The retina is one of the most crucial parts of our eyes. All the exercises, therapies, and daily practices that are meant to keep eyes healthy, actually improve the functioning of eye muscles, nerves, blood vessels, lenses, and other parts of the eye. However, the retina is a completely different part altogether. It is a layer of cells that receives light and sends the signal to the brain. Sometimes, certain genetic mutations can lead to some changes in the retina and make it degrade with time.

It is called a degenerative state which means once it begins, there is no going back. The disease cannot be reversed and it progresses at a different pace for every individual. For some, it grows slowly as they move through their thirties, forties, and fifties. While for some, the disease moves at an unprecedented rate. One may experience a few symptoms one day, and lose complete vision within a month or few weeks. In medical terms, the condition is known as retinitis pigmentosa.

Retinitis Pigmentosa Treatment in Ayurved

Modern science treats it by experimental gene therapy that includes injecting healthy copies of the culprit gene. The clinical trials have proved promising but it is an expensive form of treatment and may be challenging for many. The reason is that more than 45 genes have been identified as the reason for retinitis pigmentosa. The Retinitis Pigmentosa Treatment in Ayurved works on all aspects of the disease without any injections or surgeries.

However, some recent research found that turmeric has an active ingredient called curcumin that can be very helpful in treating a specific kind of retinitis pigmentosa. But before understanding the significance of curcumin in the natural treatment of retinitis pigmentosa, let’s check some quick facts about the disease.

What Is Retinitis Pigmentosa?

Retinitis pigmentosa is a genetic disease that children get from their parents, grandparents, and ancestors preceding them. It occurs due to specific changes in the genetic makeup of a family line. When the genes associated with retinitis pigmentosa get active they lead to progressive loss of vision by affecting the rod and cone cells in the body. There is a Retinitis Pigmentosa Treatment in Ayurveda which can cure roots in a totally natural and harmless way.

Types of Retinitis Pigmentosa

Retinitis Pigmentosa is not a single disorder but a cluster of diseases that include Bardet-Biedl syndrome, Rod-cone disease, Usher syndrome, and Leber’s congenital amaurosis (LCA). Most of these diseases are genetic in nature and thus are inherited from previous generations.

Other than that, there is a viral kind of retinitis pigmentosa known as CMV retinitis. It is caused by a herpes virus called Cytomegalovirus (CMV). It is a harmless virus as it stays inactive for most people, however, if someone is exposed to this virus in the active form they suffer from a disease called retinitis that has a similar effect as Retinitis pigmentosa.

Immediate medical attention is a must in both conditions.

How does Turmeric help?

Turmeric is one of the common ingredients used in the Retinitis Pigmentosa Treatment in Ayurveda. The mutant gene that leads to retinitis pigmentosa causes a build-up of damaging protein that causes abnormalities and problems with the retina. The rod cells in the eyes need a protein called rhodopsin to detect light. The gene mutation leads to the accumulation of rhodopsin in the rod cells that kills them. Funded research carried out in several parts of the world found that curcumin inhibits the build-up of the protein amyloid-beta. So, yes regular intake of turmeric in your diet can definitely help in reducing the symptoms of retinitis pigmentosa.

Apart from that, turmeric also has the ability to cross the blood-retinal barrier which is a protective framework around the retina. It can reach the retina and protect them from the effects of genetic changes. So, when turmeric is regularly added to a diet, it offers a healthier alternative to gene therapy. The abnormal clustering of protein is directly related to several eye diseases as it affects the retina.

Final Word

This information is a fine example of how the herbs used in Ayurvedic treatment for eye diseases have a very scientific impact on our bodies. If you go through the ingredients list you will see the list of medicinal herbs used in the treatment have very accurate properties and effects on body disorders like turmeric.

Similarly, the Panchakarma therapies like Shirodhara, Nasya, etc used in the treatment of various disorders heal the body naturally without any side effects. And in the case of degenerative diseases like retinitis pigmentosa, they arrest the progress of the disease by removing the very reasons that cause deterioration of specific body parts.

Ayurveda offers a holistic treatment for complicated conditions like retinitis pigmentosa. It arrests the progress of the disease with most natural and scientifically proven techniques, therapies, and lifestyle modification. The good part is it is more economical, natural, and with long-term effects.