03.29.09
Posted in Chinese Herbal Medicine, Eye Problems, Headaches & Migraines, Herbs at 1:20 pm by Dr. Pharm Tao
Scientific name:
Haliotis diversicolor Reeve, H. gigantea discus Reeve, and H. ovina Chemnitz
Family:
Haliotidae
Parts used:
Shell
Actions:
Haemostatic
Improves eyesight
TCM effects:
Analgesic
Antiacid
Benefits yin
Calms the liver
Clears away liver-fire to improve visual acuity
Suppresses the sthenic yang
Uses:
Blurring of vision
Conjunctivitis
Dizziness
Headaches
Insomnia
Irritability
Nebula
Night blindness
Regurgitation
Stomachache
Tinnitus
Dosages:
Appropriate amount for external use
Decoction 15-30g, crushed and decocted first
Powder 2-3g bid or tid
Permalink
01.14.09
Posted in Acupuncture & Moxibustion, Beauty and Cosmetics, Eye Problems at 10:54 pm by Dr. Pharm Tao
Treatment of Eye Diseases Using Acupuncture and Moxibustion
Acupuncture and moxibustion have been used for the treatment of eye diseases with good effects. Such eye diseases include pigmentary degeneration of retina, macular degeneration, glaucoma and optic atrophy (Xu et al. 2008).
Researchers in China studied the treatment of intractable dry eyes using acupuncture (Gong and Sun 2007). They examined tear secretion and morphological changes of the lacrimal gland after acupuncture treatment using rabbits as the animal model.
They applied acupuncture at these acupuncture points around the right eyes: Extra 1 (Taiyang), BL 2 ( Zanzhu) and SJ 23 (Sizhukong). The results of their study show that acupuncture can be used to treat intractable dry eyes and increase lacrimal secretion. Acupuncture can activate the lacrimal glandular function of synthesis and secretion.
Another group in Taiwan compared the efficacy of acupuncture and silver spike point (SSP) electro-therapy on the treatment of dry eye syndrome (Tseng et al. 2006). They observed that after four weeks of treatment, both the acupuncture and SSP treatment exhibited improvements over the control group.
After eight weeks of treatment, the acupuncture group had a greater improvement in Schirmer tests scores, compared with the SSP group. Their study demonstrates that acupuncture is an effective therapeutic method in promoting tear secretion in patients with dry eye syndrome.
A study done in Hongkong investigated the efficacy of tongue and body acupuncture for visual recovery in children with central and peripheral visual disorders (Wong et al. 2006). The causes of cortical visual impairments among the children included severe perinatal asphyxia, postencephalitis, traumatic brain injury, hydrocephalus, and increased intracranial pressure.
The clinicians used tongue and body acupuncture for 60 sessions, with 5 sessions each week. They observed that about 33% of the children had clinical or functional improvement. Among the children with abnormal visual evoked potentials, 56% of them had improvement. Among the children who underwent positron emission tomography (PET), 86% showed improvement in glucose metabolism in the visual cortex.
Their study confirmed that tongue and body acupuncture are effective for improving the visual condition of children with visual disorders. Acupuncture can be used as an adjunct or a complementary therapeutic method to Western medicine in neuroplasticity.
References:
Gong, L. and Sun, X. (2007) Treatment of intractable dry eyes: tear secretion increase and morphological changes of the lacrimal gland of rabbit after acupuncture. Acupunct Electrother Res 32, 223-233.
Tseng, K. L., Liu, H. J., et al. (2006) A clinical study of acupuncture and SSP (silver spike point) electro-therapy for dry eye syndrome. Am J Chin Med 34, 197-206.
Wong, V. C., Sun, J. G., et al. (2006) Pilot study of efficacy of tongue and body acupuncture in children with visual impairment. J Child Neurol 21, 463-473.
Xu, H., Liu, J., et al. (2008) [Analysis on literature of acupuncture and moxibustion treatment of intractable eye diseases]. Zhongguo Zhen Jiu 28, 625-628.
Permalink
