Author(s)

Gao Mohan

Corresponding Author

Gao Mohan

Abstract

This study systematically explores the unique value of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) Collateral Disease Theory in the prevention and treatment of diabetic retinopathy (DR). By combing the three-dimensional network structure of "jing-luo-sun" (meridian-collateral-venule) and the therapeutic principle of "collaterals thriving on unobstructed flow", this study constructs a "Collateral Disease Pathogenesis Model" for DR, establishing a correspondence between DR's pathological process of "metabolic disorder-vascular injury-neurodegeneration" and the collateral disease evolution of "qi-yin deficiency, collateral blood stasis, and phlegm-blood stasis interblocking". The proposed preventive and therapeutic system features "stratified treatment and combined tonification-dredging therapy", including: Internal therapy with syndrome-specific formulas , combined with proprietary medicines like Tongluo Mingmu Capsule; External therapy integrating acupuncture and iontophoresis of Danshen (Salvia miltiorrhiza) and Huangqi (Astragalus membranaceus); Integrated therapy combining laser photocoagulation/anti-VEGF therapy with TCM intervention to form a multi-dimensional model. This research provides an innovative approach integrating TCM's holistic regulation with modern medicine's targeted therapy for DR, holding promise for promoting the modernization of TCM theory in major disease prevention and treatment.

Keywords

Collateral Disease Theory; diabetic retinopathy; pathogenesis reconstruction; stratified treatment; integrated traditional Chinese and Western medicine; prevention and treatment system