Category: Wellness

The Effect of Pesticides on Child Development: New Study

crop dusting
Photo by Ken Hammond (USDA)

Researchers are studying the relationship between the gene paraoxonase 1 (PON1) and the effect of pesticides on the body.  They have already established that a increased level of organophosphate (OP) pesticides in the body are related to poorer mental development in two year olds whose mothers were exposed to the chemical. This study, published in Environmental Health Perspectives is aimed at determining whether scientists can use PON1 as a marker to measure whether child development has been hindered by pesticide exposure.  Additional research is necessary to determine whether this gene is related to the way that pesticides affect pregnant mothers and whether babies are affected in utero.

Pesticides are known to have an especially strong impact on children.  According to the Children’s Environmental Health Centers (part of the EPA): “Research has shown that children are not ‘little adults’  – they have different exposures, different susceptibilities and sensitivities, and different outcomes when exposed to substances in the environment.  Because children are still developing, the timing of an exposure to chemicals such as pesticides in terms of life stage can be critical in determining the effects.  Children also are exposed differently than adults – they are closer to the ground, young children are crawlers and toddlers and tend to pick things up and put them in their mouths.  In addition, children also have a higher surface to volume ratio than adults, so any exposure may affect them proportionately more.

Medical Literacy: Getting the Information You Need At Your Next Visit to the Doctor

doctor and patient
Image from genome.gov

An editorial in Glaucoma Today speaks to doctors about being careful to make sure patients understand all of the medical information set before them so that they can make informed choices and best take care of their own conditions.  The author, Eydie Miller-Ellis, MD, gives her colleagues the following check list to keep in mind:

1. Slow down. Communication can be improved by speaking slowly and by spending a small amount of additional time with each patient.
2. Use plain, nonmedical language.
3. Show or draw pictures. Visual images can improve the patient’s recall of information.
4. Limit the amount of information provided—and repeat it.
5. Use the “teach-back” technique. Confirm that patients understand by asking them to repeat back instructions.
6. Create a shame-free environment. Encourage questions.

If your eye doctor, or any other medical professional that you visit, has not read this article, you may be able to use these points to your own advantage (teach the teacher, if you will) so that you walk out of your appointment empowered and informed.

Ask the doctor to slow down and speak in terms that make sense to you.  Do not be afraid to ask questions.  You are your own best advocate and, when it comes to going home and self-administering medications like those you may be prescribed for glaucoma or other conditions, your ability to follow the doctor’s instructions can play a vital role in your health.

Contact Lens Recall Affects Asian & European Markets

contact lenses
image by Celiece

Johnson & Johnson Vision Care has initiated a voluntary recall of its 1-Day Acuvue TruEye contact lenses made of narafilcon A. According the Associated Press, these lenses were only distributed in Japan and parts of Asia and Europe, according to the AP; 100,000 boxes in total have been recalled.  No consumers in either the U.S. or Canada should be effected (the North American lenses are made of narafilcon B).

The recall is bases on a limited number of user complaints related to a stinging sensation felt when the lenses were placed on the eye.  According to Johnson and Johnson  the problem stems from a malfunctioning manufacturing line in Ireland.

This is the eighth recall of a J & J product in the last year including children’s Tylenol and other cold and pain medications.  The company is currently under investigation by the U.S. Congress.

Source: AP https://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gKNufIGxLdxRyZ8TPAzFIe83oA1gD9HPEJA01

Weight Loss Study: Drink Water Before Each Meal and Shed Pounds

Drinking two cups of water before a meal can help you lose weight, but the magic is not in the water.  To lose weight, the best way is still to reduce your caloric intake.

At a meeting of National Meeting of the American Chemical Society researchers presented their findings: in a study of 48 older adults all on a reduced calorie diet over a 12 week period, participants who drank 16 ounces of water before each meal lost five pounds more than those who did not.  This study follow up on another in which researchers found that people consumed between 75 and 90 fewer calories per meal if they drank two cups of water just before they started eating.

Study spokesperson Dr Brenda Davy said “the reason drinking water before the meal works is simply because it has zero calories but you have the sensation of feeling partly full before you even start eating, resulting in fewer calories consumed during the meal.”

According to MedicalNewsToday.com, “Official bodies like the National Academies’ Institute of Medicine, an agency that advises the Federal Government, say healthy people should let natural thirst guide them on how much water to drink, but they generally recommend this should result in about 9 cups of fluids a day, including water, for women and 13 cups for men.”

Source: https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/198720.php

Learn more about weight loss and check out our Vision Wellness Protocol for some tips on how improving your general health – including losing weight – can benefit your vision.

Tai Chi Relieves Fibromyalgia Suffering

We have always advocated practicing such meditative, relaxing techniques like tai chi to encourage eye health.

