acupuncture could save your sight! - better...

________________________________________________________________________________________________________© MMX11 CAMBRIDGE INSTITUTE FOR BETTER VISION 1

ACUPUNCTURE COULD SAVEYOUR SIGHT!Learn about traditional healing for Macular Degeneration, cataracts and other eye problems from one of the very few acupuncturists who specializes in the field, Dr. Andy Rosenfarb.Find out why leading research institutions are studying his methods - and what you can do to stop failing vision.

Welcome to Better VisionBefore you jump into this Special Report, please read this page. Thanks!

This Special Report is for people who want to explore self-help and holistic alternatives to conventional eye care, maintain and promote the health and clarity of their eyes.

The information is not meant to diagnose or treat any medical conditions of the visual system. Anyone with a medical disorder or persistent problem is advised to consult an eye doctor or other health care practitioner. The Cambridge Institute for Better Vision is in no way liable for any use or misuse of this material. Of course, individual results may vary. User testimonials may or may not be representative of your experience. Testimonials are accurate as of when received, but again, may not be representative of each individual's experience.

COPYRIGHT. This material in all its forms is protected by copyright law and international treaty provisions and may not be copied or imitated in whole or in part. No logo, trademark, graphic or image may be copied or retransmitted without the express written permission of the Cambridge Institute for Better Vision, Inc. All associated logos are trademarks or registered trademarks of the Cambridge Institute for Better Vision, Inc. and may not be copied or transmitted without the express written permission of the Cambridge Institute for Better Vision, Inc.

You agree that you will not re-distribute, copy, amend, or commercially exploit any materials found in this document without the express written permission of the Cambridge Institute for Better Vision, Inc.

Published by:Cambridge Institute for Better Vision, Inc.

65 Eastern Ave #B1-E, Essex MA [email protected]


This is a transcript of a live audio event that took place on Wednesday, March 28, 2012, with Martin Sussman, founding president of the Cambridge Institute for Better Vision, and Dr. Andy Rosenfarb, ND, L.Ac., CA, founder and clinical director of Acupuncture Health Associates and one of the leading experts in the world in the field of holistic eye health.

The discussion focused on the use of acupuncture in the treatment of Macular Degeneration, cataracts, glaucoma, and other diseases of the eye: how acupuncture works, what treatment looks like, how results are measured, and the role of nutrition and supplements in eye health.

Dr. Rosenfarb integrates Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and cutting-edge approaches of Naturopathic Medicine to maximize results for patients with degenerative eye conditions. He is the author of Healing Your Eyes with Chinese Medicine and Ophthalmology in Chinese Medicine.

Martin Sussman, a natural vision care expert, founded the Cambridge Institute in 1976. He is author of The Program for Better Vision book and audio series, co-author with Dr. Ernest Loewenstein, O.D., Ph.D., of Total Health at the Computer, and co-developer with Dr. Ray Gottlieb, O.D., Ph.D., of the Read Without Glasses Method.


INTRODUCTION

http://www.bettervision.com

http://www.bettervision.com

http://www.acupuncturehealth.net/




Dr. Kondrot: Welcome to Healthy Vision. This is your host Dr. Edward Kondrot. This evening we have Martin Sussman as my guest, and he’s the founder and president of the Cambridge Institute for Better Vision. Martin Sussman: This is Martin Sussman from the Cambridge Martin Sussman: I’m really glad you’re both listening on the phone and sitting in front of

your computer listening on the web. We’ve had over 2,400 people registered for this event, so I’m really looking forward to it. I’m excited to have Andy with us. Dr. Rosenfarb is filled with all kinds of great information to help you and to help your eyes.

Dr. Rosenfarb: Thank you.

Martin Sussman: Let me tell people what we’re going to

do tonight and give them a general

overview and then we’ll start digging

into it, because everybody’s really

looking forward to what you have to

share with them.

Those of you who are listening on the

Internet, you’re able to submit a

question. I can’t promise that I’m going

to get to all of them, but you can

submit it and we will try to address some of the major issues. People

have been putting their questions in over the last week.

What we’re going to do tonight is talk about acupuncture and how it

relates to Macular Degeneration, cataracts, and other eye problems as

well. Now I know, Andy, that you are not only an acupuncturist but

you’re also a naturopathic doctor.


ACUPUNCTURE for Macular Degeneration, Cataracts, and Other Eye Problems

L I V E A U D I O E V E N T T R A N S C R I P T I O N

Martin Sussman and Dr. Andy Rosenfarb, ND, L.Ac.

Today’s Topic

How does

acupuncture relate

to Macular

Degeneration,

cataracts, and other

eye problems?

You’re also the author of a couple of books on the eyes and on natural

healing for the eyes. What are the titles of those books?

Dr. Rosenfarb: Well, the first book is called Healing Your Eyes with Chinese Medicine, and

that’s more geared to help laypeople understand what Traditional

Chinese Medicine (TCM) is and some of the theory behind how we

approach treating certain eye diseases. The second book is more

geared towards clinicians and acupuncturists, or medical doctors who

practice acupuncture, and that’s called

Ophthalmology in Chinese Medicine.

Martin Sussman: In addition to having written those

books, you are involved in some

research projects with acupuncture

and the eyes.

Dr. Rosenfarb: We’re currently doing preliminary

research at the Wilmer Eye Institute at

Johns Hopkins. It’s actually a study on

Retinitis Pigmentosa, a genetic disease

where people lose peripheral vision and also develop night blindness.

We had such great results that we were put in touch with some of the

researchers over there, and they were really interested in doing a

research project. So we’re happy to say that’s actually being done as we

speak, and we’re looking forward to getting positive results and

feedback on that.

Martin Sussman: We’re going to delve into how acupuncture actually can help eye

problems. A little bit about what acupuncture is, because I think all of

us have heard about it, but some of us don’t quite really understand


“We had such great

results that we were

put in touch with

some of the

researchers at the

Wilmer Eye Institute

at Johns Hopkins.”

exactly how it works. We’ll cover that and go into the specific medical

problems and talk about the results you’ve had and the kinds of things

you suggest; who comes to your office and what they can do if they

can’t come to your office. General help for people all across the board.

For people who hang in, at the end of the tele-seminar, we’ll give people

a link so they can download a report that you wrote, which I love the

name of. It’s called My Search for the “Secret” to Our Holistic Eye Care

System. Great title.

