Is there a relationship between sinus disease and macular degeneration. Does sinus disease lead to macular degeneration? I became interested in this when both Dr. Rowen and Dr Steenblock told me of there observation of this finding. Dr Steenblock has noted that a large percentage of patients who do not respond to stem cell therapy for macular degeneration have a chronic sinus infection. Stem cells according to Steenblock are attracted to areas of inflammation. If there is a concurrent sinus infection with greater inflammation than the macular degeneration then the stem cells will migrate to the sinus and not the eye. This can be explained in another way. Your body has circulating stem cells. When you injure yourself, say a cut on your hand. You body first responds with inflammation. This inflammation then attracts circulating stem cells to help the cut to heal.

It is less clear if sinus disease actually leads to macular degeneration. E. R. Chambers published an article in the Proc R Soc Med. 1935 The Sinuses in Relation to Eye Disease.

“There is,however, one condition in which I think sinus infection may play an important part. I refer to those cases of sudden loss of central vision in young and apparently quite healthy subjects. The ophthalmoscope shows a small hemorrhage in the retina at the centre of vision. Such cases are not uncommon,and I regard them as due to an endogenous infection, the toxins from which have caused damage to the capillary wall, with a resulting hemorrhage, the source of the infection being often found in the nasal sinuses or teeth.”

Homeopathic connection
In homeopathy the belief is there is a connection between all symptoms in the body. Sinus problems and concurrent eye problems are not 2 isolated disease states but are connected. In the homeopathic literature there are over 12 remedies that have this association with the eye and sinus disease. As a homeopathic doctor I use this information to help select a remedy that will treat both the eye and sinus problem. Both are connected and true healing can’t take place unless both are treated.

Chinese Medical connection
Lung and Large Intestine Syndromes
The sinus is part of the lung meridian in chinese medicine and this meridian is indirectly connected to the eye. They connect with the throat and open into the nose. Their main physiological functions are dominating qi (vital energy), controlling respiration, maintaining the smoothness of different vessels, and regulating water flow.. The lung meridian communicates with the large intestine meridian creating an exterior and interior relationship between these two organs. The two organ systems influence each other closely. Please see the report of how stimulating the Large Intestine meridian can help improve your vision.

In summary sinus disease does not cause macular degeneration but there is a relationship based on homeopathic and chinese medicine that can not be over looked. This is a reason why we now are performing Thermography of the face with all patients who are seeking alternative treatments for eye disorders. This simple and safe test (no radiation) can quite accurately determine if sinus disease is present.

What to do if sinus disease is present? It is essential to have the sinus disease properly treated if we are to successfully treat the macular degeneration. I am always reluctant to use antibiotics and prefer to use homeopathy and naturopathic methods to treat this disorder. We have found that patients who do not respond well to microcurrent will do much better when there sinus disease is treated.