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

Infants Respond to Eye Contact

In a study of the brains of infants in response to various stimuli, it was found that babies experience increased brain activity when making eye contact with an adult. The results, published in Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience, help scientist understand more development of social perception and suggest that a part of the brain is specifically programmed to process eye gaze even at a very early age.

Researchers measured “increased early evoked gamma activity at occipital channels indicating enhanced neural processing during the earliest steps of face encoding” when babies looked at pictures of women whose gazes were directed at them.  Pictures of women with their faces tilted downward or who were looking away from the viewer did not elicit the same response, “confirming that the gamma band oscillations observed in response to gaze direction are specific to upright faces.”

So, look deep into those baby blues and help the development of next baby you meet!

Source: Medscape Today

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.

Glaucoma Research Focuses on Anticardiolipins and IOP

Anticardiolipin Levels

A recent Canadian study on the progression of glaucoma shows that age and abnormal anticardiolipin antibody levels are key factors in the decrease of sufferers’ field of vision. Anticardiolipin antibodies are associated with such diseases as lupus, syphilis, and antiphospholipid syndrome, but the presence of these antibodies does not necessarily indicate that a patient has any of these conditions. According to study authors, “While this finding (regarding anticardiolipin antibodies [ACA]) is significant, its practical implications are unclear as only 5.5% of the tested patients had abnormal ACA levels.”

Researchers also looked at changes in intraocular pressure (IOP) and determined that a modest IOP reduction in patients with progressing glaucoma significantly reduced the rate of visual field decline.

Source: https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/727024

Corneal Arcus

Another new study published in the Archives of Ophthalmology describes how a condition called corneal arcus, a condition in which a ring of lipids builds up around the cornea, may be responsible for increases in eye pressure.

Corneal arcus is associated with cardiovascular disease.  Researchers can not explain why corneal arcus increases eye pressure, but say “There may be changes in biomechanical properties of the cornea in eyes with corneal arcus, as such mechanisms are emerging as important clinical variables that may affect intraocular pressure measurements.”

Source: https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2010-11/jaaj-ccc110510.php

 

DHA / Painkillers Destroy Cancer Cells

Researchers have recently discovered that the omega-3 fatty acid DHA can kill cancer cells while babies are in vitro.

Scientists tested the effect of DHA on cultured neuroblastoma cells (common cells associated with infancy and childhood cancers) and analyzed them for DHA’s metabolic byproducts. They found that while DHA itself destroyed the cancer cells, the fatty acid’s derivatives were even more effective at killing these cells.

According to Life Extension Magazine, “The current study and previous research show that while DHA has been demonstrated to help protect neural cells from stress-induced apoptosis (programmed cell death), it also induces apoptosis in neuroblastoma cells.” Study author Helena Gleissman PhD says “We hope that this study can provide a deeper understanding of the actions of omega-3 fatty acids and their products in cancer cells, and why they can be of such high importance in treatment of the disease.”

Source: lef.org

Painkillers

Researchers report that common pain killers such as aspirin may be connected to cancer cells self-destruction.

They report that the connection between taking anti-inflammatory drugs like aspirin and lower occurences of some  cancers caused them to investigate how one such drug, which is used to treat fever and pain, could have the effect of causing the death of cancer cells.

Researchers:  Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute in La Jolla, Calif

Inflammation of the iris

Iritis is an inflammation of the iris and occasionally includes the ciliary body (the circumferential tissue inside the eye located behind the iris). In iritis, small white blood cells from the inflamed area and excess protein leaked from the small blood vessels inside the eye float into the aqueous fluid between the iris and the cornea.

The symptoms include: redness, throbbing pain, light sensitivity, tearing, and the pupil of the affected eye may become smaller.

The cause of iritis is unknown, but it generally runs its course in six to eight weeks.

See natural treatment options for iritis.

Cancer Risk Increased For Talcum Powder Users

The jury is still out on the extent of the connection between talcum powder and cancer, but the American Cancer society says “there is some suggestion of an increase in ovarian cancer risk” in talcum powder user.

Talcum powder is produced from talc, a magnesium trisilicate mineral, which in its natural form may contain the carcinogen asbestos, but since 1973.

A study of women using talc containing products showed that 50% to 90% higher risk of developing certain types of ovarian cancer. Another study published in 2000 found no effect on ovarian cancer overall but a 40% increase risk in one type — invasive serous cancers.  In 2003, analysis of 16 studies on the connection found a 33% increase in ovarian risk among talc users.

The American Cancer Society advises that “people who use powder may wish to consider avoiding these products or substituting cornstarch-based powders that contain no talc. There is no evidence at present linking cornstarch powders with any form of cancer.”