Nutrition. Vitamins. You.
Invite Health Powders Dr. Claire Arcidiacono, ND Invite Health has an amazing line of superfood powders that can easily be incorporated into your vision heath protocol. These powders include Reds Hx, Purples Hx and both Greens Hx and Organic Greens. These powders easily complement …
THE KETO DIET~ IS IT OR ISN’T IT GOOD FOR EVERYONE? By: Allie Might, FMC, INHC, ATT The Keto Diet…we’ve all heard about it, we all have opinions on it, but what do we really know about this diet theory. It seems as though …
Dry Eye
Dr. Claire Arcidiacono, ND
Are your eyes stinging, burning or red? You might have something called dry eye! Now I bet the first thing you’re going to say is but Dr. Claire I drink water all day! How can I have dry eye? While on the surface dry eye may seem like its just related to our water intake the truth is that it’s actually more complicated than that. Basically when you have dry eye your tears don’t provide adequate lubrication which can lead to inflammation and even damage to our eyes. (1)
Tears are made up of 3 parts. These include mucus, water and a lipid portion. (2) This combination is what keeps our eyes lubricated. Problems with any 1 of these layers can cause dry eye. So normally the tear gland or lacrimal gland supplies the tears that are wiped across your eyes when you blink. The excess then drains into your nose via the tear duct or nasolacrimal duct. () I know this sounds complicated so I’ve attached a picture so you can get a visual on what it looks like! (3)
What kind of symptoms can you expect when you have dry eye? You may notice that your eyes are red and there may be mucus in or around your eyes. You may feel like there’s something in your eyes. Additionally there may be a stinging, burning or scratchy feeling. You may notice that your vision is becoming blurry and you may experience eye fatigue. You may develop a sensitivity to light as well as difficult with driving in low light. If you wear contacts they be difficult to wear. Lastly as a response to the dry, irritated eyes you may develop watery eyes. (1) Some people with dry eye describe it as a burning, achy, even “gritty” feeling in their eyes. (4)
How do you know if it’s dry eye? The best thing is to see your eye doctor for a definitive answer. First they will do a comprehensive eye exam. Then they may do a test to measure the volume of your tears. They can also check the quality of tears as well as how much water there is in your tears. Lastly they can check your tear samples to ask for markers of dry eye disease. (1) Who knew tears could be so complicated?
Now what exactly are the risk factors for dry eye? Anything that can decrease tear production can lead to dry eye. Certain eye disease as well as certain chronic diseases can decrease tear production. These can include allergies, graft vs. host disease, Lupus, RA, Sarcoidosis, Scleroderma, Sjogrens, thyroid disorders and even vitamin A deficiency! Even certain medications can decrease our tear production. These common medications can include anti-histamines, decongestants, blood pressure medications, Parkinson’s medications and hormone replacement drugs. Even birth control can increase risk of dry eye. Similarly hormone changes that occur during pregnancy or during menopause can increase dry eye risk, which means that women are at a higher risk in general for dry eye. Something called corneal nerve de-sensitivity can increase risk. Lastly as we age there can be a decrease in tear production, and this decrease becomes more common after age 50. (1)
In addition to lower tear production anything that increases tear evaporation can lead to dry eye. Once again a vitamin A deficiency is a risk. Being in a place that in windy, smoky or even dry can increase evaporation. Having allergies is a risk. Certain eye diseases such as posterior blepharitis, ectropion, and entropion increase risk. Lastly blinking less often such as when you’re focused or if you have certain conditions such as Parkinson’s. Lastly you are more likely to have dry eye if you wear contacts or have a history of refractive surgery. (1)
Now a series question – can dry eye have complications? Yes it can. Tears protect our eyes. One of the things they protect us from is infection. They also protect us from damage to our eyes. Without the correct amount of tears you are at risk for infections, damage to the eye which can lead to corneal ulcers and even vision loss. Dry eyes can even decrease the quality of life as it can make certain activities of daily living difficult. (1)
What can you do if you have dry eye?
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INTRODUCING PROBIOTIC HX IMMUNE~GUT AND IMMUNE SUPPORT By: Allie Might, FMC, INHC, ATT We all know about the benefits of a probiotic. Whether you know about it through a healthcare or wellness provider or from commercials and advertisements, it’s rather familiar to us all. …
Diabetic Retinopathy Dr. Claire Arcidiacono, ND Diabetic retinopathy is an eye disease that is associated with diabetes. Diabetes as you can guess is a huge health concern. In fact in the United States in 2021 diabetes was found to be the 8th leading cause …
L Carnosine Plus
Dr. Claire Arcidiacono, ND
Today we will be talking about a product you may have heard of. This product is L Carnosine. Now I just want to point out that in this blog I will be talking about L Carnosine not Carnitine. While these nutrients sound similar they are quite different and have different uses. Having said that lets get into it, shall we? So what exactly is L Carnosine? Basically it is an amino acid that is naturally produced by the body. (1)
L Carnosine has been found to be anti- cataractogenic. One theory is that this ability is because of the antioxidant properties that L Carnosine has. Additionally studies have found that L Carnosine offers a “new prospective treatment for diabetic cataracts”. (2) Other studies have found that the antioxidant benefits of L Carnosine may help to “improve the quality of vision and length of life” for diabetics. (3) Other studies have that the ability of L Carnosine to act to restrict glycation may help with reducing diabetic eye disease. (4)
Moving on from diabetic eye disease and cataracts studies have found that L Carnosine can help with other eye conditions. In fact one study found that formulas that contain L Carnosine can statistically reduce eye pressure as well as improve both light and contrast sensitivity. (5) Other studies have found that in those with glaucoma L Carnosine may have a neuroprotective effect. (6)
In addition to helping with the eye concerns previously mentioned studies have found even more visual benefits for L Carnosine. In fact studies have found that L Carnosine has neuroprotective potential especially for those who have macular degeneration. (7)
While Invite Health’s L Carnosine Plus obviously does have all these benefits of L Carnosine there’s that little word at the end, Plus. What does the added Plus really mean? It means that there is more than just L Carnosine in our formula! First let’s talk about Quercetin. Now I know your most likely thinking but Dr. Claire isn’t that just for allergies? When you heard the word quercetin you probably thought of allergies. But it does much more than just help with the things you may have heard about in the past. What even is quercetin? It is a natural antioxidant. It also has powerful anti- inflammatory and anti-fibrous properties. Studies have found that it can be helpful in corneal diseases such cataracts and keratosis (this is where the cornea becomes thin and bulging). Many people with the thyroid disorder Graves’ disease experience what is known as Graves’ ophthalmopathy (in laymen’s terms this is where the eyes seem to “pop out”). Studies have found that quercetin may help with this condition. Additionally studies have found that quercetin may help with dry eye, retinopathy and even conjunctivitis. (8)
The next nutrient is rutin. Rutin is a nutrient that is well known to help regulate blood flow and even help to support blood vessels. This is critical for eye health since blood flow to the retina is so important. One disorder rutin is thought to protect against is diabetic retinopathy. Rutin can also help prevent what is called subconjunctival hemorrhage. One study found using formulas that contain rutin for 40 days can reduce eye pressure an average of 20%! In another study eye pressure dropped by 10% after just 3 weeks of use! As you can see rutin is an excellent eye nutrient. (9)
Lastly L Carnosine Plus also has B1 which has been found to help with dry eye. (10) L Carnosine Plus has so many health benefits. In this blog I just focused on eye health. But L carnosine has so many additional benefits that it totally rates as a “top seller”! Our next topic will be Diabetic Retinopathy.
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