A new study published in The New England Journal of Medicine has found that the gentle, flowing poses of tai chi may significantly the physical and mental afflictions of fibromyalgia.  Compared to other fibromyalgia sufferers who took a health education class followed by stretching, a group of patients who took a twice weekly tai chi class demonstrated less pain, fatigue, morning tiredness, stiffness, depression, anxiety, and difficulty at work.  Those who practiced tai chi reported better physical functioning and greater overall well-being.

Most compelling?  Thirty-five percent of the tai chi participants were able to stop taking their pain medications; only 15 percent of the control group were able to do so.

Explore our resources on Vision Wellness for more tips on healthy living with fewer medications.

Breast Cancer Drug Can Cause Eye Problems

The breast cancer drug tamoxifen may lead to eye problems in women over age fifty.   An article in Breast Cancer Research and Treatment reported that the drug can cause physical changes to the eye itself, specifically by shrinking the optic cup. The optic cup is the depression in the eye nearest to where the optic nerve exits on its way to the brain.   A previous study had indicated that about 13% of tamoxifen users report vision changes.

Lead study author Alvin Eisner, PhD told Medscape: “Clinicians need to be aware that if patients on tamoxifen are complaining of vision problems, these concerns need to be taken seriously.”

Source: Medscape

Air Bags Can Cause Eye Injuries in Children

At this point, it is well known that air bags make it dangerous for children to sit in to front seat of an automobile.  Infants in rear facing car seats are at risk because their heads are too close to the air bag and older children facing forward are more susceptible to head and neck injuries when sitting up front.

As if these risks weren’t enough to keep kids in the backseat, a study in Ophthalmology, the journal of the American Academy of Ophthalmology, concludes that children can suffer from serious eye injuries from the impact of air bags, the most serious of which included cataracts and glaucoma.  Among other injuries: blood in the front chamber of the eye; alkali burn; temporary loss of consciousness and visual acuity; eyelid laceration; black eye; swelling and hemorrhage of blood vessels under the outer surface of the eyeball; corneal lesions and abrasions; and inflammation of the iris.
Source: Medscape

Acupuncture Helps Dry Eye Sufferers

In 2006, researchers reported on a study of the effect of acupuncture on cases of dry eye.  Because acupuncture has proven to help those suffering from dry mouth, scientists, who discussed their findings at the annual meeting of the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology, decided to try to technique for patients exhibiting dry eye.

The small study involved twelve patients, half of whom received needles in the Traditional Chinese Medicine points and half of whom received “sham” acupuncture .  Those who received real acupuncture demonstrated a significant improvement while those who received needles in random places on the body displayed a slight worsening of symptoms.  Source: Medscape

According to ClinicalTrials.gov, researchers are currently recruiting participants for a similar study at Walter Reed Army Medical Center.  The trial is set to run through 2011.

To learn more about treatment options for dry eye syndrome, please visit our website.

The Importance of Acupuncturists’ Table-side Manner

A study out of the University of Texas to be published in September’s Arthritis Care & Research  claims that an acupuncturist’s communication style may influence a patients’ level of pain reduction and satisfaction with a treatment.

Patients with radiologically diagnosed knee osteoarthritis visited acupuncturists for three months.  One group visited practitioners were trained to communicate “high” or “neutral” expectations saying things like “I think this will work for you,” and “I’ve had a lot of success with treating knee pain.” Another group was asked to be more neutral, saying things like  “It may or may not work for you,” and “It really depends on the patient.”  Those who saw more optimistic sounding acupuncturists reported a 50% decrease in pain.

“Placebo effects can be enhanced by expectations of improvement and it is conceivable that patient-provider interactions result in increased benefits if the provider has a confident attitude,” the authors note.

This study also asserts that there was no greater benefit reported when comparing traditional Chinese acupuncture (TCA) with “sham” acupuncture (performed in non-meridian points, with shallow needles and minimal stimulation).

Source: Medscape

We believe strongly in the benefits of acupuncture for a host of health concerns.  For example, learn more about how acupuncture can help relieve allergies at our website.

Green Laser Pointers Can Cause Eye Damage

A new study by the National Institute of Standards and Technology shows that inexpensive green laser pointers can damage the retina.  In a test of several models that were advertised to have a power output of 10 milliwatts, a number of them emitted more infrared light than indicated at levels that are harmful to the eyes. Inexpensive models like those tested lack a filter that can cut down on the unsafe infrared emissions.  More expensive devices include this simple filter.

As reported in ScienceDaily.com, “owners of the devices should never point the lasers at the eyes or aim them at surfaces such as windows, which can reflect infrared light back to the user — a particularly subtle hazard because many modern energy-saving windows have coatings designed specifically to reflect infrared.”

Source: NIST