Trigeminal neuralgia

For a lay person:

Trigeminal neuralgia causes sudden attacks of severe, electric-shock-like pain in one side of the face, often triggered by touching the face, chewing or brushing the teeth.

For a trained medical person:

Usually due to neurovascular compression of the trigeminal nerve root; secondary causes include MS and tumours, so MRI is advised. First-line treatment is carbamazepine or oxcarbazepine; microvascular decompression for refractory cases.

In Chinese medicine:

Flaws and Sionneau's textbook differentiates this condition into these patterns: Wind heat mixed with phlegm obstructing the network vessels; Wind cold mixed with phlegm and stasis; Liver depression transforming fire; Phlegm stasis bi and obstruction; Phlegm-Heat; Q ideficiency and blood stasis; Yin deficiency-yang hyperactivity and blood stasis. Treatment follows the pattern a patient presents with, not the Western diagnosis alone.