Dr. Rosenfarb: That’s a report talking about some of the findings that I’ve had. Again,

really looking at the holistic picture of how eye disease came about, and

a little bit about how I got interested in it. We’re also going to give some

ideas about what things people can do, some home strategies for these

types of conditions.

Martin Sussman: We’re going to give people a chance to download that report and we’re

also going to give them access to your “Five Keys to Healthy Eyes.” I think

the first place to start is with the general idea of the difference between

eye health and promoting eye health, and the holistic approach to eye

health and regular medical care, which is focused on drugs or surgery.

So talk a little bit about that if you would.

Dr. Rosenfarb: Well, generally, the field of ophthalmology looks at eye disease as

isolated pathological conditions. Of course, there are systemic issues

that we understand; diabetes is a really great example. We know that

that’s a systemic condition that can result in eye diseases. But, generally,

if somebody has an eye problem and they go to their eye doctor, again

for things like cataracts or Macular Degeneration, they’re pretty limited

to understanding that it’s just that type of an eye disease, and they’re


http://www.bettervision.com/andy/






not really looking past the eye. They’re not really looking at blood work.

They’re not looking at systemic causes for these things.

So although in some cases you can have an effective conventional

treatment that may improve vision, it’s not really taking into

consideration the holistic nature of the issue – the eye disease that’s

going on. One thing I always educate my patients about is pretty much

any degenerative eye condition is a systemic disease. It’s not just an eye

disease. There are causes. There’s systemic underlying issues that are

contributing to these factors. And you have to address those. If you

don’t understand the nature of what’s

going on, then you’re not going to

make any long-term benefits, or long-

term gains, in terms of recovering your

vision. Particularly with Macular

Degeneration.

Martin Sussman: Right. There’s another doctor that I’ve

associated with over the years and he

just puts it completely bluntly. He says the health of the eyes is related

to the health of the body. If you make the body healthier, the eyes just

come along for the ride.

Dr. Rosenfarb: That’s absolutely right.

Martin Sussman: And also there are things you can do directly for the eye. So it’s sort of a

two-way street, but they’re totally interconnected and people are

becoming more and more astute to recognize the holistic aspect of

vision. They’re asking the questions: What is the eye condition saying

about the rest of the body? What are the underlying factors that

contribute to healthy eyes and to a healthy body?


“If you make the

body healthier, the

eyes just come along

for the ride.”

So, first of all, we want to set that stage and say that that’s really what

you do, and all the work that you do is designed to do very specific

things to promote the health of the eyes, promote the health of the

body. As both get healthier, the eyesight improves, the negative

conditions diminish or disappear. So, really, we work towards health

rather than trying to slice out or cure disease. Would that be a fair way

to say it?

Dr. Rosenfarb: I couldn’t have said it better myself.

Absolutely right. It’s really about

dealing with the eyes as they relate to

the entire body. You have a body

connected to your eyes and until you

understand what’s going on

systemically that’s causing these

conditions, it’s just that important.

Martin Sussman: So now tell us what is acupuncture?

Dr. Rosenfarb: Acupuncture is a 4,000-year-old treatment that originated out of China,

as most people know. It’s also widely practiced in Korea, Vietnam,

Japan, most of the Eastern world. It came to the United States and got

popular in the ‘70s. Acupuncture obviously uses needles – the insertion

of fine needles to specific acupuncture points, or pressure points –

around the body.

When we insert these needles, for example, for eye conditions, you’re

putting specific needles into specific points, or using other forms of

stimulation like acupressure or microcurrent. But what you’re doing is

conducting a response through the meridian system and through the


“There are things

you can do directly

for the eye... people

are becoming more

and more astute to

recognize the

holistic aspect of

vision.”

nervous system to send a signal up to the brain. The brain interprets

that signal and sends a signal to the eyes, to the retina, to the optic

nerve, to the choroid part of the eyes, to the macula specifically.

Wherever you’re targeting the issue and you’re getting vasodilation as

an effect, you’re getting increased blood flow, you’re getting increased

oxygen. So the stimulation of these specific points will have a

therapeutic effect, in most cases, for certain eye conditions.

Martin Sussman: Okay, let’s just be clear: You’re not putting any needles in anybody’s

eyes, right?

Dr. Rosenfarb: No, no. It’s a great point. Probably the

most common question I get asked

about eye conditions is, “Oh, needles

go in the eyes?” They don’t. Most of

them go actually in the hands and feet.

Martin Sussman: And the second thing is that these are

not needles like the kind we’re used to

going to the doctor’s office. They’re

not needles to draw blood or needles

to get shots. You hardly feel them,

right?

Dr. Rosenfarb: Correct. Those are hypodermic needles. Those needles are used to

inject certain fluids or take out fluids from the body. The needles that

we use are stainless steel filiform. They’re solid needles, so there’s

nothing on the needles. There’s nothing that goes into the needle.

They’re all pre-sterilized, used once and disposable. They’re about as

thick as a head hair, and I treat four, five and six-year-olds all the time


“Acupuncture

needles are about as

thick as a hair on

your head... They

are not

put into the eyes...

I treat four, five, and

six-year olds.”

with eye conditions, and they tolerate the needles great. I haven’t ever

lost anybody to a pain issue with the needles.

Martin Sussman: I’ve had acupuncture many, many times myself for a variety of different

things and I always – every time I lie down – I always remember being a

kid and getting a shot, and then

remembering that this is not that at all.

Dr. Rosenfarb: It is not that.

Martin Sussman: Exactly. Talk a little about acupuncture

theory. I’d like you to explain why putting

needles in the feet or in the hands has an

effect on either the eyes, or any other

part of the body? Talk about the Chi and

the energy flow that acupuncture and

Chinese Medicine are based on.

Dr. Rosenfarb: Well, I like to use analogies a lot of times because that helps people

understand. Acupuncture kind of works like a circuit breaker in your

house. In most people’s basements, or in a storage unit, they have

different areas that when they turn the circuit breaker, they’ll switch on

the living room, or the bedroom, or the kitchen. That’s very similar to

how acupuncture works. What we’re doing is we’re flipping little

switches through a circuitry system called meridians, or energy

pathways, which coincide with the nervous system and the

cardiovascular blood vessels. And what you’re doing is you’re actually

activating certain points that will, even though you can’t see the signal,

just like when you’re flipping a switch on your circuit breaker you can’t

see the wires going through the wall, but you can see the lights going


“Acupuncture kind

of works like a circuit

breaker in your

house...

we’re flipping little

switches...

activating certain

points...”

on. And you can see the effects of the switches that you’re turning. So

that’s kind of what acupuncture does.

