Can Acupuncture Process Early On Macular Degeneration?
Many seniors swear they tin strength out come across improve next acupuncture treatments, but the therapy is controversial.
The National Eye Institute, a partitioning of the National Institutes of Health, states that at that spot is no handling available for early on age-related macular degeneration (AMD). However, a cohort of professionals actively disagree. They’re to a greater extent than oftentimes than non not oculus doctors, but these acupuncturists claim success with methodologies using the ear as well as expanse to a greater extent than or less the oculus to contrary the effects of AMD.
Macular degeneration affects to a greater extent than than 10 ane M m Americans, as well as is highly correlated with age, to a greater extent than oftentimes than non affecting those over the historic catamenia of 50. AMD causes impairment to the component subdivision of the oculus needed for clear key vision. There may non travel much vision alter to start out with, but equally the illness progresses, a blurred key expanse becomes larger as well as blind spots may appear. Daily activities such equally reading, driving, writing as well as cooking larn hard or impossible.
Treating the Ear to Heal the Eye
Some acupuncturists take away keep reported important improvement with AMD past times the usage of auricular (ear)therapy. It involves stimulation of tiny spots on the ear, which reportedly trigger a healing reply inward correlated areas of the body. Experts say that the stimulation affects nerves that trigger increased hormone as well as blood flow to the eye. The exact spots for microcurrent stimulation as well as insertion of semi-permanent needles (or modest steel studs inward some therapies) are located using an musical instrument that detects electrical resistance.
Microcurrent therapy delivers low-intensity (so depression it can’t travel felt) electrical stimulation. Its usage inward conventional medicine started inward the 1960s. Microcurrent therapy is approved past times the Food as well as Drug Administration for nervus as well as musculus pain, inflammation as well as surgical applications.
Once the microcurrent handling is complete, the acupuncturist inserts needles that are the size of a pilus inward each house at each handling site. These needles are as well as then taped downwardly to travel along them inward house for several days, theoretically providing ongoing stimulation.
Practitioners assert that the scientific discipline of auricular therapy is well-documented, with to a greater extent than than 800 papers inward peer-reviewed journals to a greater extent than or less the world. These papers back upward its usage inward hurting relief as well as healing. In many cases, auricular therapy was reported equally a handling of final resort afterwards other medical interventions failed to work.
Santa iron Protocol
Alston C. Lundgren, M.D. practiced theater unit of measurement medicine for nearly 2 decades earlier devoting himself entirely to acupuncture. Now retired, Dr. Lundgren is known for developing the Santa iron Protocol, designed to contrary vision loss from macular degeneration. The Santa iron Method includes auricular therapy equally its key treatment.
Warning Signs of Macular DegenerationAge-related macular degeneration (AMD) is unremarkably marked past times a slow, painless, gradual loss of vision. Commonly, people with the illness take away keep it for years earlier getting it diagnosed because it takes that long to hit symptoms. For this reason, it’s a goodness thought to come across a vision specialist from fourth dimension to fourth dimension fifty-fifty if you’re non experiencing whatever problems. But what should you lot spotter for if you lot holler back you lot mightiness take away keep AMD? Early signs include shadowy areas inward your key vision, or fuzzy or distorted vision. Test your sight with an Amsler grid that tin strength out highlight irregularities typical of AMD, when straight lines seem wavy. If your MD detects a work with your key vision, she may fellowship a fluorescein angiography to examine the retinal blood vessels surrounding the macula. |
Dr. Lundgren reported vision improvement inward to a greater extent than than lxxx percentage of cases with to a greater extent than than 1,500 patients with macular degeneration, presenting his results to the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Eye Center as well as the Annual Scientific Symposium of the American Academy of Medical Acupuncture inward 2010.
Arguments for Auricular Therapy
Acupuncturists say that their clients are the proof of the protocol’s success. Microcurrent therapy isn’t novel or controversial, they assert, until it was used to care for AMD. They cite medical journals (The International Journal, The American Journal of Chinese Medicine as well as The Indian Journal of Ophthalmology, with others) from China, India, Sweden, Federal Republic of Federal Republic of Germany as well as Nippon that “do non seem to take away keep the inherent bias towards pharmaceutical treatments, as well as prejudice against holistic as well as natural treatments,” according to Donald K. Liebell, D.C., B.C.A.O.
A criticism of the physical care for is that it is non administered past times doctors who specialize inward oculus treatments. This is true, because most acupuncture specialists are experts inward hurting management. The vast bulk of medical doctors take away keep no sense inward acupuncture. And, at that spot are exceptions, such equally ophthalmologist Edward Kondrot, writer of the bulk Microcurrent Stimulation: Miracle Eye Cure?
Practitioners of auricular therapy cite an outstanding security tape with noninvasive treatment, equally opposed to conventional handling for AMD, which tin strength out include injections straight into the eyeball, intravenous injection of drugs with retinal photoactivation, photocoagulation with lasers (which tin strength out truly cut down visual acuity) as well as surgical removal of retinal lesions.
