Glacoma

[Guest guest]

My wife has just found out that she has glacoma and cataracts in both eyes. Can

anyone let us know what natural remidies that would help.

Thanks,

 

Denny

[Guest guest]

-

" denny2191967 " <S85R97

 

Sunday, December 01, 2002 6:19 AM

Glacoma

 

 

> My wife has just found out that she has glacoma and cataracts in

both eyes. Can anyone let us know what natural remidies that would

help.

> Thanks,

>

> Denny

 

You might try Alpha Lipoic Acid. A small amount of info is

here: http://www.ourhealthcoop.com/ourhealth_ala.htm A web search

will probably get you more info.

 

Alobar

[Guest guest]

Gettingwell, " denny2191967 " <S85R97@w...> wrote:

> My wife has just found out that she has glacoma and cataracts in

both eyes. Can anyone let us know what natural remidies that would

help.

> Thanks,

>

> Denny

 

 

Dear Denny and Group,

 

Here is a good article at:

 

http://www.nutritionreporter.com/vitamins_and_sight.html

 

Can Vitamins Help You See Straight?

 

 

By Jack Challem

Copyright 2000 by Jack Challem, The Nutrition Reporter™

All rights reserved. This article originally appeared in Let's Live

magazine.

 

 

 

A few years ago, most eye doctors assumed that cataracts and macular

degeneration were largely diseases of the elderly. Today, however,

many ophthalmologists are seeing greater numbers of younger patients

with " age-related " eye diseases.

 

" I'm definitely seeing more younger people with drusen, " an

accumulation of oxidized fats that precedes macular degeneration,

says Steven G. Pratt, M.D., ophthalmologist at Scripps Memorial

Hospital, La Jolla, Calif.

 

The change may be related, in part, to diet. Antioxidant nutrients,

such as vitamins C and E, should protect against ultraviolet (UV)

radiation in sunlight, a principal cause of macular degeneration and

cataracts. But large segments of the population don't eat many

vitamin-rich fruits and vegetables. One recent study, conducted in

Phoenix, Ariz., found that 30 percent of a clinic's patients, had

below normal levels of vitamin C-a situation that increases

susceptibility to a wide range of diseases.

 

According to Marc R. Rose, M.D., of Los Angeles, a well-rounded diet,

rich in fruits and vegetables, plus some supplements, might help

people avoid the diagnosis of " impending blindness " from eye disease.

 

 

 

Cataracts

 

What is it? The eye's lens helps focus light. Cataracts, caused by

free radical damage, clouds the lens, and the result reduces or

scatters light entering the eye. Depending on their size and

location, cataracts can reduce vision slightly or cause blindness.

 

How serious is it? Cataracts are the leading cause of blindness

worldwide. Cataract extraction is one of the most common types of

surgery performed in the United States, with more than 1.2 million

operations costing $3.5 billion dollars each year.

 

What does the research show? Recent studies show that high intake of

antioxidant nutrients reduces the likelihood of developing of

cataracts. In one study, M. Christina Leske, M.D., of the University

Medical Center, Stony Brook, N.Y., found that people taking

multivitamins had a 31 percent lower risk of cataracts, and those

taking vitamin E supplements had a 57 percent lower risk.

 

In a separate study, Allen Taylor, Ph.D., of the USDA Human Nutrition

Research Center on Aging at Tufts University, Boston, tracked 247

women in the ongoing Nurses Health Study. Women using vitamin C

supplements-400 mg or more daily for more than 10 years-had an 83

percent lower risk of cataracts. However, high dietary intake vitamin

C by itself was not protective, according to Taylor's article in the

American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

 

Several animal experiments point to the value of another antioxidant,

alpha-lipoic acid in preventing cataracts. Alpha-lipoic acid (found

in spinach) boosts the body's production of glutathione, a powerful

antioxidant found in the aqueous humor, the fluid found within the

eye. In one study, researchers mimicked the high-altitude radiation

damage to lenses experienced by pilots and astronauts. Alpha-lipoic

acid was the most protective of several antioxidants.

 

How much to take? Vitamin E (natural form preferred), 400 IU daily.

Vitamin C, 400-1,000 mg daily. Alpha-lipoic acid, 100-300 mg daily.

 

 

 

Macular Degeneration

 

What is it? The macula, the center of the retina, is responsible for

detailed vision. The most common form of macular degeneration is

characterized by a thinning of the yellowish macular pigment,

scarring, and oxidized fats, called lipofuscin or drusen.

 

How serious is it? Macular degeneration causes a partial loss of

vision in an estimated 13 million Americans and complete blindness in

300,000 others. Unlike cataracts, there is no reliable conventional

treatment for macular degeneration.

 

What does the research show? The macular pigment consists of two

carotenoids related to beta-carotene: lutein and zeaxanthin. Although

no studies have actually used these carotenoids to treat macular

degeneration, the evidence strongly suggests that they can slow the

disease's progression. Several years ago, Johanna Seddon, M.D.,

reported in the Journal of the American Medical Association that

people eating high-carotenoid diets had a 43 percent lower risk of

developing age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Much of the

benefit was linked to high intake of lutein and zeaxanthin, chiefly

from spinach and collard greens.

 

Experiments in human subjects have found that the thickness of the

macular pigment can be increased by eating high-lutein foods or

taking lutein supplements. In one study, the thickness of the macular

pigment increased by 21-39 percent during three months of

supplementation. Another study, by Billy R. Hammond Jr., Ph.D., of

Arizona State University West, Phoenix, reported that elderly

subjects with thick macular pigments have visual sensitivity equal to

that of young subjects.

