Alternative Glaucoma Treatments

Glaucoma is a vision disorder that leads to vision loss. It cannot reverse or recover the vision loss. The only thing you can do to prevent any further vision loss by regularly taking your eye drops.  Missing doses may further increase your eye pressure.  

Wash your hands before taking your eye drops. Tilt your head and look up at the ceiling, while using your index finger to pull down your lower eye lid. Squeeze the eye drop into the pocket of your eye; don't close your eye right away. Slowly close your eye, and dab any excess with a wet cloth. 

Having said that, glaucoma may also be treated in a different way in addition to the conventional treatment of using eye

drops. 

Dr. Leslie Salov, M.D., O.D. Ph.D., in his book Secrets for Better Vision, states that most glaucoma patients are highly intelligent professionals who lead very stressful, busy lives. This finding led Dr. Salov to believe that to improve vision or eye health, you need to improve the health of your entire person simultaneously because your body is a set of interlocking systems that affect one another. Given that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts, your eyes are only a small part of your whole person. Accordingly, to heal the eyes, you must heal the body first. It is just that simple!

To have healthy vision, even as you age, you must employ not only the sciences of physiology, biology, and chemistry, but also the healing powers of philosophy and even spirituality. This is no exception when it comes to treating glaucoma. In other words, to treat glaucoma, you need to examine not just your eyes, but also every aspect of your life, including your emotional and spiritual health.

The methods of glaucoma treatment recommended by Dr. Salov include the following:

Visualization is the use of guided imagery to direct blood, oxygen, and leukocytes (immunity cells) to the eye through a mental image of a healthy eye. Essentially, your conscious mind controls the involuntary processes that occur automatically inside your body. Specifically, visualization relaxes the muscles in the walls of your canal of Schlemm (circular channel in the eye that collects watery substance between the lens and the cornea). By relaxing these muscles, extra fluid can be excreted to relieve the glaucoma pressure. Without using eye drops with chemicals, visualization can naturally relax eye muscles so that your pupils become small enough to open up the canal of Schlemm to excrete the fluid for eye pressure relief.

However, it must be pointed out that visualization works only when you use it with dedication and consistency. In other words, you have to practice visualization daily and diligently.

Meditation is the art of thinking of nothing to remove everyday stresses and worries. When you are under stress, you body produces chemical changes within your body, which decrease blood flow and oxygen level to your eye. Practice meditation to de-stress yourself.

Stephen Lau

Copyright© 2018 by Stephen Lau

Vision Issues in Your Golden Years

Vision Issues in Your Golden Years

As you get into your golden years (that is 65 and beyond)), you will have noticed the deterioration of your vision. As a matter of fact, vision loss begins as early as in the 30s, and its deterioration accelerates in the 40s and 50s. Now, if you are already in your golden years, you might have much impaired vision, especially they could have been aggravated by your decline in health, such as getting diabetes. Getting older will take its toll on your body in many ways and your eyesight is just one thing that will start to deteriorate with age.

Some of the obvious signs and symptoms of vision deterioration are: difficulty in focusing (slower and less accurate)—a condition known as presbyopia, which is caused by the hardening of the eyes’ lenses; difficulty in seeing either long or short distance objects -- vision conditions that are known as either nearsightedness or farsightedness.

Presbyopia will result in difficulty to read or doing work that requires accurate focus; nearsightedness or farsightedness may require you to wear bifocals or different eyeglasses.

Other problematic issues with vision loss include an increased risk of age-related eye diseases, such as glaucoma, macular degeneration and cataracts. These problems can lead to severe eyesight issues if they are not taken care of immediately.

In your golden years, take extra care of your vision health and eyesight issues to reduce the risk of blindness further down the road. Check your health, especially your eye health, on a regular basis. This may play a pivotal role in preventing further deterioration or even blindness. Prevention is always better than a cure.

Make sure that you have eye tests done at least twice a year and if you start to notice a decline in your ability to focus or see clearly.

To correct your vision problem, many eye doctors and opticians are quick to prescribe corrective lenses or even talk about the possibility of having surgery to fix any vision problem.  The advice here is think carefully before you make a decision.

