Doubts & FAQ

It is up to you to compare, but I have cured many legally blind patients with this technique. They are now self‑dependent and have continued to improve, even after 10 years. This gives me immense satisfaction.

Moreover, when I received an invitation from the U.S. Acupuncture Association requesting that I publish my results, and when I had the opportunity to speak at the Indian Medical Association, all of this demonstrated where I stand.

Yes, I do follow up with these patients. I am happy to state that more than 90% of them have confirmed that there has been no decline. In fact, some have reported further improvement in their vision even after completing the course of treatment.

Yes, I have. There are many reasons for this. Some patients are simultaneously suffering from other diseases. For example, one patient slowly lost the improvement after a course of chemotherapy, as he was suffering from throat cancer. Some patients do not follow the advice and precautions given to them, while others have habits such as chewing tobacco and smoking, which are known to be detrimental to these eye conditions.

There are many types of genes responsible for retinitis pigmentosa. Some are very virulent. If the patient is having that type of gene, it is difficult to sustain improvement over a longer period of time and patient has to take up repeated courses of treatment every year or so but luckily these patients are very few in number. The other causes could be because of severely deranged body constitutions.

This is not the case. By looking at the patient’s history, it often becomes clear that the patient may have this type of genetic predisposition. If, after developing symptoms, the patient loses vision in a very short time, there is a higher chance that he or she will need repeat courses of treatment due to such a genetic makeup.

Various healing techniques have been combined in this system, but the basic foundation is acupuncture. We have harmoniously integrated acupuncture, traditional Indian knowledge, Vedic knowledge (including Vedic astrology), nutritional guidance based on the patient’s constitution, and, most importantly, the traditional understanding of the regeneration of lost tissue. Because of this, it is necessary to treat one patient at a time, and each session takes about three hours every day. It is a highly committed form of treatment.

Great care has been taken in combining all these systems so that they work in synergy. I observed the application of these techniques over a long period and gradually learned how to integrate them effectively.

Although these additions have helped a lot, in the beginning it took me six months to a year to achieve useful vision. Now it takes about 12 days, and the results are better in all aspects of vision loss.

There is no question of taking personal credit. In fact, if you read the home page of the website, it is very clear that whatever has been achieved here is due to our senior practitioners in this field. I believe that in medicine there should be no question of taking credit; recognition will come naturally. There should also be no patents if we truly want this field to develop to the highest standards.

I started the anti‑quackery movement in India and became the President of the Quackery Eradication Committee at the Indian Medical Association. I was conferred with the President’s and Secretary’s appreciation awards of the Delhi and Indian Medical Associations during the period 1993–1997. I have written the first‑ever book on this subject, which has a foreword by the Delhi Health Minister. How can I be practising quackery?

Now, coming to astrology, it is being explored in many countries. Besides being a doctor, I am also a qualified Vedic astrologer and have been collecting data on such patients for the last 10 years. There are many astrological combinations that indicate eye diseases in a person. More importantly, we can help patients by planning their treatment using this science. We have definitely had success in treatment planning by using astrological knowledge. It is a good adjuvant.

It is not so. If a patient has birth details, astrology can be used as an adjuvant, but this does not mean that we cannot treat the patient in their absence. Astrology is a divine science. If a patient can benefit from it, why should we not use it?

It is an old concept that retinal cells do not regenerate. In fact, modern medicine itself has recently shown that, under special circumstances, these cells can divide and regenerate.

If regeneration were not possible, how could there be any changes in fundus photographs and other investigations in such patients?

In fact, whenever a patient comes to me, many of the retinal cells are in various stages of degeneration. Some of these cells are easy to revive, some take more time, and some do not respond at all. In 90% of cases, we can get an idea after the first sitting of how the patient will respond in the future.

Yes, it is a genetic disorder. However, I do not claim that this technique can eliminate the responsible gene from the body.

It is a good question. Retinitis pigmentosa (RP) genes are actually recessive. In genetic disorders, there are broadly two types of genes involved: dominant genes and recessive genes.

If a disease is caused by dominant genes, it is very difficult to manage and usually follows a definite course.

Fortunately, the genes associated with RP are recessive. You may have noticed that not all members of the same family show symptoms of this disease, or that it may not appear for many generations and then affect a particular person.

Have you ever wondered why the disease appears in that particular person?

