Prescription Alternatives
Page 49
• Dorzolamide is a sulfa drug, similar to sulfa antibiotics. When it’s used topically, enough is absorbed into the bloodstream to bring on the same adverse reactions that can occur with sulfa antibiotics. Some people have severe reactions to these drugs, which have in a few cases been fatal. Be alert for any signs of hypersensitivity, including itching, rash, swelling of the eye sockets, difficulty breathing, and blood congestion in the conjunctiva or sclera (part of the tough covering over the eyeball).
• If you have any kind of kidney impairment, you should not use dorzolamide. Those with less than full liver function should use this drug with caution.
• Don’t use these drops while wearing soft contact lenses. They contain benzalkonium chloride, which can be absorbed into lenses.
Eyedrops for Allergies and Other Types of Eye Irritation
Examples of Ophthalmic Vasoconstrictors
Naphazoline (Allerest Eye Drops, Clear Eyes, Degest 2, Naphcon, Allergy Drops, VasoClear, Comfort Eye Drops, Maximum Strength Allergy Drops, AK-Con, Albalon, Nafazair, Naphcon Forte, Vasocon Regular)
Oxymetazoline (OcuClear, Visine L.R.)
Phenylephrine (Paredrine)
Tetrahydrozoline (Collyrium Fresh, Eye-Sine, Geneye, Mallazine Eye Drops, Murine Plus, Optigene 3, Tetrasine, Visine)
What Do They Do in the Body? In low concentrations sold over-the-counter, these drugs cause the blood vessels in the eyes to constrict. They stimulate the sympathetic nervous system and so are sometimes called sympathomimetics.
What Are They Used For? Relief of eye redness and irritation.
What Are the Possible Side Effects? Stinging when first instilled, blurred vision, pupil dilation, increased redness, irritation, discomfort, inflammation of the cornea, tearing, increased intraocular pressure, palpitations, heart arrhythmias, high blood pressure, heart attack, burst blood vessels in the lungs or brain, stroke, headache, blanching, trembling, sweating, dizziness, nausea, nervousness, drowsiness, weakness, and high blood sugar. (The more serious of these tend to happen with prescription-strength doses, not the over-the-counter varieties.)
CAUTION!
Facts to Consider Before Taking These Drugs:
• Don’t use these drugs if you have narrow-angle glaucoma or a predisposition to this problem.
• Overuse of these drugs can cause eye redness or rebound congestion.
• If you have high blood pressure, diabetes, hyperthyroidism, cardiovascular problems, or hardening of the arteries, you are at greater risk for side effects.
• Phenylephrine can cause floaters in the aqueous humor of elderly people. It can also temporarily blur or destabilize vision, so be cautious when driving or performing hazardous tasks.
Examples of Ophthalmic Corticosteroids
Dexamethasone (AK-Dex, Decadron Phosphate, Maxidex)
Fluorometholone (Fluor-Op, Flarex, FML, FML Forte, FML S.O.P.)
Medrysone (HMS)
Prednisolone (Pred Mild, Econopred, AK-Pred, Inflamase Mild, Econopred Plus, Pred Forte)
Rimexolone (Vexol)
Tobradex, a combination steroid and antibiotic
What Do They Do in the Body? Decrease inflammation.
What Are They Prescribed For? Allergic conjunctivitis, corneal inflammation (keratitis, including herpes zoster keratitis), iris inflammation (iritis), inflammation of the ciliary bodies that control pupil size (cyclitis), treatment of injuries to the cornea, and some forms of eye infection.
What Are the Possible Side Effects? Raising of intraocular pressure with optic nerve damage (glaucoma), loss of some visual ability, formation of cataracts, eye infections including ocular herpes simplex, perforation of the eyeball, worsening of fungal infections of the eye, stinging or burning when drops are instilled, blurred vision, discharge, discomfort, eye pain, feeling of having something stuck in the eye, blood congestion, and itching.
With longtime use or high doses of steroid eyedrops, enough can be absorbed into the bloodstream to cause systemic side effects. Corticosteroid drugs can also cause an outbreak of intestinal or vaginal candida (see Chapter 14).
CAUTION!
Think Twice About Taking These Drugs If . . .
• You are having an outbreak of herpes virus of the cornea (herpes simplex keratitis).