Consider the use of eye exercises to help correct nearsightedness, farsightedness or presbyopia. Eye exercises are easy and simple to do and you can even do them in your own home. A few exercises each day can really help to improve your vision significantly. However, it is important to be consistent and persevering in your eye exercise regimen (this applies to any physical exercise as well). Curing your vision loss is not an overnight endeavor.

Most vision problems, whether nearsightedness, farsightedness, or presbyopia, have to do with eye stress and strain affecting the shape of the eyes, and hence their capability to focus correctly. Of course, the eyes cannot be relaxed if the body and mind are not. Therefore, it is important to have a holistic approach to vision health..

If you are in your golden years, it is important to have a holistic approach to your health and wellness, which is the wisdom in happy and successful aging.

My book Your Golden Years and Santa Claus shows you the wisdom in happy and successful aging in the golden years. It is a holistic and comprehensive approach to dealing with vision loss and other health issues, as well as changes and challenges, encountered late in life.

Stephen Lau

Copyright© 2018 by Stephen Lau

Eye Energy Healing

Eye Energy Healing

According to the laws of physics, there is energy in everything, and everything gives out invisible energy, including the sun, the moon, and the human body. As a matter of fact, everything is some form of energy, which is either positive or negative. For example, even your thinking involves energy, without which the mind cannot function. Therefore, if you "think" you can heal yourself, your mind sends out positive energy to your body for self-healing.

Strange as it may sound, energy healing has been around for over 5,000 years. As a matter of fact, energy healing has been the foundation of the Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) for many centuries. 

In ancient China, some soldiers who received minor wounds inflicted on their bodies soon discovered that their physical pains and ailments had miraculously disappeared, and that led to the discovery of energy healing. The ancient Chinese physicians began to believe that there was an energy system in the human body, within which there was energy communication between different cells and organs. For centuries, the Chinese have believed that "qi" (the internal life energy) is responsible for transmitting energy information within the body. Accordingly, the smooth flow or stagnation of "qi" accounts for health or sickness.

That also led to the development of acupuncture and acupressure—methods to stimulate acupoints in the art of natural healing. The former uses hair-thin needles, while the latter uses pressure of the hands to massage those acupoints. The human body has many acupoints that have similar internal organ or system affinity, and that they are all joined together by invisible channels (known as meridians). Along the meridians, both internal life energy (“qi”) and bio chemicals that influence cellular activities of the body organs and tissues are transmitted. More importantly, stimulating this signaling system can create healing response that initiates the natural healing process.

To deal with your eye problems, such as eyestrain, vision clarity, or even glaucoma, the acupoints are located not just around the eyes (the inner corner of the eye close to the tear duct) but also 2-finger width above the middle of the eyebrow on your forehead, as well as on the back of your skill (feel the indentations about 3-finger width from the back of your ears), and on the inside of your foot near the ankle.

Massage these acupoints continuously without stopping for a few minutes using your thumb or forefinger, or both. You will feel the soreness. This is a natural way to improve your vision health and relax your eyes, especially after working on the computer for a while.

Acupressure is easy to learn: all you need to know is the map of the acupoints in your body and then apply pressure to those acupoints to bring about healing.

Energy Healing for Everyone: This mind-healing program contains all the information you will need to help you remove energetic blockages, improve your immune system, heal minor and major health problems, and eliminate bad habits or patterns permanently, without the adverse side effects of drugs, herbs or other supplements. This is a complete, holistic health system for the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of energetic imbalances. This groundbreaking work turns complex healing methods into the simplest, most accessible tool — your mind.

Stephen Lau

Copyright© by Stephen Lau

Candle Gazing for Better and Clearer Vision

Candle Gazing for Internal Cleansing

According to Chinese philosophy of healing, the eye is the "window of the soul." As such, the eye reflects the internal health of an individual; for example, the yellowish tint in the whites of the eyes may indicate jaundice or liver problems; the dark circles around the eyes may reflect a toxic colon. The human eye is connected to the liver, blood, and the nervous system. In other words, vision health is holistic health, involving the whole body.

Chinese healing is based on the concept of balance and harmony, expressed in the "yin" and the "yang." For thousands of years, the Chinese believe that the human eye is "yang"; and candle gazing can significantly improve the health of not only the eyes but also the liver. In fact, the ancient Taoist masters believed that candle gazing has the capability to alleviate not only many eye problems but also some latent ailments inside the body. Candle gazing has internal cleansing effect, because candle gazing induces tears to clear the white of the eyes, as well as to remove toxins from the liver.