In reality, the genetic factor alone is not responsible for the appearance of symptoms. There are certain constitutional deficiencies in the body of the affected person that allow the gene to affect the eyes. In both Chinese and Indian traditional systems of treatment, we can analyse these deficiencies and correct them.

This is in contrast to modern medicine, where we tend to advise nutritional supplements to almost everyone based primarily on chemical analysis. In our approach, we prescribe nutritional supplements in the form of herbs or recommend specific foods based on the individual’s constitution. Similarly, we can correct constitutional deficiencies through acupuncture, which helps many patients feel a clear difference. When the constitutional deficiency is corrected, the same gene may cease to affect the retina. This may seem unimaginable, but it is true. If you go through the patients’ histories and their follow‑ups, you will see this in practice.

Eastern systems of medicine are well known for correcting constitutional deficiencies or excesses. You may have seen news reports showing the effect of yoga in arresting the progress of certain genetic disorders

It depends on the condition of the patient, the extent of vision loss, the type of loss, and the degree of damage. Common complications in RP include loss of central vision, loss of peripheral vision, loss of depth perception, loss of night vision, colour vision deficiency, poor visual acuity, and difficulty in bright sunlight. In macular degeneration, loss of central vision is more prominent.

Before promising any improvement, we advise certain examinations to assess the condition and then commit to a level of improvement based on the extent of loss.

Please note that not all types of loss can be reversed 100%. From experience, we know approximately how much of the loss can be improved.

In mild to moderate conditions, usually one course of 12 days is sufficient. For severe loss, one or even two additional courses may be required.

However, the second course is offered only after the patient is satisfied with the results of the first course and personally feels that the benefits have lasted for about a year.

So, in cases of severe loss, the patient may not be 100% cured, but our primary goal remains to make the patient at least independent in all daily activities.

Microsystem acupuncture is also a good system and is based on a clear concept. It is true that the whole body is represented in many specific parts or organs. In particular, the hands and eyes are represented in different areas on the surface of the body. By stimulating these points, you can produce positive effects on the eyes, either by increasing blood supply or through other mechanisms.
These effects are real, but usually the patient does not maintain them over the long term, because in microsystem acupuncture there is no way to correct the patient’s constitution. In our system, a separate treatment protocol is developed depending on the different complications from which the patient is suffering.

Sometimes we also use certain microsystem points, but only after correcting the basic constitutional deficiencies.

I hope it does happen, but it is still not a reality, despite enormous resources being invested all over the world. Researchers are not yet achieving the desired results. We often hear news that retinal implants have been developed and that a patient is able to see a shadow of an object, but progress does not seem to go much further. This has been the situation for the last five years. Why?

Because the eyes capture images, but it is our brain that truly visualizes them after constructing the object. In addition to the visual cortex, several other areas of the brain are simultaneously involved in analysing and synthesizing all the information from the retina very quickly, which is how we are able to "see." The electrical impulses to these different brain areas are carried by the optic nerve, which is affected in retinitis pigmentosa. At the Acupuncture India Centre, we are able to revive this optic nerve atrophy.

So far, research has focused on developing an artificial retina and integrating it with different parts of the brain. However, this has not been very successful because of the complexity of the problem. I do not foresee a major breakthrough in the very near future, although it may eventually be achieved based on continued advances in this field.

In the era in which we live, kidney and heart transplants have become routine, yet we are still not able to transplant a retina. The only part of the eye that we can currently transplant is the cornea, through eye donation. Even if one day we are able to transplant a retina, it may be like a skin transplant, where the same disease can recur, because the underlying constitutional factors have not been corrected. This is also why improvements from microsystem acupuncture tend to be short‑lived. The same reasoning applies to stem cell therapy as well.

Laser apparatus for acupuncture is available in the market, and the cost is not prohibitive. They are around INR 2 lakhs (roughly 3000 USD). However, it is a debatable point whether laser should be used in acupuncture because of reported adverse effects, and I feel that it should be thoroughly examined by experts. Moreover, many renowned acupuncturists of international repute believe that nothing matches plain acupuncture needles for achieving the best results. I do not use laser in acupuncture.

I do not claim this. Every system of treatment, even those not mentioned here, has its own role, and an attitude of supremacy should not exist, at least in the field of healthcare. I would certainly like my technique to be incorporated into modern medicine and used for the betterment of humankind. Why should the principles of Eastern medicine not be examined and verified by modern medicine itself?

Besides seeking recognition and further establishing this technique, I ultimately want to start a unique eye hospital dedicated to using it.