On Thu, May 26, 2011 at 9:26 AM, Thahir wrote
dear david, have you asked about the possibility of homeopathy in treating glaucoma to your homeopaths ? what is their response? as you indicated, though homeopathy is individual specific, since most of the glaucoma patients share many common symptoms, we would be able to shortlist a small number of remedies. at least in their literature homeopathy speaks of remedies for optic nerve atrophhy. is there any other medical system including naturopathy that claims to restore the lost power of optic nerve except perhaps acupuntureand acupressure?
Certainly, yes. I am interested in homeopathy and I have been treated by a homeopathic ophthalmologist. In 2006 I first went to my homeopathic ophthalmologist specifically for glaucoma treatment. I have seen homeopathy help with certain things, but I didn't notice any benefit in my case for glaucoma (yet).
When thinking about the fundamental principles of health, I have to wonder how effective any pill (homeopathic or vitamin or other) can be for a chronic disease like glaucoma that takes decades to develop.
In another thread on glaucoma, emotions, stress and NTG, Dr. Ritch said:
Pigmentary dispersion syndrome is associated with perfectionistic, detail-oriented, high stress people.
No herb or vitamin pill is going to change those traits. (Even psychiatric medicines won't fundamentally change them -- only suppress them, at best.) The research from psychoneuroimmunology (see Dr. Candace Pert's work) shows that these personality traits turn into biochemical molecules in the body -- powerful chemicals that are more potent and more abundant than most pharmaceutical medicines --- and that come in a endless supply day after day. We wake up every morning and never forget to put on our personality. When we do so, our body is flooded with the biochemical signature of that personality. Any pill we take does little more than put a small dent in that massive stream of internally manufactured biochemical compounds.
Think about that while reading this quote from a book by respected neurosurgeon Norman Shealy, M.D.**
Perhaps the best work in this field has been done by Dr. Caroline Thomas of Johns Hopkins Medical School. Her prospective studies of medical students have shown a high correlation with personality. Relatively specific personality quirks or defects predispose one to high blood pressure, tuberculosis, heart attack, cancer or suicide. These traits are present twenty to thirty or more years before the onset of disease. It appears that our “life script,” meaning our unconscious decisions regarding how our life will play itself out, provides a long-term attitudinal precursor of illness.
I wasn't familiar with that research in any detail, and I'm not relying upon it -- but this is essentially the same conclusion my own personal research on intraocular pressure led me to, and it is a core message of FitEyes because it conforms to time-tested principles of more than one traditional system of healing.
Here's the succinct way I like to state it (based on Ayurveda):
Consciousness structures the physiology.
Our habitual thought patterns, emotional patterns and lifestyle habits shape the form and function of the material structure of the body over time. We become physically who we are emotionally and psychologically. This is the most fundamental and powerful force shaping the development of any condition in the human body. Given that fact, how can we expect some little pill that we take to radically alter these long term trends?
I believe that even natural systems of medicine, when they do not address the issue at the level of consciousness, are simply causing a diversion of some sort -- much like what Dr. Kondrot described for allopathic treatments. He said, "
The disease is pushed deeper into the body leading to a more serious disease." That's not true just for allopathic medicine. It is true any time we treat any disease without going to the most fundamental cause. And that most fundamental cause is virtually always consciousness in the case of adult onset chronic disease. (If we define consciousness more fully, I could remove the qualifications from that statement.)
Many of us start off looking for something "special" -- some pill, powder or potion that will, by it's own special power, reverse the optic nerve damage of glaucoma. This does not exist. It doesn't exist in homeopathy, naturopathy, Ayurveda, TCM (acupuncture), western herbalism, or any other system from a very long list.
The best hope for this super-powerful magic bullet cure might be allopathic medicine. But personally, this "magical thinking" doesn't really interest me (even if we set aside our concerns about the side effects of such a treatment). I'm not putting my hopes into some yet-to-be proven product. I think there is a better answer -- and it's available right now. And it is more effective and without side effects. It is exactly what I described above. Here's a short story about how I came to know this for myself.
Starting in 2004 I began looking for this magical pill, powder or potion. And I didn't start from scratch. In 2004 I already had decades of experience in the natural healing field (including a graduate level education in biochemistry with a focus on nutrition). I applied all that I knew and I threw myself into researching every treatment (from any system of alternative medicine) that made any claim about glaucoma.