You put a needle in and you can’t necessarily see everything that’s

happening along the circuit, but you can measure. through ocular

Doppler. See increased blood flow to the eyes. You can see the visual

cortex light up. You can see pupil restriction or pupil dilation. You can

measure the effects of these. That’s kind of how it works.

Martin Sussman: Obviously, people like you who are acupuncturists have been studying

Chinese Medicine for a long time, and we’re just giving people the

overview of essentially how it works. And like you say in this slide,

acupuncture is evidence-based medicine. And, as you just described, all

those different effects are things that actually can be measured. And

the research that you’re doing down at Johns Hopkins is also something

that’s going to be measured.


WHAT IS ACUPUNCTURE?

• Insertion of fine needles into specific neuro-vascular junctions at various “points” around the body.• Stimulating points send impulses through the nervous system, to the brain to stimulate the eyes, optic nerve, and visual cortex. • Acupuncture increases micro circulation to the eyes.• Acupuncture is NOT a “ new-age” idea. • Acupuncture IS evidence based medicine.

Dr. Rosenfarb: Yes.

Martin Sussman: What are the eye conditions that you’ve used acupuncture to help?

Dr. Rosenfarb: The most common things that I see in clinic are Macular Degeneration,

glaucoma, and a condition called Retinitis Pigmentosa. By far the most

common things I see. I treat a lot of optic nerve atrophy, a lot of lazy eye

in little kids. Also, a lot of cataracts. I do a lot of nutrition. Some

acupuncture for cataracts, but often nutrition gets really good results

with that.

Ocular inflammatory conditions. We’ll see things like uveitis, iritis,

blepharitis, any of these types of things. A lot of these chronic things

that, you know, people either get tired of using medication for. The

medications aren’t working. Things like dry eye from Sjögren’s

[Syndrome] or allergies. Eye traumas. Pretty much anything you can

name that has to do with the eyes, we’ve probably seen it.

We see a lot of different types of conditions. We get people who come

in from all over the world every week, and most people do really well.

Martin Sussman: I know just from the questions and the people who’ve contacted the

Cambridge Institute for Better Vision over the years that the three most

common concerns they have are Macular Degeneration, cataracts, and

glaucoma. We didn’t originally plan to deal with glaucoma, but I think

we could squeeze some of that in at some point. But as far as Macular

Degeneration goes – actually, before we get into the specifics of that –

I’m looking at the questions as I’m talking to you. One person asks, what

does ND stand for?


Dr. Rosenfarb: ND in my title is naturopathic doctor. I went to acupuncture school for

four years after college. That’s where I got my acupuncture degree.

Master of Traditional Chinese Medicine. Then I went on to study

Naturopathic Medicine and got my doctorate in naturopathy.

Martin Sussman: I’m going to put up a slide that shows the way the world looks for

people with Macular Degeneration. Talk to that slide, if you would.

Dr. Rosenfarb: Generally speaking, people that have Macular Degeneration start with

visual distortion. It means that to look at words or TV, or somebody’s

face, things start to seem wavy a little bit. As the disease progresses,

eventually, in most cases, you’ll start to develop some vision loss. It’ll

start to get spotty and, ultimately, you get what’s called, scotoma, which

is a loss of central vision. Meaning, that if you look at something

straight-on like in this picture, you won’t necessarily see what’s directly

in front of you. What you’re going to lose is central vision.

Macular Degeneration is a result of the breakdown of the nerve cells in

the macula, which is in the center part of the eye, which is responsible


MACULAR DEGENERATION:The Fading Away of Central Vision

for your central vision, your sharp vision, and your color vision. So these

things will start to distort as the macula breaks down. There’s going to

be a loss of central vision and/or distortion.

Martin Sussman: You can see that in the eye in the anatomy slide I just put up, right?

Dr. Rosenfarb: Yes. This will show you where the macula is in that center area.

Martin Sussman: That’s why it’s the central vision that breaks down and not the

peripheral vision. Because the macula is the part of the eye that is

responsible for seeing central vision.

Dr. Rosenfarb: That’s correct.

Martin Sussman: It’s a pretty serious problem. Talk to the statistics here. I mean, it’s

pretty amazing, unfortunately.


THE DIFFERENT PARTS OF THE RETINA

Dr. Rosenfarb: Yes, it’s really growing. The baby boomers are getting older, so as baby

boomers age we’re seeing a rising cardiovascular disease, which in my

experience, has a lot to do with Macular Degeneration, which we’ll get

to a little bit later.

You know, 9.1 million people in the states have Macular Degeneration

[and] that number is growing dramatically. Again, partially because of

the baby boomers who are getting into their 60s now. It’s the leading

cause of blindness for Americans 65 and older.


MACULAR DEGENERATION (MD) FACTS

• MD is the leading cause of legal blindness in Americans age 65 and older.

• Approximately 9.1 million people in the US older than 40 suffer from MD.

• Some forms of MD may be inherited, possibly placing family members at greater risk for developing MD.

• Two types of MD:

1. Dry – 90% of individuals with MD suffer from this form of the disease.

2. Wet – Only 10% of those with MD have this type; it accounts, however, for 90 percent of all blindness from the disease. ••Source: National Alliance for Eye and Vision Research

You have your two types. You have your dry type Macular

Degeneration, which consists of 90% of cases, and then the other 10% is

wet Macular Degeneration. Clinically, I see both about even; a lot of

wet macular cases and a lot of dry macular cases.

Martin Sussman: Are these completely separate? Or does the wet come from a person

who’s had dry for a while, and then it turns into wet?

Dr. Rosenfarb: It depends who you ask. Your eye doctor will tell you if you have dry

Macular Degeneration, you’re likely to develop wet Macular

Degeneration. If you have wet in one eye, you’re likely to get it in the

other eye. Personally, I see the two as pretty different disease

pathologies. One is more vascular. When you have wet Macular

Degeneration, it’s definitely vascular issues that aren’t present in dry

Macular Degeneration. So that’s another extra thing that you have to

deal with.

Martin Sussman: What do you mean by vascular issues?

