Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is one of the most common forms of vision loss in this country, affecting mainly the elderly. About 12 million Americans have AMD, and that number is expected to escalate to 30 million within the next few years. Patients with AMD gradually lose their vision, with a large black spot covering part of their visual field that progressively gets worse.
There are few medical treatments for the disease. Coagulating laser therapy is the usual treatment for macular degeneration offered by ophthalmologists, but it does not work consistently and often produces harmful effects. Microcurrent electrical stimulation has shown great promise as an alternative that can slow down the progression of the disease, and can actually promote healing. Preliminary studies have shown that microcurrent stimulation of the eye region can be effective in treating retinal diseases ranging from macular degeneration (both wet and dry) to retinitis pigmentosa, Stargardt's disease, retinal vein occlusion and swelling, and other retinopathies.
The October 2002 issue of the Townsend Newsletter featured an article by Edward C. Kondrot, MD, that summarized three studies on the use of microcurrent for AMD.
Edward Paul Jr., OD, PhD, presented a paper to the International Society for Low Vision Research and Rehabilitation in Sweden titled "The Treatment of Retinal Diseases with Micro Current Stimulation and Nutritional Supplementation."1 In it, he proposed that microcurrent works in this regard by increasing ATP production, enhancing protein synthesis and helping cells absorb needed nutrients. These processes improve RPE (retinal pigment epithelium) efficiency, which might help restore retinal function.
Decline in ATP production in retinal cells might result from damage by free radicals in the aging process, and through deficiency of antioxidant vitamins and minerals.
Other researchers have suggested that microcurrent stimulation may boost the cells' ability to rid themselves of waste products. Another benefit is increased blood circulation to the eye area. By increasing blood flow to the area, cells and tissues are nourished and refreshed, and oxygenation is increased.
Microcurrent stimulators are approved by the FDA for treatment of chronic or intractable pain or postsurgical pain. The FDA does not approve them for treatment of AMD or other disease processes. This would be considered an "off-label" use of the device. Manufacturers of microcurrent devices cannot legally sell them with the claim that they are indicated for treatment of AMD. Yet it's legal for health care practitioners to use a microcurrent device for such off-label uses, provided they do not actively advertise the use of the device for the off-label purpose.
There appears to be two types of techniques used to apply microcurrent stimulation to the eye region. In the first technique, pad electrodes are placed to cover each eye and socket completely, with one electrode over each eye. The second approach is to use a probe-type applicator to stimulate a series of acupuncture points around the eyes.
Here is an AMD protocol discussed in a popular book on microcurrent electroacupuncture.2 This is only one of many possible approaches, but it's very effective. I have added in the use of some distal acupoints.
In addition to the distal points listed on page 35, you might want to add needle or non-needle stimulation of the reverse body image eye points, which are located just to either side of the acupoint Du 2 on the coccyx area.
The book did not deal with the addition of color light therapy to microcurrent electroacupuncture. Although we do not have enough clinical studies to confirm the degree of effectiveness of color light acupuncture for the treatment of AMD, based on observations of boosted effectiveness for other conditions, I would certainly recommend you add it to all of your probe AMD treatments. I also suggest you use kinesiology and therapy localization to select the most resonant color for each patient. This involves having the patient touch the eye area after initial kinesiology clearing, and using the patient's other hand for O-ring testing. Then lay various color filters on the eye until the strongest muscle test is seen. Green, turquoise and red all are colors that might benefit the eyes, but it's best to do the individual testing before selecting the color.
Protocol: Eye Diseases
There have been many reports of successful improvements in patients with eye diseases through microcurrent treatment, specifically macular degeneration and other retinal diseases, and nearsightedness. The protocol given here also might benefit patients with glaucoma or conjunctivitis, as it's a general tonic to the nerves of the eye. This protocol must be used with caution, monitoring for any adverse effects. Many eye diseases, particularly in the elderly, are linked to the side-effects of pharmaceuticals. Consider alternative approaches to unnecessary drug intake to protect vision.
Treatment Methods
This treatment might be augmented by treating the following acupoints with needles or microcurrent: K 6, GB 37, TW 3, SI 3, LI 4. You might use kinesiology to determine the appropriateness of these points. |
Adjunctive Treatments
Eliminate or reduce foods that can damage one's vision, such as animal fats, sugar, fried and processed foods, wheat, alcohol, tobacco and excessive coffee. Many nutritional supplements can support healthy vision. These include vitamins A, E and C, zinc, selenium and other antioxidants, and ginkgo biloba. Cataracts might be prevented in many cases by large doses of flavanoids, vitamin E, N-acetylcysteine and vitamin B2.
References
Chronic pain afflicts over 20% of the adult population. Sadly, most MDs have essentially no education in treating pain, beyond offering a few toxic medications. Then they tend to steer people with pain away from those health practitioners who are trained. This puts the acupuncture community on the front lines for addressing this epidemic.
When the body is going through a stressful event, the sympathetic system is activated. This activation will help the body with a life-threatening situation. If this state is activated for prolonged periods of time, it starts to consume energy. These traumatic events that generate stressors in the autonomic nervous system (ANS) will eventually become internalized.
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One of the things that makes acupuncture so difficult to measure is that the medicine actually does contain some esoteric aspects. There have been numerous studies that demonstrate the neurochemical reasoning behind why acupuncture points stimulate the autonomic nervous system to enact change However, not all the benefits of TCM can easily be measured by randomized, controlled trials. But does that make them fundamentally and definitively untrue?
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