Trigeminal Neuralgia, A Traditional Korean Medicine Approach to Medication-Resistant Pain | Incheon Trigeminal Neuralgia

Trigeminal Neuralgia: A Traditional Korean Medicine Approach to Pain Unresolved by Medication

This is the story of Ms. B, a woman in her mid-40s.

For several months, she suffered from excruciating facial pain that made daily life difficult. Initially, she thought it was a simple toothache, but even after dental examination and the extraction of a healthy molar, the pain persisted.

Neuropathic pain medication works by inhibiting the conduction of nerve impulses, thereby preventing pain signals from being transmitted to the brain. This is akin to switching off a "siren" so that it doesn't sound.

However, even with medication, Ms. B's pain continued to ring out. If this pain were simply a matter of nerve excitation, it would have been sufficiently controlled by painkillers. This is a crucial clue suggesting that the fundamental cause of the pain may not solely lie in the ‘overactivation of nerves’ itself.

In Traditional Korean Medicine (TKM), chronic pain conditions like trigeminal neuralgia are not seen as merely a nerve problem. Instead, TKM examines the patient's overall bodily imbalance along with the specific patterns in which the pain manifests.

The «Donguibogam» states, “통즉불통, 불통즉통 (通則不痛, 不通則痛),” which means 'If there is free flow, there is no pain; if there is no free flow, there is pain.' This concisely illustrates that the essence of all pain lies in 'circulatory stagnation.'

What, then, obstructs this flow?

In TKM, the main causes of pain are identified as ‘Wind (風)’, ‘Heat (熱)’, ‘Phlegm (痰)’, and ‘Blood Stasis (瘀血)’. These elements, much like debris floating in a river, impede the flow of blood and Qi (氣), blocking the pathways through which nerves pass and thereby causing pain. These concepts can be interpreted as similar to inflammatory responses or nerve compression described in Western medicine.

In Ms. B's case, overwork and stress may have led to hypersensitive nerves and an accumulation of ‘Heat (熱)’, while irregular eating habits and lack of sleep could have generated ‘Phlegm (痰)’. Notably, the pattern of her pain being severe in the morning and subsiding in the afternoon was a significant clue, suggesting that her body’s Qi and Blood circulation varied throughout the day.

This approach is akin to a sophisticated strategy for identifying allies and enemies in war.

Indiscriminately suppressing nerve excitation with painkillers is like launching an indiscriminate attack, hitting both allies and enemies. In contrast, Korean herbal medicine treatment first meticulously diagnoses the patient's body condition to precisely identify the fundamental causes of pain (such as Wind, Heat, Phlegm, etc.) and then deploys a customized strategy accordingly.

Korean herbal medicine is not just a simple pain reliever. It removes elements like ‘Wind, Heat, and Phlegm’ that have accumulated in the nerve pathways and facilitates the smooth circulation of Qi and Blood, helping nerves restore their proper function. In other words, it aims to treat the ‘root cause’ of pain to prevent recurrence. This is precisely why neuropathic pain medication like Lyrica (pregabalin) was ineffective.

Are you, too, suffering daily from facial pain that simply cannot be resolved by painkillers alone?

Instead of focusing solely on the nervous system's hypersensitivity, the TKM approach—which seeks out and treats the pain's causal patterns—offers a new perspective on chronic trigeminal neuralgia. This is not specific medical advice for an individual. Rather, it can be a journey of listening to our body's imbalance signals and uncovering the hidden causes of pain.