Ingrid and I are of like mind when it comes to our goals for our eyes. Above all we know that good health and attitude play important roles in the long-term care of our sight.

Our paths began much the same way—with a trek to the east coast for a lengthy acupuncture eye treatment. Ingrid’s DTS blog jump-started the acupuncture movement for many RP-ers and I was one of them.

But as the first three months of our study have indicated, the journey has changed. We are endeavoring to make it more geographically accessible, financially manageable and, perhaps most importantly, far more personal.

My acupuncturist Ed Weiss is an MD who turned to acupuncture over forty years ago. He does not come from a specific eye background and is trained to treat the entire body as a whole. Not just to rid it of problems and pain but to treat the emotional side as well—the apprehension, the anxiety and fear of the unknown.

Acupuncture is a cumulative build if you will. The body takes time to pull its parts into harmony and thus a weekly diet of needles is a good thing indeed. I noticed a real difference when I was in Asia last month and off my acupuncture for nearly four weeks. By week three my contrast and night vision were dimming along with my confidence. (Note to future travelers: Beijing’s Forbidden City is the ultimate RP par course!) The physical stress of the travel and the long international flights played their parts – supporting Ed’s theory that the most significant result of acupuncture for RP is reducing stress.

I echo John’s sentiment—what if we had been pursuing acupuncture from the start? I wish I knew the answer to that but you can’t go back. Today is the first day of the rest of our lives so let’s get out there and live!

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Interested in giving local acupuncture a try? Check out the advice Ingrid’s acupuncturist, Michelle Thoreson, offers for RP patients looking for an acupuncturist to work with – Read Our Acupuncture Treatment Study: Half Way Point post.

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