Dr. Rosenfarb: Vascular means the blood vessels. Again, we’ll get into this once we get

into the anatomy. Basically, with wet Macular Degeneration, you have

something called neovascularization. The macula is starving, so the

body in its wisdom tries to lay new tracks or create new blood vessels to

bring to the macula to nourish it so the cells can survive. These blood

cells that the body tries to grow in an attempt to nourish the macula are

usually very weak and very brittle. Because of that, they’re susceptible

to cracking or bleeding, or breaking, or whatever. The structural

integrity isn’t so good. So you can get anything from a slow leak, like a

little leak of blood coming out, to a full blown hemorrhage where you

lose total vision. That occurs only in wet Macular Degeneration, and

doesn’t occur in dry Macular Degeneration.


Martin Sussman: Are there anymore differences between the two?

Dr. Rosenfarb: Yes. Usually there’s some degree of drusen in both; not in all cases, but

you usually see that. drusen is a

metabolic waste product which collects

in the eye. It’s like calcium-cholesterol

waxy, and that’s pretty much what

causes the degeneration in atrilated

Macular Degeneration.

Martin Sussman: In other words, drusen is some from of

toxin that’s not –

Dr. Rosenfarb: Yes, it’s kind of like a cholesterol that

builds up. We want to get rid of that

because, as we know from our

cardiovascular issues, we know that if

plaque and cholesterol builds up on

the coronary arteries, that’s a problem.

It’s the same thing in the eyes. If cholesterol builds up around the eyes,

it’s going to impair the blood flow and reduce circulation to the eyes.

Martin Sussman: Now I just want to interject here. There was a study that I was reading in

the last couple of months that showed that people who had Macular

Degeneration also were something 20-30% more likely to have heart

histories. And that fits in exactly with what you’re saying.

If it is a circulatory vascular problem that has to do with cholesterol in

the bloodstream or on the walls, then the drusen, which is essentially


“If cholesterol

builds up

around

the eyes,

it’s going

to impair

the blood flow

and reduce

circulation

to the eyes.”

mini-cholesterol in the eyes, it’s no surprise that there would be that

kind of connection between the eye and the heart.

It all circles back, I think, to what you

were saying originally when we started,

which is that the health of our bodies is

seen in the health of our eyes.

Dr. Rosenfarb: Absolutely. You have to look at that.

You have to look at the body, and you

have to ask about cardiovascular

history, or if somebody’s on high blood

pressure medication, or they’ve had –

you know, I’ve so many patients who’ve

come in with Macular Degeneration

and I would say more than half of them

have had a history of bypass surgery, or

congestive cardiovascular disease in

the family, or something like that. So

absolutely. These are systemic conditions again.

Martin Sussman: We’re getting a lot of questions here from people who have Macular

Degeneration or have had it for a while. And their doctors have given

them the Lucentis® injections, or a couple of other things like that, or

the laser surgery to dry up the wet Macular Degeneration. Can you

speak to those kinds of surgical/medical interventions?

Dr. Rosenfarb: Absolutely. I’m glad you brought that up. That’s a really important

aspect. The one thing about that can be very useful – the Lucentis® or

Avastin® injections. Absolutely. If you have a bleed, what they do is

they basically act like a sponge. They clean up the bleeding and help


“Lucentis® and

Avastin® are not

treatments for

Macular

Degeneration. It

helps stop bleeding,

period....

They will not help

the macula heal,

recover, or

regenerate. “

the eye to absorb, or reabsorb, the blood from the leaks. So, for those

circumstances, these injections can be very useful. However, they do

not help the macula recover, or heal.

And that’s the confusion that a lot of doctors are presenting to their

patients. Lucentis® and Avastin® are not treatments for Macular

Degeneration. It helps stop bleeding,

period. And it’ll help with fluid, too, if you

have something like macular edema. It

will not help the macula to heal, recover,

or regenerate. It won’t.

Martin Sussman: Does it get in the way?

Dr. Rosenfarb: It can. Yes.

Martin Sussman: Before we even get into the problem with

it. I can’t tell you how many people I hear

from who say they got the injections, or

they had the laser treatment, and their

eyes are no better now. I mean, there’s

one right here that says, I’ve had three injections and my vision is no

better now than it was before. I can’t tell you how many times I hear

that.

I think you’re getting right to the issue, which is – the expression is, it

stops the bleeding – and that’s what it does. It stops the bleeding. But

it doesn’t really do anything to promote the health to heal the macula,

to release the toxins. To do anything to address the issues that caused

the problem in the first place.


“Repetitive

injections

will actually

weaken the

blood

vessels.

It’ll break down

the structure.

Same with

laser surgery.”

Dr. Rosenfarb: No, and repetitive injections will actually weaken the blood vessels.

Again, I’ve got a lot of friends who are ophthalmologists who I talk to

about this stuff. Like cortisone shots. It will break down the structure.

These things will do the same over time given the injections.

Also, the laser surgery. I mean, follow the logic here. If the body’s

creating new blood vessels to try to nourish the macula because it’s

dying, right? The macula has no option, no blood flow, and the body is

like, look, we need a new supply because we have to feed the macula.

So it creates these new blood vessels, weak or not, and the strategy is

the ophthalmologist will go in, he’ll cauterize or laser these blood

vessels to stop bleeding.

All right, you stopped the possibility of bleeding – maybe. But you’ve

also cut off the new food supply to the macula. So it’s still going to

degenerate. It’s not really okay. You may have possibly controlled some

bleeding, which will probably occur again, anyway, because you’re

going to get more new vascularization, or new blood cell growth, but

you’re cutting off the body’s attempt to recover and revive these macula

cells. So you’re really not helping yourself out at all by doing that, in my

opinion.

Martin Sussman: Exactly. So, having said everything that we said and explained what

we’ve explained, somebody travels to you. What do you do?

Dr. Rosenfarb: Well, we start with intake. I usually have people bring their records with

them. I usually sit down with them. I want to learn about their case.

Most patients I actually talk, with either through email or on the phone

before they come, to get a little feel about what’s going on. We go over

their case. Not just their eye stuff from an ophthalmic standpoint, but


from a naturopathic standpoint, and find out what’s going on with their

body.

That means looking at all the functional aspects of the body. How’s the

cardiovascular system functioning? What’s the history there? How’s the

stress levels? What’s the diet? Really take a comprehensive inventory of

overall health. Then we’ll do a Chinese medical evaluation. Look at the

tongue. Look at the pulse. Look at all these types of Chinese medical

evaluations and try to put that into perspective and see more of a

systemic issue that’s going on with their Chi and their energy, or their

life-force energy.

