Why Acupuncture is Extremely Effective in Treating Retinitis Pigmentosa

Retinitis pigmentosa is considered a hereditary disease and involves peripheral vision loss. This condition results in the gradual breakdown of the cones and rods in the retina. Over the course of time, this disease gradually impairs the peripheral vision of the person. The condition may leave the central vision of the person intact until it totally affects the entire eye leading to blindness in the person. Acupuncture has recently been shown to help people suffering from retinitis pigmentosa (RP). The following are some frequently asked questions relating to acupuncture treatment of RP in Edina.

1. When you have been diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa, when should acupuncture treatment be started?

Treatment of retinitis pigmentosa should be started the soonest possible time to make it more effective. Since this condition leads to a gradual worsening of your vision, which inexorably leads to blindness, an early diagnosis and treatment of this disease will help preserve the full integrity of your vision.

2. What difference does it make if you use Chinese herbs exclusively (or acupuncture exclusively) without the need to combine them in RP treatment?

Traditional Chinese medicine (which includes Chinese herbal therapy) and acupuncture are often used together to treat RP. Combining Chinese herbs and acupuncture is important for a couple of reasons. Chinese herbs are needed to address any underlying problems that cause the RP. These causes can include chronic inflammation, autoimmune and metabolic problems. Acupuncture, on the other hand, is important to halt further degeneration of your vision by boosting blood circulation to the eye thereby providing nutrients that allows the visual centers of the brain, photoreceptor cells and the optic nerve to heal and restore their normal healthy function.

3. Are there any long term results that acupuncture treatment provides?

One can already experience improvements in vision during the initial week of treatment and they can last for as long as six months. Follow up treatment is needed to preserve the effects of the treatment.

4. How many sessions of treatment do I need to experience the fullest results of the treatment?

In the treatment of RP, there is an initial assessment phase in which the patient’s response rate to acupuncture is determined and his/her need for ongoing maintenance. The patient needs to be thoroughly examined before actual treatment begins. A baseline needs to be established first to properly evaluate the patient’s progress. Improvement of the patient’s vision needs to be measured to see if the treatment works. This initial stage may require five days of intensive treatment. If an improvement is seen, the intensive treatment may continue for another week. The next stage involves further treatments twice or thrice per year with each session lasting one to two weeks.

5. Is intensive therapy much better than long-term therapies and do individuals normally require more than one round of therapy?

They both are equally effective. If you want immediate results, you need to undergo intensive therapy that needs to be followed up with treatments to help maintain the benefits of the intensive therapy. Long-term treatments, on other hand, lead to progressive results and need to be continued on a regular basis to halt the further erosion of vision.

6. How effective is traditional acupuncture when compared to laser acupuncture?

The effectiveness of a treatment is relative to the patient. Each patient reacts to different treatments in a unique way. This is no different when it comes to laser and traditional acupuncture. Laser acupuncture is a novel type of acupuncture that uses low intensity laser energy to stimulate treatment instead of needles. For patients who have a fear of needles, laser acupuncture is definitely a much better option.

7. There are certain cases where acupuncture simply does not work, why?

Since acupuncture works by transmitting signals to the brain to activate certain functions of the body, a brain damaged by disease or physical injury may not respond to the stimulus elicited by acupuncture causing the treatment to fail and produce the desired result. Other factors that can impede the positive effects of acupuncture include certain prescription medications and extreme emotional trauma.