• You have any fungal eye disease.
• You have ocular tuberculosis.
• You have just had a foreign object removed from your cornea.
While using steroid eyedrops, you should have frequent exams to be sure you aren’t developing elevated eye pressure or cataracts. Any steroid drug can mask signs of infection. See your eye physician regularly to nip dangerous infections in the bud.
Examples of Over-the-Counter Antihistamine Eyedrops
Antazoline (Vasocon-A)
Pheniramine Maleate (Naphcon-A, AK-Con-A, Opcon-A)
What Do They Do in the Body? Block the actions of histamine in the eye. All products containing these drugs also contain the decongestant naphazoline.
What Are They Used For? Temporary relief of itchy, watering eyes caused by allergies.
What Are the Possible Side Effects? Burning, stinging, and discomfort when instilled. Ophthalmic antihistamines may also cause pupils to dilate.
CAUTION!
Think Twice About Taking These Drugs If . . .
You are at risk for angle-closure glaucoma.
Natural Alternatives to Eye Drugs
First let’s talk about your eyes and the sun. Despite all the bad press it’s getting lately, sunshine is a nutrient essential for the health of your eyes and the rest of your body. Sunlight striking the retina keeps it active, much like exercise keeps your body fit. It stimulates the glands to produce hormones that regulate our waking and sleeping cycles, fluid balance, and mood. Vitamin D is made by your body and stored in your liver when you go out in the sun. If there’s a shortage of vitamin D, calcium metabolism in your body is thrown off, and bones begin to deteriorate.
On the other hand, too much sunlight can do you harm. Ultraviolet rays are invisible to our eyes but can cause cataracts; skin cancer; temporary blindness from glare off sand, snow, or water; growths on the eyes called pterygia; macular degeneration, and melanoma on the back of the eyeball. Sunlight causes an increase in the rate at which harmful free radicals are produced in the eye, which can contribute to getting eye diseases that can make you go blind.
Put on Your shades
The first step to take in prevention of cataracts and macular degeneration is to invest in a pair of sunglasses that block 100 percent of ultraviolet rays. The best sunglasses also filter out some blue light. You can buy sun goggles that fit over your prescription glasses. A hat with a brim should accompany you out into the sunshine. You don’t have to be fanatical about it unless you already have severe eye disease, because your eyes need some ultraviolet light. The majority of the time you spend outdoors, however, you should be wearing these sun-protection accessories.
Nutrition for Healthy Eyes
People with eye diseases such as glaucoma, cataracts, and macular degeneration can often prevent or slow the disease with some dietary changes and the right supplements. The mainstay of an eye-healthy diet is a wide variety of fresh vegetables (especially the deep green, leafy variety), fruits, and whole grains, complemented by good protein sources such as deep-water fish, eggs, chicken, and turkey. Red meat is OK, but not every day. Eggs are loaded with sulfur, a mineral your body needs to make glutathione, an antioxidant substance essential for eye health. Asparagus, onions, and garlic are also good sources of sulfur. Deep-water fish is rich in vitamins D and A, and in docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), an essential fatty acid. Especially good foods for healthy eyes include berries, watermelon, and carrots for their bioflavonoids and carotenoids, any foods rich in vitamin C such as citrus fruits and kiwi, as well as foods rich in essential fatty acids such as almonds, olive oil, and avocados.
Of course, the more you avoid refined, processed foods loaded with sugar, white flour, hyd
rogenated oils, artificial flavorings, and colorings, the healthier your whole body will be. While you replace “bad” fats like artery-clogging hydrogenated vegetable oils with the “good” fats listed, try to keep daily fat intake below 30 percent of total calories.
Fish oils improve circulation in the tiny blood vessels of the eye. Whatever you can do to keep your blood vessels healthy ensures that the retina and optic nerve cells get plenty of oxygen and nourishment.
Avoid optic nerve toxins such as aspartame, MSG, steroid drugs, tranquilizers, the antidepressants lithium and MAOIs, antibiotics, and cigarettes.
Vitamins for Healthy Eyes
Certain nutrients are more important to good eye health than others. If you have an eye disease or are at risk for one, please supplement your daily vitamins with the following:
• Vitamin C, at least 1,000 mg a day, with bioflavonoids
• A mixed carotenoid supplement
• Vitamin E, 400 IU
• Vitamin A, 10,000 IU a day
• Quercetin and rutin are bioflavonoids that help keep your retinas healthy; try 1,000 to 1,500 mg a day.
