Chinese Medicine can help preserve vision and support the health of the eyes. This ancient mode of treatment is vital for individuals seeking a way to maintain healthy vision and lessen their risk of developing eye disease. Moreover, patients suffering from eye problems such as eye floaters, macular degeneration, glaucoma, cataracts and chronic dry eyes can find Traditional Chinese Medicine very beneficial in their plan of treatment.
Chinese medicine involves the use of qi gong (breathing techniques and physical exercises), guasha (skin scraping therapy), tuina (Chinese massage), herbal medicine and acupuncture. Acupuncture is a process that involves the use of disposable and tiny needles inserted painlessly into certain acupuncture points on the body. Your acupuncturist can obtain a clear knowledge of your imbalances by means of Chinese medicine style diagnostic examination. This would include examination of the pulse and tongue,visual clues, symptom information, and other diagnostic methods.
Acupuncture is a treatment that seeks to regulate and adjust your chi or vital energy. Chi moves through the fourteen invisible primary energy channels or meridians in your body.All in all, there are 71 meridians in your body although most acupuncturists use only about 20 energy channels in formulating their plan of treatment. Ten of these meridians are connected internally with the internal organs like Spleen/Stomach, Kidneys/Bladder, Triple Heater/Small Intestine/Heart, Lungs/Large Intestine and Liver/Gall Bladder. Throughout the body, there are also eight “extra meridians”
Around 300 to 100 BCin mainland China, the first records of acupuncture were compiled. However, archeological findings show that acupuncture may have been discovered at least 5000 years ago.
Thousands of years of use combined with thorough observation have enabled the Chinese to precisely map out the locations of these channels/meridians. Each meridian has neurovascular junctions or energy nodes named “acupoints.” The energy in these acupoints can be more easily stimulated and become more concentrated. In addition, each of the hundreds of acupoints have a certain regulatory function in the body.
When fluids, blood and chi develop obstruction, they cannot move smoothly through the meridians. As a result, degeneration, dysfunction, illness and pain will manifest over time. By activating the obstructed acupoints, acupuncture can restore the smooth flow of these vital fluids. This will help preserve and restore healthy function to all the systems of the body. Acupuncture can also help reinforce isolated weakness and regulate hyperactivity. Its benefits can best be understood by imagining that each system of the body is an instrument in an orchestra. The entire performance is affected if one or more instrument is playing out of tune or out of time. Using acupuncture to adjust the flow can help the organ systems in the body to “play” harmoniously together; therefore, well-being and health is achieved.
Eye Health, Acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine
From the point of view of Western medicine, acupuncture improves blood circulation to the eyes. It also promotes to help the movement of fluids and energy through the eyes. We are certain of this since studies using ultrasound and ocular Doppler imaging have revealed that activating specific acupoints directly boosts the flow of blood to the eye.
We have been shown that a variety of ophthalmic problems develop due to poor energy and blood flow. This leads to a decrease in vital nutrients and oxygen flow to the eyes. A variety of eye conditions may appear, including cataracts, glaucoma and macular degeneration. Poor blood and chi flow to the eyes can also lead to a buildup of ocular toxic metabolic waste products. Those are waste materials that the eye produces from its typical day-to-day function.
Stimulating the optic nerve, ganglia, retina and the other ocular nerve cells is another way by which acupuncture improves vision. Undernourished nerve cells can go into a dormant state and become inactive. Those dormant nerve cells can be activated with acupuncture, which then results in a betterment of visual acuity. The level of visual improvement in patients directly correlates to the dormant-to-dead ratio of ocular nerve cells. The greater the improvement, the more dormant cells a person has. No or small improvements may suggest that there is no or relatively little cell dormancy. Acupuncture also helps boost vision related to farsightedness and nearsightedness by increasing the flow of energy and overall circulation to the eye muscles.
All conditions involving the eye, according to TCM or Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), are very much associated with the energy channel of the liver. In addition, all the meridians travel through the eyes. Hence, vision can be affected if any meridians are out of balance. For instance, the pupil and lens of the eye are associated with the kidney, the lungs to the sclera, the heart to the veins and arteries, the spleen to the top eyelid, the stomach to the bottom eyelid, and the liver to the iris and cornea. The stomach and spleen energy channels also govern circulation in the eyes. Hence, eye disease may result if there is imbalance in any of these meridians.
Eye and Acupuncture Studies
Acupuncture’s efficacy in the treatment of eye problems is severely lacking.
“Shamacupuncture” is occasionally used as the control, but this may be an improper approach.Some of the studies have shown:
For patients suffering from macular degeneration, drugs and vitamins were 60% effective as whereas in acupuncture, it was 88% effective.
A significantly small study showed that acupuncture lower temporarily intraocular pressure (vital for patients with glaucoma patients).
Another intraocular pressure study showed a decrease by activating the BL 62 or shenmain and Bl 61 or Pucan channels.
Patients with Dry eye problems who have no Sjögren Syndrome or any autoimmune disease experienced tear improvement with acupuncture.
Conclusion
Vision preservation was shown to be achieved by using Chinese medicine. Adding Chinese medicine and acupuncture to a plan of treatment can help patients suffering from vision and eye conditions.
Chinese Herbal Formulations
A variety of products that support vision are based on the principles of Chinese medicine.
Chinese herbalists use a liver tonic the support Chi movement and overall circulation throughout the body, which may help treat eye floaters. It is also used to help the body relieve stress and is based on Xiao Yau San or Rambling Powder, a classic Chinese herbal formula. Based on the Chinese medical point of view this formula promotes the health of the macula, optic and vitreous nerve by removing energy stagnation and increasing blood circulation to the eyes.