HOW TO DO SIX CHINESE EYE EXERCISES, PLUS THE BATES “PALMING” EXERCISE
I've needed glasses since highs school, and rarely wore them...then got a pair in college and wore them more frequently, but I really hate wearing them now (mainly for comfort). SO when I discovered natural eye health I was ecstatic:) You may think bad eye site is caused by weak eye muscles...but quite the contrary, it's due to stressed strengthened eye muscles...so naturally to help the eye sight you need to Relax the muscles Not strengthen them or stress them by allowing yourself to squint and become over sensitive to sunlight by constantly shielding them (read more about this in my previous eye sight blog). These exercises would 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 inter-library loan or from internet used booksellers).
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. (available on the internet used book market [try a Google search] or via inter-library loan).
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 contacting the Optometric Extension Program Foundation, Inc. http://www.oepf.org/ 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)
EYE-SO-METRICS
Here’s a way you can reduce eyestrain for sure, and myopia possibly: exercise your eyes’ extrinsic (outside) muscles. This is my personal adaptation of one of the Dr. Bates eye exercises (Bates, William: Better Eyesight Without Glasses.)
Here goes: Cup your hands and gently press the palms over your eye sockets, without touching the eyes or eyelids themselves. Your fingers should be pointing out and upwards, towards your hairline, or where your hairline used to be. Now press your palms evenly inward, creating a uniform pressure all around the skull and muscles that enclose your eyes. Done right, it will feel as if you are wearing deep-sea diving goggles, and we all know exactly what THAT feels like, don’t we.
As you press, “look” to the left. It will be dark, of course, but you can feel the eye muscles at work. Now “look” to the right. (Now stand up. Sit down. Fight, fight, fight. Just kidding! Say seated and relax.) Continue to press, and “look” up, then down. Repeat all four motions. Then repeat once more, and then again. Now easily remove your hands, slowly open your eyes, and wait a bit before you put your ‘specks on again. How’s that feel? Tension gone? Vision a tad sharper? Not bad for one session. Try to do these exercises three times daily. And you can tell your friends you “palmed” another hint from DOCTOR YOURSELF!
Copyright C 2008, 2005, 2003 and prior years Andrew W. Saul.
Andrew Saul is the author of the books FIRE YOUR DOCTOR! How to be Independently Healthy and DOCTOR YOURSELF: Natural Healing that Works. You can find both on amazon (which is where I purchased my copies from.
1. Eat for bright eyesight
Protect your peepers with a vision-ary diet! Our eyes require multiple nutrients to function optimally. Start with these:
• Vitamins A, C, E, and minerals like copper and zinc are essential to eyesight.
• Antioxidants, including beta-carotene, lutein, and zeaxanthin, protect the macula from sun damage. Get these antioxidants from dark leafy greens, egg yolks, yellow peppers, pumpkin, sweet potatoes, and carrots--notice any color pattern here? Current research shows that consuming yellow and green vegetables can help prevent age-related macular generation, a leading cause of blindness. Find out more about beta-carotene in the Natural Health Dictionary.
• Foods rich in sulfur, cysteine, and lecithin help protect the lens of your eye from cataract formation. Excellent choices include garlic, onions, shallots, and capers.
• Anthocyanin-rich blueberries, grapes, and goji berries have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties that can help improve your vision. Find out more about anthocyanins in the Natural Health Dictionary.
• DHA is a fatty acid found in coldwater fish like wild salmon, sardines, mackerel, and cod. DHA provides structural support to cell membranes to boost eye health.
• To prevent dehydration and dry eyes remember to drink filtered water daily: eight 8 ounce glasses every day to lubricate your eyes.
2. Exercise your eyes
These simple exercises will help you maintain optimal vision and may also keep those annoying eye floaters at bay. Perform these exercises first thing in the morning, before bedtime, or any time your eyes feel fatigued. Make sure that your hands are clean and that your mood is relaxed. Commit to daily practice and you may just see better results within one month.
• Warm your eyes. Rub your palms together to create heat, and then place them against your eyes for five seconds. Repeat this three times.
• Roll your eyes. Start by looking up and then slowly circle10 times clockwise and 10 times counterclockwise.
• Focus. Hold a pen at arm's length, focus your eyes on it, and slowly bring the pen closer until it's about six inches away from your nose. Then slowly move it back, keeping your eyes focused on the pen, 10 times in all.
• Massage your temples. Using your thumb knuckles, massage your temples in small circles, 20 times in one direction and 20 in the other. Repeat the same actions above the mid-point of the eyebrows at the forehead, then below the eyes on both sides of the bridge of the nose.
• Take a mini-nap. Put your head back, close your eyes, and relax for three minutes.
