What is the Healing Optics Vision Regeneration program about?
This program is a comprehensive educational and support program. The foundational practice is based on the work of Dr. Bruno. The program is now structured so patient-students have access to trainings on all of the core practices we have found to be most effective in helping people experience regeneration. Weekly live community support calls are a vital component of this program. Nutritional and lifestyle education are other key components. Another primary practice is the Micro-current stimulation which is safely used by individuals with macular degeneration, retinitis pigmentosa, and other retinal diseases. The type of microcurrent used is a very specific form of extremely low current stimulation that has been shown to improve circulation, cellular metabolic function, and promote healing. Results have been very positive.
The training program allows patient-students to practice remotely, alleviating the need to travel. It is often beneficial and effective for patient-students to do the initial training with their spouse or a family member. Details are discussed during the registration process.
This program is available for individuals with dry and wet forms of macular degeneration, Stargardt’s and other forms of Juvenile Macular Degeneration, Retinitis Pigmentosa, Glaucoma, Diabetic Retinopathy, Optic Nerve Atrophy, Field Vision Cuts, Fatigue with Poor Vision, Post-Virus Diminished Vision, and Seripiginous Choroiditis. A large percentage of our patient-students have responded positively to microcurrent stimulation . We happily share encouraging results from our patient-students, as well as our colleagues.
Our Microcurrent devices are made available for use after consultation with the patient about their specific visual concerns. We do not accept return of these devices once they have been used. There is a one-year warranty by the manufacturer but it is not transferable, and we do not buy back or sell used machines. We include a free Microcurrent device and customized Microcurrent glasses to everyone who registers for our 12-month program.
What is micro-current stimulation?
There are a number of devices that produce micro-current for the treatment of different injuries and illnesses. Milli-amp and Micro-amp devices have been used for about 40 years to treat injuries, including sports injuries. Other uses of the these devices have been developed since the early seventies and used with great success. The use of micro-current for the treatment of eye disease is relatively recent. Dr. Bruno was among the first to refine the technology and protocols for this purpose.
The customized micro-current generator that we use involves a very precise, low-current electrical stimulus that can be used on specific points of the body. The micro-amperage is adjustable between 20 microamps to 800 microamps. A microamp is one millionth of an ampere. The advantage clinically of being able to use microamp devices is that this corresponds more closely to the human nervous system than stronger currents used in other devices. This is a case where “less is better.”
There are specific points on the body, which have relatively much lower resistance than all other areas of the skin. These points of low electrical resistance correspond to classical acupuncture points. Because of the lowered skin resistance, the micro-current more easily reaches the retina. The points that are used with micro-current stimulation are chosen because it has been shown that stimulation of these acupuncture points benefits the eyes. Specific frequencies are automatically treated for specific time periods by the micro-current device that we use. These frequencies and time sequences have been shown to be the most effective in treating retinal disease. No adverse effects have been reported in over 25 years of use in our practices.
Why Doesn’t My Ophthalmologist Know About Micro-current Stimulation?
Western-oriented physicians have been using the technology of micro-current stimulation since the 1970’s to treat a variety of conditions. Some orthopedic surgeons use of this type of electrical stimulation to promote the healing of bone fractures that are not otherwise healing normally. Micro-current stimulation is used to promote healing in soft tissue wounds and pressure sores that are slow to heal. It is used extensively in Sports Medicine, and by plastic surgeons in certain cases because of its ability to decrease the amount of scar tissue that forms after surgery. It is also used for the treatment of carpal tunnel syndrome, tendonitis, and in the treatment of TMJ syndrome.
Many specialists, including ophthalmologists, do not often have the time to read about research or new developments outside their own areas. Doctors that specialize in physical medicine, sports medicine, orthopedics, oral surgery, plastic surgery, and hand surgery are familiar with micro-current because it is used in their specialties.
There are published studies on the effect of micro-current stimulation and how it increases cellular energy potential, but again, this would be outside the usual area of interest of most eye doctors.
How Does the Micro-current Work?
Certain micro-current stimulators can affect electrical properties at the level of the cell membrane resulting in an increase in the energy production (in the form of increased ATP) of the cell by almost 500%. Enhancement of intracellular ATP concentrations is a known effect of micro-current stimulation.
The Micro-current stimulating system is a ‘constant current’ device, which tightly controls the delivery of current over a wide range of resistances, and incorporates some patented technology that allows these very low currents to penetrate very deeply into the tissues that are being treated without harm. It is important to provide a very low current stimulation, but to do it in such a way that you are treating more than just the surface of the skin.
