Eye Massage and Exercises
The Eyes are the doorways to the soul
They are connected to the entire nervous system, Which gives them a special importance. In Taoism the eyes are regarded as yang energy that guides all the chi flow in the body. The different areas of the eyes correspond to different organs of the body so they reveal the health of your entire body: you can tell which organs are weak or toxic by looking at your eyes. Nowadays people use their eyes much more than in the past to read, watch television, and work with computers, other electronic devices, and microscopes. This strains them a great deal and allows much of the energy of the connected organs to be drained out. Massaging the eyes will reenergize the vital organs.
How do children inherit eye color? Can a child’s eye color be predicted? Why are an albino’s eyes pink? How can two brown eyed parents produce a blue eyed child? Why are my eyes a darker blue than my sibling’s? How are the colors in the iris formed? These are questions one may have wondered from time to time. The answer to all of these question lies in the genes inherited from one’s parents.
Different eye colors are produced because of the different amounts and patterns of pigment in the iris. The amount of pigment and the pattern of the pigment is determined by a person’s genetic makeup. The DNA received from one’s parents determines what color eyes they will have.
Each human has 46 chromosomes located in the nucleus of the cell. These are divided into 23 pairs of chromosomes. A baby inherits one chromosome from each parent in each pair of chromosomes. A piece of DNA on a chromosome is called a gene. Genes are the basic unit of heredity, they determine many characteristics about a baby. Genes also come in pairs. Alleles are found in genes and determine the appearance of any characteristic. There are two alleles for each trait inherited. If the two alleles are the same then they are homozygous for that gene. If the alleles are different, then they are called heterozygous. One allele is expressed over the other allele. This is called the dominant allele, the unexpressed allele is called recessive. For example, if there was a brown allele and a blue allele, the brown is dominant, so the person would have brown eyes. But not just one pair of genes can control a single trait. Right now there are three known gene pairs that control eye color. The bey 2 gene on chromosome 15 contains a brown and blue allele. Also on chromosome 15, the bey 1 gene is the central brown gene. On chromosome pair 19 the gey gene contains a green allele and a blue allele.
A green allele is dominant over a blue allele, and a brown allele is dominant over both green and blue alleles. For the bey 2 gene if a person has a brown allele then they will have brown eyes. In the gey gene the green allele is dominant over the blue allele, but it is still recessive next to a brown allele. For example if a person has a brown allele on chromosome 15, but all the other alleles are blue or green, they will have brown eyes. A green eyed person would have a green allele on chromosome 19 and all or some other blue alleles. Blue eyes are produced only with two blue eye genes. All four alleles must be blue to produce a blue eyed person.
Another way of predicting the color of a child’s eyes is to use the parent’s eye color genes. If both parents have a blue and brown gene, their eyes are brown, but if the child inherits the blue gene from each parent then the child will have blue eyes. If the child only inherits one blue gene then they will have brown eyes. The genetics determine what color a child will have, but how exactly does this color form in the eye?
Melanin, a pigment also found in the skin, is the substance that produces the eye colors specified by the genes. The amount and placement of the melanin produces the different eye colors that we see. Melanin is a dark brown pigment that is placed in the iris. The more melanin used in the iris means the darker the eye color will appear, the less melanin used means that the eye color will be lighter. The genes tell the enzymes how much melanin to deposit in the iris. A newborn’s eyes appear blue, but may darken over the next few years. Melanin production has not begun at the time of birth. A child’s true eye color cannot be determined until the age of three.
There are two layers to the iris, the anterior and the external, or front and back layers. To produce blue eyes, there is no pigment found in the front layer. The brown pigment melanin is deposited in the back layer only. It appears blue because of reflection and diffraction of light. In green eyes, a small amount of melanin is deposited in the front layer of the iris along with the melanin found in the back layer. The additional pigment to the amount needed for blue eyes, causes the eye to appear green. To produce gray eyes, the dark pigment is distributed in the front layer of the iris and over the blue background it appears gray. In brown eyes there is so much pigment in the front layer, that the blue behind is completely covered up. Some people have so much pigment in the front layer that their eyes appear very dark brown or black. Hazel, blue-green, gray-blue eye colors are produced by different amounts of pigmentation and the pattern in which the pigment is placed. Albino eyes are have no pigment at all in either layer of the iris. The iris appears pink or red because of the reflection of blood vessels in the back of the eye. The pattern in which the pigment is deposited is also determined by genetics. The pigment may be deposited in rings, clouds, radial stripes, or spread over the entire iris.
A person’s eye color is determined by the genes inherited from their parents. The types of alleles received from the parents are assigned to certain chromosomes. The dominant genes are expressed and the recessive genes are hidden. In the development of the iris those genes tell enzymes to produce and place a certain amount of melanin in the iris to form the eye color.
Performing Eye Massage
According to Taoist Master Mantak Chia
Begin with the procedure for bringing energy to the hands and face. When your hands and face are hot, direct the chi to both eyes until you feel them filed with energy.
1.Close your eyes. Use your fingertips to gently massage your eyeballs through your closed eyelids, six to nine times clockwise then six to nine times counterclockwise. Then gently massage the area around the lids the same number of times. Be aware of painful spots and massage those places until the pain goes away. pay special attention to the inner and outer corners of the eyes. Massaging these points of the Gall bladder meridian will relieve eye ailments. However, when rubbing near the corners of the eyes, do not rub too hard , because you can make the corners of the eyes droop down. finish with rubbing the corners of the eyes upward.
