Marc R. Rose - Save your sight!: natural ways to prevent and reverse macular degeneration

PUBLISHERS NOTE: The information in this book can be a valuable addition to your doctors advice, but it is not intended to replace the services of trained health professionals. You should consult your physician or health care professional in matters relating to your health, and in particular regarding symptoms that may require diagnosis or immediate attention.

Grateful acknowledgment is given to reprint The Many Disguises of MSG chart on pages 8687: Reprinted with permission from Excitotoxins: The Taste That Kills by Russell L. Blaylock, M.D., Health Press, Santa Fe, NM, 1994.

Copyright 1998 by Marc R. Rose, M.D., Michael R. Rose, M.D., and Virginia Hopkins, M.S.

All rights reserved.

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First eBook Edition: December 2008

ISBN: 978-0-446-55357-5

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Book design by Nancy Singer Olaguera

Text composition by Peng Olaguera

Illustrations by Tu Pham

Dedicated to our children,
Adam, Joanna, Alyssa, Jonathan, Hillary,
David, Sara, Stephen, Jennifer, and Jerry,
who have inspired us
to search more deeply
for the answers.

We would like to thank Bill Sardi for his years of research into the intricacies of nutrition and eye diseases, and hence his invaluable contribution to this book. We would also like to thank Virginia Hopkins for her role in helping us envision, write, and edit this book, and Melissa Lowenstein for her expertise in tracking down the latest research and putting it all down on the written page. We owe much appreciation to our editor, Colleen Kapklein, who saw the value of this book and guided us to create a timely and clear work. We are indebted to the courageous and pioneering work of the late Linus Pauling, and to Jonathan Wright, M.D., and Alan Gaby, M.D., for their pioneering work in nutritional therapy in medical practice.

You Can Keep Your Vision Sharp as You Age

Macular degeneration is a devastating disease of progressive loss of vision and, for many, eventual blindness. In spite of the fact that it is the leading cause of blindness among older Americans, it has not attracted a lot of research money or media attention until recently. Some twelve million people show the early telltale signs of macular degeneration, and four million people already suffer from loss of vision.

Why dont we have an American Macular Degeneration Society, or a department at the National Institutes of Health devoted to a war on macular degeneration? Perhaps the reason is that those who are afflicted by macular degeneration are older, or that loss of vision tends to make people retreat into themselves, rather than stand up and shout for attention. Mainstream medicine has no effective drug or surgical treatment for it, so who wants to talk about that?

We are both ophthalmologists, medical doctors who specialize in the prevention and healing of diseases of the eyes. To help our patients save their sight, we have also become research scientists, working to understand how the health of the eyes and body are interconnected. Our quest to find answers for our patients suffering from a long list of eye diseases, including glaucoma, cataracts, diabetic eye disease, and retinitis pigmentosa, has led us into the world of alternative medicine. Youll be amazed at how relatively simple the answers are. There are no magic pills, no exotic new technologies (which we love, but they dont apply here) or fancy diets that will prevent and stop eye disease. The answers are found in sensible diet, nutritional supplements, exercise, and some important lifestyle choices. And best of all, there are no drug side effects or the risks associated with surgery.

We have seen hundreds of patients halt the progression of macular degeneration, and dozens actually reverse it. Most doctors dont yet embrace the kind of nutritional therapies described in this book; we hope that they come around soon.

Chances are good that you bought this book because you or someone close to you has been diagnosed with eye disease. If you are one of the millions with macular degeneration, your eye doctor most likely has told you there is nothing to be done short of risky laser surgery to slow your loss of vision. We know you are looking for another path to better eye health. Were glad youve found this book.

Were going to give you very detailed nutritional guidelines that we have seen prevent, halt, and sometimes even reverse the progress of macular degeneration and other eye diseases related to aging. If you can commit to our Ten Steps to Restoring Vision and Vitality and the nutritional protocol for your eye disease for at least nine months, you can almost certainly improve your vision. At the very least, you can keep it from getting worse.

Best of all, your vision isnt the only thing that will get better. The recommendations youll find in this book will improve the health of your entire body. Whats good for your eyes is good for all of you.

Its never too early or too late to take the steps we recommend. Eye disease and other diseases that afflict aging people begin in your twenties and thirties, and no matter how old you are, your health can always improve.

YOUR EYES ARE YOUR WINDOW ON THE WORLD. KEEP THEM HEALTHY.

See better longer when you discover:

How natural regeneration therapies can arrest and sometimes turn the degenerative process around

What to look for in a pair of good-quality sunglassesand why you should be wearing them

How certain foods, substances, stress, and activities affect your body

What kinds of foods and dietary supplements provide the greatest nutritional benefits for your eyes

Ways to minimize the damaging effects of environmental toxins like cigarette smoke, sun, and pollutants

... and much more.

SAVE YOUR SIGHT!

Your Eyes Are a Window to Your Health: Ten Steps to Restoring Vision and Vitality

An eye exam reveals much more than the condition of your eyes. They are a window to the inner workings of your body, and a barometer of how healthy you are. When we look into the eye with a special instrument that allows a view beneath the surface, we can check the blood vessels behind the retina. If they are affected by disease, seen as tiny clots in the capillaries there, its probable that blood vessels throughout the body are similarly afflicted. If the optic nerve is pale from lack of blood flow, we can make the same assumption. The effects of high blood cholesterol can be seen in the form of a grey ring around the inside of the clear cornea. If the iris is inflamed, its a safe bet that there is inflammation elsewhere in the body.

There are many eye problems that reflect ill health in the body that can often be prevented or stopped in a matter of months with appropriate diet, supplements, and lifestyle changes. These include age spots on the retina known as drusen (an early sign of macular degeneration), ophthalmic migraines (squiggly flashes of light seen in the peripheral vision), Bitots spots (on the whites of the eyes), poor night vision, floaters, chronic glare and light sensitivity, eye hemorrhages, cataracts, dry eyes, and macular edema (swelling).

In many cases, symptoms that crop up in the eyes are the first sign of diseases in other body parts. We often discover signs of diabetes, high blood pressure, blood vessel disease, or autoimmune disorders in the process of examining a patients eyes.