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enVision!
Natural Vision
Improvement
Newsletter
Issue# 2
October 2000
In this issue...
Focus on Healthy
Eyes
By Roberto KaplanVisual Hygiene
It is common knowledge that to keep our bodies
healthy and fit it is necessary to have the muscles be flexible and strong.
While exercising your body muscles you can include routines for your eyes. With
the proper discipline you can avoid or minimize strong eyeglasses and develop
clear natural eyesight.
The first step to improving vision and
reclaiming your clear eyesight is to let go of the limiting outcomes of the
current system of vision care. This means that vision can spontaneously return
if you believe in this possibility within yourself. Let go of what your eye
doctor said: "There is nothing that will help your eye condition." Begin with
the well-known saying: "Seeing is believing." I propose you consider
that, "Believing is Seeing." In order to see, you
have to believe in a new paradigm of vision management. The genetic make-up of
your eye does not limit the possibility of you enhancing visual function. Vision
does not only occur in the eye. 90% of happens in your brain and/or mind. This
has been confirmed by scientists who are unable to fully replicate the human
visual system into a robotic form. The full eye cannot be transplanted, because
the optic nerve at the back of the eye is actually part of your brain
tissue.
If brain function can be enhanced in stroke victims, why couldn't
your brain be stimulated through the eyes resulting in increased vision
function? This has been happening for many years in a special approach called
Integrated Vision Therapy.
There are six large muscles that move each eye
and allow full motion in all directions. There are muscles in the coloured
part of your eye that control the amount of light entering the eye. There are
also muscles for focusing your vision to different distances. Here is a 5
step approach for increasing your vision fitness. This will keep your eyes
healthy and fit.
1. Healthy AttitudeThere is nothing wrong with your eyes. They are
communicating a need. More than likely your eyes are asking for your help. They
either desire more stimulation or more relaxation. Even in the case of an eye
disease there are vision principles you can begin using. Observe any negative
reactions towards your eyes. Replace those thoughts by reassuring your eyes that
you intend to provide the help they need. Thank your eyes for telling you to
wake up to new possibilities.
2. Using The Right spectaclesThe majority of eye doctors insist on the
full-strength lens prescription for 100 percent. Consider getting a weaker pair
of eyeglasses especially for indoor use. Then the suggestions for exercising
your eyes will provide sharper vision through these eyeglasses.
3. Feeding Your EyesEat more colourful vegetables, grains like brown
rice and numerous legumes. Begin using sea vegetables like Arame and Hiziki, or
vitamins and minerals to boost the trace elements reaching your eyes. If
necessary use therapeutic levels of anti-oxidents and Bilberry as a supplement
to better your chances for increasing your vision fitness.
4. Vision Fitness ExercisesEach day spend less time wearing your eyeglasses or
contacts Give your natural "naked" vision a chance to be exercised. Gently
stretch your eyes in an up/down, left/right and diagonal position while slowly
breathing in and out. Feel your outer eye muscles letting go of tension. After
gently rubbing your palms together, cup and rest your eyes and mind by taking a
break from reading, watching television or working at a computer.
5. Making Light Work For YouIt is believed that the depletion of the ozone
layer is causing excess ultra violet rays to predispose us to cataracts.
Sunlight can also have a beneficial effect upon your eye function. The muscles
that control the size of the pupil are exercised each time you blink in the
presence of light. Light also activates blood flow in the retina. Short
exposure to sunlight will help your nervous system get more into balance.
Assuming you are in good health, you need not be fearful that sunlight
will hurt you. Get outside before 10 am and after 4 pm and after closing your
eyelids, rotate your head from side to side and feel the warmth. Blink your
eyelids after each turn without looking into the sun.
With these simple
steps you will be helping to maintain the health and fitness of your very
precious vision.
Roberto Kaplan is a
former Professor of Optometry and one of the few hundred Doctors of Optometry
who is Board Certified in Vision Therapy. He is the author of Seeing
Without Glasses and The Power Behind Your Eyes. Dr. Kaplan offers personal
telephone consultations and workshops around the world. He can be reached
through his website www.beyond2020vision.com
or
www.integratedvisiontherapy.com
Featured
Website
Natural Vision Improvement
A wonderful resource of services, up
coming events, lists of practitioners,
and information
from C.J.Wilson and Martha Rigney
Integrating VI into Your
Life
by Kim Beckett I know that if I could just go to a resort where all of my needs were taken care of, where there were no worries and no pressures, I could finally work on my vision until I had the degree of improvement I desire. For years I waited for times like this, like summers off, during time home with small children and babies, and when that didn’t work I settled for anytime I could, a week, a weekend, a few spare hours. You just can’t get away from it, life happens and it happens continually. If you are going to make any serious progress you will need to figure out how to integrate vision improvement into your life. I will share a few ideas I have come up with to do this. Driving- while driving you can focus near and far. Look at your nose and then look out as far as you can up the road. Look to both sides up and down continually. You are doing this very quickly. You will actually be more effective than if you are only staring straight ahead as most of us myopes do. I find that looking up in particular brings a better clarity to my vision. Try never to get that glazed-over, zoned out stare going on. Try to remember to be constantly moving your eyes. Wearing less correction than you need for fully corrected vision. Start with a prescription that brings you to 20/40 and if you can, also try 20/60 and 20/80. With these types of lenses you will be getting feedback, you will notice the small improvements. Feedback is important to tell you that what you are doing is working. If your Rx is quite high and you walk around with no glasses on you may not notice a little improvement the way you do when you are closer to 20/20. Make the time for these important routines each day palming, facial massage, time outside. I have found that the best way to start a new routine or habit is to link it up with something you already do. When can you do palming? How about when you first get up in the morning as you are sitting on the edge of the bed trying to wake up. Or when you are sitting on the toilet, hey I’m serious you even have a place to rest your elbows. Facial massage can be done each time you are washing your face. The soap helps to glide your fingers gently. Also if you apply moisturizer, massage it in. To spend more time outside consider finding the furthest parking spots and start taking a walk each day if you can. These are just a few things you can do to integrate VI into your life. Take some time, ask yourself some good questions and you will come up with some more. And if you do please share them with the rest of us. TTFN
by
Andrew W. Saul
I've worn glasses since the age of
eight; how about you? Many of our children may be better off knowing about
the following ways to reduce eyestrain. These exercises probably help
anyone, so take off those specks or take out those contacts, and let's
begin.
