My first visit with Dr. Weidong Yu at the Wellspring Clinic was interesting and positive, and I will write about that tomorrow. But first I wanted to write about skepticism — because I know a lot of RP patients have a hard time grasping that acupuncture, herbs and other alternative therapies could help their eyesight when every retinal specialist they’ve visited have told them otherwise. When it comes to skeptics, my husband is at the head of the pack. And even though I’ve wanted to try the treatment for years, Ive also had my doubts.

I’ve been tracking the Wellspring Clinic for several years and have even called to inquire about treatments. But when I heard that for the first year I would probably need to make four ten-day visits to the clinic, I quickly hung up the phone. First there was the treatment cost that my insurance doesn’t cover. But on top of that,  I wondered how I could possibly get away from my life for ten days every three months. And deep down, there was the nagging fear that this might not work–that I would put my hopes into this treatment and end up disappointed.

Over the past six months, my interest in Wellspring Clinic has been increasing — both because of the growing database of patient testimonials but more so because I follow all the clinical trials being done for RP and noticed that Johns Hopkins University had launched a clinical trial centered on a comprehensive acupuncture program that sounds a lot like the Wellspring program. But I probably still wouldn’t have made the call had it not been for my most recent visit with a top retinal specialist. After going through the usual battery of eye tests, the doctor showed me my visual field tests from five years ago and compared them with the visual field test done that day to explain what I already knew — that my central vision had continued to close in on me and that I had only about three to four degrees left.

I’d read that some RP patients retain a little central eyesight throughout their lives, but when I repeated this to the doctor, she just shook her head.

“It doesn’t stop progressing,” she said quietly. “I’m sorry.”

I left her office with the understanding that if my RP continued to progress at the rate it has been, my remaining eyesight would be gone in a few years. Immediately following my appointment with the retinal specialist, I accompanied my family on a four-day ski trip that had been in the works for six months. While my husband and daughters skiied, I huddled on the hotel-room bed sobbing.

On the third day, I went for coffee with John and told him I wanted to give Wellspring a try and then braced myself for the response I knew would come.

“Look,” he snapped. “It’s a scam. They are preying on desperate people. Haven’t you seen those 60 Minutes shows?”

I felt hot tears puddling in my eyes and streaming down my cheeks.

“What if it were your eyesight?” I shot back. “Wouldn’t you want to do everything you could to try to save it?”

Let me be clear: John wants my eyesight as much as I do.But  the last thing he wants is for either of us to be taken advantage of. After a few more minutes of discussion, he reluctantly agreed that I should do some more research and call them if that’s what I felt I needed to do.

I waited until he had left to ski again, spent an hour doing more internet research on the clinic and Dr. Yu, and then made the phone call.

As mentioned in my first blog post, Dr. Yu invited me to come to his office Saturday to meet and start on his herbal tea before my ten-day treatment begins at the end of March. While there, I met a woman from Houston, who told me she has been coming to the clinic for nine years. When she first started coming at age twenty-six, she told me she had already lost her driver’s license. Today, at thirty-five, she said her eyesight has significantly improved, enabling her to drive and do everything a normal-sighted person can do.

I immediately liked Dr. Yu. He’s calm, efficient and confident. But what I appreciated most when talking with him is how committed he is to working with the Western medical community to launch clinical trials that can independently measure the effectiveness of his treatment. When I told him I planned to start this blog and document my treatment journey, he urged me to be as thorough and honest as possible about the ups and the downs I experience. He also agreed that the more I can independently document my experience through visual field tests and other retinal tests, the better.

I don’t know where this journey will lead. I know that acupuncture doesn’t help everyone.But I also know that it has been extremely helpful for some RP patients. For me, it’s worth approaching with an open mind and giving it a try. And while still skeptical, John has promised to approach it with an open mind as well.

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