And, using all these different diagnostic

modalities, we could come to a really

high probability of what’s going on

with the body. And we’ll do some vision

testing. Test the eyes before. See how

they’re reading. See how their visual

field is. Check the eye pressure. Check

color vision, contrast, sensitivity. Look

at the Amsler Grid, depending on the

condition, and then again we’ll also

have other eye doctors do the Optical

Coherence Tomography (OCT) test or

do a fundus exam. Do some

acupuncture for usually four days.

After four days we determine if there’s either a response or not a

response. So somebody, either their vision improves, they can see

better objectively and/or subjectively. Meaning, they see better. They

tell me they see better. Then we’ll test and say, look, let’s see how your


“After four days

we determine

if there’s been

a response or not.

Either they see

better or not. I

usually see a

measurable

response

within four days.”

visual field looks. Let’s see how many lines you’re reading better. So the

measuring is so important.

There’re a lot of patients who’ve come to me who’ve gone to

acupuncturists and been treated in three, six, twelve months without

being measured, not even looking at an eye chart. For example, it’s

Macular Degeneration, they’re not checking eye pressure. Or not doing

visual fields. You have to know if you’re improving or not. Because not

everybody’s going to improve.

And you really don’t want to waste anybody’s time or money. You know,

this is a pretty serious condition for most people. People have a really

hard time. You have to be sensitive to people losing their vision or

having lots of problems.

Martin Sussman: Exactly. The timeframe that you look at in terms of seeing results is four

days?


HOW ACUPUNCTURE WORKS FOR EYE DISEASES

• Increases micro-circulation to the eyes

• Activates cell energy production and stimulates nerve activity.

• Facilitates detoxification of drusen & other ocular wastes.

•Breaks down scar tissue.

• Controls Inflammation.

Dr. Rosenfarb: I’ll see a measurable response within four days. We usually do a typical

intensive treatment for most retinal conditions. Non-retinal conditions

we can kind of stretch it out a little bit. But most retinal conditions, like

diabetic retinopathy, Macular Degeneration, or optic nerve issues like

glaucoma, these types of neurological issues, we usually do intensive

treatments three times a day. Start say, for example, Monday, Tuesday,

Wednesday, Thursday. Friday morning we’ll retest the vision. You’re

either a responder or you’re not a responder.

If you’re a non-responder, we have a discussion and try to find out why

you’re not responding. We may or may not continue, depending on

what the situation is, but certainly, there’s something going on that’s

preventing a person from responding in those cases. That usually

makes up around 20% of the cases.

Martin Sussman: Eight out of 10 people. Do you have a referral network of

acupuncturists that know what you do? Or at least know about the

relationship between acupuncture and the eyes that you can refer

people to?

Dr. Rosenfarb: I do. It’s growing. The issue’s been that in acupuncture school you get

maybe one three-hour class on how to treat eye conditions out of a

three or four-year program. I’m hoping that’s changing now that I have

the book out. There’s not a lot of people who are interested in

specializing in treating eyes. It is growing, though.

So I pretty much know everybody – I wouldn’t say in the world – but

definitely everybody in the United States who has had some experience

in treating the eyes. More people are in Australia, Israel. There’s a

couple people in Europe. A couple in India. Yes, I do have a good

network, and I get emails daily.


Martin Sussman: I’ve got the slide up now that talks about the acupuncture results for

treating Macular Degeneration. You want to speak to that? What is it:

44 out of 50 eyes, so that’s more than 8 out of 10.

Dr. Rosenfarb: Yes. This past year I’ve had a lot of pressure to start putting my results

together, which is good in a way because that helps me to organize

everything.

At the beginning of this year I took not all, I’d say probably about half of

everybody I’ve seen last year for Macular Degeneration, I put together a

lot of the research that we’ve had. How we tested. All the cases. We did


CLINICAL RESULTS:Acupuncture for Treating Macular Degeneration

• Study of 25 Macular Degeneration cases treated in 2011

Eye Testing: Visual Acuity/ Eye Chart Amsler Grid Octopuss 301 Subjective Findings

Results: 44 out of 50 eyes showed some degree of improvement -

88% 18 of 23 had a improved Amsler Grid Test – 79% 16 of 21 showed improved visual field – 76% None of the eyes got worse, no negative side effects

it by eye. Not necessarily by case, but your left eye and your right eye.

Because when you treat Macular Degeneration, in a lot of other eye

conditions often, you’ll have one eye improve more than the other, and

that’s just the way it is because one eye’s worse than the other.

Somebody has Macular Degeneration really bad in one eye, or wet

Macular Degeneration in one eye really bad, or glaucoma in one eye.

You don’t necessarily need to track both eyes. It’s more important to

track each eye individually.

Basically the results show that we have

about an 88% response rate: 44 to 50

eyes showed some degree of

improvement on visual acuity, which is

basically your eye charts; 18 out of 23

showed improvement in the Amsler

Grid, which is a test for Macular

Degeneration; and 16 out of 21 showed

improvement in the visual field.

Really important is nobody got worse.

The best thing about acupuncture, it’s never going to make the

condition worse. It’s non-invasive. There’s no risk. It’s a really safe

procedure. The fact that we’re not harming anybody or making

anybody’s eyes worse is really, really important.

Martin Sussman: I know that’s not the only thing you talk about. You also recommend

nutritional supplements. In fact, you’ve got “Five Keys to Healthy Eyes,”

and one of those five is nutritional supplements. Do you find that those

are important for Macular Degeneration?


“We want to

get oxygen

to the eyes – and

nutrients too. A lot

of people

are nutritionally

deficient.”



Dr. Rosenfarb: They’re so important. The acupuncture – and again, this is how I

integrate that stuff so when you go and do acupuncture, microcurrent,

or something like that, one of these types of therapies, what they do is,

among other things, they really increase the blood flow to the eyes,

which is what you’re trying to do. We want to get oxygen. We want to

get nutrients to the body.

A lot of people are very nutritionally deficient. Our diets aren’t the best.

The quality of the food and the

nutrition in our food aren’t the best.

Even if you eat really well. In addition

to that, our digestive systems weaken

as we age. So we can’t really break

down the foods. So it’s important to

add supplementation. Especially, if you

have eye conditions.