1.    Sit in front of a lighted candle at arm's length in a dark environment.

2.   Gaze, without blinking, at the candle flame. If necessary, close your eyes for 5 to 10 seconds.

3. Continue to keep your eyes open, staring at the flame and edging its outline.

4.   Breathe naturally.

5.   Allow tears to run down your cheeks; keep your eyes  open even wider to benefit from the deep cleansing effect.

6.   Practice for 5 to 10 minutes. End the session by blinking your eyes, and then massaging gently the eyeballs with all your fingers.

Candle gazing is instrumental in clearing the whites of the eyes, making them shine with brightness. Practicing candle gazing daily enhances your vision health.

Stephen Lau

Copyright © 2018 by Stephen Lau 

My Newly Published Book: The Happiness Wisdom

I have just published my book: “The Happiness Wisdom”, which is a 161-page book on human wisdom based on ancient wisdom from the East and the West, conventional wisdom, and spiritual wisdom, which may all provide guidelines for choosing the happiness ingredients for your own happiness recipe. In addition, the book also provides real examples taken from real life, illustrating how these real people perceive their realities, and thus leading to their happiness or unhappiness.

Human happiness or unhappiness is no more than a perception of the human mind, based on an individual's own life experiences. You think, and your perceptions then become your "realities"; with profound wisdom, you can change how your mind processes your perceptions. Change your mind to change your realities, and live your life as if everything is a miracle! Your life journey is uniquely yours. Make your own happiness recipe from the happiness ingredients of ancient wisdom, conventional wisdom, and spiritual wisdom. Continue your life journey with your own happiness recipe.

Click here to find out more about the book.

Click here to get your digital copy, and here to get your paperback copy.

Stephen Lau

Vision Health With Yoga

Vision health has much to do with stress and eye exercises. Stress is damaging to your mental and physical health, including your vision health. In addition, to maintain your vision health, you need to do eye exercises on a regular basis, just as you need to exercise your body or your mind to maintain their health.

Stress is a state of mind; that is, it is all in your mind. According to Descartes, the great philosopher, you are your thoughts, and your thoughts become who you are. In other words, you are the creator of your thoughts, which then become the substances with which you weave the fabrics of your own life. That is to say, your stress is your perception of what is happening to you. Additionally, "too much" thinking may also stress you out, especially if your thoughts focus on unhappy things.

According to CNN on how yoga may help you realize your resolutions in life: simply resolving to do something isn't enough; you need the means to start on the right path and stay on the course. Say, you want to do eye exercises, but fall short on a follow-through strategy. That's where yoga may come in: the ancient practice can provide the resources and support for a multitude of modern-day lifestyle changes. . . . .

If you want to be stress-free, your wandering mind is most likely your stumbling block. According to a 2010 Harvard study, 47% of the time of the human mind is thinking about things that aren't happening. Understandably, spending half your life lost in thought is considered a major cause of unhappiness and a source of stress in your life.

How can yoga help a distracted and wandering mind? Yoga is a practice based on mindfulness that emphasizes using your breath to consistently connect to the present moment. It also teaches you how to breathe deeper and use meditative techniques to tap into your parasympathetic nervous system to reduce stress and increase happy hormones. "

You must be mindful of your breaths, which is a way to re-focus your mind on the present moment. If you have a compulsive mind—that is, constantly thinking of the past and the future—you are not living in the present; not living in the now means your mind is obsessed with past memories and worries of future happenings. Remember, the past was gone, the future is unknown, and only the present is real. Therefore, the key to stress-free vision health is slowing down your compulsive mind. Yes, yoga is an exercise that may do just that.

When you slow down, you feel less stress, and you can concentrate on your eye exercises, which have to be done consistently to enhance your vision health.

Stephen Lau

Copyright© 2018 by Stephen Lau

Visualization for Better Vision

Visualization is the use of positive images to create the “reality” in your subconscious mind such that “seeing” the positive result of your efforts reinforces your determination and perseverance to reach your goal of vision self-healing.

Visualization plays a pivotal part in your vision improvement: you visualize what your eyes can see through your efforts, as well as how your eyes can improve through regular practice.

