Gift of Sight – Why go Blind?

More than 1 million Americans over 40 are blind from eye diseases and 2.3 million are visually impaired. Every 5 seconds, a person goes blind. As of 2004, 20 million Americans have cataracts; 13 million people with type 2 diabetes have signs of retinopathy at the time they are diagnosed. Glaucoma affects two million Americans; it is the second leading cause of blindness after diabetes. Macular degeneration affects 13 million Americans. All eye diseases are caused by free-radical damage and inflammation in and around the eye and its vessels.

Americans have been trained since childhood, through doctors and television advertisements, that medications are the only way to help cure diseases of all kinds. Around the world this is not true, diet and herbs are used to cure and prevent diseases and illnesses with great success in areas that produce the necessary herbs.

Americans think it is normal for their vision to get worse with age, this not a true fact around the world. Here in America we have on blinders to our own eye health. In China many have very keen vision; they use an herbal compound with honey fired weed and seven other herbs. In India they use Ayurvedic herbs, including one that they believe to have the highest free-radical fighting vitamins. In South East Asia they eat an amazing fruit called the Mangosteen; it has the highest number of anti-oxidants ever found in one food source. In Japan the people in the fishing villages use an important dietary compound that contains an exotic vegetable blend with the best eye enhancing foods; we in America do not get enough of these. In England you can find the wild bilberry, known to help our eyes, but in France you can find bilberry that is seven times more concentrated.

Did you know that an aspirin a day can damage your eyes? It’s true; it affects the blood vessels that feed your eyes. Evidence shows a link between taking aspirin and unhealthy eyes. There is a natural way to help protect your heart and blood flow and that is Bromelain. Bromelain is a protein enzyme found in pineapple stems and fruit; it helps maintain healthy blood pressure and heart efficiency without the side effects that aspirin has, unless you are allergic to pineapple. If you are allergic to pineapple, you can use Pomegranate juice. Make sure it is 100 percent natural with no sugars added. Pomegranate has been proven to increase blood flow and reduce plaque build up on artery walls.

Natural Healers have been advocates of the bilberry for years, but the hit and miss of this natural eye health remedy has always been a problem, this is why: Bilberry has two compounds in it, first is glycosides which are sugar molecules and the other is a powerful anti-oxidant called anthocyanins. Your body needs to absorb the anti-oxidants but first it has to remove the sugar molecule and we do not produce the enzymes needed to do that naturally. There is a European company that is able to remove the sugar molecule without damaging the necessary anti-oxidants. Mind you I do not believe in processing any natural remedy but this company has made a breakthrough that makes this natural eye healing berry easier for our body to use, so I’m all for it. The company does not add any un-natural ingredients to the bilberry, allowing these needed anti-oxidants to be absorbed into the small intestine without missing a beat.

In China they use a blend of herbs for eye health; people in their eighties have very sharp vision. The herbs are: Honey-fired Astragalus, Asiatic dogwood, Chinese yam, Mountain peony, Polyporous mushroom, Rehmannia, Alisma and Schisandra. Each of these herbs has health benefits but together in a blend they actually support healthy eyes, supporting the nerves by reducing free-radical stress, the arteries by increasing the blood flow to the retinal arteries and promoting a healthy balance of electrolytes in the lenses.
In India, they use an Ayurvedic herbal complex called Triphala which contains three herbs that when combined support eye health. They are; Indian gooseberry (amla), which contains the one of the highest concentrations of vitamin C to be found in any plant, Beleric Myrobalan (bibhitaki), which cleanses and detoxifies the body, Indian Gallnut (haritaki) which has anti-oxidants that work with the eyes.

The South East Asians eat a fruit called Mangosteen, and they use the rind of the fruit as a tea, or they make a paste out of it for skin conditions. This amazing fruit has the highest number of anti-oxidants ever found in one food source, over 25,000. Mangosteen is believed to aid in the recovery of almost all diseases and illnesses dependent on the amount taken for each disease and illness. Mangosteen has been studied for the last 20 years because of its amazing medicinal properties. It can be found in the U.S. as a juice or a tablet. The mangosteen juice has the whole fruit ground down and the tablet has only the rind in it. Another benefit of this fruit is a molecule called Xanthones, only 200 have ever been identified in nature and this fruit contains 40 of those. Xanthones are super charged anti-oxidants that perform biological actions in the body. Xanthones are believed to support all the eye functions and destroy free-radicals in the process. Xanthones are also able to help in the repair of damaged DNA in the eyes due to their biological functions. One other benefit of mangosteen juice is that it has an inhibitor against inflammation; it controls inflammation and keeps it in check. Inflammation is present in all the eye diseases.

