Herbal Formulas & Acupuncture To Treat Glaucoma
January is Glaucoma Awareness Month. Did you know that Chinese Medicine has many ways to treat this eye disorder?
Glaucoma is an eye disorder that can affect those above the age of 50-years old. Thus giving them a gradual loss of vision. This is due to high fluid pressure in the eyes. The liquid of the eye (called aqueous humor) is not able to smoothly move from the front to the back of the eye, leading to impaired vision.
Glaucoma And Traditional Chinese Medicine
In Chinese medicine, fluids in the body are yin in nature. Yin includes nurturing, slow movement, are associated with night, tend to move downward, and are prone to clogging. And then there are Yang characteristics. Yang includes energy, movement, is associated with the day/sun, moves upward in the body, and prone to restlessness.
Your acupuncturist will try to identify why the symptoms are occurring and what imbalance in the body is causing them. In this case, the build-up of fluids in the eyes are a simple place for your acupuncturist to begin. They will identify whether there is an imbalance between the yin and yang characteristics.
Glaucoma And The Liver Channel
In Chinese Medicine, there are many acupuncture channels that travel to the eye. Thus, there are many reasons for such an imbalance. For example, the Liver channel “opens” in the eyes. Often, acupuncturists will check if the symptoms could be due to an imbalance in the Liver channel. And they will then work on balancing this channel.
Another place for your acupuncturist to begin is to identify if a patient has a yin deficiency. Yin naturally declines in the body as we age. When yin is low, yang energy will begin to overact as it no longer has enough yin energy to anchor it. If the yin fluid in the eyes becomes low, yang energy might become too much. This leads to the tension and pressure associated with glaucoma.
When glaucoma is treated with acupuncture, points are selected along channels of the body. The points are selected based on which channels are involved. Along with the specific function of the points along the meridians. An example is if the Liver channel’s yang energy is not being held and is causing pressure in the eyes. LIVER 3, known as the “Great Rushing,” could be used. This is due to its ability to pause Liver yang, nourish Liver yin, and clears the head and eyes. This point could be used with other points to help the yin in the body while pausing the rising yang energy.
Other Ways Your Acupuncturist Can Help With Your Glaucoma
Herbal formulas can help balance the body as well as target the eyes by using specific herbs. These herbal formulas will treat many problems and will be chosen for your specific diagnosis. To provide an example, if you have a yin deficiency, your custom formula will likely help build up your body’s yin fluids. This will help to balance the yin and yang energies, thereby bringing balance back to the system.
Don't let glaucoma prevent you from living your best life.
Once the root of the issue is found, your acupuncturist will decide the best plan for you. This could be acupuncture treatments, custom herbal formulas, or oftentimes, a blend of both to restore balance to the eyes.
Click here to book an appointment with one of our licensed acupuncturists to start improving your quality of life!