3. Limit Environmental Toxins
External factors can contribute to eye damage. These include fluorescent lights, computer screens, environmental allergens, chlorine in swimming pools, air conditioning and heating, reading in dim lighting, and constant rubbing of the eyes. Do not smoke and limit your exposure to cigarette smoke as it may increase optic pressure. Remember to wear sunglasses to protect your precious eyes from UV exposure.
4. R & R for your eyes
Getting enough sleep is essential for eye health. Sleep time allows your eyes to fully rest, repair, and recover. Insufficient sleep may weaken your vision, so shoot for eight hours of sound sleep a night. Give your eyes a break once an hour during your workday: rest your eyes 10 minutes for every 50 minutes spent reading or in front of the computer. If your eyes feel overly tired, lie down and place cooling cucumber slices over your eyelids.
I hope that you maintain excellent eye health well into the future! Many of the above defined terms were adapted from my newest Kindle book, The Natural Health Dictionary, a comprehensive guide that answers all your questions about natural remedies, healing herbs, longevity foods, vitamins, and supplements.
--Dr. Mao
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
http://VisionImprovementCenter.com Natural Eyesight Improvement with the Bates Method
http://VisionImprovementCenter.com Natural Eyesight Improvement with the Bates Method
Follow these tips to sharpen your own vision so you can see your way to a future of longevity.
1. Eat for bright eyesightProtect your peepers with a vision-ary diet! Our eyes require multiple nutrients to function optimally. Start with these:
• Vitamins A, C, E, and minerals like copper and zinc are essential to eyesight.
• Antioxidants, including beta-carotene, lutein, and zeaxanthin, protect the macula from sun damage. Get these antioxidants from dark leafy greens, egg yolks, yellow peppers, pumpkin, sweet potatoes, and carrots--notice any color pattern here? Current research shows that consuming yellow and green vegetables can help prevent age-related macular generation, a leading cause of blindness. Find out more about beta-carotene in the Natural Health Dictionary.
• Foods rich in sulfur, cysteine, and lecithin help protect the lens of your eye from cataract formation. Excellent choices include garlic, onions, shallots, and capers.
• Anthocyanin-rich blueberries, grapes, and goji berries have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties that can help improve your vision. Find out more about anthocyanins in the Natural Health Dictionary.
• DHA is a fatty acid found in coldwater fish like wild salmon, sardines, mackerel, and cod. DHA provides structural support to cell membranes to boost eye health.
• To prevent dehydration and dry eyes remember to drink filtered water daily: eight 8 ounce glasses every day to lubricate your eyes.
2. Exercise your eyes
These simple exercises will help you maintain optimal vision and may also keep those annoying eye floaters at bay. Perform these exercises first thing in the morning, before bedtime, or any time your eyes feel fatigued. Make sure that your hands are clean and that your mood is relaxed. Commit to daily practice and you may just see better results within one month.
• Warm your eyes. Rub your palms together to create heat, and then place them against your eyes for five seconds. Repeat this three times.
• Roll your eyes. Start by looking up and then slowly circle10 times clockwise and 10 times counterclockwise.
• Focus. Hold a pen at arm's length, focus your eyes on it, and slowly bring the pen closer until it's about six inches away from your nose. Then slowly move it back, keeping your eyes focused on the pen, 10 times in all.
• Massage your temples. Using your thumb knuckles, massage your temples in small circles, 20 times in one direction and 20 in the other. Repeat the same actions above the mid-point of the eyebrows at the forehead, then below the eyes on both sides of the bridge of the nose.
• Take a mini-nap. Put your head back, close your eyes, and relax for three minutes.
3. Limit Environmental Toxins
External factors can contribute to eye damage. These include fluorescent lights, computer screens, environmental allergens, chlorine in swimming pools, air conditioning and heating, reading in dim lighting, and constant rubbing of the eyes. Do not smoke and limit your exposure to cigarette smoke as it may increase optic pressure. Remember to wear sunglasses to protect your precious eyes from UV exposure.
4. R & R for your eyes
Getting enough sleep is essential for eye health. Sleep time allows your eyes to fully rest, repair, and recover. Insufficient sleep may weaken your vision, so shoot for eight hours of sound sleep a night. Give your eyes a break once an hour during your workday: rest your eyes 10 minutes for every 50 minutes spent reading or in front of the computer. If your eyes feel overly tired, lie down and place cooling cucumber slices over your eyelids.
I hope that you maintain excellent eye health well into the future! Many of the above defined terms were adapted from my newest Kindle book, The Natural Health Dictionary, a comprehensive guide that answers all your questions about natural remedies, healing herbs, longevity foods, vitamins, and supplements.