In other countries, such as mentioned above, their use of natural remedies goes back 5,000 years. America was establish a little over 200 years ago; when it comes to natural health we are amateurs, children, and we could learn from the rest of the world how to take better care of ourselves if we pay attention. Other countries, like those mentioned above, people do not suffer with the ailments that we do, they also do not rely on pharmaceuticals to cure their diseases and illnesses like we do here in America. I have never met anyone that was on a powerful pharmaceutical who was promised that they would recover completely and be able to stop taking the drugs. What I have seen is the need to take additional drugs for the side effects caused by the original drug, and the problems seem to get worse for them as time goes on. This is not seen around the world; people in other countries who use natural remedies have less disease and illness and less problems when they do get sick. The natural remedies actually help them to recover from diseases and illnesses, and they do not suffer with side effects. They have learned over the years that you need to feed your body what it requires in order to remain healthy. Your body is an organism that requires proper nutrition and large amounts of anti-oxidants in order to perform at its best. We as Americans are just starting to understand this, and we as individuals must research and find the best solutions for our optimum health.

Did you know that the same blood vessels that supply your eyes also supply your heart, brain and bones? It’s true; every area becomes vulnerable when nutrients are missing, so what ever affects your vision affects all of you. There are three major vision problems; glaucoma, macular degeneration and cataracts. Unfortunately, medications and sometime surgery are necessary but you can stop the damage early on before these are the only options you have left. Your best defense against degenerative eye diseases is a diet full of colorful fruits and vegetables, like carrots, spinach and tomatoes. To maximize your intake of these beneficial fruits and vegetables try juicing. You can not possibly eat all that is needed throughout the day if you are a busy individual. The deep colors in the vegetables show that they contain a mixture of powerful free-radical scavengers called carotenoids and bioflavonoids. Try to eat 5 servings a day along with nuts, seeds and green tea. Eggs contain lutein and zeaxanthin, a pair of carotenoids that maintain healthy vision. These two carotenoids together act as natural sunglasses protecting your eyes from harmful rays and promoting macular density in the eyes.

There are things to avoid like high-fat diets, smoking, diuretics, alcohol, drugs that lower your cholesterol and cortico-steroids. All of these contribute to degenerative diseases of the eyes as well as other diseases. An aspirin a day can cause the number one problem associated with macular degeneration, and that is small retinal hemorrhages that lead to blindness. Instead of aspirin try vitamin E for both eye and heart health. Stay away from fat blockers; they bind to all fats even the essential fats you need for healthy eyes. These include lutein, beta-carotene, and vitamins A, D, E and K as well as lycopene, all of which your eyes need. Toss those fat blockers ASAP. Eliminate artificial sweeteners, they are suspected to cause toxicities in eye circulation. In order to rebalance your essential fatty acids you need to take flax seed oil or ground flax seeds.

Tomatoes contain Lycopene, this is a potent anti-oxidant that is concentrated in your eyes, but your body’s levels decrease with age. Lycopene is a carotenoid as well, and your body needs to have a mixture of carotenoids in order for them to work better as anti-oxidants. The most profound effects are obtained when you have lycopene and lutein together. Another very necessary need for healthy eyes is Glutathione, it has been called the bodies’ premier anti-oxidant, supporting overall health, it also safe guards your lens by detoxifying free-radicals, in addition it maintains the transparency of your lens and helps to recycle anti-oxidants. It is hard to find this supplement, it is expensive and you need a liquid absorbable form, but you need this added to your healthy eye regimen.

After reading this you may feel over whelmed and a little out of control, I’m going to break it down for you. Everything in this list has properties that will help to improve your vision; you can locate these products in health food stores, except for mangosteen juice, if they do not carry what you need ask them to find it for you. Mangosteen juice is a very rich source of anti-oxidants and supplies the whole body with necessary biological actions, it also reduces stress on the vessels of the eyes, take 2 to 3 ounces three times a day; Triphala, you can find in a power or capsules, take one teaspoon mixed with water before bed, it does have a mild laxative effect, adjust your amount if necessary. Add these to your diet for optimum eye health and overall heart, brain and bone health; tomatoes, green tea, green apples, red or white wine, blue-green algae, spirulina algae, garlic, onions, eggs, carrots, nuts, fresh cold water fish and flax seed. Spirulina along with other blue-green algae’s are considered super foods. They contain all eight essential amino acids, very high levels of B12 and contain more vitamin E than wheat germ. They are also an excellent source of essential fatty acids. Add at least 20-30 grams or 750 mg of spirulina algae per day, research has proven you can clear up cataracts by adding super foods to your diet. Two other super foods are royal jelly and bee pollen. For cases of glaucoma, take 500 mg of vitamin C four times a day equaling 2,000 mg for the entire day. Add 20 mg of rutin three times a day, 150 mg of alpha lipoic acid each day, 40 mg of ginkgo biloba three times a day. Now be sure to check with your doctor before starting a new dietary change. Some medications such as coumadin and other blood thinning medications can cause problems, because some of these foods thin the blood naturally. Check in regularly with your doctor as you may find you no longer need the medications. Have your blood pressure checked every week as mangosteen juice has been shown to naturally control and drop blood pressure within a few weeks of taking it. If you would like more information on mangosteen juice call toll free 1-888-374-4148.

Those of us who have been gifted with sight can’t possibly understand what it must be like to go blind, after years of seeing the world around us, but we are all at risk of losing this precious gift if we do nothing to prevent the causes of eye disease. Do not put your health or sight into someone else’s hands, you must do your own research and find the best solutions.