Q: Who can benefit from this program?
A: Anyone concerned about their eye health can benefit, especially those who are experiencing age-related Macular Degeneration, Glaucoma, Diabetic Retinopathy, Retinitis Pigmentosa, or Myopia/Presbyopia.
Q: Acupuncture to treat eyes sounds hazardous. Where do you put the acupuncture needles?
A: Primarily in the hands and feet.
Q: How does this work?
A: What we call an essence from the internal organs, especially the liver, nourishes the eyes and helps keep vision good. According to Traditional Chinese Medicine, there are bridges (meridians) between the eyes and these organs; these meridians travel to the hands and feet as well. Lack of nourishment impairs eye health, especially vision. Acupuncture can improve the circulation of blood and Qi—better known in the West as chi—to help essence reach the eye area.
Q: What is the procedure for eye restoration?
A: There are 10 sessions in a course of treatment, and each session lasts 30 minutes. Sessions are scheduled for 2 times a week and—depending on the results—up to 2 times a day. A full course is needed to see if the treatments help. Eye tests are required before and after the course to confirm the results. If the results demonstrate that the treatments are working, more acupuncture sessions will be needed to reach a plateau and then maintain it.
Q: Is the treatment safe?
A: This treatment requires a well-trained, experienced, licensed practitioner. I have studied with a Master who has been using Acupuncture to deal with eye problems for over 20 years. Selected acupuncture points are located at the areas where there are no organs, large blood vessels, or important nerves.
Q: In order to have better results, is there anything else a patient can do?
A: Yes. I frequently recommend eye exercises and self-massage. Managing stress, eating healthy foods, regular exercise, being positive, and limiting screen time will help. Staying away the things that do harm to the general health, such as stress and smoking, makes the treatments more successful.
Q: What are your qualifications?
A: I myself am a graduate of Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, with a major in Acupuncture and Moxibustion. I had additional training at the People’s Liberation Army Postgraduate Medical School, with a major in Integrated Chinese Medicine and Western Medicine. I hold a Bachelor’s Degree in Medicine and a Master’s Degree of Medicine. As you might imagine, working alongside practitioners of Western Medicine has given me insights into how these two disciplines can work together. I have been practicing since 1997 and, by 2018, have administered over 65,000 treatments.