Acupuncture Archives - Natural Eye Care Blog: News & Research on Vision

The Body-Mind-Organ Connection

mind body organ woman touching stomach The human body contains approximately 36 trillion cells. Cells communicate with each other every millisecond of life to coordinate functioning and maximize health. The mind-body connection includes how you think, and how organs communicate back and forth with the brain.

Keeping in balance in Western medicine is referred to as “homeostasis”. An example of homeostasis is maintaining the optimum body temperature at 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit. When you exercise, your body sweats to cool off. If you are cold, you shiver involuntarily to create more body heat. Continue reading “The Body-Mind-Organ Connection”

What is the Connection Between the Liver and the Eyes?

Liver, Chinese Medicine and Eye Health

You may have heard that the eyes are related to the liver. But how can that be and what does that mean? What are the practical implications?

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) practitioners understand that the health of the body is intimately connected to the flow – or blockage – of energy. TCM has identified specific ‘channels’ or pathways this flow of energy takes. Each pathway is called a meridian, and each meridian links to pairs of yin-yang organs, for example the Liver being the Yin organ and its corresponding yang organ being the Gallbladder. The meridians function as a non-physical network mapped out throughout the entire body, with some of the meridians running through and connected to specific organs such as the Liver, Lung, Spleen, Heart, and Kidney. Continue reading “What is the Connection Between the Liver and the Eyes?”

Dry Eyes, Traditional Chinese Medicine and Acupuncture

goji berry dry eye Dry eye is a common complaint at the optometrist’s office.

Symptoms include dry, itchy, eyes. Causes of dry eye are diverse. Sometimes the root cause is treatable, and sometimes only the symptoms can be managed. However, dry eye syndrome is not new. Neither is Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), an ancient system of healthcare that dates back thousands of years. TCM has techniques for addressing the complete spectrum of human wellness, including dry eye syndrome. Continue reading “Dry Eyes, Traditional Chinese Medicine and Acupuncture”

Preserving Vision Naturally Through Chinese Medicine

Chinese Medicine can support eye health and help preserve vision. This traditional modality is helpful for people looking to reduce the risk developing eye disease and maintain healthy vision. Additionally, patients with existing eye conditions such as chronic dry eyes, cataracts, glaucoma, macular degeneration, and eye floaters can benefit from Traditional Chinese Medicine as part of their treatment plan.

Chinese medicine includes the use of acupuncture, herbs, as well as Tui Na (massage therapy), Gui Sha (skin scraping), and Qigong (physical exercises and breathing techniques). Acupuncture involves tiny, disposable needles painlessly inserted at certain points on the body. Continue reading “Preserving Vision Naturally Through Chinese Medicine”

Acupuncture and Eye Disease: An Overview by Natural Eye Care

acupuncture and eye disease Acupuncture has been used for millennia to treat eye disease. Today, acupuncture can help preserve vision for those with a wide range of eye conditions including macular degeneration, glaucoma, eye floaters, dry eyes, cataracts and much more. Part of Traditional Chinese Medicine, acupuncture involves a practitioner inserting tiny needles into the skin. It is licensed and regulated by most states in the US. How does acupuncture work, and what are its effects on supporting eye conditions? What could you expect from acupuncture treatments? What can you do at home?

Natural Eye Care owners Michael Edson, L.Ac. and Marc Grossman, OD, L.Ac are both licensed acupuncturists specializing in the eye; Dr. Grossman is also a Doctor of Optometry. Here are the answers to these questions and more. Continue reading “Acupuncture and Eye Disease: An Overview by Natural Eye Care”

Acupuncture Study Shows Significant Improvement in Age Related Macular Degeneration

An observational study on the effects of acupuncture on age related macular degeneration (ARMD) published in a Chinese journal showed significant improvement with acupuncture versus using vitamins A, E and a type of moss.

This was a small study with 84 patients and a total of 90 eyes that had age-related macular degeneration. They were randomly assigned to the acupuncture group or the medication group.

The acupuncture patients all had tiny, solid needles inserted into specific acupuncture points. Acupuncture is an ancient Chinese form of health management that treats patients by puncturing specific points in the body. The theory is that disease is caused by disruptions in “chi” or life force energy. Acupuncture is believed to stimulate the body to unblock the chi and allow life force to flow. In the United States, acupuncturists are licensed by the state.

Continue reading “Acupuncture Study Shows Significant Improvement in Age Related Macular Degeneration”

Retinitis Pigmentosa Responds to Acupuncture

Acupuncture is an effective treatment for the potentially blinding condition retinitis pigmentosa.

An article in the Journal of Clinical Acupuncture and Moxibustion describes how acupuncture treatments alleviate stress on the retinal and optic nerves by relieving intraocular pressure.

Another study, this one published in Chinese Journal of Integrated Traditional and Western Medicine discusses how Traditional Chinese Medicine is able to improve retinitis pigmentosa patients’ retinal cone activity.

Scientist involved with this study say, “TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) treatment could also enhance the bioactivity of (the) nerve network and therefore have a definite significance in retarding the progression of disease and keeping the central vision.”

Source: https://www.healthcmi.com

At Natural Eye Care, we believe strongly in the power of acupuncture and TCM when it comes to healing the eyes. In fact, we wrote the book on it.

Acupressure Helps Patients with Traumatic Brain Injuries

Acupressure – using the fingers to stimulate acupuncture points along the body’s energy meridian system – has been found to improve brain activity in those suffering from mild traumatic brain injuries.

The study, published in the Journal of Neurotrauma, involved the Jin Sin style of acupressure. Of the 38 subjects in the trial, some experienced treatments involving real acupuncture points while the rest of the participants received touch on other parts of the body. Those who received acupressure scored higher on memory and cognition tests.

According to lead study author Theresa Hernandez, “We would like to see if the Jin Shin treatment is useful to military veterans returning home with traumatic brain injury, a signature wound prevalent in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan,” said Hernandez. The Jin Shin acupressure treatment can be taught to family and friends of those with TBI and can even be used as a self-treatment, which could allow for more independence, she said. Source: Science Daily

Stimulating acupressure points around the eyes can be an effective way to soothe strained eyes. This video offers an example of how a simple massage involving acupuncture points can soothe tired eyes.

Acupuncture Relieves Depression, Allergies, Eye Disease

Depression often emerges in post-menopausal women, but a new study out of Norway shows that many women find relief through regular acupuncture sessions.

Previous research found a connection between the occurrence of hot flashes and the emergence of depression, so this study focused on 72 women suffering from sever hot flashes. At the start of the study 30% reported depression symptoms. At the end of 12 weeks the rate of participants with depression had fallen to 14%. Source: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21242821

Acupuncture is also known to help relieve allergies.

The topic of eye health and how Chinese Medicine (including acupuncture) can help improve eye health is so rich, we wrote the book on it.

Chamberbitter Fights Fatty Liver Disease

The traditional Chinese medicinal herb phyllanthus urinaria, or chamberbitter, has been found to effectively fight liver fat, according to scientists at the Chinese University of Hong Kong.

Researchers say that chamberbitter reduces inflammation and fibrosis – or scarring – in the liver and that it was useful in treating mice with the liver condition non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). NASH, also known as fatty liver disease, is associated with people who carry excessive weight around their abdomens and is becoming more common as the obesity epidemic worsens. It can lead to cirrhosis. Source: Lef Daily News

At Natural Eye Care, we believe strongly in the power of Traditional Chinese medicine and acupuncture’s potential health benefits. One product that involves traditional Chinese herbs is Jason’s Famous Cold and Flu Formula – it’s essential as we start moving into the cold winter months.