My eye won't close all the way
It is most noticeable in wind, at a screen or when trying to sleep, and the eye can feel dry and gritty.
One morning your eyebrow won’t lift, your eye won’t close all the way, and water leaks from the corner of your mouth. Eating, talking and blinking all take more effort on that side. The eye can feel dry and gritty, and sounds may seem louder on the affected side.
Bell’s palsy is a sudden weakness of the facial nerve, the nerve that moves the muscles on one side of the face. The nerve is usually irritated, so the signal reaching those muscles drops. While the signal is weak, the brain’s map for facial movement can become less precise. Meanwhile the healthy side tends to overwork, pulling the face further off balance.
On the unaffected side, the zygomaticus major and the muscles around the mouth often overwork and pull the face their way. I ease them with dry needling, a form of acupuncture, so they stop competing with the weaker side. For the facial nerve, I use electroacupuncture. Fine needles go near the nerve behind the earlobe and along its branches to the brow, eye, cheek and mouth, with a gentle current. This approach is grounded in neuroscience and aims to help the nerve and brain signal more clearly. I also place needles at the base of the skull, aiming to support the brainstem region that drives facial movement.
Most people are seen quickly by an urgent care doctor, primary doctor or neurologist, and some start steroids early. That care matters, because it confirms the diagnosis, rules out other causes and treats inflammation. What it usually doesn’t include is regular, hands-on work on the nerve’s signaling and on the muscles that begin to compensate. Often the advice is to give it time, which can leave several weeks with little to do but wait.
I ask when the weakness started, what your doctor found and prescribed, and which movements are hardest right now. Then the exam:
I work alongside your primary doctor, neurologist and ENT. If anything in the exam suggests checking back in with one of them, I’ll let you know and pass along what I found.
Yes. Your doctor confirms it is Bell’s palsy, rules out other causes and decides whether medication such as steroids fits your case. I treat alongside that plan and leave medication decisions with them.
Starting soon after the weakness appears can be helpful, since the nerve and brain are adjusting quickly in the early weeks. Starting early doesn’t guarantee a particular result. Get the medical evaluation first, then book.
Early on, the plan is two or three visits each week over roughly four to six weeks. Frequent visits keep steady input on the nerve while it is recovering. After that, I space appointments further apart based on how your face is moving.
The current is gentle and set to what your face tolerates. Small, controlled movements during treatment are expected. If linked movements are starting, I change where and how I stimulate rather than adding more.
Usually a combination, because more than one part is often involved. Relaxing the overactive muscles on the healthy side lets the weaker side work without that pull against it. Electroacupuncture works on the facial nerve’s branches, and needles below the skull target the brainstem’s control of facial movement.
Bell’s palsy affects the face alone. Call 911 right away if facial droop comes with weakness in an arm or leg, slurred speech, trouble walking or confusion. These are stroke signs and need emergency care before anything else.
Adults with pelvic floor, nerve and orthopedic pain, along with neurological conditions. Most of my patients come to me after other care hasn't fully settled things. If you're looking for general wellness acupuncture, I'm not the right fit.
We review your history and what you've already tried. I assess the muscles and nerves involved, and you're treated the same day.
It depends on the condition. Pelvic and orthopedic plans usually run 4 to 6 weeks. Neurological plans are usually 2 visits a week for 6 weeks or 3 a week for 4. After that, visits space out so the changes hold. These are typical timelines, not promises.
Yes. I work alongside doctors, physical therapists and specialists. If something I find needs a closer look from one of them, I'll tell you.
I'm an out-of-network provider. You pay at the time of your visit, and my office submits the claim so any reimbursement comes to you. Free benefit checks are available before your first visit through the verification form, and HSA and FSA cards work. I don't take Medicare or Medicaid, though some Medicare Advantage plans reimburse out-of-network care. Full insurance details
Yes. I treat adults, teens and children, though I don't specialize in infants or toddlers.
Yes. Book a free discovery call to ask your questions and see whether we're a good fit.
Dry needling is a form of acupuncture. Fine needles go into tight bands of muscle and trigger points to lower muscle tension and change how the area is signaling.
You may feel a brief twitch or a deep ache as the needle reaches tight muscle. It passes quickly, and any soreness afterward usually fades within a day or two.
It's generally safe with a properly trained practitioner. Needles are sterile and single-use, and I check your health history first, including blood thinners. In New York, dry needling can only be performed by licensed acupuncturists, MDs and DOs. Physical therapists and chiropractors aren't permitted to perform it.
Eat something light beforehand and wear loose clothing that lets me reach the area being treated.
Usually not. Ultrasound helps in a few specific cases, but it hasn't been shown to improve results for common trigger points. A careful hands-on exam is what guides the needle. More on ultrasound-guided dry needling
Dry needling aimed at the pelvic floor and the hip and abdominal muscles around it, for pain, tension and urinary symptoms driven by those muscles and their nerves. More on pelvic floor dry needling
Sometimes, depending on the muscles involved, and you'll be draped throughout. Treatment always follows your consent and comfort. I don't do internal exams or internal treatment.
No, though it helps if you've already seen a doctor or pelvic floor physical therapist. Bring any notes or imaging you have.
Completely. I've heard it all, and there's no judgment here, just a straightforward conversation so we can treat what's going on.
Yes, I treat adults of every gender and identity. After gender-affirming surgery involving the pelvis, bring your surgical notes and we'll decide together what fits.
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118 W. 72nd St, Rear Lobby, New York, NY 10023
Evidence-based acupuncture and dry needling on the Upper West Side. From chronic pain and headaches to pelvic floor dysfunction, Dr. Jordan Barber pairs the highest level of training with care that actually listens.
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