In 2006 I began building a personal laboratory that eventually included more medical instruments than some ophthalmologist's offices. I put a lot of research focus on intraocular pressure because it is the only treatable risk factor for glaucoma.
Some time after starting self-tonometry, the IOP data I collected literally rocked my world. It proved that most of my ideas about natural healing were wrong. (That was hard for me to accept given that I considered myself an expert in this area, had run businesses in this area and was highly educated in this area.) Although I started with the idea of finding the same type of special pill, powder or potion that many of us on FitEyes are still looking for, what the IOP data showed me was that my own inner state (my habitual emotions, habitual thought patterns and my lifestyle) had incredible power to radically change my body -- including my eyes and my IOP. There was more power in this factor than in any other factor I tested.
Through this personal research process, I eventually lost my old beliefs, but I gained a much more powerful new understanding. (Of course, all this is still unfolding for me even now. I don't have the "final" answers yet. I'm not sure there are final answers of the intellectual type.)
When I started, I was looking for things like supplements or homeopathic medicines. My testing showed that, at best, they could possibly change my IOP a very small amount. What I found instead was that the most intimate aspect of my being (my inner state, my beliefs, my personality) had this more-than-magical power to radically alter my physiological state. The most obvious example was that it could produce huge changes in my IOP. But, in fact, those states of consciousness change everything about the physiology, including an almost uncountable number of biochemicals.
What eventually happened is that I got a fantastic extra education, thanks to glaucoma and self-tonometry, into the true essence of all healing. All the systems mentioned above work on this same principle: the body heals itself (when we stop assaulting it via unhealthy habits). The treatments, at best, assist the body in its own healing process.
Here is a fundamental principle of natural healing, across all the different branches: The majority of physical illnesses result from an overload of emotional, psychological and spiritual crises.
Emotions exert the controlling influence upon the physical body.
-- from a book by Caroline Myss and C. Norman Shealy, MD
That's the same message I emphasized above. It's the same message I've been writing at FitEyes.com since around 2007 (see http://fiteyes.com/Embrace-
All ancient systems of healing know that the herbs, and anything else they can give you in pill, powder or potion form, is an inferior treatment. They all know that the highest and best treatment is at the level of consciousness. This particular perspective gets totally lost in translation, however. It is missed by almost everyone. It is purposefully ignored by those who want to sell a product or offer a supposed quick fix.
Although my research has focused mostly on IOP, these insights into the true nature of healing are not limited to any one symptom or any one condition. I find that these insights exist across various systems of healing and they are universal.
What I have learned about IOP (from self-tonometry) will, I believe, apply directly to healing my optic nerve. I am confident the same finding will apply -- this approach will be far more powerful than any of the supplements, homeopathic medicines or other natural treatments. And it will have fewer side effects than the future yet-to-be invented allopathic medicines for regenerating the optic nerve. And it is available right now. And employing it benefits one's entire life, not just one isolated tissue.
That said, there is still a place for all these other forms of medicine. Herbs have a place. Homeopathy has a place. (I actually do believe homeopathy works! I'm not one of the skeptics who thinks it is a fraud.) All systems of healing that have survived hundreds or thousands of years probably have a valid place and a time when we will find what they offer to be exactly what we need. But those treatments are nothing except supplementary.
By all means we should explore herbs, homeopathy, nutrition and all these other good things. But we should put most of our energy into practices rather than pills, powders or potions. Those practices could include lifestyle modifications and exercise, which many of us already do. They could include Serene Impulse, which I teach, or any other appropriate technique that leads to emotional mastery and inner happiness.
The important thing is that we have a formal practice and that we put more energy into that than we do into looking for the right pill. I believe that we should be personally instructed in this formal practice. I do not believe reading books or Internet articles is sufficient. They can be valuable, and even necessary, but they are not sufficient on their own. The traditional system of studying with an expert is the best way to acquire the skills for inner transformation.
