Tag Archive for: eye health

Four Tips for the 4th!

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We are fast approaching the three-day holiday weekend to celebrate the 4th of July here in the U.S. It got me to thinking: just because it’s a holiday, it doesn’t mean we should completely abandon some of our health habits that might be strained a little bit, given the celebrations associated with Independence Day. This is going to be a time to be outside, most likely in the heat and humidity given the advanced forecasts, with plenty of foods that may not be typical of our normal diet. So I decided to give you four tips for your health this holiday weekend.

Protect Your Eyes

I’ve been watching barbecue competitions on the Food Network, and I’ve noticed the master chefs squinting because the sun is constantly in their eyes. Don’t do that. Wear a hat with a brim to shield your eyes from direct sunlight, then add sunglasses to your ensemble. While there’s no direct evidence that a single exposure creates critical damage to the eyes, there’s no point in exposing your eyes to the most powerful and strongest sunshine of the year. Don’t forget that this applies to kids as well; keeping kids in good-quality sunglasses isn’t easy, but we have to protect those little eyes—or maybe opt for a cool hat. It’s also important if spending time in a pool or lake; the glare of the sun off the water can be just as damaging.

Protect Your Skin

I recently spent a significant amount of time researching the potential benefits of taking collagen for skin health, and the single most damaging factor to skin as we age is exposure to the sun. If you’re going to be outside for parades, family gatherings, in the pool, etc, make sure that you use sunblock to protect your skin. It will require re-application as the day goes on, but it’s worth it. If you want to avoid the problems of aging skin, protect it now, and again, don’t forget about protecting the skin of your children and grandchildren. A bad burn early in life may have consequences later on.

Drink!

When you spend hours and hours in outdoor activities, you have to maintain your fluid intake and then some. The general recommendation is half your body weight in ounces per day; if you weigh 150 pounds, drink 75 ounces of fluids every day. If it’s a hot, humid day, it should be four to eight ounces about every 15 minutes. The only fluid that doesn’t count is alcoholic beverages; alcohol is a diuretic which means you will lose more fluid than you take in. So you have to make sure that you focus on other types of fluid as well. This might be a good time to check out Paula’s Sugar-Free Sweet Tea recipe on the Health Info page of drchet.com; she spent weeks researching and testing to find a way to have Southern-style sweet tea without the calories, and I think she came as close as possible. Contrary to widespread belief, caffeine is not a diuretic; tea, coffee, energy drinks, and other caffeinated drinks add to your total the same as non-caffeinated.

Red, White, and Blue

Hot dogs, hamburgers, ribs, and other grilled meats seem to dominate our diet during the July 4th cookouts. I wouldn’t think of changing that, but I would add some red, white, and blue to it. The vitamins and phytonutrients in fruit can offset some of those high fat foods we may eat. Look for strawberries, watermelon, raspberries, and tomatoes for the red. Apples, pears, and bananas for the white. Blueberries, blackberries, and Concord grapes for the blue. Emphasize fruit snacks instead of salty, and get a cup or two with every meal for the healthy nutrients and great tastes.

The Bottom Line

Enjoy Independence Day to the fullest, but take a couple of minutes to take care of your health while you celebrate. You’ll reap the benefits by keeping your body independent of the potential challenges celebrations can bring. Paula and I will do the same. Enjoy the holiday weekend and we’ll see you next Tuesday.

What are you prepared to do today?

        Dr. Chet

Vision Health: Never Too Young

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Continuing with what I asked Dr. Laura Kenyon during my interview with her, the question is still “What are the mistakes people make related to retaining their vision?” Here are the rest of her answers as well as a program every parent needs to know about.

Eye Protection

The third mistake we make is not wearing eye protection when we should. Obviously you’ll want safety glasses if you’re working with a chainsaw. When you’re working with liquids such as paint, oil, and gasoline, protecting your eyes is critical then as well.

But let’s move beyond the obvious: wear safety glasses anytime you’re working in the yard. True, when you’re mowing the lawn or using the weed-whacker, eye protection makes a lot of sense. But when you bend over to pull weeds or prune trees or bushes, you might not focus on that tiny little branch that’s sticking out from the rosebush. That kind of stab or scratch can severely damage the eye.

The other is when you’re cooking. When you’re cutting foods such as onions and hot peppers, a squirt into your eye can certainly make your life miserable for a long time, even though probably not causing permanent damage. And you’ve probably heard that you shouldn’t cook bacon naked. I can tell you that you shouldn’t be without eye protection then as well. I can remember putting a piece of fish into a fryer, and in a perfect splatter, it came right from the tail end of that fish directly into my right eye. You’ll find out whether you can dance or not when that happens to you! So be sure to wear eye protection even for tasks that do not seem as obviously dangerous.

