Acupuncture for ophthalmic disease is a specialized service offered at the Australian Centre for Natural Medicine. We offer an individualized program for people suffering from eye conditions like:
- Retinitis Pigmentosa
- Macular Degeneration
- Cataracts
This service consists of an initial consultation with Naomi our Registered Nurse.
Consultation includes:
- Health assessment
- Health history
- Basic baseline visual testing
- Lifestyle and nutrition advice
Acupuncture treatments are then conducted based on an individual oriental medicine diagnosis by Alan Jansson. We work holistically to improve the functioning of circulation of “qi” and blood whilst addressing underlying disharmony in the body from an oriental medicine prospective.
Naomi is happy to discuss and provide information on this service with you. Please feel free to email us if you would like further information or have an enquiry.
In the following video, Naomi Jansson talks about her role in the Australian Centre for Natural Medicine. Naomi is Practice Manager and the Registered Nurse for the Centre. Her clinical role is to work with patients generally and also to work with patients suffering degenerative eye conditions, a specialist area called Ophthalmic Acupuncture.
Naomi’s role with patients who suffer from degenerative eye disease is to do a lot of eye testing and to manage their case. She educates these patients so that they can make informed decisions about their health and health choices. Naomi is also studying her Masters in Chinese Medicine through the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT) and will graduate at the end of 2014.
Ophthalmic Acupuncture at the Australian Centre for Natural Medicine
Naomi Jansson is case manager for individual ophthalmic clients who are treated at the Australian Centre for Natural Medicine. Naomi has been working with Alan Jansson for the past three years providing a service called “ophthalmic acupuncture”.
We are the only clinic in Australia that has been fortunate enough to undertake training with Andy Rosenfarb who is an established world leader in the field of integrated eye care incorporating ophthalmic acupuncture. Andy treats thousands of patients from around the world with various eye conditions. So we have been privileged to study with him.
Alan Jansson is an experienced acupuncture practitioner of 30 years and he has combined his clinical experience with what he has been able to learn with Andy Rosenfarb. Hence, at the Australian Centre for Natural Medicine, we are able to offer a highly skilled and specialised ophthalmic acupuncture service for patients suffering from degenerative eye disease.
Ophthalmic Acupuncture for Macular Degeneration
One of the degenerative eye diseases that we treat here at the Australian Centre for Natural Medicine is macular degeneration.
Macular Degeneration is a Western medical diagnosis and term for the gradual deterioration of the central vision of the eye. This occurs where the cells of the macular are becoming malnourished because of a lack of blood flow to the eye. There are a range of different factors that can contribute to macular degeneration in an individual.
With ophthalmic acupuncture what we are doing is using the body’s own ability to regenerate. We are focusing the treatment to support really good quality blood flow and body fluid filtration through the eye. So our approach is supporting the overall nutrition and blood flow to the back of the eye.
Macular degeneration is also characterised by drusen deposits so we use naturopathic supplements to help support the eye so that it can perhaps break down some of those deposits.
What we are doing at the Australian Centre for Natural Medicine is working with the body’s own ability to regulate itself. It is not a miracle cure – we are actually working within the physiology of the body and results vary for different people.
We have had some really good results with ophthalmic acupuncture with some of our patients just by using this supportive therapy. There are virtually no side effects to this eye therapy because with ophthalmic acupuncture we are working with the body’s ability to regenerate itself.
Ophthalmic Acupuncture for Retinitis Pigmentosa
Another degenerative eye disease we work with here at the Australian Centre for Natural Medicine is retinitis pigmentosa, usually called RP. This is a genetic disorder that leads to blindness.
Usually patients suffer from a loss of peripheral vision initially and then suffer gradual deterioration of overall vision from there.
We take an individual approach to working with patients who suffer from retinitis pigmentosa. From an oriental medicine point of view, RP results from not just one cause – so we are not working within the same theoretical framework as the Western Medicine system.
When we are treating our patients, we are promoting the body’s ability to help regenerate cells that have been affected and are in the process of becoming dysfunctional. Without eye therapy, these cells will become non-functional resulting in vision loss.
What we are really targeting is the cells that are still healthy and the ones that are perhaps on the path to deterioration. The way that we do that is using the body’s own ability to regulate blood flow to the eye and the fluid that filters through the eye that helps support adequate nutrition.
This is how we can support the body to maintain the vision and help prevent further vision loss and deterioration as a result of retinitis pigmentosa.