ACUPUNCTURE COULD SAVE YOUR SIGHT! - Better...
Transcript of ACUPUNCTURE COULD SAVE YOUR SIGHT! - Better...
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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.
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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.
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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.
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INTRODUCTION
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.
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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
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“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
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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?
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“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
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“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
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“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
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“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.
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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?
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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
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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
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“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
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“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.
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“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
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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
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“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?
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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.
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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
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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?
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“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
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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
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“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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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
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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.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________© MMX11 CAMBRIDGE INSTITUTE FOR BETTER VISION 33
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
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“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,
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“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.
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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.
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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
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“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
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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.
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“It’s clear that if you
don’t do anything,
your vision is going
to get worse.”
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
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