What Kind of Eye Diseases Can Acupuncture and Chinese Herbs Help?

Ophthalmology of Traditional Chinese Medicine is unique in the understanding of physiological functions and pathological changes of the eyes, diagnosis and treatment of eye diseases. It looks at the eye as a part of the whole body linked with the internal organs through the meridians, so the eye is able to reflect the whole body’s health condition.  Conversely the body’s problems also will affect the eye and cause eye disease. Therefore, when TCM ophthalmologists provide a treatment to a patient, he/she will treat the eyes as well as the whole body according to the theory of Chinese Medicine. Eye diseases respond well to acupuncture and Chinese herbs, which has been successfully used to treat a wide range of eye diseases for centuries in China. Acupuncture can increase nerve and blood supply in the back of the eye, revive some damaged cells and relax the local muscles to improve vision. It is used by Miami acupuncture physician Dr. Han to treat following conditions successfully.

1. Ocular bleeding: These include various retinal bleeds and vitreous hemorrhages caused by retinal periphlebitis, retinal vein occlusion, diabetic retinopathy and bleeding of the anterior chamber, conjunctiva and eyelids caused by ocular trauma.

Acupuncture, traditional Chinese herb formulas and Chinese patent medicines such as Yun Nan Bai Yao, Xue Shuan Tong and Tong Qiao Huo Xue Tang etc. have been widely applied in clinical practice to treat the above conditions.

The treatment methods include clearing heat and cooling blood to stop bleeding in the early stage and activating blood circulation to remove blood stasis in the middle and late stages of the ocular bleedings.

2. Difficult and chronic ocular fundus diseases: Eye diseases such as optic atrophy and Age-related macular degeneration have clear diagnosis, but lack of effective treatment so as to be convicted of “incurable illnesses” with conventional medicine. Acupuncture and Chinese medicine have special methods and good results for such eye diseases. For example, Ming mu di huang wan has been proved to have good effects for those diseases.

3. Recurrent eye diseases which cannot be cured by western medicine: Acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine are the better solution for some eye disorders that usually have repeated attacks which usually cannot be cured by western medicine. They include paralytic strabismus, ptosis in myasthenia gravis, herpes simplex keratitis , and children’s frequent winks with unknown cause, etc.

4. Complications of eye surgery: Western medicine combined with acupuncture and Chinese medicine can take care of some postoperative complications better and help the wound heal faster. These conditions include prolonged healing of a postoperative wound, postoperative low intraocular pressure for an extended period, sub-retinal fluid retention after retinal detachment surgery and progressive vision decrease after glaucoma surgery.

5. Restoring the balance of the body during an illness or after a surgery: After eye surgeries or taking a long period of drugs for eye problems, some patients may suffer from dizziness, shortness of breath, tiredness, fatigue, abdominal fullness and bloating, spontaneous or night sweating, insomnia etc. Even though the patients this wide variety of symptoms, there are no significant findings in the physical or blood tests, so there are no specific treatments for them with Western medicine. Chinese medicine considers those conditions as disharmony of body’s qi, blood, yin and yang. By applying acupuncture and Chinese herbs to regulate and restore the balance of the whole body’s qi, blood, yin and yang, the patients can obtain quick recovery.

Acupuncture Treatment Protocol

Three acupuncture techniques that were combined in this protocol:

1. Auricular acupuncture to indirectly stimulate appropriate parts of the

brain

2. Neuro-anatomical acupuncture to directly stimulate the retina and

periorbital tissue

3. Body Acupuncture based on theory of Chinese Medicine to stimulate the related channels.

 

Herbs to Brighten Eyes

Ming Mu Di Huang Wan

Ming Mu Di Huang Wan is a renowned ancient Chinese herbal formula used for improving vision. It can nourish the kidney and liver, improves eyesight. It is used for deficiency of both liver and kidney-Yin, foreign body sensation in the eye and photophobia, blurring of vision, tearing against wind, conjunctive congestion with pain and swelling of eyes, dizziness and blurred vision, constipation with dry stool and yellow urine.

What is the formula composition?

Radix Rehmanniae Preparata Rhizoma Dioscoreae Oppositae Fructus Corni Officinalis Sclerotium Poriae Cocos Radix Angelicae Sinensis Rhizoma Alismatis Orientalis Radix Paeoniae Lactiflorae Cortex Moutan Radicis (Paeonia Suffruticosa) Fructus Lycii Chinensis Flos Chrysanthemi Morifolii (Dendranthema Morifolium) Fructus Tribuli Terrestris Concha Haliotidis

(Shu Di Huang) (Shan Yao) (Shan Zhu Yu) (Fu Ling) (Dang Gui) (Ze Xie) (Bai Shao) (Mu Dan Pi) (Gou Qi Zi) (Ju Hua) (Ji Li) (Shi Jue Ming)