Sight is a precious gift, but we often ask so much – too much – of our eyes, especially when we spend hours at the computer. Computer eye strain can be a real problem, but you can take natural steps that will prevent undue health risks. Please have a look at this video for three different eye exercises that can help alleviate computer eye strain. At our website, we feature several educational videos that can help you cope with many eye conditions.

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Drinking two cups of water before a meal can help you lose weight, but the magic is not in the water.  To lose weight, the best way is still to reduce your caloric intake.

At a meeting of National Meeting of the American Chemical Society researchers presented their findings: in a study of 48 older adults all on a reduced calorie diet over a 12 week period, participants who drank 16 ounces of water before each meal lost five pounds more than those who did not.  This study follow up on another in which researchers found that people consumed between 75 and 90 fewer calories per meal if they drank two cups of water just before they started eating.

Study spokesperson Dr Brenda Davy said “the reason drinking water before the meal works is simply because it has zero calories but you have the sensation of feeling partly full before you even start eating, resulting in fewer calories consumed during the meal.”

According to MedicalNewsToday.com, “Official bodies like the National Academies’ Institute of Medicine, an agency that advises the Federal Government, say healthy people should let natural thirst guide them on how much water to drink, but they generally recommend this should result in about 9 cups of fluids a day, including water, for women and 13 cups for men.”

Source: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/198720.php

Check out our Vision Wellness Protocol for some tips on how improving your general health – including losing weight – can benefit your vision.

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A new study suggests that seven hours of sleep is optimal if you want to maintain a healthy heart.  Getting less than five hours per day more than doubles one’s risk of developing angina, coronary heart disease, heart attack or stroke.  And while eight hours of sleep is commonly known as the ideal amount, the study out of  West Virginia University says that more than seven hours of shut eye also increases the risk of cardiovascular disease.

In this study of 30,000 American adults the strong link between too much or too little sleep and cardiovascular disease was clear even after screening out those with diabetes, high blood pressure, and depression.  The exact reason for this correlation is still unknown, but researchers point out that sleep duration has an impact on endocrine and metabolic functions.  Also sleep deprivation can lead impaired glucose tolerance, reduced insulin sensitivity, and elevated blood pressure, all of which contribute to a hardening of the arteries.

Hardening of the arteries is called atherosclerosis.  Read more about causes and prevention of heart disease.

Source: The Daily Telegraph

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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.

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Spanish researchers have developed a new way to deliver omega-3 nutrients in more stable capsule form. The new process uses “elecrosprayed zein encapsulation.”  It promises to keep omega-3 fatty acid DHA from oxidizing too quickly, a process that leads to foul odors, tastes, and a break down of the beneficial properties.  The traditional animal derived gelatin capsules could be replaced with zein, a type of protein found in maize.

Source: Journal of Food Science, http://www.nutraingredients.com/Research/New-omega-3-encapsulation-could-enhance-stability-for-soft-gels

Visit our website to learn about how essential fatty acids are vital to vision health.

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A diet enriched with antioxidant nutrients can help to improve insulin resistance in adults with metabolic syndrome.  Individuals with metabolic syndrome exhibit increased some or all of the following: waist circumference, blood pressure, fasting glucose and triglycerides, and a reduction in high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol.  They have a reduced ability to utilize insulin, and are at an increased risk of developing cardiovascular disease and diabetes.

Subjects participating in the study were all placed on 1,500 calorie per diets for 3 months, but only a subgroup were provided with fruits and vegetables high in antioxidants.  All lost weight, but only those who received the antioxidant-enriched diet had significant reductions in insulin resistance.  The antioxidants were thought to have helped reduce oxidative stress, which may help protect against a number of conditions, including metabolic syndrome.

Source: http://www.lef.org/newsletter/2010/0629_High-Antioxidant-Diet-Improves-Insulin-Sensitivity-in-Obese-Men-Women.htm

Antioxidants play a vital role in the reduction of eye disease too.  Learn more about them at our website: http://www.naturaleyecare.com/prev-anti.asp

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A study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine maintains that back pain sufferers who received acupuncture or simulated acupuncture treatments responded better and experienced less pain than those receiving only conventional treatments.

Curiously, patients who underwent “real” needle treatments and those simulated forms of acupuncture. Acupuncture was determined to effectively treat low back pain, but neither specific needle sites placement nor nor penetrating the skin seemed to be a factor in its therapeutic outcome.

“Because of the lack of highly effective medical treatments for chronic low back pain, we were pleased to find that acupuncture-like treatments were helpful for persons suffering from chronic back pain,” said study leader Daniel Cherkin, Ph.D., of Group Health Center for Health Studies in Seattle. “However, the finding that real acupuncture produced no greater benefit than simulated acupuncture raises important questions about acupuncture’s mechanisms of action.”

According to researchers, future studies of patient expectations, practitioner behavior and ” the physiological effects of non-insertive stimulation” are necessary to determine why acupuncture and similar therapies are successful.

Source: http://nccam.nih.gov/news/2009/051109.htm

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A recent study in The Journal of Pain shows that both raw ginger and heat-treated ginger reduce muscle pain after exercise by approximately 25%, respectively.  Researchers state that the study suggests “ginger may have anti-inflammatory and analgesic properties akin to nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.” The rhizome of the ginger plant is a potent source of antioxidants, including gingerols, shogaols, zingerones and other ketone derivatives; these are likely the aspects of the plant responsible for reducing pain and inflammation.

Ginger is also a great addition to juices formulated for eye health. Please visit our website for more information.

Source: http://www.nutraingredients.com/Research/Ginger-supplements-may-reduce-pain-after-exercise-Study

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Researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently published findings on Americans’ salt consumption: only 1 in 10 people are staying within the recommended guidelines.   One teaspoon of salt per day is the recommended limit for those who are young and healthy.   Most of this salt is not coming from what we sprinkle directly on our food.  Instead, it comes from sources we might not expect: grain mixtures, frozen meals and soups; ham, bacon, sausages and lunchmeats; breads; meat, poultry and fish mixtures; and cakes, cookies and crackers.

Source: NPR.

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A new study out of the University of Washington tells us that not only does obesity make one more likely to develop diabetes, but gaining weight in your 50s and after age 65 can double your risk of diabetes later in life.  Holding on to belly fat increases the likelihood that a person will develop type 2 diabetes.  The study also indicates that losing weight after the age 65 will not reduce the risk of diabetes in the way that losing weight when you are younger.

For more information on diabetes prevention and treatment options, click here.

Source: CNN

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