Archive for the ‘Nutrition and Supplements’ Category
Why do doctors tend to continue practicing what they knew last year?
01.29.2010
Burying one's head in the sand might not be the best survival behavior.
It comes as a shock to patients to learn that many doctors don’t keep up with the latest literature in their field. New studies come out in high quality, peer reviewed scientific journals. But physicians, as a lot, tend to be dubious of the results. And it often takes YEARS and several corroborative studies before the doctors feel comfortable enough to change their behavior. And it may still not happen unless they discuss the issue with their peers and everyone else has made the change. As a rule, doctors tend to have a herd mentality.
After 20 years in practice, I have finally recognized this. But it was my involvement with VisiVite.Com, beginning in 2001, that alerted me to this disturbing trend.
In November 2002, one full year after the National Eye Institute’s Age Related Eye Disease Study (AREDS) was published, our company presented our VisiVite vitamin formulas at the largest annual meeting of ophthalmologists in the world, the American Academy of Ophthalmology’s Annual Meeting. Nearly 30,000 ophthalmologists attended.
Only one hundred or so eye doctors (1/3 of one percent) wanted to discuss eye vitamin research with us. And among them, the comments were along the lines, “Nothing helps macular degeneration, certainly not eye vitamins.”
And mind you, this was one year after the most prestigious ocular research institution published a beautifully designed, randomized, double-blind, prospective study of thousands of patients measured over five years proving the benefits of the AREDS formulation. It took nearly 5 more years before eye doctors began routinely recommending eye vitamins to their patients with AMD.
So it continues to frustrate me, and it should frustrate you as well, to read the letter below, sent to me on January 29, 2010, about a patient’s lament that the doctor wants to stay with “what he knows.”
Where does that leave you, the patient?
My friends, you need to be your own, and best, health care advocate.
Paul L. Krawitz, M.D., President
Vitamin Science, Inc.
———————-
Dear Dr. Krawitz,
I purchased the Premier Ocular Formula 2 for my husband …he has wet AMD
in one eye & dry AMD in the other….yesterday, I showed his Retina Specialist
the info on said vitamins but he said he would rather my husband stayed with
the _________ (husband is a smoker) since it is the only one with any scientific
basis. I have to say I was rather disappointed because I liked what I read about
the Premier Ocular 2 Formula.
Dear Mary,
Doctors are sometimes slow to come on board with the most recent research.
The Premier Ocular Formula No. 2 contains everything that ________ has, AND MORE!
Compare below:
- Vitamin C: 452 mg in ________, 500 mg in VisiVite
- Vitamin E: 400 IU in both
- Zinc: 69.9 in ________, 80 mg in VisiVite
- Copper: 1.6 in ________, 2.0 in VisiVite
- Lutein: 10 mg in both
But…
________ has NO OMEGA 3 ESSENTIAL FATTY ACIDS! And the research
supporting their use in the prevention of AMD is strong.
And the National Eye Institute and others now know that these are CRITICAL to
prevention of AMD worsening. The proof is so strong that they are now including
the verysame Omega-3 formulation that’s in VisiVite Premier in the AREDS 2
research.
You can read more about AREDS 2 here:
Ultimately you and your husband have to do what is comfortable for you and
what you think holds the best chance for preventing him from losing vision.
I’d be happy to write your husband’s doctor a personal note explaining the
benefits of VisiVite Premier Ocular Formula No. 2. if you wish.
Dr. Krawitz
National Eye Institute Concerned that People with Macular Degeneration are not taking Eye Vitamins
11.18.2009The November-December issue of Retinal Physician contained an article by Dr. Emily Chew, Deputy Director of The Division of Ophthalmology and CLinical Research at the National Eye Institute.
Dr. Emily Chew, National Eye Institute
Dr. Chew emphasized that nutritional status is a known risk factor associated with age-related macular degeneration, including the NEI’s own Age-Related Eye Disease Study (AREDS). But she expressed several concerns.
In a 2002 Canadian study, 80% of patients with AMD were taking some form of supplements, but none were taking the recommend doses from AREDS. Although subsequent studies in the U.S.A. indicate a higher percentage of people taking the recommended doses, it is still a low number, even after specifically being instructed by their physician.
Dr. Chew wonders why, with the emotional and financial burden of worsening vision due to macular degeneration, that people are not treating their AMD appropriately.
She raises some possibilities.
First, smokers are recommended against taking high doses of beta-carotene, which excludes them from taking the complete AREDS formula. (VisiVite was the first company to manufacture AREDS-based eye vitamins for smokers.)
Secondly, some physicians recommend their patients not take high dosages of Vitamin E. (VisiVite i-Defense E-Free Formula caters to those patients who take Coumadin/warfarin.)