BTW, does anyone here read Warren Buffett? For many decades he has been the #1 or #2 richest man in the world. He has some surprising things to say about how important personality development is in success. If you replace everything I said above about health with references to wealth, I think it would be almost equivalent to Warren Buffett's message. You can find a short story about it in the transcript below***. If you don't want to read it, I'll summarize it like this: assuming the basic skills are in place, personality traits are the most important factor in determining any person's long term financial success in life. See, it's the same message: our personality traits shape every aspect of our lives, including our health -- and they are entirely malleable, just as Buffett says. (And I know that from my own experience.)
Footnote: In the case of a parent dealing with a young child with a chronic disease, be sure to take a skillful approach. I've addressed exactly what that means elsewhere.
*** Warren Buffett Lecture at the University of Florida School of Business October 15, 1998 This speech was the first in a series sponsored by the Graham-Buffett Teaching Endowment, established in 1997 by a $1 million gift from (1970 UF graduate) Mason Hawkins. I would like to say a few words primarily and then the highlight for me will be getting your questions. I want to talk about what is on your mind.
Your Future
I would like to talk for just one minute to the students about your future when you leave
here. Because you will learn a tremendous amount about investments, you all have the
ability to do well; you all have the IQ to do well. You all have the energy and initiative to
do well or you wouldn't be here. Most of you will succeed in meeting your aspirations.
But in determining whether you succeed there is more to it than intellect and energy. I
would like to talk just a second about that. In fact, there was a guy, Pete Kiewit in Omaha,
who used to say, he looked for three things in hiring people: integrity, intelligence and
energy. And he said if the person did not have the first two, the later two would kill him,
because if they don't have integrity, you want them dumb and lazy.
We want to talk about the first two because we know you have the last two. You are all
second-year MBA students, so you have gotten to know your classmates. Think for a
moment that I granted you the right--you can buy 10% of one of your classmate’s
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earnings for the rest of their lifetime. You can't pick someone with a rich father; you
have to pick someone who is going to do it on his or her own merit. And I gave you an
hour to think about it.
Will you give them an IQ test and pick the one with the highest IQ? I doubt it. Will you
pick the one with the best grades? The most energetic? You will start looking for
qualitative factors, in addition to (the quantitative) because everyone has enough brains
and energy. You would probably pick the one you responded the best to, the one who has
the leadership qualities, the one who is able to get other people to carry out their interests.
That would be the person who is generous, honest and who gave credit to other people for
their own ideas. All types of qualities. Whomever you admire the most in the class. Then
I would throw in a hooker. In addition to this person you had to go short one of your
classmates.
That is more fun. Who do I want to go short? You wouldn't pick the person with the
lowest IQ, you would think about the person who turned you off, the person who is
egotistical, who is greedy, who cuts corners, who is slightly dishonest.
As you look at those qualities on the left and right hand side, there is one interesting thing
about them, it is not the ability to throw a football 60 yards, it is not the ability the run the
100 yard dash in 9.3 seconds, it is not being the best looking person in the class, they are all
qualities that if you really want to have the ones on the left hand side, you can have them.
They are qualities of behavior, temperament, character that are achievable, they are not
forbidden to anybody in this group. And if you look at the qualities on the right hand side
the ones that turn you off in other people, there is not a quality there that you have to have.
You can get rid of it. You can get rid of it a lot easier at your age than at my age, because
most behaviors are habitual. The chains of habit are too light to be felt until they are too
heavy to be broken. There is no question about it. I see people with these self-destructive
behavior patterns at my age or even twenty years younger and they really are entrapped by
them.
They go around and do things that turn off other people right and left. They don't need to
be that way but by a certain point they get so they can hardly change it. But at your age
you can have any habits, any patterns of behavior that you wish. It is simply a question of
which you decide.
If you did this... Ben Graham looked around at the people he admired and Ben Franklin
did this before him. Ben Graham did this in his low teens and he looked around at the
people he admired and he said, "I want to be admired, so why don't I behave like them?"
And he found out that there was nothing impossible about behaving like them. Similarly
he did the same thing on the reverse side in terms of getting rid of those qualities. I would
suggest is that if you write those qualities down and think about them a while and make
them habitual, you will be the one you want to buy 10% of when you are all through. And
the beauty of it is that you already own 100% of yourself and you are stuck with it. So you
might as well be that person, that somebody else.
- dave's blog
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