Once we increase the blood flow to the

eyes, we have to get the right nutrients in the bloodstream to deliver

them to the eyes. One of the best formulas that I know about is the

formula of the Cambridge Institute. I think it’s so complete. We do this.

We’ll do the acupuncture and then we’ll load people up with something

like the EYEMAX-plus formula that has all the key nutrients. Once we

deliver these nutrients to the eyes, you’re going to have a much higher

probability of regeneration and preservation.

Martin Sussman: As you’re talking there’s an analogy that just sprung to my mind, a visual

thing. If there’s an ambulance trying to get somewhere to help

somebody, but there’s a traffic jam on the road and it can’t get there.

The first thing you have to do is increase the blood flow and the

circulation. In that sense, you open up the pathways. You get rid of the


Nutrients

regenerate the

eyes.... I like to call it

“Macular Re-

generation.”



traffic jam. Then the ambulance, the nutrients, whatever you’re feeding

into the visual system, can fly down the road and get exactly to where

they need.

So, then, not only are you opening up the pathways for the blood to

flow, you’re opening up the pathways on the other side for the toxins to

be released as well. Then you’re clearing it so the ambulance, the help,

can get there as quick as possible. That’s what the nutrients do, is

regenerate the eyes instead of degenerate.

That’s what I like to call it. I like to call it

“Macular Regeneration.”

Dr. Rosenfarb: Yes. It’s vision recovery. You need the

nutrients. We’re beings that need food.

We need nourishment. We eat food, it

becomes us. Without those key

nutrients, different parts of our body

have different nutritional requirements,

and our diet doesn’t support that in this

day and age.

Martin Sussman: So just real quickly, tick off some of the key helpful foods.

Dr. Rosenfarb: I think probably most people have read about this. Your leafy greens.

Any of your yellows are really important. Fruits and vegetables. You

want to have your fish. As long as you’re not – you don’t have

sensitivities to things like salmon. You want to limit red meat, because

why? – Because that increases cholesterol. As we talked earlier, limiting

things like eggs and meat and fish, not kicking them out totally, or

heavy fishes that create more oil in the body and cholesterol


“Butter

versus

margarine?

Go butter.

Definitely!”

production, you want to keep those down, but you also want to

increase your green leafy vegetables.

Martin Sussman: Like spinach? Kale?

Dr. Rosenfarb: Kale. Okra. Spinach. Broccoli. Anything that’s really green or really

yellow. Because the yellow pigment, too, is very beneficial for the

macula.

Martin Sussman: Yellow. You mean like peppers?

Dr. Rosenfarb: Peppers. Squash. Yes. Even zucchini.

Martin Sussman: Do you have an opinion on the butter versus margarine controversy?

Dr. Rosenfarb: Fat is good for the body, and if it’s natural good fat, it’s going to be

beneficial. Butter versus margarine? Go butter. Definitely. Margarine, or

anything that melts at room temperature, stay away from it. It’s a trans

fat. It congests the liver. It’s going to cause more cholesterol, and cause

more drusen in your eyes. So stay away from that at all cost. Trans fats is

the one thing that should be completely avoided, eliminated from the

diet, for anybody with Macular Degeneration or any eye issue.

Martin Sussman: Tell people what trans fats are.

Dr. Rosenfarb: Trans fat is kind of like a plastic fat. It’s a synthetic fat.

Martin Sussman: That’s in margarine?

Dr. Rosenfarb: Margarine. Vegetable oils. Any of your baked goods: pies, cakes,

cookies. Anything like that. Salad dressings. Mayonnaise. Most

condiments. Just take it out of your diet.


Martin Sussman: Is that the same thing you see on the labels? Hydrogenated fat?

Dr. Rosenfarb: Exactly.

Martin Sussman: Or hydrogenated oils.

Dr. Rosenfarb: Yes. Hydrogenated oils and fat. Absolutely. Look for those labels and,

please, just stay away from them.

Martin Sussman: Now in terms of the supplements. Everybody knows you’ve got the A,

you’ve got vitamin C, vitamin E. Selenium and zinc are important.

Lutein. Of course, everybody’s heard about zeaxanthin. Fish oils.

Omega 3. Omega 6. Those are the things that are in the news that

people have heard about. But I think from what you’ve said before

you’ve got to go beyond that. You’ve got to include more trace

minerals. More nutrients.

Talk about why just those things, even though they’re great and it’s a

great first or second step, why that’s not the whole story either.

Dr. Rosenfarb: It’s not the whole story because every case is different. Each person is

different. You need the cofactors, again, that you have in your formulas.

But you also need to look at each case differently. Some people may

have digestive problems. Other people may have circulatory problems.

So you need to look at each condition and address the systemic nature

of what’s going on.

Like some people may have biliary insufficiencies, which means that

they don’t have enough bile to break down fat. Bile is made in the liver

and stored in the gallbladder, and is essential for breaking down bad fat

in the body.


Now if you’ve had your gallbladder taken out, or you have an issue, a

functional issue with your liver and gallbladder in terms of producing

bile, you’re going to have increased cholesterol, increased fats in your

body, which can lead to congestive plaque buildup on the heart and

also drusen around the eyes.

The supplement we recommend for that is called Ox Bile. That’s one

thing that I recommend a lot actually, because as people age their bile

production decreases. That’s one example. The issue is, you really need

to get specific and, again, find out what’s going on with each individual

case and make nutritional recommendations based on each person’s

situation. That’s in addition to the eye supplement.

Martin Sussman: So I want to counterbalance that. Obviously, it’s good if you can go see

a specialist like yourself in terms of the holistic approach, the nutritional

supplements that will be geared right to you. But then there’s a lot of

people who either can’t afford that, or live somewhere where it’s

impossible to do that. That’s further reason that they at least start with a

formula that supplements everything, so it goes across the board.


SUPPLEMENTS FOR MACULAR DEGENERATION

Astaxanthin/Krill Oil – macular protection

Ox Bile – breaks down drusen

Vitamin C – antioxidant, blood vessel support

EYEMAX-plus – overall, total eye nutrition

In addition to supplements and eating leafy greens and yellow

vegetables and staying away from the trans oils, the trans fats, is there

anything else that somebody can do? Is there acupressure? Self

massage that people can do on certain points? And, if there is, where

are those points and how could people find out about them? Is that in

your book? What else can people do for themselves?