Vision research has attested to the close connection between the mind (visualization) and vision (focusing). If you visualize seeing a distant object, the focusing mechanism of your eye can physically respond to your imagination; that is, your eye can actually change its focus through visualization. 

In visualization, you close your eyes in your imagination, you relax them in your imagination, and then you re-open them in your imagination. It is all in your imagination.

Awareness to avoid eyestrain

Develop your mental awareness to change your bad vision habits that cause eyestrain.

• Shifting: Train your mind to edge or trace the outline of any visual object with your eyes. Form this good vision habit to avoid “staring” or “eye fixation.”
• Eye balancing: Wear an eye-patch (obtainable at a pharmacy or local drug store) over your stronger eye in order to strengthen your weaker eye.
• Periphery: Use a two-eyed patch to cover your eyes to enhance your peripheral vision. Make a two-eyed patch out of a strip of stiff cardboard (3” x 1”), with a small part cut off in the middle to accommodate your nose.
• Sunglasses: Avoid wearing sunglasses to avoid “squinting.”

Stephen Lau

Copyright© 2018 by Stephen Lau

20&l=am2&o=1&a=B01EZ6FGXK" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />

Live a Less Stressful Life With Better Vision

Stress is the underlying cause of many health problems  Stress is related to many everyday issues, such as career, money, relationships, and among others. Stress adversely affects many of your body organs, including your eyes. Less stress, better vision!

Learn how to use the ancient wisdom to eradicate your everyday stress. Specifically, it is about Tao wisdom, which originates from the ancient Chinese sage Lao Tzu the author of “Tao Te Ching”—one of the most translated works in world literature. “Tao Te Ching” is popular due to its profound and unconventional wisdom, which is both intriguing and controversial.

“NO EGO NO STRESS” is divided into four parts:

PART ONE An Introduction to Stress: It explains how and where stress comes from; the damage and devastation of stress to human health.

PART TWO Conventional Wisdom: The major life stressors come from career, money, relationship, adversity, and time. Conventional wisdom offers many strategies for stress relief, such as exercise, herbs, medications, meditation, and psychotherapies, among many others. Conventional wisdom may reduce stress levels, but it does not eradicate stress completely. Conventional wisdom only complements the ancient Tao wisdom for ultimate stress relief.

PART THREE Tao Wisdom: This part not only explains what Tao wisdom is all about, but also contains the complete translation in simple English of all the 81 short chapters of “Tao Te Ching.” Going through the whole script, interpreted and translated by the author, will enable you to understand the essentials of Tao wisdom for stress-free contemporary living.

PART FOUR No Ego No Stress: Stress originates from the human mind: how it perceives and processes life experiences. What is stress to one individual may not be stress to another. This part explains in detail how having no ego can eradicate stress related to career, relationship, money, adversity, and time.

”NO EGO NO STRESS” points out how the human ego is formed by the subconscious mind through its perceptions and interpretations of life experiences. The author relates to the famous saying by Descartes, the great French philosopher: “I think, therefore I am.” It is a myth or misconception that you are “who” and “what” you think; you are not the products of your thoughts. “Who” and “what” you think you have become is just your ego-self, erroneously created by your thinking mind.

Tao wisdom focuses on the need of “emptying” and “reversing” the human mind in order to see “who” and “what” you truly are, without any attachment to your ego. According to Lao Tzu, the ego is unreal, because it is based on past memories and projections of those memories into the future as desires and expectations. The past was gone, and the future is yet to come; only the present is real. Therefore, the ego-self that exists in the past or in the future is non-existing in the present, except in the mind. Without the ego, there is no need of protecting or sustaining it. Without fear and expectation, there is no need of judging, picking and choosing—they often result in making wrong choices and decisions, and thus creating stress. With no ego, there is no need of over-doing to fulfill the expectation. The problem with conventional wisdom is that the mind focuses on the past or the future, but seldom stays in tfe he present. Only when the mind stays in the present can it see things as they really are and not as what they should be. Tao wisdom is essentially understanding of the true nature of things: that everything in life follows a natural orderr and pattern, such as life begets death, success is followed by failure, what goes up must come down. Tao wisdom is self-intuition to know and understand self and others, as well as the world around.

Learn to let go of your ego-self, and live a less stressful life with better vision.

Stephen Lau

Copyright© by Stephen Lau

What Is Vision?