Unfortunately, Dr. Chew promotes only the research performed by the National Eye Institute, subtly discrediting all other research by inferring that only the AREDS formula is proven to be of benefit for macular degeneration. Nevertheless, the National Eye Institute appears to have been convinced of the benefits of Lutein, Zeaxanthin and Omega-3 fish oil, including those ingredients in its current AREDS2 research. Those ingredients are available now in VisiVite Premier Ocular Formula No. 2.
Abdominal Surgery Could Cause Vision Changes
11.16.2009Many people suffering from obesity turn to gastric bypass surgery as a weight loss solution. The procedure is not without its risks and resulting problems. Vitamin deficiencies are a side effect of gastric bypass surgery as well as other abdominal surgeries. A deficiency in Vitamin A may result in night blindess years after the surgery.
The British Journal of Opthalmology published the report. It documented everyone who came to one particualr eye clinic during the course of a year. 
A vitamin A deficiency was found in four subjects who were complaining of different degrees of limited night vision. All four had undergone abdominal surgery. Two of them had undergone bypass surgery.
Abdominal surgeries have long been known to cause vitamin deficiencies. Vitamin A is not as easily absorbed as other vitamins because it is a fat-soluble vitamin. Vitamin A is most concentrated in the eyes. This is where the physical symptoms of the deficiency most readily show by manifesting as night blindness.
The results of the study suggest that those people who have undergone some type of abdominal surgery need to stay vigilant for symptoms of Vitamin A deficiency in the future.
Andrea Schumann
Staff Writer
Link Found Between St. John’s Wort Use and Cataracts
11.13.2009Many people suffering from depression turn to the herbal supplement, St. John’s Wort, as a natural remedy. A new study, however, found a relationship between use of the herb and the development of cataracts.
The extracts of St. John’s wort are commonly used in either tablet form or as a tea. The typical dosage amount in tablet form is 300 mg of the extract three times a day although the dosage suggested can vary greatly with different products.
The study was conducted by scientists from the University of Alabama and the results were published in the current edition of Current Eye Research. The scientists studied the relationship between St. John’s wort and cataracts. Of particular interest to the scientists was the St. John’s wort ingredient, hypericin. Prior research has indicated that hypericin is connected to the crystallization of the eye’s lenses.
More than 31,000 people age 40 and up were asked whether they had cataracts and whether they had used herbal treatments over the preceding 12 months. Those who replied that they had cataracts were 59% more likely to also report they had used St. John’s wort.
The researchers did caution that the questionnaire they used had limitations and further research needed to be done.
Andrea Schumann
Staff Writer
Lutein Helps Protect Eyes against Computer Strain and Visual Fatigue
10.06.2009
Lutein can help your eyes recover from computer strain and visual fatigue
According to the latest research, Popeye may have been right all along.
Lutein, found in spinach and other green leafy vegetables, is one of several important nutrients that helps protect the eyes from the free radical damage that can lead to macular degeneration and cataracts. Two studies released this year show that this carotenoid may support eye health in other ways as well.
In a small study published in the August journal of Applied Ergonomics, thirteen people took either a supplement containing lutein, zeaxanthin and blackcurrant extract or a placebo for a two-week period.
In this “randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled cross-over trial,” researchers from Singapore and Japan asked subjects to take the lutein-containing supplement or a placebo. Then each participant took part in a proof reading task “for 2 hours during each of four testing sessions.” Blood pressure measurements, EEG, heart rate and other tests were collected before and after the 2 hour segments. After two weeks, visual fatigue was measured through a test called the eye fixation related potentials (EFRP), which showed that a combination of lutein, zeaxanthin and blackcurrant extract helped relieve the symptoms of visual fatigue.
This isn’t the first time that lutein has been shown to promote visual health.
According to a study published earlier this year in the British Journal of Nutrition, lutein was shown to assist with contrast sensitivity (monitor glare) when participants in the study looked at a computer screen.
In this 12-week study, researchers at Peking University in China recruited 37 people and divided them into three groups — a group that took a placebo, a group that took 6 mg of lutein per day, and a group that took 12 mg daily. The group that took the highest amount of lutein experienced the most improvements in visual acuity, contrast sensitivity and glare sensitivity measurements. This led the researchers to believe that a higher intake of lutein may have beneficial effects on visual performance.
Lutein belongs to a family of antioxidants called carotenoids. It can be found in green leafy vegetables such as spinach, collard greens, kale, Swiss chard and broccoli, as well as in egg yolks.
Adding lutein to your diet in the form of green leafy vegetables or supplements can help reduce eyestrain and provide important insurance for your eyes as you age. VisiVite formulas with high dose Lutein and Zeaxanthin can be found at http://www.visivite.com/lutein-zeaxanthin.html.
Nancy Hirsch VisiVite.Com Certified Nutritionist