Dr. Rosenfarb: There’s a lot people can do for themselves. Of course, everybody knows

there’s a basic eating right, exercise, and so on and so forth. There are

eye exercises, eye Qi-Gong, eye Yoga, and acupressure exercises. They’re

pretty much all over the place. If you put in “eye exercises,” there’s eye

acupressure. You can get them from my book, my website, or a bunch

of other websites, if you just Google it.

The eye pressure points around the eyes are very easy to get. But if you

do that every day, again, acupressure with your fingers on these points,

pressing 30 to 60 seconds each point once or twice a day will help

increase the blood flow to the eyes.


WHAT THE WORLD LOOKS LIKE WITH CATARACTS

Martin Sussman: Cataracts. I’ve got the slide up on cataracts. What is different, or what

you would do differently, to address cataracts? When is your treatment

helpful to cataracts?

Dr. Rosenfarb: Well, cataracts, we’ve pretty much learned that it is a condition of

dehydration and oxidation. Where the lens just basically starts to dry

out. Now what causes that, again, in each case is different. Is somebody

dehydrated? Does somebody have inflammation? Is somebody taking

eye drops for glaucoma for their eye pressure?

Again, each case is different. But we do know that things like smoking

and certain pharmaceutical drugs can accelerate this process and not


CATARACT FACTS

• Cataract is the leading cause of blindness in those 40 years or older in the US, affecting 20.5 million.

• By age 80, more than half of all Americans have cataracts.

Source: Vision Problems in the U.S. report, developed by theNational Eye Institute and Prevent Blindness America, 2002]

everybody can get cataract surgery. For example, people with wet

Macular Degeneration are at higher risk for getting retinal bleeding, and

sometimes we’ve got to leave the lens in. It’s too risky to take it out. So

for those cases, we’ll do things like acupuncture to get the fluids to try

to rehydrate the lens. But we also know that most cases of cataracts, for

example, have a vitamin C deficiency. Because vitamin C is most

concentrated in the body in the lens of the eye as well as the adrenal

glands.

We can almost guarantee that when we see age-related cataracts,

there’s going to be a deficiency of vitamin C, which is causing an

oxidative stress often on top of a dehydration issue with the lens. So we

use key nutrients and electrolytes to help hydrate the body. And we’ll

use things like vitamin C and other things. Alpha lipoic acid is really

helpful.


SUPPLEMENTS FOR CATARACTS

• Glutathione

• N-Acetyl Carnosine

• Vitamin C

• Alpha Lipoic Acid

• Electrolytes (if there is a hydration issue)•• EYEMAX-plus

Topically, one of the things I recommend a lot of times is putting in a

drop of castor oil. Not a lot of people can spend a lot of money on these

homeopathic eye drops, or stuff like that. Just go to the health food

store, the grocery store, and get some castor oil and put a drop in each

eye. It’ll really help to soften up the lens a little and it can start to break

down some of the oxidative damage that’s been done there.

Martin Sussman: How do you put it in?

Dr. Rosenfarb: An eyedropper. The reason you do it before bed is because castor oil is

very thick, and you’ll have blurry vision

for about an hour or so afterwards. You

want to make sure you do it before you

go to bed.

Martin Sussman: So you’ll be able to see your dreams

clearly.

Dr. Rosenfarb: That’s right!

Martin Sussman: Just one other quick thing with the

cataracts. When you talk about a

hydration issue, it’s not simply a matter of just drinking a lot of water to

make up for it.

Dr. Rosenfarb: No. It’s electrolyte deficiencies or inflammatory processes.

Inflammation creates heat in the body, and the body heat dries out

fluids. The aging process is a decline of intracellular fluids in the body.

That’s why smoking breaks down. Smoking causes dehydration.

Alcohol use causes dehydration. Caffeine. Anything that dehydrates


“Anything that

dehydrates the body

is going to

dramatically

increase the risk for

cataracts.”

the body is going to dramatically increase the risk for cataracts. So

these are the things we need to watch out for.

We drink a lot of water and we take electrolyte minerals. Gatorade is not

the best. Too much sugar. But if you go to your health food store,

there’s plenty of good electrolyte supplements that you can take with

your water that’ll help your body to

hold the water. They act like sponges

to keep the fluids in your body.

Martin Sussman: Why don’t we talk a little bit about

glaucoma.

Dr. Rosenfarb: Glaucoma is one of the top three things

that I see clinically. Acupuncture can

sometimes drop the eye pressure. If I

get patients before they’ve been put on

meds, in earlier stages, I can usually

help them through supplements,

acupuncture, diet, and meditation to control the eye pressure. It’s pretty

inconsistent, and I’m more concerned with protecting the integrity of

the optic nerve, because most people are on eye drops, anyway, at

some point if their eye pressure gets above 25.

We can use natural supplements to drop the eye pressure for people

who are intolerant and acupuncture sometimes can work. As I said

before, the more important aspect is vision preservation. We need to

protect the integrity of the optic nerve. We need to find out what’s

causing the inflammatory process, if that’s going on – the obstructions

or the lack of – whatever is impeding the blood flow, whatever’s causing

this condition to progress. Without question, acupuncture can slow,


“The first key is to

see your doctor

regularly, so that if

there’s anything that

goes off balance, you

know about it as

soon as possible.”

arrest, and sometimes reverse damage to the optic nerve. Again, we’ve

measured that through visual field. Again, is it going to work for

everybody? No.

I have two family members actually with glaucoma who were

diagnosed early, who, eight and eleven years later, are not on meds. No

vision loss. Optic nerves in good health. Slightly elevated pressure, but

it’s very controllable through holistic therapies.

Conventional medicine will give you eye drops or surgery and that’s it.

With zero understanding of what’s going on systemically. Every cause of

glaucoma is a systemic condition.

Martin Sussman: Every case of any eye thing is a systemic condition. The first key is to see

your doctor regularly, so that if there’s anything that goes off balance,

you know about it as soon as possible. Once you have that information,

do as many of the holistic self-preservation, self-healing, regenerative,

and re-nourishing things that you can do. That’s the way to keep your

vision from getting worse and worse. I mean, it’s clear that if you don’t

do anything, your vision’s going to get worse.

The second thing is traditional medical care can, perhaps, slow down

how bad it gets, how fast, but it isn’t going to turn anything around.

What turns it around is promoting health.

Dr. Rosenfarb: Absolutely.

Martin Sussman: Fair enough?

