Galvanic shock & Trigeminal nerve damage

Galvanic shock & Trigeminal nerve damage

I originally posted a longer version of this around March 29th, but
receiving no response, will try a condensed version!

Three months ago, I experienced trigeminal nerve damage while using
the NuSkin Galvanic Spa. It's a battery-operated facial device that
emits positive and negative charges through your skin while claiming
to remove the bad stuff and make your skin look more radiant. It's
used with certain gels to enhance the effectiveness and reduce
"electrical shocks" that sometimes occur when the skin is too dry.

I'd successfully used the device on the right side of my face 5 times
over a period of three weeks (as a test) with good results, and no
adverse effects. The first time I used it on the left side of my
face, I noticed the device was "shocking" me, especially around the
left cheek bone and temple. After 5 minutes, I washed the gel off my
face, and noticed the left side was numb... as though I'd just had
dental work done. The right side felt normal. During the next few
hours, the numbness turned into shooting "electrical" pain going from
my scalp, forehead, left eye and ear. After 3 months, the facial
numbness is milder, and the pain goes back and forth from my left ear
to my left temple, and ocassionally back to my eye and forehead.

So, not making this as short as I'd wanted, I'll throw out my thoughts
about what happened:
I have alot of dental work, especially back molars. The right side of
my mouth only has one crown, and one old silver filling. The rest of
the fillings have been replaced with porcelain.
The left side of my mouth has 4 crowns... all with exposed metal at
the gumline... plus two teeth tightly butted up next to them with very
old silver fillings (in fact, they are almost solid silver!). I'm
thinking that the positive and negative settings on the Galvanic Spa
facial device reacted with the amount of metal on the left side of my
face and basically "zapped' the nerves, causing damage. I've been to
a neurologist twice, showed him the device (he also got a slight shock
while holding it between his fingers), and he agreed that it was the
cause of the problem. What I need is some written information about
this (sounds like a good thesis for a dental student). The
instruction booklet has a warning on page 15 about NOT using the
device if "you wear metal braces, have metal implants, or have
epilepsy" but no one at the company will say more than "we're required
to put that in the booklet." If having extensive metal in your mouth,
or having a neurological disorder is a red flag for not using the
device, there must be an underlining reason for it! Am I right?

Judy

Re: Galvanic shock & Trigeminal nerve damage



>
> Three months ago, I experienced trigeminal nerve damage while using
> the NuSkin Galvanic Spa. It's a battery-operated facial device that
> emits positive and negative charges through your skin while claiming
> to remove the bad stuff and make your skin look more radiant. It's
> used with certain gels to enhance the effectiveness and reduce
> "electrical shocks" that sometimes occur when the skin is too dry.

and you believed this?

Re: Galvanic shock & Trigeminal nerve damage

paintrlady wrote:
> I originally posted a longer version of this around March 29th, but
> receiving no response, will try a condensed version!
>
> Three months ago, I experienced trigeminal nerve damage while using
> the NuSkin Galvanic Spa. It's a battery-operated facial device that
> emits positive and negative charges through your skin while claiming
> to remove the bad stuff and make your skin look more radiant. It's
> used with certain gels to enhance the effectiveness and reduce
> "electrical shocks" that sometimes occur when the skin is too dry.
>
> I'd successfully used the device on the right side of my face 5 times
> over a period of three weeks (as a test) with good results, and no
> adverse effects. The first time I used it on the left side of my
> face, I noticed the device was "shocking" me, especially around the
> left cheek bone and temple. After 5 minutes, I washed the gel off my
> face, and noticed the left side was numb... as though I'd just had
> dental work done. The right side felt normal. During the next few
> hours, the numbness turned into shooting "electrical" pain going from
> my scalp, forehead, left eye and ear. After 3 months, the facial
> numbness is milder, and the pain goes back and forth from my left ear
> to my left temple, and ocassionally back to my eye and forehead.
>
> So, not making this as short as I'd wanted, I'll throw out my thoughts
> about what happened:
> I have alot of dental work, especially back molars. The right side of
> my mouth only has one crown, and one old silver filling. The rest of
> the fillings have been replaced with porcelain.
> The left side of my mouth has 4 crowns... all with exposed metal at
> the gumline... plus two teeth tightly butted up next to them with very
> old silver fillings (in fact, they are almost solid silver!). I'm
> thinking that the positive and negative settings on the Galvanic Spa
> facial device reacted with the amount of metal on the left side of my
> face and basically "zapped' the nerves, causing damage. I've been to
> a neurologist twice, showed him the device (he also got a slight shock
> while holding it between his fingers), and he agreed that it was the
> cause of the problem. What I need is some written information about
> this (sounds like a good thesis for a dental student). The
> instruction booklet has a warning on page 15 about NOT using the
> device if "you wear metal braces, have metal implants, or have
> epilepsy" but no one at the company will say more than "we're required
> to put that in the booklet." If having extensive metal in your mouth,
> or having a neurological disorder is a red flag for not using the
> device, there must be an underlining reason for it! Am I right?
>
> Judy