There are many devices that are marketed as micro-current stimulators, but those in reality are inadequate for the treatment of retinal disease. It has been demonstrated in scientific research that micro-current stimulation can enhance blood circulation and increase ATP production. These two things are essential for normal cellular metabolism. One important factor that patients must be aware of is that the treatments must be on a daily basis and the treatments must be continued.
The micro-current stimulators we use is the preferred treatment device among centers treating eye disease because of the sophistication of the electrical technology. and also because it is user friendly for patients with impaired vision. Our partner that makes the device we use is the leader in the field of safe and effective micro-current devices.
Why ‘Home Based’ Treatment?
Everything we teach, and all of the products and materials we share are intended for daily home use. Developing long term healthy habits that we have seen support cellular regeneration is a vital and foundational belief behind all of The Lotus Way’s programs and services.
There are many phenomenal practices provided by trained professionals. Unfortunately, many conditions (like loss of vision) require daily, long term treatment. This is not feasible to do with a professional. This is why we prefer to teach people how to care for themselves and each other at home.
The micro-current device that we use is a lightweight, portable unit. This allows for ease of use at home and convenience when patients are traveling. Frequent treatments on a daily basis ( 3 per day) are necessary. The treatment time is only 5 minutes. The home unit comes with a set of glasses that hold two pads that transfer the micro-current to the desired points around the eye. Moist cotton pads are used to help transfer the micro-current to the acupuncture points that are around the eye. The treatment is not painful.
What Should I Expect from the Treatment?
A good number of our patients improve their eyesight with the use of the microcurrent stimulator. Some of these notice improvement within the first month, and for others it takes several months before they notice a change. For some patients there is no improvement, but some of these do not continue to get worse. The rate of progress varies. Generally any progress is a slow progressive change. It is significant to note that both the “DRY” and “WET” forms can respond to treatment. We see patients who have had laser surgery, or get injections to treat the “wet” or exudative form of macular degeneration, and these patients can also improve.
Not all patients improve with this treatment, but in general the results are very encouraging, even when progress takes months of treatment. Some patients, who have not shown improvement, often report that their vision has not gotten worse. Patients need to remember that even a little improvement means that the disease is not progressing, and this is a huge accomplishment. Being able to stop the deterioration caused by this disease is a valuable achievement.
Expect to have treatments every day. When patients improve with treatment and then stop treatment, they inevitably regress and loose progress until they resume treatment. This treatment is not some miracle cure or magic. It is based on known scientific, bio-physiological and bioelectrical principles. When the proper micro-current device is used after proper training and daily use, some patients are able to achieve real improvement in vision.
What is treatment like?
Patients are trained on the use of the micro-current machine so that they will be able to use it in their own home. There is no pain involved with the treatments. The specific device we use is made by a technologies company that has developed a machine that is user friendly for low vision patients and it is automated to make its use simple and easy. Treatment time is about 5 minutes and we ask patients to treat themselves 3 times each day. This treatment can increase ATP to the retina, but it does not reverse or change the genetics that cause retinal diseases. Treatments cannot be stopped or regression will occur. The video on our website includes several patients talking about their own experiences using the micro-current treatment.
Is it safe?
No side effects or adverse outcomes related to the procedure have ever been reported. Specifically, no increase in the conversion to the wet form of macular degeneration has been seen in those treated. This means, that although this treatment is thought to work by improving circulation, it has not been seen to increase any tendency to bleed or produce exudates. The National Institutes of Health recently published a Consensus Statement on Acupuncture (November, 1997) that included studies of treatments using micro-current stimulation at acupuncture points, for the treatment of pain and various musculoskeletal problems. The NIH Consensus Statement reports that, “One of the advantages … is that the incidence of adverse effects is substantially lower than that of many drugs or other accepted medical procedures used for the same conditions.”
What Types Of AMD Can Be Treated?
Some people assume that the “wet” for of AMD is either not treatable or very difficult to treat. We have found this not to be true. Many patients with the “wet” form have responded well. In fact they respond as well as patients with the “dry” form. Often patients have had either hot or ‘cold’ laser surgery, or injections. Laser surgery can create scaring on or near the macula. It is our experience that the results of damage from laser surgery can slow down progress. Fortunately, the use of laser for treating the wet form of macular degeneration is not often used any longer.