LIU Yue's clinical experience in treating peripheral facial paralysis with stage-based pattern differentiation acupuncture

This article systematically summarizes Professor LIU Yue's clinical experience in treating peripheral facial paralysis using a stage-based pattern differentiation acupuncture approach. Professor LIU proposed a refined diagnostic and therapeutic model of "taking staging as the guiding principle and pathogenesis as the key point", which integrates traditional stage-based pattern differentiation with modern neuropathological mechanisms to achieve precise staging and pathogenesis differentiation. The treatment strategy includes stage-specific acupuncture techniques, including the contralateral needling method during the acute stage, penetrating acupuncture method during the recovery stage, and fire needle pricking method during the sequelae stage. It also incorporates an integrated application of characteristic techniques, including postauricular collateral bloodletting for reducing swelling and decompression, quantitative adjustment of penetrating acupuncture intensity according to the House-Brackmann facial nerve function grading system, and abdominal acupuncture for holistic regulation. Pattern-based acupuncture interventions are also applied, including fire needle combined with Wanhua oil rubbing manipulation to warm yang and unblock collaterals, yin-yang balancing acupuncture to improve muscle strength and correct abnormal facial movements, and dropping needling manipulation to relieve spasms and control synkinesis. Meanwhile, standardized operation procedures are emphasized to achieve the diagnostic and therapeutic goals of "staging, pathogenesis differentiation, technique selection, and standardization".