• Magnesium at bedtime, between 300 to 400 mg
• Coenzyme Q10 is a great circulation booster, 90 to 200 mg a day
• Carnitine can help boost the heart’s pumping power and get more nourishment to your optic nerves and retinas; up to 500 mg three times daily.
• Selenium, a mineral with powerful anti-oxidant and antiviral potential, protects cell membranes from being destroyed by free radicals; 200 mcg daily.
• N-acetyl cysteine (NAC), an amino acid, helps keep your body’s antioxidant defenses strong and increases the production of glutathione; 500 mg two to three times a day. There is good research to back up the use of NAC for eye disease.
• Those with macular degeneration or cataract should get 10 to 15 mg of zinc a day, either in a multivitamin or a separate supplement.
Natural Remedies for Eye Diseases
Glaucoma
• Forskohlii. If you have glaucoma, you can try an herbal remedy that’s been used in India for centuries and is now backed up by scientific research. Derived from the coleus plant, forskohlii relaxes blood vessel walls to relieve high blood pressure and high intraocular pressure. Look for capsules or eyedrops of forskohlii.
• Omega-3. You can supplement omega-3 fish oils in capsules or liquid form; DHA, an essential fatty acid found in fish oil, is an important component of the optic nerve lining. Take care to ensure that fish oil supplements haven’t gone rancid. Keep them in the fridge, and use a brand that contains a natural preservative such as vitamin E.
• Vitamin B12, 1,000 to 2,000 mcg taken intranasally or sublingually, can help slow vision loss from glaucoma.
Macular degeneration
• Lutein and zeaxanthin. If you have been diagnosed with macular degeneration, start taking a lutein and zeaxanthin supplement right away. Lutein and zeaxanthin are protective yellow pigments that cover the macula and protect it from light damage. These carotenoids are found naturally in foods such as spinach, col-lard greens, and kale. Supplements are usually derived from marigold petals. Make an effort to take them at different times from your multivitamin if it contains beta-carotene, because they can block each other’s path into the body. Also eat beta-carotene-rich foods and foods rich in lutein and zeaxanthin at different meals.
Diabetic Eye Disease
Diabetics should use 1,000 to 1,500 mg of quercetin and 200 mcg of chromium a day. Quercetin inhibits an enzyme that may be directly responsible for the formation of sugar cataracts, while chromium helps balance blood sugar.
To slow the progression of cataracts, include plenty of tofu, eggs, asparagus, onions, garlic, carrots, cantaloupe, yams, corn, and leafy greens in your diet. Make sure you’re getting 50 mg of riboflavin in your multivitamin, or add an extra riboflavin supplement. Please don’t hesitate to have cataracts extracted if you feel your quality of life is being compromised. These days it’s a relatively risk-free surgery.
For control of diabetic retinopathy, control of diabetes is essential. Check blood sugars at least four times a day, and keep levels in the range your physician has recommended. A diet rich in colorful vegetables, fruits, and whole grains, moderation in the drinking of alcohol and intake of sugar and refined flour, daily exercise, and maintenance of a healthy weight are all important for the diabetic.
See Chapter 16 for details on natural alternatives to diabetes drugs.
Diabetics shouldn’t use a multivitamin with iron, because iron can increase the formation of free radicals. (Daily iron for any adult over the age of 30 or for men at any age is not recommended.)
Eye Allergies
Those who see a doctor with the complaint of itchy, watery, allergic eyes are generally prescribed antihistamine, decongestant, or steroid eyedrops. An eye doctor can distinguish eye allergy from dry eye by checking for small bumps along the lower eyelid. These drugs can be useful for temporary symptom relief, but it’s important to support your body nutritionally with the goal of reducing or eliminating the need for eye-drops. These drugs have too many side effects to justify their use for more than a couple of days at a time. See Chapter 12 on allergy drugs for details on natural remedies.