What Is Vision?

Vision is all about light. Without light, there is no vision.

“In the beginning, when God created the universe, the earth was formless and desolate. The raging ocean that covered everything was engulfed in total darkness, and the power of God was moving over the water. Then God commanded, ‘Let there be light’—and light appeared.” (Genesis 1-3)

Give care of your vision, which is a gift from God, do not abuse it; make the best and the most of your vision power. Improve your vision at any age!

Vision is about how your eyes make use of light to see the world around you:

How much light is available to the eye?

How efficient is the eye lens in refracting the light?

How sensitive is the eye (macula) in receiving and transmitting the light to the brain?

How proficient is the brain in processing the visual data from the eye?

Vision involves more than just the eye: it includes the body and the mind.

So, never strain the eye to read or to see when the light is insufficient.

So, relax the eye in order to avoid distorting the shape of the eye, which will squeeze the lens out of shape, and thus causing the refractive error.

So, protect the macula (for detailed vision) on the retina (the back of the eye) by increasing peripheral vision (on both sides) to avoid overusing the macula.

So, improve brain power through affirmations and visualization to help the eye focus and process visual information efficiently.

Good Vision

Good vision means the capability to look clearly into the distance, but nearsightedness causes blurry distance.

Good vision means having peripheral vision, but the grim reality is that there is only central vision, with little or no periphery.

Good vision means the eyes shift constantly, but the problem is that the eyes are constantly staring, or have developed eye-fixation.

Good vision means the eyes can adjust easily to light, but the truth of the matter is that the eyes tend to squint at different light conditions.

Good vision means the eyes can look close up and far away almost instantaneously, but farsightedness prevents the instant shifting of the eyes.

In other words, the characteristics of the eye with good vision are:

It will “naturally observe” or “notice” what is around.

It will never “strain” to see “everything.”

It will relax and rest even when it is “looking.”

To improve vision is to enhance and to maintain these characteristics at all times.

Stephen Lau  

Copyright© 2018 by Stephen Lau

My Story of Recovery

More than two decades ago, I was afflicted with myasthenia gravis, a chronic autoimmune disease affecting the skeletal (voluntary) muscles of the body. The hallmark of myasthenia gravis is muscle weakness, which increases during periods of activity and improves after periods of rest. Certain muscles, such as those that control the eyes and eyelid movements, facial expression, talking, chewing and swallowing, are often involved in this disorder. In addition, the muscles that control breathing, neck, and limb movements may also be adversely affected.

One of the main causes of myasthenia gravis is stress. I did not know how to relax myself.

One day, I felt intense pressure on my eyes. My first concern was glaucoma (a condition of increased fluid pressure inside the eye). I went to see an ophthalmologist; suspecting that I might be afflicted with myasthenia gravis, he immediately referred me to a neurologist, who confirmed the diagnosis after running some medical tests.

According to the diagnosis, I had developed ocular symptoms: ptosis (drooping of eyelids) and diplopia (double vision) in my myasthenia gravis. Both of my eyelids drooped, as if my eyes were tired, and I could not open my eyes wide enough to see properly.

My physical conditions also deteriorated rapidly within a few days. My neck and limb muscles were so weak that I had to use a neck-rest to prop up my head when I was driving; I could hardly use my fingers to control the mouse when I was using my computer; and I could not even raise my hand without having to use the other hand to prop it up.

Fortunately, I did not experience any weakness of the muscles of my pharynx, which could cause difficulty in chewing and swallowing, as well as slurred speech—symptoms not uncommon in myasthenia gravis.

At first, I was prescribed pyridostigmine (mestinon) as the usual first-line treatment for my immune disorder.

After several months, my conditions did not improve. I was given another prescription, prednisone, a synthetic hormone commonly referred to as a “steroid,” for my myasthenia gravis. Prednisone acts as a long-term immunosuppressant to control the production of antibodies. Essentially, it serves to stabilize my so-called “overactive” immune system.

The adverse side effects of prednisone for my myasthenia gravis included decreased resistance to infection, indigestion, hypertension, weight gain, swelling of the face, thinning of skin, predisposition to osteoporosis, and potential development of cataracts and glaucoma. The long list was not only depressing but also frightening. I was worried that I would have to take my medications for the rest of my life, not just for my myasthenia gravis but also for the many side effects related to the drugs, such as bone loss, weight gain, and high blood pressure, among others.

