Cataracts

[Sheila]

Dear Birdie,
Thank you for this feedback, most helpful. I had thought that my friend's reaction to Can-C was a) because his health is not as good as it could be b) he is prone to a more watery eye suggesting weakness and I am kicking myself that I did not suggest an eyewash tea first to improve structure BEFORE the Can-C preservative reaction, which he was so keen to try. I suspected it would have been nowhere near as severe if he had done this, and your result is an indication of that perhaps. Benzyl alcohol is still a dumb choice here.

FWIW, my reading on drusen is that it is fat-surrounded calcium deposits. Indeed, inappropriate calcium deposition seems to be considered lately as the primary causative issue with MD (looking at it separately to a whole of body issue as research does) and it would make sense since calcium is deposited as a normal 'cell death cue' for non-performant tissue. So if it is found there, I tend to look for it elsewhere as it will be a whole of body issue to some degree...or that is my contention. For a long time, and unsure of the mechanism, I linked eye health with liver health, merely as an repeated observation across my client base. I'm still missing pieces of the mechanism jigsaw for this and am aware that I could be exerting observational bias, BUT in my patients with MD, reducing bowel inflammation and improving liver function has been key to slowing MD, IF they are indeed related and I am seeing what I think I am seeing. Quite a few of these people also had a degree of rosacea, histaminic tendencies and, for me at least, that all fits. Dr Peat's newsletter on rosacea suggests significant eye/liver links IIRC.

In older people, it is my speculation that warfarin plays a distinct role in eye degeneration as it is a known 'inappropriate calcium depositor', essentially pushing a harmful mechanism faster than might otherwise be the case. I have not found high dose Vitamin A, or K2 to be helpful in my client base in terms of eye health - but that could be because their use is blocked in some manner by other factors. I noted you used bilberry in the past and though that was helpful, are you still of that opinion?

Thank you again for taking the time to update what is happening for you so we can all learn from this.
Best regards
Sheila

 

[Sheila]

Ah dear Birdie, a PS if I may.
There was a fascinating post on aspirin by @PakPik Aspirin As A Cure For Sepsis which set me thinking. Dr Peat has mentioned aspirin for eye health a number of times and it is Pakpik's contention that at the sub 2000mg a day dose, it has immunostimulant properties, and that its anti-inflammatory effect (which is how we have perhaps learned to regard it) requires at least 4000mg+ to kick in. That is, if I have understood the post correctly.

Steroid therapy is a known inducer of early and/or senile cataracts as well as a promoter of immunosuppression. Thus under the aging effect of greater cortisol 'naturally', chronic low grade irritation from say endotoxin is allowed to run rife, annoying the liver with so many down stream consequences, including eyesight. Does the aspirin at low levels boost immunity and thus reduce the effect of endotoxin and thereby boost eye health systemically, in the same way that the rising tide rises all boats?

I would welcome your thoughts on this, because if it is an immunostimulant that restores the body's own function, the connection of eyesight and liver function makes a bit more sense to me. And @PakPik, if I have said anything dumb, or misrepresented your contention, I would be delighted for you to correct me, or chime in as you see fit.

Kind regards
Sheila

 

[PakPik]

Steroid therapy is a known inducer of early and/or senile cataracts as well as a promoter of immunosuppression. Thus under the aging effect of greater cortisol 'naturally', chronic low grade irritation from say endotoxin is allowed to run rife, annoying the liver with so many down stream consequences, including eyesight. Does the aspirin at low levels boost immunity and thus reduce the effect of endotoxin and thereby boost eye health systemically, in the same way that the rising tide rises all boats?

I haven't really read or studied much about cataracts, so I don't have any specific understanding to share on that particular disorder.
I am under the impression that many of the common eye problems are greatly due to vascular problems, or at least that damage to the vascularity plays a big role in their setting and progression. Corticosteroids in excess are known to weaken blood vessels/make them more prone to rupture, so that could be one way they could harm the eyes.
Regarding aspirin, I am not aware that there is a connection between aspirin use and improved or worsened cataracts. At "ASPIRIN I" doses the studies I've seen support a clear pro-immunity/enhanced inflammatory reaction effect, but I am not sure if that would directly correlate to any effect on cataracts. If it helps to keep infections at bay through enhanced immunity, that would be a positive thing for blood vessels (since blood vessels suffer a lot of damage when exposed to infectious material/antigens), which in turn would be a good thing for eye health. But that's just speculation.

