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Acupressure Massage each point for 30 seconds, twice a day:

Points

1.Bladder 1 (Jing Ming)

2.Gall Bladder 1 (Tong Zi Liao)

3.Stomach 44 (Neiting)

4.Triple Burner 17 (Yifeng)

5.Bladder 10 (Tian Zhu)

See the Appendix, pp. 13138 for the description and location of points.

Herbal Take a teaspoon internally and apply a warm Remedies compress externally twice a day of the following

combination of herbs: burdock, echinacea, forsythia, goldenseal, honeysuckle, chrysanthemum flower, eyebright, chamomile, red raspberry leaf and calendula. This combination is available through the Integral Health Apothecary and Starfire International (see Resources).

HomeopathicConsult a trained homeopath who can Remedies recommend the appropriate constitutional

remedy for you.

Medications If, after one month of the Sty Prevention Program, there is no improvement, contact your physician to consider medication.

Exercises Do 20 minutes of both aerobic and eye exercises at least four times per week (see Chapter 1).

Spinal Consult a qualified chiropractor or osteopath to Manipulationmake sure that the spine and neck are free from

any energy blocks that might cause poor circulation and, thus, lack of energy to the eyes.

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HOW TO DO A LIVER CLEANSE

Days 1 and 2

Eliminate all foods except fruits and vegetables. Consume fruits and vegetables in any form: steamed, sautéed, raw, juiced. Eat as much and as often as you like. If any oil is used, use olive oil.

Day 3

Drink only juices and water. Any and all fruit and vegetable juices are fine. Drink as much as you like, but take in no solid food.

Day 4

Drink only water and lemonade (see recipe below). Drink as much and as often as you like, but be sure to consume at least four 8-oz. glasses of lemonade in the course of the day. Before bedtime, take a tablespoon of pure virgin olive oil.

Day 5

Same as Day 3.

Days 6 and 7

Same as Days 1 and 2.

On all days of this cleanse, try to drink a minimum of eight 8-oz. glasses of water, preferably spring or distilled water. Twice a day, take a teaspoon of bulk fiber made from psyllium powder (available at any health food store).

Lemonade

2 Tbs. fresh-squeezed lemon juice, 1 Tbs. pure maple syrup (if desired), dash of cayenne pepper, 8 oz. of distilled or spring water.

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Chapter 7

Floaters: Out, Damned Spots!

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Do tiny black shapes dance on your white living room wall? Do you catch little black circles or cones floating in your peripheral vision? Spots before the eyes, called floaters, can be frustrating to patients and doctors alike. The standard answer, once a serious physical problem has been ruled out, has been to learn to live with them.

Floaters are an appropriate name for these small dark shapes that appear before your eyes, because float through your field of vision is precisely what they do. These spots may look like dots, squiggles, strands or any of a hundred other shapes. Though they can be annoying, floaters are harmless, and there are ways to minimize or prevent them through proper diet and other methods discussed below. But if you suddenly become aware of floaters, of if they're accompanied by bright flashes of light, it could signal a retinal detachment and the need for emergency care.

Warning: If you suddenly become aware of new spots in your vision, see your eye doctor right away to rule out serious problems.

What Causes Floaters?

Generally, floaters are caused when cells or proteins in the vitreous humor stick or group together. Some also are remnants of fetal eye formation: as the eye develops before birth, blood vessels grow through the center of the eye. These blood vessels usually dissolve during the last three months before birth. Sometimes, however, they don't disappear completely, so those tiny "strands" you might see floating up the wall are actually shadows of those prenatal blood vessels.

Floaters also result when the vitreous becomes detached from its connection to the optic nerve. The tissue that attaches the vitreous to the optic nerve contains pigment in the shape of a ring, so when this detaches and floats in front of the retina, it casts an intense and disturbing shadow. About one-fourth of all Americans experience vitreous detachment; fortunately, there's usually no bleeding or retinal detachment.

Floaters are commonly found in nearsighted people and in people with food