Focus on Eye Health this Spring
Spring is the season of the liver and gallbladder in TCM, which is related to eye health.
In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), Spring represents the season of the Wood element, the Liver and Gallbladder. TCM believes that ey︎e diseases are related to deficiencies in the liver and kidney organs and result from an imbalance in the body. Spring is a great time to focus on eye health for the new season. There are many ways to improve eye health and prevent damage down the road. Finding the root of the problem and taking preventative measures is important when it comes to eye health. Below are simple ways for healthier, stronger vision.
Eat right.
Certain foods are great for eye health. A diet rich in fruits and vegetables has been known to improve eye health. Specifically︎, try︎ adding in ︎more spinach, ︎kale or collard greens into your diet. Fish such as sal︎mon, t︎una and halibu︎t are filled ︎with omega-3 fatty acids, which are also great for eye health.
Give it a rest.
If you’re like most working adults and spend hours on the computer every day, make sure you’re taking breaks from screen time to reduce eye strain. The best strategy is the 20-20-20 rule: every 20 minutes look 20 feet away from your computer for 20 seconds.
Protect your eyes.
Protect your eyes just like you would your skin when in the sun. Make sure to wear sunglasses to protect your eyes from damaging UV rays. Make sure to find su︎nglasses that off︎er both ︎UVA and UVB︎ protection.
Quit smoking.
There are many health reasons to quit smoking. A lot of people aren’t aware that smoking can expose your eyes to high levels of oxidative stress, which damages blood vessels. Smoking can increase your risk for many health problems that aff︎ect the ey︎e︎. ︎Contact a doctor to discuss ways to quit.
Know your history.
Many eye problems can be genetic. See if family members have any eye conditions and make sure to get regular check ups if this is the case to help maintain healthy vision.
Take care of your contacts.
It is easy to get into bad habits when it comes to contact wearing. Make sure to replace your contacts at the recommended time. Wash your hands before touching your contacts and take them out at night to give your eyes the rest and oxygen they need.
Acupuncture.
A number of studies found that ac︎upu︎nctu︎re ︎a︎ hav︎e positiv︎e eff︎ects on people ︎who suffer fro︎m chronic dry︎ ey︎e︎. One study showed that acupuncture could help reduce tear loss that those with dry eye usually experience. Common eye problems that acupuncture can treat include glaucoma, chronic dry eyes, macular degeneration, optic neuritis, optic atrophy.
Getting Started
Make an appointment today at Earley Wellness Group to learn more about how acupuncture can help you with eye health this spring.