Protect your eye health

Cell phones have become a necessary part of our lives. Mobile hand phones came onto the scene in the mid 1990’s and then exploded in popularity shortly after.  Not long after that, the invention of smart phones made cell phone usage surge as we were all able to have mini, personal computers in our hands. Sadly, the use of these phones is not without health risks. Of 326 cell phone safety studies, 56% found a negative biological effect from cellphone radiation.  Careful analysis of the funding of these studies revealed that the 44% of the studies that found that cell phone usage did not harm the body were studies funded by the cell phone industry.  67% of the studies funded by independent outside research groups found that cell phones do have a negative biological effect of the body due to the electromagnetic radiation that comes from the phone.  And since cell phones are constantly searching for cellular signal strength, the electromagnetic radiation is constantly emitted from the phone.  This makes talking on the phone next to your head dangerous and the wearing of ear buds dangerous.  In addition, keeping the phone on your body and on your night stand next to your bed are problematic for your health.

American’s spend 13 billion dollars a year on acid reflux medication.  Acid reflux (GERD), effects 20% of the population.  Studies show that consuming a Mediterranean diet may be just as effective as taking acid reflux medication in treating acid reflux symptoms.  Mediterranean diet consists of eating foods that focus on fruits, vegetables, healthy fats lean meats and fish. Natural remedies include daily doses of organic apple cider vinegar, baking soda and ginger.  Standard Process Whole Foods Supplement Company manufactures Zypan, an all-natural whole food pill that can be taken with each meal to ease acid reflux symptoms. Standard Process is only available In doctor’s offices.

Glaucoma is the second leading cause of blindness in the world. 80 million people are effected.  Glaucoma comes from high pressure in the eyes.  You can reduce eye pressure  with eye pressure lowering eye drops.  There are natural supplements that are very good for eye health including lutein, green tea and ginkgo biloba.

Continuing on the subject of eye health, nearsightedness (myopia) is the condition where objects appear clear when close by and blurry when far away.   This occurs because when the shape of your eye prevents light from focusing  properly on your retina. Research says that staring excessively at electronic screens increases the risk of myopia.  This can also cause shrinking of eye glands which can cause painful dry eyes. Once again lutein has been shown to help. Lutein can reduce the risk of myopia.

Fat intake balance is important for overall health. Omega 3 fats have an anti-inflammatory effect in the body, while too much omega 6 fats are pro-inflammatory.  A 3 to 1 ration of omega 3 to 6 fats is the proper balance for reducing inflammation.  Omega 3 fats are essential for proper cell function, muscle activity, brain and heart health.  The most consumption of omega 6 fats comes from eating the unhealthy seed oils ( vegetable oil, canola oil, grapeseed oil, etc.).  Healthy omega 3 containing oils are walnut oil, olive oil, avocado oil and fish oil.  Compared to a placebo, people who took 1 gram of marine based omega 3 supplements with 2000 units of vitamin D daily lowered their risk of heart attack by 28%.  In addition, people who ate fish periodically had a 19% reduction in major cardiovascular events.

Pregnancy Prenatal Chiropractic Care info:   It is a well known fact that drinking alcohol during pregnancy is detrimental to the health of the unborn baby.  Women will abstain from consuming alcoholic beverages throughout their pregnancy.  Once pregnancy is over an the mom has a healthy baby, they typically go back to having their adult beverages.  New research is showing that alcohol consumption is not only bad during pregnancy, but also while breast feeding.  Research shows approximately 36% of breastfeeding mothers in the United States consume alcohol.  Research found that infants' exposure to alcohol through breastmilk can have long-lasting effects on their development. Specifically, young mice that were exposed to alcohol during early development show smaller body and brain growth. Many women who choose to abstain from drinking during pregnancy report beginning to drink again shortly after giving birth. More research is needed on this subject, as low alcohol dark beer, like Guinness, due the barley content, has been shown to stimulate lactation.

Author

Dr J. Zimmerman, Chiropractor Dr. Zimmerman is a practicing chiropractor from Galloway, NJ with 30 years of chiropractic practice.