Affordability is some other factor. Auricular therapy treatments seem to toll well-nigh $200 to $250 each, commonly recommended inward a serial of iii to half dozen treatments. Proponents debate that this toll is depression compared to conventional protocols that oftentimes run inward the thousands of dollars.
Finally, proponents of auricular therapy for AMD say that since the handling poses no harm, as well as because no other effective treatments exist, it doesn’t brand sense for patients to await until long-term enquiry studies are conducted to endeavour the regimen.
However, non everyone agrees.
Skeptics Criticize Acupuncture for AMD
Many inward the medical community assert that acupuncture therapy for AMD merely gives faux promise to desperate patients. Faced with scary conventional treatments as well as deteriorating eyesight, it’s no wonder that they grasp at the evidence they’re given that acupuncture volition attention them find 20/20 vision.
Acupuncturists, too, may wishing to believe they tin strength out attention patients as well as holler back they’re effective because some patients study progress, as well as the ones who don’t improve are unlikely to return. Confirmation bias misleads them into thinking the handling is a success.
“Humans regularly misperceive as well as misinterpret the pregnant of their experiences,” says Harriet Hall, M.D. Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 retired theater unit of measurement physician as well as the kickoff woman someone graduate of the Air Force theater unit of measurement residency at Eglin Air Force Base, Hall is also known equally The SkepDoc for her writing well-nigh pseudoscience as well as questionable medical practices.
Protocols Vary
Among practitioners of acupuncture, at that spot is no ane touchstone treatment, or serial of treatments, agreed to for AMD. Detractors cite Lundgren’s Santa iron Method equally merely ane representative of variations past times a unmarried practitioner espousing a (purportedly) unmarried method.
At times, Lundgren describes a protocol that includes modest steel studs inward the ears as well as needle electrode stimulation inward the fatty to a greater extent than or less the eyeball. Later, electrical stimulation of the scalp over the visual cortex was added. However, his website also described a protocol with 5 treatments. It’s non clear if this was to farther define the kickoff protocol, or if the handling protocol had changed.
Oft-cited Study Comes Up Short
Lundgren’s 2005 article http://www.traditionalacupuncture.com.au/files/AMD.pdf inward Medical Acupuncture reports a 69 percentage improvement inward vision with 108 consecutive patients. Three different therapies were used, as well as at that spot was no lift of oversight past times an institutional review board. Lundgren states that visual acuity gains “did non seem to deteriorate for a twelvemonth as well as a half,” but at that spot is no information provided.
There are numerous reasons to spend upward this study equally evidence that the handling works.
- Absence of a command group. Patients may seem to improve from fluctuations inward the natural course of teaching of an illness, from a wishing to delight the MD or due to the placebo effect.
- Selection bias. Patients inward the study were non a representative sample of those with AMD, but were clients that had come upward to Lundgren. It would travel reasonable to assume that they hence had a belief inward acupuncture, as well as since they were paying privately, they had a vested involvement inward the outcome.
- There was no blinding. Lundgren himself treated all the patients, as well as knew if tests were earlier or afterwards treatment. Encouragement improves performance, so seek results may take away keep been skewed.
- Study pattern as well as reporting lacked conformity. The let on of dropouts isn’t reported, as well as Lundgren notes that some patients quit because they weren’t improving. There were so many interventions, given at varying intervals, that it’s impossible to define what worked or didn’t.
- Inadequate follow-up. Lundgren reports the duration of improvement was “substantial” without whatever supporting data. Dropouts were non followed.
- No ophthalmologist participated. Some patients didn’t know if they had moisture or dry out AMD, as well as having AMD at all was anecdotal. Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 retinal specialist could take away keep screened for other conditions, measured vision earlier as well as after, etc.
- Publication inward an obscure journal. The merely peers who reviewed the piece of work were acupuncturists biased to back upward piece of work inward their ain field. It wouldn’t seem the study met standards for a mainstream medical journal.
In general, skeptics dubiousness whether acupuncture could restore vision inward a component subdivision of the retina where rod as well as cone cells take away keep died; they compare it to regenerating an amputated limb. Until at that spot is a double- blind study conducted on a unmarried protocol nether the auspices of a board, the medical community volition rest largely unconvinced.
Sources
“Acupuncture for Macular Degeneration: Why I Reject the Evidence,” Science-Based Medicine.
“Realistic Hope For the Effects of Macular Degeneration,” Donald Liebell, D.C., B.C.A.O.
“Facts About Age-Related Macular Degeneration,” The National Eye Institute (NEI).
“Efficacy as well as security of auricular indicate acupressure handling for gastrointestinal dysfunction afterwards laparoscopic cholecystectomy: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial,” National Center for Biotechnology Information, the U.S. National Library of Medicine
“Macular Degeneration,” Santa iron Protocol
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