 

[shepherdgirl]

In Ray's Sept 2015 newsletter on mushrooms, and also in an interview with Danny Roddy, Ray has mentioned that lanosterol, a fungal sterol, can reverse protein aggregation. IIUC in the newsletter he also mentions that trehalose, a fungal sugar, can stabilize cells and help prevent protein aggregation. From reading a very limited amount about making mushroom extracts, it seems to me that lanosterol would have to be extracted with alcohol, whereas trehalose would be extracted with water. (I could be wrong, i know nothing about extraction!! Could someone who knows something chime in here please??)
I have never used lanosterol or trehalose in the eyes, but i am currently putting a little trehalose in my coffee, and it tastes pretty much like sugar but less sweet. I have seen lanosterol eye drops for dogs online. Here is a segment of an herb doctor interview (on Steiner schools, actually. Could not find the date but iirc it was within the last year or so), transcript thanks to www.l-i-g-h-t.com. (I disagree with Sarah here when she mentions boiling mushrooms for lanosterol, as I mentioned above.)

ANDREW MURRAY: Well, I know we do only have a few moments left, but I do want to ask you, Dr. Peat – and, again, this is – it ties into education, it ties into research, it ties into suppression of research. And this is the latest findings of a product called lanosterol and its use in the treatment in the very real treatment of cataracts without surgery and is extremely inexpensive and it works. So what do you think about lanosterol and eye cataracts?

RAY PEAT: I was just a little surprised to see a big publication in Nature. And this group, at the University of California, San Diego, was actually reversing the majority in something like half a dozen rabbits, and then dogs. Both using eye-drops and injecting it directly into the eyeball. They actually got established cataracts to clear up. And when i wrote a newsletter about cataracts, a couple of years ago, i noticed that research in treating and curing cataracts had been suppressed because of the immense amount of money there is in removing the lens during cataract surgery; it’s a multi-million dollars business.

And that money interest had just wiped out practically all curative research in eye studies.

ANDREW MURRAY: Interesting.

So we’ll keep our eyes open for lanosterol any other future publications and, hopefully, it doesn’t get suppressed and buried in the future, so that’s something to keep an eye out for Mushrooms happen to be a good source
of that steroid.

ANDREW MURRAY: Okay. And you said it was a precursor to cholesterol.

RAY PEAT: Yeah.

It’s preceding the – the polymer that cyclizes that forms lanosterol and that turns into cholesterol.

SARAH JOHANNESSEN MURRAY: So boil your mushrooms for 45 minutes to an hour and make a yummy winter soup.

ANDREW MURRAY: And don’t think of cholesterol as a bad thing because it’s not. Okay. Well, thank you so much for your time, Dr. Peat.

 

[Badger]

There is a $99.00 lanosterol product in Amazon, but they says its for dissolving cataracts in cats and dogs:
Amazon.com : Lanomax Lanosterol Eye Drops to Dissolve Cataracts in Dogs and Cats : Pet Supplies
Wonder if it is safe for humans?

 

[Sheila]

Dear PakPik
I appreciate your thoughts. I seem to recall Dr Peat knew of someone who used aspirin internally to reduce cataracts.
NAC (carnosine) I won't be using again, even if it IS the preservative that was the issue. It's not just a preservative in this administrative route, it increases the solubility of NAC so I have been informed by the manufacturers.
It reminds me of DMSO, some cope with it, and some certainly do not.
Best regards
Sheila

 

[daphne134]

to ray
Dr. Peat,
Thank you. The bicarbonate eyedrops made sense to me. We will start them.
All the best,
Ann



4:54 PM (33 minutes ago)
to me
It's important to test different solutions, starting with a 1% salt solution, and adding a small amount of bicarbonate to it in stages, testing it for comfort each time. It shouldn't irritate the eyes.

Hello, I'd like to report that I am doing this and starting to have some success. It took me a really long time since I first posted about my ocular issues to start making my own eye wash. (Had to have our whole house rewired, among other reasons, and it was too messy to make distilled water.) I was using various things - Lanomzx, Can-C, in the interim, which I suppose kept them at bay.

It's been about a week since I've been doing salt + bicarbonate eye washes and I am getting results particularly in the worse eye. I'm also using some pure lanosterol from IL. The lanosterol makes a noticeable difference in my ability to read print, perhaps because I've damaged the corneas with varous drops (haven't mentioned them all), not to mention reckless use of contact lenses over the years. Apart from topical eye stuff - MB, pyrucet, thiamaxx, several vitamins and gut remedies. Will be adding red light next.

 

[Birdie]

Hello, I'd like to report that I am doing this and starting to have some success. It took me a really long time since I first posted about my ocular issues to start making my own eye wash. (Had to have our whole house rewired, among other reasons, and it was too messy to make distilled water.) I was using various things - Lanomzx, Can-C, in the interim, which I suppose kept them at bay.