Initially, after several months on steroid medications, there was some improvement in the symptoms, but overall it was neither significant nor encouraging. Specifically, my eyelids no longer drooped, but the right eye and the left eye did not align (my right eye being much stronger than my left eye), and therefore resulting in double vision.

After almost two years on prednisone, my neurologist, seeing there was little improvement in my myasthenia gravis, switched me to azathioprine, a drug supposedly with fewer side effects. However, that medication did not seem to have any positive effect on my symptoms, let alone my double vision. Naturally, I became frustrated.

Now, when I look back at the whole episode, I would think that my illness might have been a blessing in disguise. Everything happens in one’s life with a divine purpose. In many ways, I was grateful that I had the illness—which has changed my life forever and for the better. I began to learn how to take care of my health, and I knew I had to do it on my own.

I was in a dilemma: on the one hand, I needed improvement in my neuromuscular transmission to increase my muscle strength and to eliminate my double vision; on the other hand, I knew that if myasthenia gravis did not kill me, the many side effects of the medications might eventually undo me.

I made a decision to change drastically my diet, accompanied by a regular fast, in an attempt to discontinue all my medications ultimately. The initial results were encouraging. Instead of gaining weight, I had lost more than fifteen pounds; instead of jacking up my blood pressure, I had made it plummet. I had won my initial battle against all the adverse side effects of medications for my myasthenia gravis. I knew that I had to do more—much more than that. My rude awakening finally came: there was no miracle cure for my myasthenia gravis; only my wholesome wellness would bring about recovery and natural self-healing.

Slowly and gradually, I discontinued all my medications. Finally, I did it! Now, I am 100 percent drug free!

To eliminate double vision, the doctor recommended wearing an eye-patch over my weaker eye. But I did not entertain the idea of wearing an eye-patch—looking like a pirate of the Caribbean Sea. Besides, wearing an eye-patch would not solve my problem of double vision. There is a Chinese saying: “Cut your toes to avoid the worms.” I thought that was precisely what the doctor recommended: getting around the problem instead of solving it. I also recalled that early on, when my muscles were weak and I asked him for recommended remedy, he told me not to use those weak muscles. I disagreed with the doctor; instead, I exercised my weaker muscles until they became much stronger.

That was how I began my journey of self-healing and recovery.  Now I am 100 percent drug free..

Stephen Lau

Copyright© by Stephen Lau

Better Vision and the Mind

Better Vision and the Mind

Vision health is holistic health. Your vision has to do with every aspect of your body, including your emotional, physical, and mental wellness. Better vision is directly related to the mind.

When you see an object, an image of that object is registered on the retina, which then sends a visual signal to the occipital lobe, located in the back of the head. Vision occurs only after the brain sends the signal back to the eyes.  During the visual processing, the brain can make a blurred image clear, or vice-versa. It is all in the mind, or mind over matter. Your mind controls what you see and how you see.  In addition, your visual processing is further affected by your physiological and emotional conditions.  In other words, your inner vision controls your outer vision.

Your inner vision comprises your attitudes and perspectives that determine how you view yourself and the world.  That is to say, if you are negative about your eyes, you will develop negative attitudes and perspectives when you develop a vision problem, and your negativity will only aggravate and perpetuate the problem.

Therefore, positive affirmations play a pivotal part in vision health. If you really wish to improve your vision, empower yourself with affirmations, such as “I want to improve my vision” and “I can see better and clearer with good vision habits. Scientists have attested to the fact that the condition of the body is affected, positively or negatively, by the content of the thoughts and the nature of the feelings. Consequently, changing these thoughts can significantly change the response of the body, including the eye.

Reinforce positive affirmations with visualization, which is the highest level of visual skill to create a “reality” in the mind’s eye. Your body cannot tell the difference between what is “real” and what is “imagination.” Remember, the eye and the mind are designed to function together, not separately. A case in point, if you imagine seeing a distant object, your eyes will automatically change their focus as if they were actually looking at that distant object.

Learn how to create your own “reality” by harnessing your mind power.

For more information on how to improve vision and maintain vision health, go to Vision Self-Healing Self-Help..

Stephen Lau

 Copyright © 2018 by Stephen Lau