 

Pratt's advice is simple: " Anyone who wants healthy eyes should be

taking lutein. "

 

How much to take? Lutein, 6-20 mg daily. The body will convert some

lutein to zeaxanthin.

 

 

 

Glaucoma

 

What is it? Glaucoma is caused by an increase in fluid pressure

inside the eye, somewhat like an over-filled water balloon. Most

cases of glaucoma result from the inability of the eye fluid to drain.

 

How serious is it? The increase in intraocular pressure progressively

damaging the eyes, limiting side vision and, if untreated, causing

permanent blindness. Glaucoma affects an estimated 2 million

Americans over age 65. Conventional treatments include surgery and

drugs.

 

What does the research show? Some of the most promising research

points to alpha-lipoic acid, a powerful natural antioxidant. In one

study, researchers gave 150 mg daily to 19 glaucoma patients. After

one month, vision in about half of the patients improved.

 

In another experiment, doctors at the University Eye Clinic in Basel,

Switzerland, gave 121.5 mg of magnesium daily to 10 glaucoma

patients. After four weeks, blood flow and vision improved. Another

nutrient, L-carnosine, may also protect against glaucoma, according

to an animal study conducted by Russian researchers.

 

How much to take? Alpha-lipoic acid, 150-300 mg daily. Magnesium, 200

mg daily. L-carnosine, 50 mg daily.

 

 

 

Night Blindness

 

What is it? Night blindness is the inability of the eyes to quickly

adjust to changes in light intensity. For example, people whose eyes

cannot quickly adjust to the darkness of a movie theater, or who are

temporarily blinded by the glare of headlights at night, probably

have night blindness. It is often a prelude to much more serious eye

disorders, such as macular degeneration.

 

How serious is it? Although statistics are not available, night

blindness is often regarded as an early sign of vitamin A deficiency.

According to a report by Gladys Block, Ph.D., of the University of

California, Berkeley, half of Americans consume 19 percent or less of

the RDA for vitamin A, and one-fourth of the population consumes no

more than 11 percent of the RDA.

 

What does the research show? Vitamin A forms part of the light-

sensitive pigment rhodopsin, which receives and relays images to the

brain. Although some research on vitamin A and night blindness dates

back 80 years, recent scientific investigations have focused on

malnourished people in developing nations. In one collaborative

study, researchers from Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, and the

Nepal Eye Hospital Complex gave vitamin A or beta-carotene

supplements to several thousand pregnant women suffering from night

blindness. The body converts some beta-carotene to vitamin A.

 

Overall, vitamin A supplements reduced the incidence of night

blindness by 67 percent. Beta-carotene also reduced night blindness,

but it was not as effective as vitamin A. The researchers noted that

zinc is needed for normal utilization of vitamin A and that a

deficiency of zinc could have reduced the benefits of vitamin A and

beta-carotene supplementation.

 

How much to take? Vitamin A, 25,000 IU daily for one month. Follow

this with 10,000 IU vitamin A or 25,000 IU beta-carotene daily.

 

 

 

Retinitis Pigmentosa

 

What is it? Retinitis pigmentosa is an inherited disease in which the

retina slowly deteriorates. The first sign is night blindness. Later,

the visual field narrows as if looking through the barrel of a gun.

 

How serious is it? An estimated 100,000 people suffer from retinitis

pigmentosa. In it's later stages, it causes blindness.

 

What does the research show? Researchers at the Harvard Medical

School found that patients, ages 18-49, slowed the progression of

retinitis pigmentosa by taking 15,000 IU of vitamin A daily. The

researchers calculated that patients starting vitamin A supplements

at age 32 would maintain some useful vision until age 70-seven years

longer than would otherwise be expected.

 

Some researchers describe retinitis pigmentosa as a type of

retinal " dystrophy " or " myopathy " -essentially, a disease caused by a

lack of cellular energy. Because coenzyme Q10 has been successfully

used to treat muscular dystrophies and myocardial myopathies, some

researchers have explored its use in retinitis pigmentosa. According

to R. Lodi, M.D., and L. Scorolli, M.D., of the University of

Bologna, Italy, coenzyme Q10 may help in the early stages of this

disease.

 

How much to take? Vitamin A, 15,000 IU daily-perhaps more under the

care of an ophthalmologist. Beta-carotene, 25,000 IU daily. Coenzyme

Q10, 100-200 mg daily.

 

Finally, don't underestimate the value of a diet rich in fruits and

vegetables, which contain many eye-protective nutrients. " Patients of

all ages should be encouraged to maintain healthy nutrition,

including the consumption of fresh fruit and vegetables, especially

green vegetables, and vegetable and fish oils in place of animal

fats, " Nicholas A. Phelps Brown, M.D., recently wrote in the journal

Eye. " Middle-aged and elderly patients may benefit from a dietary

supplement that ensures they receive an adequate daily intake of the

various vitamins and minerals... "

 

 

 

Five Tips for Preserving Your Vision

 

Want to protect your eyes? Follow these basic guidelines:

 

· Eat at least five servings of fruits and vegetables daily. These

foods are rich in nutrients needed for normal eyesight.

 

· Avoid fried foods. They're loading with free radicals, which drain

your body's antioxidants.

 

· Take a vitamin supplement that includes vitamin A (or beta-

carotene), vitamins C and E, and alpha-lipoic acid.

 

· If you wear glasses, select for types that block ultraviolet

radiation. These include plastic, polycarbonate, and UV-coated glass

lenses.

 

· When outdoors, wear a hat with at least a 3-inch brim to shade your

eyes.

 

 

 

The information provided by Jack Challem and The Nutrition Reporter™

newsletter is strictly educational and not intended as medical

advice. For diagnosis and treatment, consult your physician.