My notes on reading this book:

Coping with Eyestrain

  • Working under flourescent lights can cause eyestrain as well as other problems, including migraine attacks
  • symptoms of eyestrain: redness, tearing, itching, swelling, burning, blurred vision, headaches, sensitivity to glare, difficulty adjusting to light, worsening of nearsightedness, and decreased concentration.
  • using your eyes intently for hours in an enclosed space without resting contributes not only to eyestrain but also to other health problems.
  • take frequent breaks, focus on an object acrosst the room, and remember to blink often
  • tip from chat gpt: use the 20/20/20 rule (20 min work cycles/20 sec stare at something 20 feet away from you)
  • set up your computer correctly. the viewing distance from the screen to the eyes should be 17 to 26 inches. the correct viewing angle is 10 to 20 degress from midscreen to to the top of the screen.
  • Adjust screen brightness and contrast properly
  • make sure overall room illumination is no more than 3x brighter than screen
  • use a desk lamp, if possible, instead of an overhead light and uncurtained windows. use anti-glare screen, set up a partition, or move your terminal to an area where glare is less of a problem
    • farsightedness, nearsightedness, astigmatism, eye-focusing disorders, and poor eye conditions may all worsen from using a computer innapropriately
    • dont continue to suffer from an ailment that is within your power to heal

Headaches

  • women are 15% more likely than men to get tension headaches
  • the age group most prone to headaches is the 30-39-year olds
  • In Japan, a 1997 TV cartoon broadcast featuring a strobe effect cause seven hundred child viewers to have seizures. -Even flourescent lights can cycle at a rate that makes vision very uncomfortable
  • childhood migraines can be associated with difficulties in relationships; in other words, the child is keeping emotions inside instead of expressing them. (I’ve seen family members experience this under this context so I can vouch its true)
  • no one knows what causes migraines, but studies have suggested that a lackj of the neurotransmitter serotin in the brain is common among people who have migraine headaches
  • migraines can be trigerred by many different foods and beverages.
    • example: sweets: refined sugars, chocolate; fruits and nuts: carob, figs, raising, peanuts, peanut butter, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds, bananas, avocados, and tomotoes
    • there are also items withing breads and cereals, meat and dairy, beverages (i.e. caffeine-related drinks), and chemicals such as MSG
    • to aide with headaches, massage the trigger points at the back of the neck and base of the skull (also considered going to the chiropractor)

Convetional migraine therapy

  • if you suffer from frequent or severe migraines, you should be under the care of a physician. you should make every effort to identify the factors that trigger the symptoms because avoidance may be far more useful than treatment

Alternative Migraine Therapy

  • Magnesium
  • 5-hydroxytryptophan
  • herbs such as cayenne pepper, bioflavonoid quercetin, and vitamin C can help prevent migraine reocurrance
  • WEstern herbs such as feverfew or stinging nettle. The active compound of feverfew (parthenolide) has been isolated but in a study in which the active compound was cmpared to the herb, migraine suffers preferred the herbal remedy available at the health store right now. This study should serve as a reminder that natural compounds like those found in the whole
  • herb may be more effective because they contain many phytonutrients that may work together in ways we don’t yet understand.

Seasonal effective disorder

  • supplemental melotonin is effective for many people to help them get into a normal 24 hour cycle and sleep the night through. Melatonin may also be effective for minimazing jet lag.

Improving night vision

  • with every decade of life, we lose 10% of our ability to adapt to the dark
  • through Abel’s research, he discovered that difficulty seeing at night does have a cause other than aging, and it is this: lack of proper nutrients for the eyes. in other words
  • declining night vision is a problem that you have the power to help resolve.
  • you can eat bilberry found in eating purple grapes, cranberries, or blueberries
  • diabetics to avoid the extra sugar should take the supplement instead
  • vitamin A can also help improve night vision. Vitamin A is found in spinach, and other dark leafy greens, carrots, sweet potatoes, aprocots, and cantalopues
  • Beta-caterone, the precurson to vitamin A, is found in similar foods. You can take Vitamin A or beta-caterone as a supplement
  • The Chinese have long known that, to heal the upper parts of the body (like the eyes), the uppper part of the plant (like the fruit) should be used. Foods that are yellow (containing the carotene lutein) and orange (containing beta-carotene) help improve your day vision; the blue and purple foods and red wine are good for you day vision.
  • Having a antireflective coating put on your glasses can help reduce glare at night and sharpen you night vision.
  • Checkout vitamin called Able Eyes

Deeper Investigation and Natural Therapy for Allergic Conjunctivitis

Diet and supplementation play important roles in preventing and treating allergic conjunctivitis. Dr. Robert Abel Jr. discovered that the adrenal glands are very important in mataining eye and body health. Providing support for the adrenal glands which relieve stress (an important complement) is an excellent path to follow. Supplementation here unclides taking vitaming B complex ( B6 and B12 especially) and vitamin C (start with 1 gram [1000mg] a day and slowly work up to three grams a day). If it gives you diarrhea, cut back until you find a dosage you can tolerate. Combinining these vitamins with bioflavonoids is useful in supressing allergic conjunctivitis. Quercetin which comes from red onions and garlic, is available as supllement as well: take 1000 MG a day. Quercetin is a powerful anti-flammatory- perhaps even more so that bilberry. If you take quarcetin, combine it with vitamin C and cayenne pepper.

Dr. Aber’s other recommendations for naturally combating allergies are:

  • Drink filtered water or bottled spring water
  • supplement with essential fatty acids, 500 mg twice a day with a meal and a fat-soluble vitamin
  • supplment with antioxidants, including vitamin C, quercetin, and/or bilberry, as discussed above
  • consume 5 to 10 servings of vegetables and fruits per day
  • avoid packaged foods
  • take an MSM supplement, 1000 mg daily. Try it for a month, and then, if it hasn’t eased your allergies, stop taking it.
  • Use olive leaf extract
  • Take a combination of chinese herbs