By Simon Yu, MD
Going blind by impaired vision is one of the most common fears for losing our independence as we grow older. Vision loss affects 37 million Americans over 50 years old including one in four who are older than 80 years old. Low vision is defined as central vision acuity of 20/70 with the best correction. Legal blindness is defined as central visual acuity of 20/200 or worse with correction. The visual field is also an important criteria of vision loss.
Vision loss in the older adults is associated with increased risk of falling, inability to drive, loss of independence, depression, and an increase in all-cause mortality. The most common causes of vision loss and blindness in older patients are (1) age-related macular degeneration, (2) glaucoma, (3) diabetes mellitus retinopathy, and (4) age related cataracts.
The U.S. Preventive Service Task Force (USPSTF) concludes that current evidence is insufficient to assess the balance of benefits and harms of screening for impaired visual acuity in adults older than 65 years, that is, there are no conclusive benefits of universal eye screening in older adults. That means you are on your own to protect your vision and eye sight. Comprehensive eye examinations every one to two years for all adults are recommended by the American Academy of Ophthalmology. (American Family Physician; August 2016).
Vitamin supplements (lutein, zeaxanthin, and omega-3 fatty acids) may lower the risk of the progression of age-related macular degeneration but do not prevent the development of macular degeneration. Vitamin supplements are a highly controversial topic among nutritionists, alternative medical doctors, and allopathic physicians.
Occasionally, I see patients for a particular complaint like IBS for which I treat the underlying problems with parasite medications. Sometimes, I get unexpected responses like the resolution of: life long asthma, anemia, chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, psoriasis, etc. I describe this phenomenon in my book, Accidental Cure.
I’ll share one discovery of an accidental cure for macular degeneration. I saw a 65 year old physician, Doctor J. from North Carolina, for the chief complaint of Parkinson’s disease with a tremor of his right hand for over one year. He also has neuropathy, intermittent atrial fibrillation, and a recent diagnosis of macular degeneration.
He has been practicing integrative medicine over 30 years. In fact, we share a patient. She was suffering from “Delusional Parasitosis” with so many unusual somatic complaints. He referred her to me for a medical evaluation to rule out potential parasite problems. He did not dismiss her like most physicians in North Carolina. After a great difficulty treating her with multiple parasite medications and extensive dental work, finally, she was stabilized. He decided to come see me for an evaluation for himself.
Acupuncture meridian assessment indicated 10 out of 40 meridians were out of balance. His main problems were dental infection on lymphatic system, parasite problems from large intestine meridian, and fungal problems from allergy-immunology points. He was treated for parasites with ivermectin and pyrantel pamoate. On the second visit he was treated for flukes with praziquantel based on disturbance of the gallbladder meridian. On the third visit he was treated for fungal problems manifested in allergy-immunology point with itraconozole. Part of the dental work was also done by an oral surgeon during that time.
He could not see me for follow up for several months due to a family situation but we discussed his status over the phone. He told me there was no improvement on his tremors. He had a great expectation that his tremors would improve after parasite medications and dental work. I was also disappointed. However, by serendipity, he saw his ophthalmologist recently for a follow up and the eye doctor seemed befuddled when he was examining Doctor J.’s eyes. He could not see any sign of macular degeneration.
Doctor J. asked me a question like any curious physician, is it possible to cure macular degeneration with parasite medications? I told him I don’t know. However, many patients often say their eye sight improved after taking parasite medications. River blindness in Africa is treated with the parasite medication ivermectin.
During the course of his diagnosis of macular degeneration and his follow up appointment, the only therapy he took was taking parasite medications as a part of re-balancing his large intestine and gallbladder meridians for his Parkinson’s disease. The Gallbladder/Liver/ Stomach/Bladder meridians regulate eye related function according to acupuncture meridian principles. He still has tremors from Parkinson’s disease but macular degeneration is not there anymore.
Is it possible to cure macular degeneration with parasite medications? At least for this patient, it was possible. Neurological disorders like Parkinson’s disease may take many years to slow down the progression of the disease and stabilize the condition. He had a relatively early stage of macular degeneration. He responded to specific parasite medications at the right dose, right sequence, and right combinations based on meridian assessment. If he was older and in a more advanced stage of macular degeneration, I do not expect he would have responded to the medications because the damage was too far gone beyond repair.
By treating the underlying problems rather than focusing on treating the symptoms, disease, or diagnosis, reversal of the macular degeneration was possible at an early stage in this situation. Let’s call that an accidental cure for macular degeneration. Medical professionals interested in learning how to measure the subtle energy fields with acupuncture meridians to detect parasites and hidden dental problems can check my web site for a special training on these subjects and techniques. This training is designed for MD, DO, and DDS to explore the integration of medicine and dentistry beyond their specialties.
Dr. Simon Yu, M.D. is a Board Certified Internist. He practices Internal Medicine with an emphasis on Alternative Medicine to use the best each has to offer. For more articles and information about alternative medicine as well as patient success stories, and Dr. Yu’s revolutionary health book Accidental Cure: Extraordinary Medicine for Extraordinary Patients, visit his web site at www.PreventionAndHealing.com or call Prevention and Healing, Inc., 314-432-7802. You can also attend a free monthly presentation and discussion by Dr. Yu on Alternative Medicine at his office on the second Tuesday each month at 6:30 pm. Call to verify the date. Seating is limited, arrive early.