Newbie with an alternative therapy question?

Phil,
Before you try anything atlernative you should get the full name of the herbs to be used. Then take this information to the internet and search for posts by universities, in the American Journal of Medicine, Doctors in India... things like that. Ignore any and all posts that are put out by someone selling something.

If I were doing this search I would go to www.dogpile.com (This is a mega-search engine that searches all the top search engines. Cuts down on search time.) I would enter

gee, retinopathy, treatment, university, study

and see what shows up. Sift through the garbage and find the real information. Don't be swayed by anyone with a vested interest in the websites. (example: www.gee.com) You need the full exact names of all of the herbs and compounds being used by this 'herbalist' before you let him touch you. Without that internet search I would run in the opposite direction! Just my 2¢

Hi Maskellp,

Ok, first lets look at what Diabetic Retinopathy is! Diabetic retinopathy is a complication of diabetes and a leading cause of blindness. It occurs when diabetes damages the tiny blood vessels inside the retina, the light-sensitive tissue at the back of the eye. A healthy retina is necessary for good vision.

Diabetic retinopathy has four stages:

Mild Nonproliferative Retinopathy. At this earliest stage, microaneurysms occur. They are small areas of balloon-like swelling in the retina's tiny blood vessels.

Moderate Nonproliferative Retinopathy. As the disease progresses, some blood vessels that nourish the retina are blocked.

Severe Nonproliferative Retinopathy. Many more blood vessels are blocked, depriving several areas of the retina with their blood supply. These areas of the retina send signals to the body to grow new blood vessels for nourishment.

Proliferative Retinopathy. At this advanced stage, the signals sent by the retina for nourishment trigger the growth of new blood vessels. This condition is called proliferative retinopathy. These new blood vessels are abnormal and fragile. They grow along the retina and along the surface of the clear, vitreous gel that fills the inside of the eye.

By themselves, these blood vessels do not cause symptoms or vision loss. However, they have thin, fragile walls. If they leak blood, severe vision loss and even blindness can result.

Now, these blood vessels can cause blindness in two ways:

1. They can develop and leak blood into the center of the eye, blurring vision. This is proliferative retinopathy and is the fourth and most advanced stage of the disease.
   
   
2. Fluid can leak into the center of the macula, the part of the eye where sharp, straight-ahead vision occurs. The fluid makes the macula swell, blurring vision. This condition is called macular edema. It can occur at any stage of diabetic retinopathy, although it is more likely to occur as the disease progresses. about half of the people with proliferative retinopathy also have macular edema.

Without going into tons of detail, each of these conditions is treated with a laser.  The laser is used to place small burns along the retina and seal off the leakage of Macular fluid and blood from the delicate blood vessels.

Given what the condition is and the only known EFFECTIVE treament, I don't see how in the world drops in your eyes or something up your nose is ever going to seal off the leakage of fluid and prevent blindness.  In fact, using any kind of eyedrops before laser surgery that your doctor doesn't know about could be very dangerous.

Hope this helps

 Warren

PS - I have a bridge that is slightly used that has been known to cure cancer, all you have to do is sleep under it.  Now if your interested.....