing Factors and High-Risk Groups
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Inducing Factors: Including trigeminal nerve injury (caused by dental or surgical operations), genetic tendency, mental stress (such as stimulation from major life events), abnormal immune function, emotional excitement (commonly known as "anger and internal heat"), overwork, etc.
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High-Risk Groups: Women aged 50 and above, patients with hypertension, and patients with multiple sclerosis have a relatively higher risk of suffering from trigeminal neuralgia.
04 Limitations of Conventional Treatment Methods
Clinical treatment of trigeminal neuralgia is mainly divided into two categories: drug treatment and surgical treatment:
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Drug Treatment: In clinical practice, patients usually prioritize drug treatment. The commonly used drug is carbamazepine. Some patients can effectively relieve symptoms only through drug treatment, but some patients may experience adverse reactions such as dizziness and nausea after taking the drug.
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Surgical Treatment: When drug treatment is ineffective or severe adverse reactions occur, surgical treatment should be considered. The main surgical methods include trigeminal ganglion radiofrequency ablation, trigeminal semilunar ganglion microballoon compression, and trigeminal microvascular decompression—among which, microvascular decompression is currently a relatively effective and long-lasting method in surgical treatment.
It should be specially noted that conventional drug and surgical treatments have limited efficacy in some patients, and some patients even suffer from the disease for many years without recovery; drug treatment may be accompanied by adverse reactions, while surgical treatment has certain risks and high costs. This article does not guarantee or promise the efficacy of the above-mentioned drugs and surgical solutions. It is recommended that patients fully communicate with their attending physicians to fully understand the efficacy and potential risks.
05 Five-in-One Toxin-Extracting Pain-Relieving Therapy: A TCM External Treatment Solution
In addition to conventional treatment methods, the "Five-in-One Toxin-Extracting Pain-Relieving Therapy," an external treatment method of TCM, provides a new treatment option for patients with trigeminal neuralgia. The details are as follows:
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Therapeutic Principle: According to the practicing TCM physicians currently working in Tiandao Traditional Chinese Medicine, the Five-in-One Toxin-Extracting Pain-Relieving Therapy is an external TCM therapy specially developed for intractable pains such as postherpetic neuralgia and trigeminal neuralgia (the therapy holds that trigeminal neuralgia is a type of herpes zoster occurring in the head and face). Based on TCM theories, it uses special TCM formulations and professional manipulation techniques to clear the viruses and stagnant toxins retained in the body, and relieve the abnormal state of nerves stimulated by viruses.
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Therapeutic Effect: Clinical data shows that most patients with trigeminal neuralgia and postherpetic neuralgia can improve or eliminate symptoms after 1-8 treatments; for patients with newly developed herpes zoster within one week of onset, most can eliminate symptoms after 1-3 treatments. It should be noted that the specific number of treatments and recovery speed are affected by factors such as the severity of the patient's condition, compliance with dietary taboos, ability to control emotions, and underlying diseases. It cannot be guaranteed that all patients will improve or be cured. The therapeutic effect data disclosed in this article belongs to the scope of medical information disclosure, which is only used to meet patients' right to know about disease knowledge and treatment methods before diagnosis and treatment, and to carry out medical science popularization for the public and medical practitioners. It does not constitute a "guaranteed cure" commitment for the disease or an agreement on efficacy and safety, nor does it involve the promotion of treatment solutions.
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Advantages of the Therapy: As an external TCM therapy, the Five-in-One Toxin-Extracting Pain-Relieving Therapy can avoid damage to the body's Zang-Fu organs (such as the spleen and stomach) and nervous system, and reduce adverse effects on the body while improving or eliminating symptoms overall.
06 Reference to Clinical Cases and Precautions
In clinical practice, the Five-in-One Toxin-Extracting Pain-Relieving Therapy has accumulated many cases of symptom improvement or recovery. Specific information can be obtained by communicating with patients undergoing treatment in the outpatient department, consulting treatment medical records, and reviewing rehabilitation image materials (photos, videos). According to current medical regulations, medical institutions and physicians are not allowed to make commitments such as "guaranteed cure" or efficacy guarantees for disease treatment.
Practicing physicians at Tiandao Traditional Chinese Medicine specially remind that herpes zoster virus has special characteristics. Patients still need to abide by the doctor's advice and continue to observe dietary taboos for a period of time during treatment and after symptom improvement or recovery. They should avoid drinking alcohol, smoking, eating beef, mutton, and other foods traditionally considered "fatty and stimulating foods" (commonly known as "fawu" in TCM), and at the same time avoid emotional excitement and overwork to prevent the deterioration or recurrence of the condition.
07 Daily Care for Patients with Trigeminal Neuralgia
Scientific daily care is crucial for the condition control of patients with trigeminal neuralgia. The following principles are recommended to be followed:
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Avoid overwork and staying up late, and maintain a regular work and rest routine;
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Maintain emotional stability, avoid excessive tension and mental stimulation;
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Pay attention to facial warmth preservation, avoid wind stimulation, and especially avoid direct blowing of air conditioning wind on the face;
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Use gentle movements when washing the face and brushing teeth, and avoid using overly cold or overly hot water;
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Try to avoid drinking alcohol (alcohol may cause increased blood pressure or emotional fluctuations, which can aggravate symptoms);
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Maintain a regular diet, choose soft and easy-to-chew foods, and avoid stimulating foods and overly sour or sweet foods.
If you or your family members are suffering from trigeminal neuralgia, it is recommended to further understand the relevant information about the Five-in-One Toxin-Extracting Pain-Relieving Therapy. This therapy may provide you with a new treatment option.
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