Guest guest Posted May 19, 2009 Report Share Posted May 19, 2009 What is considered to be the cause of presbyopia in traditional Chinese medicine? Any effective ways to prevent it or reverse it? I'm especially interested in herbs and nutrition that might help. I don't have access to anything else at the moment. Nancy S+13 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 19, 2009 Report Share Posted May 19, 2009 Presbyopia is age-induced inability to focus on close objects. One theory suggests that it is a slow additive lack of flexibility in certain structures necessary for focusing the vision. If this is true, then we can make a few statements about this. 1. Worse with old age = deficiency 2. Affects the vision = Liver 3. Biomedical mechanism includes " stiffness of moving structures " = Liver Lacking much more information, I'll attribute this stiffness issue to a Liver dryness situation because that's kind of how it plays out with the moving structures such as those surrounding tendons. This is not really the gross anatomical observations that have carried Chinese medicine through the centuries, but it also seems reasonable, so I'l add that here. Then it comes down to herbs and/or formulas that nourish Liver yin or Liver blood (sometimes even Gallbladder qi too). There are a few modifications of Liu Wei Di Huang Wan (Rehamnniae Six Combination) that address these age-related Liver (and Kidney) deficiencies. Take Liu Wei and add gou qi zi (Lyciium fruit or nowadays the Americanized " goji berries " ) and ju hua (Christhemum flower) and you've got " Qi Ju Di Huang Wan " . The gou qi zi and ju hua are both popular additives for eye health. Gou qi zi is more preventive than ju hua, while ju hua will be more beneficial for immediate issues of redness or fatigue. Or Take Qi Ju Di Huang Wan and add Dang Gui (Tang Kwei), Bai Shao (White Peony Root), Bai Ji Li (Fr. Tribuli), and Shi Jue Ming (Mother of Pearl shell) and you've got another formula called " Ming Mu Di Huang Wan " . " Ming Mu " means " Clear Vision " . My mother had a retinal detachment a few years ago and lost 90% of the vision in one eye. I put her on a modified version of the Ming Mu Di Huang Wan and she is probably up to 75% efficiciency in the effected eye. Her doctor is quite positive about her progress and has asked repeatedly about the Chinese herbs that she's taking. Those are the two fomulas that I can think of. I have some significant floaters and a yin deficient constitution such that any form of Liu Wei Di Huang Wan (Rehmannia Six Combination) is my go-to formula d'jour. I'm actually taking that Qi Ju Di Huang Wan right now, but I'm mostly hoping to prevent the same problems that my mother experienced. I have not seen any benefit in focusing on close objects. I don't really expect that, either. However when spending a lot of time on the computer, my eyes can get really weak and the floaters get worse. These two formulas are very good for that, in my personal experience. -al. On Tue, May 19, 2009 at 4:10 AM, Nancy S+13 <nancywrote: > > > What is considered to be the cause of presbyopia in traditional Chinese > medicine? Any effective ways to prevent it or reverse it? I'm > especially interested in herbs and nutrition that might help. I don't > have access to anything else at the moment. > > Nancy S+13 > -- , DAOM Pain is inevitable, suffering is optional. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 20, 2009 Report Share Posted May 20, 2009 Thank you for this info! Any particular foods that are nourishing for liver yin and/or blood? Al Stone wrote: > > > Presbyopia is age-induced inability to focus on close objects. One theory > suggests that it is a slow additive lack of flexibility in certain > structures necessary for focusing the vision. > > If this is true, then we can make a few statements about this. > > 1. Worse with old age = deficiency > 2. Affects the vision = Liver > 3. Biomedical mechanism includes " stiffness of moving structures " = Liver > > Lacking much more information, I'll attribute this stiffness issue to a > Liver dryness situation because that's kind of how it plays out with the > moving structures such as those surrounding tendons. This is not > really the > gross anatomical observations that have carried Chinese medicine > through the > centuries, but it also seems reasonable, so I'l add that here. > > Then it comes down to herbs and/or formulas that nourish Liver yin or > Liver > blood (sometimes even Gallbladder qi too). > > There are a few modifications of Liu Wei Di Huang Wan (Rehamnniae Six > Combination) that address these age-related Liver (and Kidney) > deficiencies. > > Take Liu Wei and add gou qi zi (Lyciium fruit or nowadays the Americanized > " goji berries " ) and ju hua (Christhemum flower) and you've got " Qi Ju Di > Huang Wan " . The gou qi zi and ju hua are both popular additives for eye > health. Gou qi zi is more preventive than ju hua, while ju hua will be > more > beneficial for immediate issues of redness or fatigue. > > Or Take Qi Ju Di Huang Wan and add Dang Gui (Tang Kwei), Bai Shao (White > Peony Root), Bai Ji Li (Fr. Tribuli), and Shi Jue Ming (Mother of Pearl > shell) and you've got another formula called " Ming Mu Di Huang Wan " . " Ming > Mu " means " Clear Vision " . > > My mother had a retinal detachment a few years ago and lost 90% of the > vision in one eye. I put her on a modified version of the Ming Mu Di Huang > Wan and she is probably up to 75% efficiciency in the effected eye. Her > doctor is quite positive about her progress and has asked repeatedly about > the Chinese herbs that she's taking. > > Those are the two fomulas that I can think of. I have some significant > floaters and a yin deficient constitution such that any form of Liu Wei Di > Huang Wan (Rehmannia Six Combination) is my go-to formula d'jour. > > I'm actually taking that Qi Ju Di Huang Wan right now, but I'm mostly > hoping > to prevent the same problems that my mother experienced. I have not > seen any > benefit in focusing on close objects. I don't really expect that, either. > However when spending a lot of time on the computer, my eyes can get > really > weak and the floaters get worse. These two formulas are very good for > that, > in my personal experience. > > -al. > > On Tue, May 19, 2009 at 4:10 AM, Nancy S+13 <nancy > <nancy%40schimelpfening.net>>wrote: > > > > > > > What is considered to be the cause of presbyopia in traditional Chinese > > medicine? Any effective ways to prevent it or reverse it? I'm > > especially interested in herbs and nutrition that might help. I don't > > have access to anything else at the moment. > > > > Nancy S+13 > > > > -- > , DAOM > Pain is inevitable, suffering is optional. > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 21, 2009 Report Share Posted May 21, 2009 Goji berries are good for Liver blood. They're quite widely available now. I'm guessing that liver (ala liver and onions) would fit into the liver tonics group. Green sour fruits from the spring time have to be good for the liver too. I live near a Persian grocery store and every spring, they've got young soft, chewable almonds. Great if you like eating what tastes like a sour tree branch, but I suppose it's an acquired taste. They've got something else there too, can't quite remember what it is, but again it is green in the spring and sour to eat. Oh, I remember, they're like miniature green plums. Those are all good liver tonic attributes. Perhaps someone who owns the Pitchforth or Henry Lu book can chime in. -al. On Wed, May 20, 2009 at 11:24 AM, Nancy S+13 <nancywrote: > > > Thank you for this info! Any particular foods that are nourishing for > liver yin and/or blood? > > > -- , DAOM Pain is inevitable, suffering is optional. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 24, 2009 Report Share Posted May 24, 2009 From Pitchford , " Healing with Whole Foods " : Food for building Liver Yin and blood: " mung beans and sprouts, chlorophyll rich foods, cucumber, tofu and millet. Also Fresh cold-pressed flax oil and extracted oils of borage, evening primrose or black currant seeds significantly improve the yin status of the liver. " Taking sufficient liquids in general is helpful. Also Blood tonics Pitchford also recommends improving kidney yin function by using aloe Vera gel, " among the best kidney yin herbal tonics for building liver yin " . On Thu, May 21, 2009 at 7:28 AM, Al Stone <al wrote: > > > Goji berries are good for Liver blood. They're quite widely available now. > > I'm guessing that liver (ala liver and onions) would fit into the liver > tonics group. > > Green sour fruits from the spring time have to be good for the liver too. I > live near a Persian grocery store and every spring, they've got young soft, > chewable almonds. Great if you like eating what tastes like a sour tree > branch, but I suppose it's an acquired taste. > > They've got something else there too, can't quite remember what it is, but > again it is green in the spring and sour to eat. Oh, I remember, they're > like miniature green plums. Those are all good liver tonic attributes. > > Perhaps someone who owns the Pitchforth or Henry Lu book can chime in. > > -al. > > On Wed, May 20, 2009 at 11:24 AM, Nancy S+13 > <nancywrote: > >> >> >> Thank you for this info! Any particular foods that are nourishing for >> liver yin and/or blood? >> >> >> > > -- > , DAOM > Pain is inevitable, suffering is optional. > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 24, 2009 Report Share Posted May 24, 2009 > From Pitchford , " Healing with Whole Foods " : For anyone who might be interested, Pitchford is supposed to be doing a class in the Chicago area this fall. (End of October, I think.) AFAIK, at least some of it will be open to the public, while some will be for acupuncturists only. I don't know details yet, but if you check the ILaaom (Illinois Association of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine) website, I think they'll post details when they're available. Jeri Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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