Healing Your Eyes with Chinese Medicine: Acupuncture, Acupressure, & Chinese Herbs by Andy Rosenfarb and Marc Grossman. For the past ten years, Andy Rosenfarb has successfully used acupuncture and Chinese medicine to treat a wide range of eye conditions. His treatments include moxibustion techniques, tuina (massage), microcurrent stimulation, Chinese herbs, and qigong exercises, along with “essential acupuncture” where essential oils are placed on acupuncture points. The culmination of his work—which includes a recent pioneering study involving metabolic testing–is this handbook for healing the kinds of conditions too often considered almost impossibly challenging or irreversible. The first half of Healing Your Eyes with Chinese Medicine explains Traditional Chinese Medicine and its perspective on the eyes, which is based on the idea that the eyes and the brain work in tandem, not isolation. The second half focuses on proven methods derived from Rosenfarb’s practice, including nutritional, supplemental, and lifestyle adjustments. Individual chapters cover eye disorders such as glaucoma, macular degeneration, retinitis pigmentosa, and many more. This book is intended as a practical manual to help readers understand their eyes and vision more comprehensively, and to learn new, affordable ways for retaining the precious gift of sight.
Any acupuncturist looking to specialize in eye disorders needs to read this book. There is a detailed explanation of Chinese meridian theory and how each elemental pair relates to treating certain eye disorders. Yet what makes this book different from conventional text books is the conversational style of teaching that the author has, and the large amount of "real world" information presented that is only available from someone who has experienced plenty of success (as well as early failures) in his field.
For example, the book integrates Western and Eastern medical theories by breaking down the different part of the eye into their five element classifications (ie: sclera=metal, macula=water) and how specific western diagnoses of eye disorders such as age-related macular degeneration can be treated using traditional zhang-fu and meridian theory. His categorization of various opthamological diseases into five-element theory is then used to explain how the most common Chinese herbal formulas can be used to treat different disorders such as diabetic retinopathy and myopia. Additionally, there is information on the use of self-care exercises for the eyes, a unique explanation of essential oil therapy using Chinese theories, micro-current stimulation, and an explanation of how modern visual acuity tests can be integrated into a Chinese Medicine practice.
The chapters were well organized and well suited for the beginner who wants to understand the organ functions pertaining to Chinese medicine and how a practitioner will treat eye disorders. Admittedly, there may be some parts of the book that might be difficult for the lay person to understand. The information has not been watered down and the author assumes that you have an intense interest in the subject. You will have to read the theory section in the first few chapters several times to be able to understand the more detailed information in the second half of the book, but this is to be expected as Chinese Medicine is a vast subject that takes many years to grasp.
About the Author
Andy Rosenfarb is the clinical director of Acupuncture Health Associates in Westfield, NJ, where he lives. A Master of Traditional Oriental Medicine, he has over 12 years of experience as an acupuncturist, having successfully treated thousands of patients from around the world.
Book Details
- Paperback: 184 pages
- Publisher: North Atlantic Books (June 19, 2007)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 1556436629
- ISBN-13: 978-1556436628
- Book Dimensions: 9.2 x 7 x 0.6 inches
- List Price: $17.95
- Amazon.com Price: $12.21
- You Save: $5.74 (32%)