2.Pull up the eyelids to increase the fluid. Use the thumb and index finger to gently pinch and pull up the eyelids, then release them. Do this six times.
3.Massage the eye sockets by bending your index fingers and using the lower section to rub the upper and lower bones of the eye sockets six to nine times
4.The next step is to get a tear out of your eyes, which will strengthen them. Hold an index finger up about eight inches from your eyes (or put a dot on the wall five to six feet away from you). Stare at it intently without blinking until you feel like a fire is burning in your eyes The Taoists believe that this technique burns the toxins out of the body through the eyes.
5.Bring chi to your eyes by rubbing your hands until they are warm, then closing your eyes and covering your eye sockets with your palms. Feel the chi from the hands being absorbed into the eyes. Rotate your eyes six to nine times, first in a clockwise direction, then counterclockwise.
Eyeball exercise
The eyes have many muscles that we typically do not exercise very much. This causes them to become weak, contributing to poor eyesight. In addition, the eyes are closely connected with certain organs and nerves. Exercising the eyeballs not only is the best exercise for the eye muscles but also will exercise these linked areas by putting pressure on them: Contracting the middle of the eyeballs strengthens the back of the eye muscles and the inner ear. Moving the eyeballs upward by looking toward the crown strengthens the upper eye muscles and stimulates the pituitary and pineal glands. Moving the eyeballs from side to side strengthens the side eye muscles as well as the ear canals, eardrums, tear ducts, and nose. Moving the eyes downward strengthens the lower eye muscles as well as the lower parts of the ear canals and the nervous system.
Chrysanthemum Tea
The chrysanthemum has long been used in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) for eye care. The flower is beneficial for correcting imbalances in kidney and liver function that is a cause of dry eyes, blurred vision, dizziness, spots in front of the eyes and excessive tearing.
A warm infusion of chrysanthemum flowers may be helpful in relieving eyestrain, blurry vision, dry eyes and any eye issues in general. In addition, it is thought to help prevent and possibly reverse cataracts, according to the “The Green Pharmacy Herbal Handbook.” You can drink the tea or apply hot compresses for relief from aching, tired eyes. If you have the actual chrysanthemum blossoms, soak them in hot water for a few minutes and make a poultice by placing them between two pieces of gauze. Place a poultice on each eyelid and relax for 10 minutes for relief from eye pain. Speak to your herbalist or practitioner before using chrysanthemum for eye treatments.
According to http://www.healthydunia.com, Drinking Chrysanthemum tea can:
1. Detoxifies the blood, helps with sinus congestion and regulates high blood pressure. It can also help to calm the nerves.
2. Restrains the growth of bacteria – like Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus hemolyticus B, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Shigella dysenteriae, tubercle bacillus and dermatomycosis – in the body.
3. Brings relief against influenza and treats heatstroke, due to its cooling effect.
4. Facilitates digestion and apt after having greasy and oily foods.
5. Helps to strengthen lungs and relieve head congestion.
6. Improve vision and hearing and especially recommended for those who work long hours in front of a computer.
7. Good for obese people, as it contains zero calories, when consumed without adding sugar or honey. It also doesn’t contain any caffeine.
8. It also treats dizziness and acts as a stimulant.
9. It helps to cure pimples and fight acne.
Eye Vitamins
Lutein is an antioxidant carotenoid a pigmented nutrient that is responsible for the yellow colors of fruits and vegetables and is present in the highest quantities in dark, leafy green vegetables. You’re born with a certain amount of lutein in your eye, but your body doesn’t reproduce it.
Why is lutein important to my sight?
The macula is the region of the retina responsible for central vision. It’s also the area that is most sensitive to blue light, the part of the visible light spectrum that, along with ultraviolet light, can damage your eyes. Lutein helps protect against this damage by filtering blue light before it can damage the macula.* If sunglasses are the first line of defense against blue light, lutein is the last.
How much lutein do I need?
Without adequate consumption, the amount of lutein in the eye may deplete with age. Leading doctors recommend you get at least 6 mg of lutein per day to help maintain proper eye health. Since your body doesn’t make lutein, you must constantly replace it through the foods you eat. Dark, leafy green vegetables like spinach or kale are especially good sources. But you’d have to eat over 2 bowls of raw spinach every day to get the recommended daily dose of 6 mg of lutein. Taking a multivitamin may help, but many multivitamins contain only a fraction of the recommended 6 mg of lutein. In fact, the leading multivitamin contains just .25 mg of lutein − a mere 4% of the recommended amount.
The Eyes: A direct extension of the liver
The eyes have been referred to by many cultures as ” The windows of the soul.” According to Chinese medical theory, the eyes are the gate of the liver and are controlled by the liver system. The eyes are the bridge between the liver and the outside world. They are an outward expression of the health state of the liver.
Healthy functioning of the liver allows the eyes to distinguish colors. A common clinical condition where this situation is most evident is the Western medical diagnosis of retinitis pigmentosa and color-blingness. In this circumstance color perception is not clearly distinguishable through the eyes, indicating poor liver function. When a person is experiencing any chronic and /or degenerative problem with vision the liver is always involved on some level because in Chinese medicine “the liver opens into the eyes.”
Here are a few tools you can use to help with eye massage
pangaO Eye Massager PG-2404G1 Air pressure massage Temple Acupressure + free gift
Enhance and maintain eye health
Eliminates computer eye syndrome
Fatigue elimination and sound sleep