Eat Vegetables and Fruit

I was a little surprised that Dr. Kenyon said then another mistake that we all make in relation to our eyes is that we don’t eat enough vegetables with carotenoids in them such as lutein, alpha-carotene, zeaxanthin, and, of course, you probably know beta-carotene already. Those are all critical to eye health and we need some every day.

One little piece that I contributed was to mention that chopped or cooked vegetables with carotenoids will release more carotenoids than if you eat them raw. So those baby carrots (that we know really aren’t baby carrots at all), would serve you better if they were cooked and put in soup.

Never Too Young: InfantSEE™

When I said that it’s never too early to start with regular checkups, I meant it: if you’ve got a baby, it’s time to start. The InfantSEE program was started in 2005 with the support of former President Jimmy Carter. He had a grandson who was diagnosed with amblyopia, a condition that could have been easily treated had they been aware of it. The result of his effort, as well as the American Optometric Association efforts, has resulted in a free program for children six to twelve months old. The examination can identify conditions such as astigmatism, which in a single eye, can result in what we typically call lazy eye—easy to treat if you know the child has it at an early age but very difficult to treat later. You can search for a participating optometrist on the home page of InfantSEE; let’s all help spread the word to new parents.

The Bottom Line

There you have it, right from the optometrist’s mouth: the biggest mistakes we make when taking care of our eyes. Use this info to put together a list of actions you should take to keep your eyes healthy throughout your life.

If you live in the Grand Rapids area, Dr. Kenyon and her practice is taking new patients. The contact information is below (2). Also, for all Members and Insiders, I’ll be posting parts of the interview in the members section after it plays in Grand Rapids.

What are you prepared to do today?

        Dr. Chet

References:
1. www.infantsee.org
2. West Michigan Eyecare Associates. https://wmeyecare.com 616-949-8500.

Keeping Your Eyes Healthy

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When I interviewed our optometrist, Dr. Laura Kenyon, for my Sunday radio show here in Grand Rapids called Straight Talk on Health (you can listen live via the Internet by going to https://www.wgvunews.org/programs/straight-talk-health), I learned a lot about how to take care of your eyes. In this week’s Memos, I want to cover the things that you should do for good eye health, regardless of your current age. As you’ll find out, it’s never too early to start.

I asked Dr. Kenyon what were the biggest mistakes people make when caring for their eyes. Her answer rang a bell for me: most people believe they should see an eye doctor only when they need glasses, so they don’t get regular eye exams. That’s a mistake; whether they need glasses or not, very subtle changes that occur within the eye may not have been noticed because it hasn’t affected their vision yet. For example, I never would have known I had glaucoma if I hadn’t needed new glasses. Now, five or six years later, the pressure in my eyes is under control and I haven’t lost vision.

The most important rule is to get regular eye exams. How often? A motto she used says it all: To see clearly, check yearly. I think that’s a good one to adopt.

The second eye health mistake we make is not wearing sunglasses. The sun’s rays can damage the lenses of the eye even without bright sunshine, so if you’re going outdoors put on sunglasses even in cloudy weather.

I’ll finish the list on Saturday. In the meantime, is it time for you to schedule your eye exam? Get to it.

Also, tomorrow is the next Insider Conference Call. Essential amino acids and fasting before starting to change your diet are on the agenda, along with answering Insider questions. Isn’t it time you became an Insider? Join today and you can be a part of tomorrow’s call.

What are you prepared to do today?

        Dr. Chet

Why You Need Your Seven

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Green leafy vegetables and fruit convey health benefits to eyes and men’s sexual function. Why? It all comes down to blood flow and specifically, how those foods help blood vessels.

Nitrates cause dilation of blood vessels, especially the minute blood vessels in the heart, the eyes, and other organs, exactly when we need it most. Most people associate nitrates with processed meats, but green leafy vegetables and root vegetables such as beets have a far greater nitrate content without dragging along a lot of fat and sodium. The nitrates provide the raw materials that help the nitric oxide system . . .

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Green Leafy Veggies and Glaucoma

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Vegetables and fruits led the health news last week. You know my mantra: Eat less. Eat better. Move more. Research reported this past week provides some insight into the benefits of eating better. Let’s start with vegetables.

Researchers analyzed data from the Nurses Health Study and Health Professionals Follow-up Study. They were interested in the relationship between dietary nitrates and glaucoma; as the nitrate intake increased, the risk of glaucoma decreased when compared to the lowest intake. This is a longitudinal study and used Food Frequency Questionnaires as the source of the food intake. I’ve ranted about . . .

We're sorry, but this content is available to Members and Insiders only.

If you're already a DrChet.com Member or Insider, click on the Membership Login link on the top menu. Members may upgrade to Insider by going to the Store and clicking Membership; your membership fee will be prorated automatically.