bubble_chart Content

Compared to the past, modern people are less active, have irregular daily routines and diets, are bombarded with information, and frequently strain their eyes, thus accelerating the wear and tear on their eyes, leading to various inexplicable eye diseases and strange ailments , such as high myopia, floaters , dry eye syndrome , glaucoma, retinal membrane distortion, retinal detachment, macular rupture, optic nerve atrophy, and so on. Rome wasn't built in a day, and the onset of these diseases is merely the eruption of long-term accumulation.

As mentioned earlier, the causes of various chronic eye diseases are macroscopic and complex, not due to a single factor. Therefore, modern medicine still does not fully understand the causes of these chronic eye diseases. Moreover, modern medicine is highly specialized, focusing on treating the local eye problem without much consideration of other organs, or even issues with blood circulation, information, and energy conduction. Thus, the treatments that ophthalmologists can offer are often very limited.

Fortunately, we have other options.

First, understand the principles of eye diseases

Firstly, poor dietary habits, daily routines, and work habits are the root of all diseases. Without changing these, even if your disease is cured temporarily, it will inevitably recur soon. This goes without saying.

Secondly, it is important to understand that the healing of all diseases primarily relies on the body's self-healing ability: the common cold virus is fought off by the body's immune system. The doctor's medicine, whether Western or Chinese, can only address the symptoms; the best it can do is shorten the course of the illness. For bodily injuries and fractures, although the doctor stitches and sets them, the actual healing and restoration of original function depend on the body's repair capabilities.

Eye diseases are no exception. Especially since the eye is an extremely delicate organ, surgical interventions often fall short. When the eye is sick, it particularly needs to rely on the body's self-healing power.

How to activate the body's self-healing power?

The human body is a constantly flowing large cycle. The cells of any tissue (except for the heart and neurons) are regularly renewed. For example, the intestinal mucosa is renewed every one or two days; the lifespan of red blood cells is about 120 days. It is because of this that wounds can self-repair and injuries can self-heal.

Just as repairing a house or furniture requires materials, repairing the body also requires materials like amino acids, sugars, minerals, etc. It also needs channels to expel waste. Insufficient materials or difficulty in expelling waste will hinder the repair process (see Figure 3).

The area where illness occurs must have poor blood circulation, and often these factors are mutually causal, creating a vicious cycle. When you overuse your eyes, they deplete their stored nutrients, and at the same time, due to overexertion, they expel a considerable amount of metabolic waste (similar to the lactic acid buildup in muscles after intense exercise). If these wastes are not completely expelled, they accumulate around the eye tissues, forming a stagnant microenvironment over time, which hinders the penetration of oxygen and nutrients and the expulsion of metabolic waste (see Figure 3). Such tissue is like a car engine with carbon deposits; it is difficult to perform efficiently, becomes easily fatigued and aged, and once injured, it is not easy to recover. Try pressing around your eye sockets; if they feel stiff and sore, it is likely that a lot of eye fatigue has accumulated, and degeneration or disease is only a matter of time (see the section on " Eye Perimeter Finger Scraping Method ").

Imagine if the circulation of qi and blood supplying the injured tissue is not smooth, the supply of oxygen and nutrients will be limited, and the excretion of metabolic waste will also be hindered. How can the injured tissue repair itself? Even if you eat very nutritiously, the affected area still cannot receive it. Therefore, improving circulation is one of the key factors in activating the body's self-healing power.

Secondly, the nutrients that nourish the eyes are the essence of nutrients. According to the understanding of Chinese medicine, the essential qi of the five zang and six fu-organs must be transported upwards to nourish the eyes. The nutrients it requires are not just a few vitamins or carotenes. When the nutrients of a certain zang-fu organs are depleted, or excessive use of the eyes leads to a lack of nutrients stored in the zang-fu organs, the eyes will become sick. Even if the circulation of the eyes is unblocked, without material support, the eyes will still find it difficult to repair themselves. Therefore, the patient must open sources and reduce expenditures. To open sources, start by adjusting the functions of the patient's zang-fu organs, especially the digestion and absorption of the gastrointestinal tract and the material metabolism of the liver. To reduce expenditures, first, reduce the frequency of eye use and cut unnecessary expenses; second, reduce work burden and the loss from sexual activities, especially the latter. The nutrients required for producing semen or the body fluids during sexual activities overlap significantly with those needed by other parts of the body. Those who are good at nurturing life have fewer desires, and patients should especially abstain from sexual activities—starting from the mind.

The above considerations address the source of nutrients for the eyes and the pathways of their transportation, but another important aspect is missing, which is the smoothness of the meridians (see the section "What are meridians and acupoints?"). This part is still a mystery to modern medicine, while Chinese medicine observed the phenomenon of human meridians as early as two thousand years ago. The role of meridians is to transmit regulatory messages, and the objects of regulation include body fluids, immunity, nerves, endocrine, etc., thus holding the highest status. If the message transmission of meridians is not smooth, the body fluids, immunity, nerves, endocrine, etc., of local tissues cannot be coordinated, making them prone to illness or difficult to recover.

Basically, many Jingmai pass through the eyes or around the eyes, especially, several of them pass through the optic nerve. Like blood circulation, meridians can be blocked due to lack of exercise, trauma, or exposure to wind and cold, etc. Therefore, unblocking the Jingmai is another key factor in activating the body's self-healing power.

Specifically, how to treat?

The following summarizes the causes of chronic eye diseases:

1. Irregular daily routine and diet, excessive use of eyes
2. Poor circulation of qi and blood to the eyes
3. Weak function of internal zang-fu organs
4. Blocked meridians

The first point can be changed by one's own willpower. Points 2 to 4 can be addressed through acupuncture, tuina, cupping, bloodletting, Chinese medicinals, etc. The characteristics of physical therapies like acupuncture are to unblock meridians and qi and blood, providing immediate and rapid effects for eye diseases, significantly alleviating symptoms on the spot, and being non-toxic. Acupuncture can also regulate the functions of zang-fu organs, but for zang-fu organs that are already deficient, it is necessary to supplement with Chinese medicinals for continuous regulation and replenishment, or to undergo more frequent acupuncture treatments (every 1 or 2 days) without the need for medication. The characteristics of Chinese medicinals lie in regulating the functions of zang-fu organs, unblocking qi and blood, and supplementing deficiencies. The drugs we choose are primarily considered for their toxicity, using as much as possible those reported in literature and journals to be non-toxic or extremely low in toxicity, with simple, pure, and minimal ingredients to avoid increasing the patient's physical burden.

When all the above disease causes are eliminated, the eyes can gradually repair themselves and become as bright as usual. Even serious diseases can be significantly improved, ranging from half a month to half a year, and some may see more than half improvement immediately after the first acupuncture session, depending on the severity of the patient's eye disease and their cooperation.

In summary, the disease cause of eye disease is not entirely in the eye. Eye disease is merely a prominent symptom, the tip of the iceberg. Other symptoms such as headache, neck tightness, backache, bitter and dry mouth, insomnia, tinnitus, etc., are common accompanying symptoms. When I perform acupuncture on patients, even if I only needle the acupoints on the hands and feet without touching the eye area, the patient's eyes can immediately become brighter. This further proves that the disease cause of eye disease is not entirely in the eye. Therefore, treating eye disease should involve regulating the entire body. Merely addressing the local eye area may provide temporary relief, but it certainly cannot cure the disease.