--Dr. Mao
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
How to improve eyesight vision beyond 20/20
Convergence and Divergence widens your peripherals by Strengthening and connecting the Primary and Secondary Focuses.
My goal is to aid the many in recognizing that individual parts of a whole can be singularly trained to produce a stronger whole when reassembled.
Boring stuff below:
1) The ability to turn our eyes inward to maintain single vision for objects up close is called convergence. It is similar to looking "cross-eyed.
2) The ability to turn our eyes outward to maintain a single image for objects far away is called divergence. Our eyes appear to aim straight ahead.
There are two practices that will enhance your vision and the logic behind it is quite simple. Sorry, but I can't quote any books because these are discoveries I've made on my own through trial and error with my brother and these are our beliefs -- and you will see that it's quite logical. I believe humans are capable of many of these "miracles" and much much more.
Logic:
Your eyes contain photosensors that process frequency waves in its particular frequency range -- wikipedia. The photosensors you have active, the more synergistic is their relationships and the stronger your concentrative and peripheral vision becomes.
(Just like in semiconducting. The more prongs you have on a computer chip, the higher the frequency range and algorithm you can produce and manipulate.)
Further more, most of our photosensors lie dormant because of the ways we were trained to see things. Our eyes converge on a particular spot, exposing the respective photosensors and deprives other neighboring photosensors (angles in which I gestured in the video).
Experiment with convergent and divergent exercises.
I've had 100% success rate with my friends who are well aware of my research tendencies. And what I conclude is this: Our photosensors when worked together are likened to humans and other processes; that when harmonized, they produce improvements of geometric proportions. You want to wake them up, they are yours so put them to work.
Also, I have this theory with my research in botany, that like all things, exposure to sunlight, direct or indirect, is essential. Experiment: Practice outdoor with the sun to your left or right ( alternate sides 3-5 minutes) with one hand covering the sun. The goal is to expose the neighboring photosensors to indirect lighting. Remember, as there are exceptions to everything therefore any negative effects should be balanced with reassessment. So far I've only had positive remarks. Bon Chance!
Go beyond 20/20:
It's no longer a myth. If you study crystallography, you'll understand why it works. Also, the trick is to expose them patiently throughout the trial, don't over exercise them. few minutes at a time works. Constantly listen to your body to avoid serious strains.
I found the following site to be useful in practice:
http://www.eyecanlearn.com/index.htm#Eye%20Aiming
How to improve eyesight vision beyond 20/20
Convergence and Divergence widens your peripherals by Strengthening and connecting the Primary and Secondary Focuses.
My goal is to aid the many in recognizing that individual parts of a whole can be singularly trained to produce a stronger whole when reassembled.
Boring stuff below:
1) The ability to turn our eyes inward to maintain single vision for objects up close is called convergence. It is similar to looking "cross-eyed.
2) The ability to turn our eyes outward to maintain a single image for objects far away is called divergence. Our eyes appear to aim straight ahead.
There are two practices that will enhance your vision and the logic behind it is quite simple. Sorry, but I can't quote any books because these are discoveries I've made on my own through trial and error with my brother and these are our beliefs -- and you will see that it's quite logical. I believe humans are capable of many of these "miracles" and much much more.
Logic:
Your eyes contain photosensors that process frequency waves in its particular frequency range -- wikipedia. The photosensors you have active, the more synergistic is their relationships and the stronger your concentrative and peripheral vision becomes.
(Just like in semiconducting. The more prongs you have on a computer chip, the higher the frequency range and algorithm you can produce and manipulate.)
Further more, most of our photosensors lie dormant because of the ways we were trained to see things. Our eyes converge on a particular spot, exposing the respective photosensors and deprives other neighboring photosensors (angles in which I gestured in the video).
Experiment with convergent and divergent exercises.
I've had 100% success rate with my friends who are well aware of my research tendencies. And what I conclude is this: Our photosensors when worked together are likened to humans and other processes; that when harmonized, they produce improvements of geometric proportions. You want to wake them up, they are yours so put them to work.
Also, I have this theory with my research in botany, that like all things, exposure to sunlight, direct or indirect, is essential. Experiment: Practice outdoor with the sun to your left or right ( alternate sides 3-5 minutes) with one hand covering the sun. The goal is to expose the neighboring photosensors to indirect lighting. Remember, as there are exceptions to everything therefore any negative effects should be balanced with reassessment. So far I've only had positive remarks. Bon Chance!
Go beyond 20/20:
It's no longer a myth. If you study crystallography, you'll understand why it works. Also, the trick is to expose them patiently throughout the trial, don't over exercise them. few minutes at a time works. Constantly listen to your body to avoid serious strains.
I found the following site to be useful in practice:
http://www.eyecanlearn.com/index.htm#Eye%20Aiming