I am rather surprised that the neurologist can make a statement like this.
The cause of trigeminal neuralgia is generally not known (though some
theories float around). However, it is clear that the vast majority of
times the problem starts fairly close to the ganglion, or within the
ganglion--almost certainly within the cranial cavity.
Trigeminal neuralgia is known to have "trigger points" that are at
quite some distance from the ganglion. It seems far more likely that
the galvanic charge stimulated a trigger that was always there.
Now, that doesn't mean that the charge was unrelated to the continued
symptoms, since once sensitized, these pathways are thought to require
less stimulation to continue the pain, and this is likely what happened
to you.
In any case, unless the electrode actually touched the metal
restorative material, I see no reason that it would have any influence
on the transmission of electrical charge through the skin to the nerve
trunk in question. It was almost certainly soft tissue conduction, and
probably would have happened to predisposed persons whether dental
restorations were present or not.

JMO,
Steve

Re: Galvanic shock & Trigeminal nerve damage

On Tue, 03 Jun 2008 08:50:11 -0400, Steven Bornfeld
<dentaltwinmung@earthlink,net > wrote:

>paintrlady wrote:
>> I originally posted a longer version of this around March 29th, but
>> receiving no response, will try a condensed version!
>>
>> Three months ago, I experienced trigeminal nerve damage while using
>> the NuSkin Galvanic Spa. It's a battery-operated facial device that
>> emits positive and negative charges through your skin while claiming
>> to remove the bad stuff and make your skin look more radiant. It's
>> used with certain gels to enhance the effectiveness and reduce
>> "electrical shocks" that sometimes occur when the skin is too dry.
>>
>> I'd successfully used the device on the right side of my face 5 times
>> over a period of three weeks (as a test) with good results, and no
>> adverse effects. The first time I used it on the left side of my
>> face, I noticed the device was "shocking" me, especially around the
>> left cheek bone and temple. After 5 minutes, I washed the gel off my
>> face, and noticed the left side was numb... as though I'd just had
>> dental work done. The right side felt normal. During the next few
>> hours, the numbness turned into shooting "electrical" pain going from
>> my scalp, forehead, left eye and ear. After 3 months, the facial
>> numbness is milder, and the pain goes back and forth from my left ear
>> to my left temple, and ocassionally back to my eye and forehead.
>>
>> So, not making this as short as I'd wanted, I'll throw out my thoughts
>> about what happened:
>> I have alot of dental work, especially back molars. The right side of
>> my mouth only has one crown, and one old silver filling. The rest of
>> the fillings have been replaced with porcelain.
>> The left side of my mouth has 4 crowns... all with exposed metal at
>> the gumline... plus two teeth tightly butted up next to them with very
>> old silver fillings (in fact, they are almost solid silver!). I'm
>> thinking that the positive and negative settings on the Galvanic Spa
>> facial device reacted with the amount of metal on the left side of my
>> face and basically "zapped' the nerves, causing damage. I've been to
>> a neurologist twice, showed him the device (he also got a slight shock
>> while holding it between his fingers), and he agreed that it was the
>> cause of the problem. What I need is some written information about
>> this (sounds like a good thesis for a dental student). The
>> instruction booklet has a warning on page 15 about NOT using the
>> device if "you wear metal braces, have metal implants, or have
>> epilepsy" but no one at the company will say more than "we're required
>> to put that in the booklet." If having extensive metal in your mouth,
>> or having a neurological disorder is a red flag for not using the
>> device, there must be an underlining reason for it! Am I right?
>>
>> Judy
>
>
> I am rather surprised that the neurologist can make a statement like this.
> The cause of trigeminal neuralgia is generally not known (though some
>theories float around). However, it is clear that the vast majority of
>times the problem starts fairly close to the ganglion, or within the
>ganglion--almost certainly within the cranial cavity.
> Trigeminal neuralgia is known to have "trigger points" that are at
>quite some distance from the ganglion. It seems far more likely that
>the galvanic charge stimulated a trigger that was always there.
> Now, that doesn't mean that the charge was unrelated to the continued
>symptoms, since once sensitized, these pathways are thought to require
>less stimulation to continue the pain, and this is likely what happened
>to you.
> In any case, unless the electrode actually touched the metal
>restorative material, I see no reason that it would have any influence
>on the transmission of electrical charge through the skin to the nerve
>trunk in question. It was almost certainly soft tissue conduction, and
>probably would have happened to predisposed persons whether dental
>restorations were present or not.
>
>JMO,
>Steve


Tegretol.

Have sucessfully treated 4 -5 patients without reversion to
neurologists.

It is a central pain phenomenon, and you are correct there is a
trigger.

Most of the MRIs and CTs are unnecessary for 'tooth triggers'
If no resolution, THEN seek other diagnostics.