I’m starting a new Ask the Expert feature on this blog where practitioners who use naturopathy, acupuncture and other integrated health therapies to treat RP will answer your questions. My first Guest Expert is Dr. Andy Rosenfarb, who specializes in treating RP and other degenerative eye conditions with acupuncture and naturopathy.

Question: If people suffering from RP start acupuncture treatment and then decide to stop, will their vision loss accelerate faster than usual?

Dr. Rosenfarb: The answer is absolutely not. I’ve seen many cases where a patient’s vision loss seems to arrest with acupuncture treatment and holds steady with ongoing maintenance treatment. Some patients start acupuncture and discontinue for various reasons. In those cases, it is most likely that at some point, some of the visual gains they made will be lost and  their eyesight will continue to deteriorate as it did before they started acupuncture.  Once a patient stops treatment, they are no longer doing maintenance work. It’s kind of like just deciding to stop brushing your teeth and quit seeing your dentist. Eventually, tooth decay will set in.

Acupuncture increases blood flow to the retina, which in turn increases oxygen, ensures vital nutrients reach the eyes, and helps promote detoxification of ocular waste products. Retinal cells will eventually die with impaired blood flow, inflammation, acidosis, and toxic accumulation. For that reason, at this time, ongoing acupuncture maintenance is required in order to preserve vision. It would be great if it was a one-time fix, but that’s never the case with these chronic, neuro-degenerative conditions. 

 Andy Rosenfarb, ND L.Ac, has been specializing in Chinese Medical Opthalmology since 1993. His unique AcuVision system combines various acupuncture methods including Micro Acupuncture, traditional acupuncture, auricular acupuncture, laser acupuncture and electro-acupuncture to treat RP and other degenerative eye conditions. For more information, visit: www.acuvisiontherapy.com

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