Dr. Rosenfarb: Yes.


Martin Sussman: Can acupuncture help floaters?

Dr. Rosenfarb: It can. Floaters have a lot to do with blood sugar and protein

breakdown in the body, so it can help. Depends again on the cause.

You want to find out what’s going on. But one of the things I usually tell

people to look into with floaters is proteolytic enzymes, which help

break down the protein that’s in the floaters. Look at your blood sugar.

A lot of times there’s a tendency towards hypoglycemia. Medications

can cause floaters. Hydration is the other thing.

Martin Sussman: Do you ever consult with people on the phone if they send you their

records?

Dr. Rosenfarb: I do.

Martin Sussman: The castor oil. How often do you put that in your eyes for the cataracts?

Somebody wants to know if olive oil would work as well as castor oil?

Somebody else wants to know is it okay to use olive oil for cataracts if

you also have Macular Degeneration?

Dr. Rosenfarb: I honestly haven’t had experience with olive oil in the eyes. Sesame oil

can be used. I wouldn’t see a problem with sesame oil. I’d suggest that

whoever wants to, can try it. I’d give it three months. That’s my standard

with any of this stuff. Give it three months. See if you get a change. If

you don’t, you might want to try a different strategy. Especially with

cataracts. You want to get your cataract checked out. Do whatever

therapy you’re going to try to do with the oil drops once a day, before

bed, and then have your ophthalmologist check your eyes and see if

you’re making any progress.


Martin Sussman: Right. Some of the other doctors that are focused on natural healing

that I’ve talked to, they say for cataracts, anyway, four to six months is a

reasonable amount of time to look for change. And the first change

might be that the cataracts are just not getting as bad as fast. So the

rate has declined and slowed down. The next step obviously would be

that it doesn’t get any worse. And the third step would be that it

actually starts to reduce in size and improve some.

Dr. Rosenfarb: Late stage cataracts are pretty tough. Early stage babies are pretty

good. You can get good results.

Martin Sussman: First of all, if you’re two steps away from

needing cataract surgery, they’re that big,

then you’re probably not going to be

able to reverse it enough so that you

wouldn’t need the surgery.

But the second thing is, you have to be aware that there are some

doctors who are a little bit too quick to suggest surgical cataract

removal. So you can sometimes wait and give yourself – give your body

– a chance to respond to the natural things that you’re doing to heal

your vision.

Dr. Rosenfarb: Absolutely.

Martin Sussman: Mercury toxicity. Does that relate to cataracts in your experience?

Dr. Rosenfarb: It can. It causes inflammation. Mercury toxicity can cause – you know,

the body responds to trying to get it out – and it just causes chronic

inflammation. The inflammation can cause cataracts; can contribute to


“Mercury toxicity

causes chronic

inflammation. The

inflammation can

cause cataracts...”

glaucoma. Same thing with tooth infections; root canals. That’s

something we didn’t get into, but people need to know about that.

I’ve seen so many cases where people have root canals and dental work,

and months or a year after that they start developing cataracts,

glaucoma, dry eye, Macular Degeneration, whatever. That’s important,

too, to keep that in mind.

Martin Sussman: One of the things to look for is the inflammatory state of the body. The

other thing to look for, from what you’re saying, is the hydration state of

the body. And the dehydration and the inflammation can be caused by

different things in different bodies, but if you’ve got over-inflammation,

if you’ve got dehydration, you either already have an eye problem, or

you’re setting yourself up for an eye problem.

Dr. Rosenfarb: That’s correct. It’s going to deter detoxification. As I talked about earlier,

you have to have that circulation.

Martin Sussman: Talk about detox. Are there specific things you might recommend to

people that would help them in the detoxification process?

Dr. Rosenfarb: Well, anything that you do to help the liver and the kidneys is going to

help detoxification. Anything sulfur-based, but you need to be careful

with that because it could cause loose stool or something like that. But

any of your milk thistles, or any of your nutrients, generally, that are

going to be used systemically for liver and kidney detox, or bowel detox,

are going to also facilitate ocular detoxification. Help break down the

drusen. Get rid of these ocular wastes, so you can have healthy vision.

Martin Sussman: Somebody wants to know about pH balance, which, of course, affects

the body’s ability to detox. Somebody else wants to know about


vegans. There’s just a million questions here, and I wish we could have

time to get to all of them, but we’re running out of time. So what I want

to do first of all is thank you for being here, Andy.

Dr. Rosenfarb: Thanks, Marty.

Martin Sussman: I want people to leave here not only with hope, but also with

knowledge that they can put that hope into practice, and actually

contribute to their own health and their recovery of their vision as well

as seeking out people like you that are professionals that are tuned in.

People can contact you for referrals.

They can go to your website and find

out about your books and about

coming to see you. They can also

download that free report, My Search

for the “Secret” to Our Holistic Eye Care

System, and they can get the “Five Keys

to Healthy Eyes.”

Martin Sussman: Also, for people who are interested in a dietary nutritional supplement

for their eyes, what I’ve done is put EYEMAX-plus on sale so you can get

it up to half price. All of those things, if you want to find out more about

Andy, or find out more about any of the things I just mentioned, you can

find it all at www.bettervision.com/andy.

I may be back in touch with you and we may end up doing a tele-

seminar on acupressure points that people can use at home to help

themselves. So those of you who are listening, keep your eyes open,

keep your ears open, and when and if we do that kind of event, we’ll be

sure to let you know.


“It’s clear that if you

don’t do anything,

your vision is going

to get worse.”













http://www.bettervision.com/andy

http://www.bettervision.com/andy

Thank you to people with questions. You’re as far away as New Zealand

and as close as Teaneck, New Jersey, which is almost down the street

from you, Andy, and everybody in-between.

So thank you all for listening, for being here, and I hope that we’ve been

able to help your eyes. Again, Andy, thanks a lot for your time and, most

particularly, thanks a lot for your interest in vision and in helping people

see better.

Dr. Rosenfarb: Thank you, Marty.

For More Information Visit These Websites:

Martin Sussman

Cambridge Institute for Better Vision

www.BetterVision.com

Dr. Andy Rosenfarb

Acupuncture Health Associates

www.AcupunctureHealth.net


http://www.BetterVision.com

http://www.BetterVision.com

http://www.acupuncturehealth.net

http://www.acupuncturehealth.net

acupuncture could save your sight! - better...

Documents