Dry Eye
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 …
Tag: wellness
INTRODUCING PROBIOTIC HX IMMUNE~GUT AND IMMUNE SUPPORT
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
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 of death. In fact in 2021 38.4 million Americans or 11.6% of the population had diabetes. (1) Anyone who has diabetes of any type is at risk of developing diabetic retinopathy. However the less controlled your blood sugar is the higher your risk of developing diabetic retinopathy. (2) For more information on diabetes please check out my blog series on this important topic.
What is diabetic retinopathy? Well it might surprise you to learn but there is actually 2 types of diabetic retinopathy. To start with let’s just do a general overall of diabetic retinopathy first. Basically when you have diabetic retinopathy there is too much sugar in your blood and this high sugar occurs over a longer period of time. This high concentration of sugar in your blood can affect your blood vessels by either blocking them or causing them to dilate and become damaged. In some cases to try and compensate for the reduction in blood flow caused by the blockages the eyes will start to grow new blood vessels. However these new blood vessels, or the dilated blood vessels are “leaky” and can ooze fluid and blood into the retina. Now as I said that’s a basic definition. Remember how I said that there are 2 types of diabetic retinopathy? Let’s talk more about that, shall we? The most common type is early diabetic retinopathy, which is called nonproliferative diabetic retinopathy (NPDR). It is important to note that this form can change over time to advanced diabetic retinopathy, which is called proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR). Now I bet your thinking but what the heck is the difference? Basically in NPDR the walls of the blood vessels bulge or dilate due to the sugar taking up space in the vessels. This causes them to weaken and become as I’ve said “leaky” and fluids leak into the retina causing damage. As the blockage becomes worse the eyes begin to compensate by growing new but leaky blood vessels. This is where PDR comes into play. As you can guess in PDR the blood vessels are blocked and new blood vessels form which leak which can lead to scar tissue formation and that scar formation can cause damage to the retina. The leaked fluids can also build up which can increase glaucoma risk. (2) But what does this all look like? Please see the attached picture. (3)
What are the risk factors for developing diabetic retinopathy? Well I bet you can guess the first one! If you said having diabetes you would be correct! In fact studies estimate that in those with type 2 diabetes between 29.5-40.3% have diabetic retinopathy. (4) The longer you have diabetes the higher your risk becomes. Having poor control of your blood sugar also increases your risk. Having a history of high blood pressure, high cholesterol and even tobacco use can all increase your risk. Lastly being pregnant and being of certain ethnic backgrounds can all increase your risk. For example being of African American, Hispanic or Native American background can all place you in a high risk category for diabetic retinopathy. (2)
Like many diseases that affect our eyes diabetic retinopathy may not present with symptoms in the early stages. As the disease gets worse you may have floaters as well as dark or empty spots in your vision. You may have blurry vision. Over time you may experience vision loss. (2)
What are the most common complications? Diabetic macular edema occurs in about half of those who have diabetic retinopathy. Another possible complication is vitreous hemorrhage. Diabetic retinopathy increases the risk of both glaucoma and retinal detachment. (5) Over time diabetic retinopathy can lead to complete vision loss. (2)
What can you do to help reduce your risk of diabetic retinopathy? Well let’s review a few things, shall we?
- One of the most important things you can do is to control your diabetes. The worse control over your diabetes is the higher your risk of diabetic retinopathy. (5) For information on how to control your diabetes please check out my blog series!
- It is also important to keep your cholesterol under control and to stop smoking.
- As with any condition that affects our eyes it is also important to monitor your vision for any changes. (2)
- Horse chestnut may seem like an odd recommendation but stop and think for a moment. Studies show that horse chestnut can help strengthen blood vessels and even help circulation. (6) Both of these things are important in diabetic retinopathy. Please see Invite’s Veins Hx.
- Vitamin C has been found to be associated with a lower risk of diabetic retinopathy. (7) Please see Invite’s extensive line of vitamin C products as well as our Immunity Hx, Veins Hx and Macula Advanced.
- Vitamin E has also been found to be associated with a reduced risk of diabetic retinopathy. (7) Please see Invite’s Tocotrienols with Pine Bark and our Macula Advanced Hx!
- Bilberry will be our product highlight. I do want to point out that Bilberry has been found to help protect against diabetic retinopathy! (8) Please see Invite’s Macula Advanced Hx, our Purples Hx and even our amazing Reds Hx!
Sources:
- https://diabetes.org/about-diabetes/statistics/about-diabetes
- https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/diabetic-retinopathy/symptoms-causes/syc-20371611
- https://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=https%3A%2F%2Fd2jx2rerrg6sh3.cloudfront.net%2Fimage-handler%2Fpicture%2F2015%2F12%2FDiabetic_Retinopathy_2.jpg&tbnid=yNlaNvgRf98UIM&vet=1&imgrefurl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.news-medical.net%2Fhealth%2FDiabetic-eye-disease-diabetic-retinopathy-stages.aspx&docid=26tVsIgmcCp3FM&w=590&h=730&hl=en-us&source=sh%2Fx%2Fim%2Fm4%2F7&kgs=ff6bb476a1f43b24&shem=abme%2Ctrie
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4657234/
- https://www.webmd.com/diabetes/diabetic-retinopathy-complications
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7144685/
- https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0383/11/21/6490
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10181411/#sec8-nutrients-15-02031title
L Carnosine Plus
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 …
HERPES VS COLD SORES~ IS THERE A DIFFERENCE?