Drugs That Can Cause Dry Eyes
Antihistamines
Atropine
Benzodiazepine tranquilizers (Valium, Xanax)
Beta-blockers (taken by mouth or as eyedrops)
Codeine
Decongestants (taken by mouth or as eyedrops)
Diuretics
Glaucoma eyedrops (some)
Isotretinoin
Methotrexate and other cancer drugs
Morphine
Scopolamine
Tricyclic antidepressant (Elavil)
Aside from supporting your body nutritionally, your best strategy for avoiding allergies is to determine what irritates your eyes and try your best to avoid exposure. Women may need to change to a different kind of eye makeup or stop using it altogether. Hair sprays or gels, perfumes, certain eyedrops, or contact lens solutions can cause allergic reactions in some people. Fumes from copy machines, laser printers, and so-called air fresheners (fakegrances) can have a strongly irritating effect, too.
The following supplements may help:
• Quercetin can be very helpful in decreasing allergic inflammation. Take 1,000 to 2,000 mg a day, and eat plenty of red onions, brussels sprouts, red apples, bell peppers, asparagus, and kale.
• Vitamin B6 taken with omega-6 essential fatty acids (found in evening primrose oil) can also take the edge off of eye allergies.
• Vitamin C (1,000 to 2,000 mg a day) can also help relieve allergic inflammation.
Dry Eyes
Before you turn to constant use of artificial tears to relieve dry eyes, try to improve your eyes’ ability to keep themselves moist. Here are some tips for treating dry eyes:
• Buy a humidifier and use it whenever you turn on the heater or air-conditioner in your home.
• Avoid smog, ozone, fumes, and perfumes.
• Don’t use products that contain aspartame (NutraSweet).
• Wear wraparound sunglasses outside to keep tears from evaporating.
• Soft contacts can cause dry eyes, so keep glasses around to wear when your eyes feel uncomfortable.
• Try to blink more.
• If you work at a computer, arrange your workspace so that you are looking slightly downward at the screen, lids lowered.
• Don’t use a lot of eye makeup.
• Check to be sure your glasses aren’t pulling your lower lids away from your eyes.
• Use only preservative-free eyedrops (preservatives can actually worsen dry eyes).
• Eat more fruit, vegetables, walnuts, and cold-water fish.
• Evening primrose oil capsules (500 to 1,500 mg per day), 1,000 to 2,000 mg of vitamin C, and 50 mg of B6 can also help relieve eye dryness.
Chapter 18
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sp; Drugs for the Prostate and Their Natural Alternatives
More than 20 percent of all American men over the age of 50 will develop prostate problems of some kind, and 1 in 11 will develop prostate cancer. By the time they are 70, over 50 percent of American men will have an enlarged prostate gland, and by the time they are 80, the number will go up to 85 percent. This amounts to an epidemic of prostate problems, and once again it looks like poor eating habits and excessive estrogen in the environment are the biggest culprits. What “modern” medicine has to offer you if you have prostate troubles are drugs and surgery that are only sometimes effective and that often have side effects such as impotence and urinary dysfunction (with surgery, these side effects are permanent).
What Is the Prostate Gland?
The prostate is a gland in men located at the neck of the bladder and urethra (the tube through which urine and semen pass on the way out of the body). It’s about the size of a grain of rice when you are born; by the time you’re in your twenties, it’s about the size and shape of a chestnut. Starting at puberty, the gland produces a milky fluid that mixes with semen during ejaculation.
The prostate stays about the same size until you reach the age when some male hormones begin to decline (in most men, in their fifties), and the prostate begins to grow again. This is called benign prostatic hypertrophy (BPH). If the gland grows too much, it begins to pinch the urethra, interfering with urination. Symptoms of an enlarged prostate can include dribbling during urination, a decrease in the size of the stream, frequent or difficult urination, and chronic discomfort in the abdominal area.
No Visible Progress in Prostate Treatment
There’s not much good news to report on detecting prostate cancer or conventional medical treatment of prostate enlargement or prostate cancer, but there is useful new research about prostate risk factors.
According to a recently released report from the federal government’s Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), which reviewed 592 published articles and compared eight prostate cancer treatment strategies, “Not enough scientific evidence exists to identify any prostate cancer treatment as most effective for all men, especially those whose cancers were found by PSA testing.” In essence, the AHRQ report says that we have no prostate cancer treatment that’s consistently safe and effective, and that it’s questionable whether many of the prostate cancers detected by the PSA test should even be treated.