Healing Macular Degeneration With Acupuncture

Treating Macular Degeneration

with

Acupuncture & Chinese Medicine

by

Andy Rosenfarb, L. Ac., MTOM

Macular Degeneration

Macular Degeneration ( ARMD - Aged Related Macular Degeneration ) is the slow deterioration of the cells in the macula, a cramped sallow area near the bull's eye of the retina. The macula functions to give us clear central vision and fine prodigious images. The deterioration of the macula affects an individual’ s central vision - the ability to read, sling ink, drive and recognizing faces - among other visual abnormalities.

There are two types of macular degeneration, wet and dry. Ninety percent of people with macular degeneration have the dry - type in which small, chicken spots called Drusen form under the macula. Drusen are believed to be metabolic waste products that accumulate and cause cellular damage. It has been suggested that Drusen slowly hour down the cells of the macula, causing distorted vision.

Dry macular degeneration can progress into the second, more severe type, called wet - type macular degeneration. The cause of this progression is unknown to conventional medicine. In wet - type ARMD, new, abnormal blood vessels introduce to grow toward the macula, causing rapid and severe vision loss. These weak blood vessels can rupture and remove, therefore “ wet - type” ARMD. Both wet and dry ARMD are diagnosed by an ophthalmologist and there is currently no safe and effective conventional treatment.

Exclusive risk factors for macular degeneration have been identified as contributing factors to the development and progression of ARMD. These have: female gender, smoking ( increase risk by 200 - 300 % ), diabetics, high blood pressure ( usual ) and family history of macular degeneration.

Chinese Medicine and Macular Degeneration

In my experience Chinese Medicine can proposal a very effective treatment for both types of ARMD. Although this good-hearted of treatment will not help every single ARMD case presented, my personal success proportion has been at primitive 80 %. By success I beggarly that there are either weird and / or unbiased measurable improvements in a person’ s vision after a series of treatment. There are many simple ways to test vision that are well within our scope of practice as acupuncturists; two being Visual Acuity Test ( eye chart ) and an Amsler Grid Test.

The clinical equitable in treating ARMD is to treat the root cause of the disease marking. The branch treatment or temporary solution can be to activate the blood circulation in procession to resolve stagnation. Visual capacity may be better by promoting the circulation in choroids and retina, preventing cell paradise, and reversing the inability to absorb and circulate vital nutrients for healthy vision.

ARMD ( wet and dry ) is most generally an fatigue of the body’ s Yin. The Yin attribute of the visual field is the central vision, and the independent vision is more Yang in nature. When the central vision goes, it indicates a “ burn - out” of Kidney and Liver Yin, so using Chinese herbs that urge Yin seems to work best.

Central Vision Loss – Yin Deficient

The function of the Spleen ( supported by the Kidney ) is to transform and transport nourishment that is ingested. When working towards generating Yin in the body, it is essential that the Earth element ( spleen - pancreas and stomach ) be in a state of optimal function. The process of breaking down food into sympathetic nourishment for the cells of the body requires a digestive system. It has been stated in the Pi Wei Lun by Li Queer Yuan that as we age, our earth element ( digestive function ) weakens. When the body’ s capacity to break down food becomes less efficient, the ability to sustain Yin and Blood can compromised as a completion of poor digestion.

Again, ARMD is regularly practical as Yin deficiency cause by a " starvation " with an distressed transformation and transportation function.

The yin deficiency typically leads to a vigorous dry - stagnation of Qi and Blood - the next stages in the development of ARMD. The blood vessels of the eye generally become so dry and brittle that they can word blood or burst perfectly, so giving show to the less common " baptize ARMD. " One of the key ways to read if a sympathetic with dry - type ARMD is sensitive to developing hose - type ARMD is to discern if they treat to bruise easily. If they do in actuality bruise easily ( and have a fable of sorrowful disorders or have been over - dosed on blood thinners ), they have a else even break of developing saturate - type ARMD. If hurting occurs the adjacent steps should be impressed AFTER the responsive has been stabilized by their ophthalmologist.

In cases of drool ARMD, if the let down is severe they will need laser treatment to clutch the despondent. If the heavy-hearted is light and the empathetic has previously empitic their ophthalmologist, you cab bring idler shell moxa techniques - developed by Shmuel Halevi in Isreal.

Once the sorry has stopped, the next step is to stimulate the Yin and refresh the Qi and blood with acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine. An herb like Chinese Notoginseng ( Sanqi ) would be a good choice for wet ARMD, in that Dan Shen based formulas work better for dry ARMD. You can then follow up with digestive tonic formulas and yin - nourishing formulas, based on the dominating TCM motif. These formulas should be taken long term ( 6– 12 months ), as it can take time to build the Central Qi, and generate Yin.

Acupuncture Treatment:

Body Points:

Distal: Li - 3, Si - 3, Ht - 8, SJ - 3, Sp - 3, Ki - 1, Sp - 6, St - 36

Local: UB - 2 ( same upshot as UB - 1 ), Yuyao, GB - 14, Yintang

Ear Points: Adrenal, Pt. Zero, & Corpus Callosum

Electro - acupuncture:

E - Stim #1: UB - 2 to Alt Point – 1 finger medial to St - 2

E - stim #2: SJ - 23, Tongming ( ½ cun below GB - 1 )

Note: I benefit using a Pantheon 4C E - Stim Device, locality the points are stimulated at a constant 2Hz for 20 - 30 min.

Caution: Please DO NOT use local electro - acupuncture on patients with retinal blue or elevated inter - ocular pressure ( IOP ) / glaucoma. It can cause blue in weak vessels and raise IOP.

Sluggard Shell Moxa Treatment for Light Retinal Low:

* Sluggard shell moxa can be done daily of every other day for 1 - 2 weeks with the presence of retinal long-faced. The discerning should feel the warmness of the moxa burning.

Chinese Herbal Medicine - Base Formulas:

Wet ARMD

1. Yunnan Paiyao or Sanqi Powder ( dissolve 2 g 2x / day in water )

2. Ming Mu Di Huang Tang ( Beaming Eye Tea )

3. Shu Gan Tang + Erchen Tang ( Soothe the Liver Tea + Two Aged Tea )

4. Xiao Yao San

5. Bu Zhong Yi Qi Tang

Dry ARMD

1. Ming Mu Di Huang Tang ( Light Eye Tea )

2. Shu Gan Tang ( Soothe the Liver Tea ) + Er Chen Tang ( Two Aged Tea )

3. Dan Shen Pain

4. BuZhing Yi Qi Tang

NOTE: These are suggested base formulas. Chinese herbal formulas are most effective when tailored to each patients needs based on your TCM diagnosis.