Eye Strain: How to Prevent it From a Chinese Medical Perspective

Nowadays, people act as if they cannot live without 3C products. Not only do we use computers to work, we are also inseparable from smartphones and other mobile devices during our everyday lives. However, long periods of looking at computer screens and over usage can cause serious harm to the eyes, including eye diseases such as xerophthalmia, cataracts and glaucoma. From a Chinese medicine standpoint, there is relevance between xerophthalmia and insufficiency of kidney energy. Therefore, in order to protect the eyes Chinese doctors recommend a simple solution-drink tea-as it replenishes liver blood and balances kidney-yin energy.

Meifei Chen, a Chinese medicine practitioner in Taiwan, says that from a traditional Chinese medicine theory point of view, such behavior coupled with not having normal routines and lack of sleep will induce modern humans to have abnormal functions in the body, which results in excessive liver-blood and insufficient kidney-yin. Those factors lead to irritation in the eyes followed by other discomforts, premature aging and later diseases. Essentially, what occurs internally in the body comes as a result of many results not from just staring at the computer but from may other factors as well. However, excessive usage of mobile products is the main drive nevertheless, says Chen.

Therefore, if people are unable to change their lifestyles, adjust their schedules or reduce the time and frequency of using 3C products, people are suggested to drink Chinese medicine tea in order to tonify liver blood and improve kidney-yin energy as means to adjust and improve from the body’s overall energy circulation, and hence prevent eye diseases. The following are two types of Chinese medicine tea that Chinese medicine practioner Meifei Chen recommends.

Mulberry Chrysanthemum Tea

Ingredients: mulberries 10g, chrysanthemum 10g, prunella vulgaris 10g, water 800ml.

Procedures: Wash the ingredients respectively; put them into a small packet and tighten it; soak it into the pot with 800ml water; simmer it untill the water becomes brown. When there is only 600ml of water left after being absorbed by the packet, the tea has brewed long enough and is ready to be drunk.

Effects: Mulberries and chrysanthemum are all bitter, sweet and cold, and enter the lungs and the liver easily. They can dispel wind and heat energies from the body, clear the liver and improve the eyes. Prunella vulgaris is bitter, as it is pungent and cold, and can enter liver and gallbladder as well as clear liver-fire. It’s often used with chrysanthemum to heal swollen and red eyes, headaches and faintness. 

Eye-care Eriocaulon Tea

Ingredients: Eriocaulon 10g, jujube 10g, cuscuta 15g, water 800ml.

Procedures: Wash the ingredients respectively; put them into a small packet and tighten it; soak it into the pot with 800ml water; simmer it untill the water becomes brown. When there is only 600ml of water left after being absorbed by the packet, the tea has brewed long enough and is ready to be drunk.

Effect: Eriocaulon benefits the eyes; jujube helps the liver; cuscuta improves tthe liver and eyesight.

Massage 5 minutes every day! Relieve eye discomforts effectively

In addition to using dietary supplement medicine in addition to teas to prevent eye diseases, Chinese medicine practioner Meifei Chen says massaging the shoulder helps the eyes. People can use their finger pulp to massage the acupuncture points around the eyes and shoulder after they take a shower and intend to sleep since it’s when blood circulation is fast and metabolism is good. People can press acupuncture points such as Qingming, Jianjing, Fengchi, Taiyang, Baihui, Sibai, which not only can relieve sour, dry and itchy eyes, but also can improve blood circulation and avoid eyes aging.

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