HERPES VS COLD SORES~ IS THERE A DIFFERENCE? By: Allie Might, FMC, INHC, ATT Herpes…the word always seems make people cringe and curl their face in disbelief. It is associated with sores along the nether regions of the body. Many people are plagued with …
Macular Degeneration part 2
Macular Degeneration part 2
Dr. Claire Arcidiacono, ND
In my last blog I began the conversation on macular degeneration. Today I’ll be finishing that important topic. Let’s start with the most common risk factors for macular degeneration. One of the largest risk factors for macular degeneration is age, specifically being over 50years old. Having a personal or family history of macular degeneration, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and heart disease are all a risk factor. Smoking cigarettes is also a risk factor. Being overweight and eating a diet high in saturated fat also increases your risk of macular degeneration. For more information on the complex world of saturated fats please check out a blog by my colleague Allie Might which is titled Fats – the skinny you need to know.
How does the doctor go about diagnosing you with macular degeneration? One way to monitor your vision if macular degeneration is a concern is the Amsler grid that I referenced in my prior blog. One of the methods an ophthalmologist will use is to dilate your eyes and then use a special lens to look at the inside of your eye. Another method of looking at the retina and macula is called optical coherence tomography (OCT) and this is a machine that scans the retina providing a detailed view of both the retina and macula. Yet another test that your doctor can run is fluorescein angiography which can help to determine abnormal new blood vessel growth. (1)
What are the most common complications that can occur when you have macular degeneration? While macular degeneration rarely cause’s what most people think of as complete blindness it can have a severe impact on certain activities. This is because it can cause a severe loss of our central vision. So what does this mean in real life? Certain activities such as reading, driving and even the ability to recognize a person’s faces are all examples of activities that need fine central vision. (2) As the disease progresses there may be the development of a condition called Charles Bonnet Syndrome, which is where an induvial experiences visual hallucinations. A possible complication of dry macular degeneration is develop of wet macular degeneration which cause’s very rapid degeneration of our vision. Those who have macular degeneration are at an increased risk for social isolation and even depression. (3) So what does the world look for those with macular degeneration? Please see the below picture for a view of what it may look like if you have macular degeneration. (4)
How is dry macular degeneration treated conventionally? One method to help with dry macular degeneration is the use of 2 medications one of which is an injection. A large study has also found that certain vitamins and minerals may slow the progression of dry macular degeneration. Wet macular degeneration can be helped with medications called anti-VEGF drugs as well as laser surgery. (1)
I know I said earlier that specific nutrients can help with dry macular degeneration. While these nutrients are helpful with dry macular degeneration there is very little other than medications or laser surgery than can help with wet macular degeneration. That being said even if you have wet macular degeneration it is important to help support our eye health so that our vision can be the best it can be. Now let’s dig into what these nutrients are, shall we?
- Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Lutein, beta carotene, copper, Zeaxanthin and Zinc have all been studied extensively for macular degeneration. In fact they are part of a well-known product that is recommended by eye doctors known as AREDs. The major study known as the ARED study conducted by the National Eye Institute found that these nutrients can help to reduce the advancement of dry macular degeneration. (5) These important nutrients are found in Macula Advanced, Lutein Plus, our extensive line of multivitamins as well as products such as Immunity Hx. Invite also has an extensive line of vitamin c products.
- Grape Seed extract has been studied and found to have potential benefits for macular degeneration and one study found that it “could be a potential treatment for macular degeneration”. (6) Please see Invite’s Grape Seed extract as well as our Daily Multi with Grape Seed.
- L Carnosine has been found in studies to be able to protect our eyes from macular degeneration. (7) Please see Invite’s L Carnosine Plus
- Our next product highlight will be Lutein Plus!
Sources:
- https://www.aao.org/eye-health/diseases/amd-macular-degeneration?gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjw3tCyBhDBARIsAEY0XNnHxcSvQv9bWm8WsC_5Xe66KBAIs6TGA7JZf7nfpc-S-JF4JSpyd_gaApvvEALw_wcB#diagnosis
- https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/agerelated-macular-degeneration-amd
- https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/dry-macular-degeneration/symptoms-causes/syc-20350375
- https://www.allaboutvision.com/conditions/amd.htm
- https://www.nei.nih.gov/research/clinical-trials/age-related-eye-disease-studies-aredsareds2/about-areds-and-areds2
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8286255/#s0004title
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10146178/#sec5-molecules-28-03324title