EXERCISE #1: TEMPLE
MASSAGE
With the pointer finger of each hand,
massage your temples (the side of the head on the level with the eyes) in the
depression that you will find there. If you wear glasses, the depressed
location is right underneath each side of your glasses frame.
EXERCISE #2: NOSE-BRIDGE
MASSAGE
Use the finger and thumb of one hand to
gently pinch and massage the uppermost part of the nose. Again, if you
wear glasses, this is right under where the center of the glasses sets upon your
nose.
You may have, unconsciously, already
been doing the above two exercises when you've had a headache or sore
eyes. Here's four more for you to try:
EXERCISE #3: FOREHEAD AND SCALP LINE
MASSAGE
This is a tricky one. Place the
ball of your thumb along the underside of the upper margin of your eyesocket,
find the supraorbital notch, and press. ("What?") In other
words, press up under the eyebrow with the ball of your thumb. Just under
the top of each eye socket there is a little notch. No kidding, you can
feel it. This tells you that you've got the right place. Press
carefully upward.
Now, at the same time, take your
fingers and rest them along your front hairline (or where your front hairline
used to be!). Draw the fingers DOWN together, while drawing the thumb up,
bringing it all together as you gently mush your forehead skin in the
middle. I call this exercise the "Boris Karloff Exercise" because you feel
(if not look) like the Frankenstein monster in full forehead
make-up.
EXERCISE #4: MID-FACE
MASSAGE
Smile. No, really: smile.
An upper line formed by your grin curves up on each side towards your
nose. One finger's distance out from each nostril, right on this smile
line, is the location for this massage point. The facial nerve emerges
from the maxilla bone at this point. After stimulating this point, try a
deep breath through your nose. Many people find that it helps clear their
sinuses.
So far, we have massaged, and relaxed,
all four major muscle areas around the eye. The eye can move in all directions
because of the four attachments. It is much the same control provided by a
joystick in a computer game or airplane. We've just relaxed all "remote
controls" to the eyes. Ophthalmologist William Bates, M.D. explains how
this can improve one's vision in Better Eyesight Without Glasses
(available through interlibrary loan if out of print).
EXERCISE #5: CLOSED EYELID
MASSAGE
One of my favorites, and Dr. Bates
would agree that it is quite relaxing. Close your eyes and lightly and
rapidly stroke the lids with your fingertips. Back and forth, top and
bottom lids as well.
EXERCISE #6: ACUPRESSURE POINT ON
THE HAND
We're not even close to the eye
muscles, but there is reason to believe that reflex or trigger points operate
throughout the human organism. Utilization of such a point is in your
hands, literally. With your palm open and your thumb up, you will notice a
ridge of skin between your thumb and a top plateau that runs flat up to your
forefinger. Take the thumb of your opposite hand and place it over this
fold of skin on top, like a tent. Roll the thumb further over the side and
you will locate a point about a thumb's distance in. Meet your thumb with
the forefinger and press together. You have the point if you feel a
wincing pain like when the dentist is drilling a tooth. I hate going to
the dentist as much as any one, but after stimulating this point a few times
daily I can take my glasses off and see better than I should be able to.
To learn other pressure points, please refer to The Natural Healer's
Acupressure Handbook, by Michael Blate.
HELPFUL HINTS WITH THE CHINESE EYE
EXERCISES
1. Always stimulate points
bilaterally. That is, be sure to do the points with each eye,
on both sides of the face and on each hand.
2. Your fingernails should be
short to avoid hurting yourself.
3. Do not do the exercises if you
have a good reason not to. It is probably best to avoid using any
pressure points while pregnant unless you have first checked them out with
your doctor or midwife.
4. One may generally do the
exercises several times a day. I do each one for a count of about
fifteen.
5. Behavioral optometrists are
often willing to provide additional vision training. If you want to
know if your practitioner is qualified (and interested), ask! Or,
try writing to the Optometric Extension Program Foundation, Inc.,
P.O. Box 850, Duncan, Oklahoma, 73533 for information and
referrals. Or, ask at a health food store.
6. Here's a book that's good for
your eyes: Total Vision, by Richard S. Kavner O.D., and Lorraine
Dusky (A & W Publishers)
Copyright C
1999 and prior years Andrew W. Saul. From the books QUACK DOCTOR and
PAPERBACK CLINIC, available from Dr. Andrew Saul, Number 8 Van Buren
Street, Holley, New York 14470. From the website http://doctoryourself.com/ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
