Everyone who suffers from migraine headaches wants to know how to prevent their next migraine. Recent strong research has resulted in guidelines for doctors to help prevent their patients’ future migraines, including the use of herbs, vitamins and minerals. The guidelines make recommendations for specific types of patients, such as patients with certain other conditions, obese patients, new migraine patients, and pregnant/lactating women.
This research, conducted by the Canadian Headache Society, reviewed a large body of double-blind studies according to standardized criteria. They also did a general literature review and got expert consensus for aspects of prophylactic (preventative) migraine therapies that did not have randomized clinical trials.
Guest Blogger, Richard Keane
A new review has revealed that thousands of patients in UK care homes (nursing homes) are missing out on sight tests and acceptable standards of eye care. The review, compiled by the Thomas Pocklington Trust and the International Longevity Centre UK, claims that up to half of the 400,000 elderly people living in UK care homes suffer from sight loss that could be treated. Diseases prevalent in the elderly include glaucoma, cataracts, and macular degeneration. However, eye health is being neglected in the majority of homes, with some carers assuming that there is no need for sight testing in elderly patients, especially in the case of those with Alzheimers Disease (dementia), and a lack of national policy is causing eye care to fall low down on the list of care priorities.
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The sun represents a potential threat to the eyes. Overexposure to sunlight can cause an increased risk of cataracts, cancer of the lids of the eyes, and even cornea burns. It is important to prevent eye disease and injury caused by UV radiation and sunlight.
Dr. George Cioffi is the chief of ophthalmology at New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center. He points out that people at elevated risk of eye damage from the sun include cataract surgery patients, people with light colored eyes, patients who have disorders of the retina, and patients whose medications cause sensitivity to light.
As people age, eye diseases and conditions that commonly occur include macular degeneration, cataracts, vitreous tears/retinal tears and detachments, glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy, dry eyes, and eye floaters.
The question arises as to whether eye disease is inevitable with age. Will all older adults eventually have a “glint” in their eyes after cataracts surgery? More than 50% of people aged 75+ have glaucoma, cataracts, or macular degeneration. Can aging adults do anything to prevent, manage or slow down eye diseases associated with aging?
A large body of research is accumulating that shows the effects of regular eye exercises, good nutrition, and targeted supplementation on preventing and/or managing eye conditions. For instance, peer-reviewed research has shown that the risk of getting macular degeneration can be significantly reduced by taking fish oil and lutein on a daily basis. Vigorous exercise may reduce the incidence of glaucoma. And the effects of antioxidants on preventing cataract and macular degeneration have been the subject of significant research.
The obesity epidemic may have an impact on the health of the eyes. While scientific studies do not seem to have found a direct link between obesity and eye disease, maintaining a healthy weight supports your overall health and helps prevent diseases that can harm the eyes. Here’s why.
Obesity is a step up from “overweight.” The National Institute of Health (NIH) in the United States, commonly uses Body Mass Index (BMI). This is a ratio of height to weight. Overweight is a BMI of 25-29, and obesity is a BMI of 30 or more. For example, 5′ 7″ person who weighs 160 pounds would have a BMI of 25 (just barely overweight). This same person at 195 pounds would have a BMI of 30 (obese) and at serious risk of disease such as heart disease, cardio-vascular disease, stroke, cancer, diabetes and lower-body joint problems.
A breakthrough laboratory study has found that DHA, an Omega 3 fatty acid, prevented Age-Related Macular Degeneration (ARMD).
A Canadian research team at the University of Alberta Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry fed DHA to mice and measured the levels of a toxin called lipofuscin. Lipofuscin builds up in the eye with age, causing ARMD. Mice who ate the DHA for at least 6 months had significantly lower levels of the toxin.
Age-related macular degeneration affects around nine million adults aged 40+ in the USA. ARMD can cause serious loss of vision. It affects the central part of vision, not peripheral vision. Deterioration of the cells in the macula at the eye’s center makes reading, writing, and driving difficult.
A pilot study published in Phytotherapy Research compared curcumin – derived from natural turmeric – with the drug diclofenac for treating rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Natural curcumin actually reduced RA symptoms even better than the RA drug diclofenac: a 44% reduction in symptoms on the Disease Activity Score and the American College of Rheumatology criteria for reduction of swelling and tenderness of joins. Patients receiving diclofenac had a 42% reduction.
This is good news because curcumin has no known side-effects. Using anti-inflammatory medications over the long term sometimes has side effects that can result in stomach ulcers and damage to the kidneys. The extremely popular non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medication Vioxx (Rofecoxib – $2.5 billion in sales in 2003) was removed from the market in 2004 due to increased risk of heart attacks and stroke.
A research study published in Archives of Ophthalmology showed that ingesting omega-3 fatty acids and fish affects the incidence of AMD (age-related macular degeneration, or ARMD) in women. This large study (nearly 40,000 participants) over 10 years found that women who had the highest of intake of Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, an omega-3 fatty acid) had the lowest risk of AMD versus subjects with the lowest intake. Women who ate at least one serving of fish per week had a relative risk of AMD of 0.58 compared with women who ate less than one serving per month.
This was a retrospective study that involved 39,876 female health care workers completing food frequency questionnaires. At the beginning of the study, none of them had ARMD. 265 developed age-related macular degeneration by the end of the ten-year study. Few regular fish eaters developed the disease, but the ladies who skimped on fish were significantly more likely to get AMD.
A recent UK research study shows that 40% of all cancers are caused by avoidable lifestyle considerations, such as diet, excess weight, smoking, and/or alcohol consumption. Tobacco use was shown to cause the most cancers.
“Many people believe cancer is down to fate or ‘in the genes’ and that it is the luck of the draw whether they get it,” study author Professor Max Parkin, a Cancer Research UK epidemiologist based at Queen Mary, University of London. The reality is, based on the study, that many cancers can be avoided through lifestyle changes.
The research showed that in Britain:
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The macular pigment of the eye is formed by a combination of lutein and zeaxanthin. Lutein is more than just a filter of blue light and an antioxidant. Consider these points about lutein:
Natural Eye Care, Inc.
3 Paradies Lane
New Paltz, New York 12561
Phone: 845.475.4158
NaturalEyeCare™ started in 1999 to help the public and professionals learn about complementary care in eye disease treatment.
The information and recommendations we offer are based on over 30 years of peer review research and personal clinical experience which guides us in providing a valuable resource to our readers, customers and patients regarding maintaining healthy vision naturally.
We believe that vision health is intimately connected to overall mental, physical and spiritual health. Therefore we encourage people to look at their overall lifestyle and diet as part of keeping healthy vision and reducing the risk of eye disease onset. This includes diet, regular exercise, and management of daily stress. If one has health issues such as high blood pressure, a thyroid imbalance, any autoimmune disease and/or are on medication(s), these possible contributions to eye disease should considered when working with your health care professional.
Please do not hesitate to call us at 845.475.4158 with any questions and concerns.