It's been about a week since I've been doing salt + bicarbonate eye washes and I am getting results particularly in the worse eye. I'm also using some pure lanosterol from IL. The lanosterol makes a noticeable difference in my ability to read print, perhaps because I've damaged the corneas with varous drops (haven't mentioned them all), not to mention reckless use of contact lenses over the years. Apart from topical eye stuff - MB, pyrucet, thiamaxx, several vitamins and gut remedies. Will be adding red light next.

Very interesting daphne. I got a notice that somebody had posted on this thread. I don't know why, maybe I turned off the notice option, but I did not see @Sheila 's comments until now. I'm going to re-read all and see what I can apply in my eye situation. Thank you so much.

 

[sweetpeat]

Hello, I'd like to report that I am doing this and starting to have some success. It took me a really long time since I first posted about my ocular issues to start making my own eye wash. (Had to have our whole house rewired, among other reasons, and it was too messy to make distilled water.) I was using various things - Lanomzx, Can-C, in the interim, which I suppose kept them at bay.

It's been about a week since I've been doing salt + bicarbonate eye washes and I am getting results particularly in the worse eye. I'm also using some pure lanosterol from IL. The lanosterol makes a noticeable difference in my ability to read print, perhaps because I've damaged the corneas with varous drops (haven't mentioned them all), not to mention reckless use of contact lenses over the years. Apart from topical eye stuff - MB, pyrucet, thiamaxx, several vitamins and gut remedies. Will be adding red light next.

Glad to hear this is working for you. Please keep us updated. I'm sure many could benefit from your experience.

 

[daphne134]

Very interesting daphne. I got a notice that somebody had posted on this thread. I don't know why, maybe I turned off the notice option, but I did not see @Sheila 's comments until now. I'm going to re-read all and see what I can apply in my eye situation. Thank you so much.

Good luck to you! I'm using a countertop distiller from a company called Pure Water, Inc. Salt is Morton's canning and pickling salt. Baking soda is from a company called Earthborn Elements which was the purest I could find at the time I purchased it.

 

[Lejeboca]

Hello, I'd like to report that I am doing this and starting to have some success. It took me a really long time since I first posted about my ocular issues to start making my own eye wash. (Had to have our whole house rewired, among other reasons, and it was too messy to make distilled water.) I was using various things - Lanomzx, Can-C, in the interim, which I suppose kept them at bay.

It's been about a week since I've been doing salt + bicarbonate eye washes and I am getting results particularly in the worse eye. I'm also using some pure lanosterol from IL. The lanosterol makes a noticeable difference in my ability to read print, perhaps because I've damaged the corneas with varous drops (haven't mentioned them all), not to mention reckless use of contact lenses over the years. Apart from topical eye stuff - MB, pyrucet, thiamaxx, several vitamins and gut remedies. Will be adding red light next.

Perhaps, add a weak solution of MB to a wash? I am not doing the wash myself but I am using these things+MB in a neti pot, which gets into the eyes from "inside", so to speak, and I've noticed that my eyes are less tired after a full-day at the computer since I've started adding MB. (I am using about 1mg dilution of MB)

I've also noticed similar to yours good results from lansoterol: Can read smaller than usual for me print.

How often do you use pyrucet and lanosterol for the eyes?

 

[daphne134]

Perhaps, add a weak solution of MB to a wash? I am not doing the wash myself but I am using these things+MB in a neti pot, which gets into the eyes from "inside", so to speak, and I've noticed that my eyes are less tired after a full-day at the computer since I've started adding MB. (I am using about 1mg dilution of MB)

I've also noticed similar to yours good results from lansoterol: Can read smaller than usual for me print.

How often do you use pyrucet and lanosterol for the eyes?

There was someone on here name Elle saying MB would not be good for the corneas and that actually stopped me from taking the MB eye drops I have. I take MB systemically though probably need to increase my dose, working on that, Health Natura ia very low dose.
To clarify I do pyrucet on hand so systemically. Def not in eye. Lanosterol, yes, in eyes. Once a day most days. I miss it when I don't do it - just posted about that on the merchant lanosterol thread.

 

[ecstatichamster]

any follow ups to this? thanks!

 

[facesavant]

Hello, I'd like to report that I am doing this and starting to have some success. It took me a really long time since I first posted about my ocular issues to start making my own eye wash. (Had to have our whole house rewired, among other reasons, and it was too messy to make distilled water.) I was using various things - Lanomzx, Can-C, in the interim, which I suppose kept them at bay.

It's been about a week since I've been doing salt + bicarbonate eye washes and I am getting results particularly in the worse eye. I'm also using some pure lanosterol from IL. The lanosterol makes a noticeable difference in my ability to read print, perhaps because I've damaged the corneas with varous drops (haven't mentioned them all), not to mention reckless use of contact lenses over the years. Apart from topical eye stuff - MB, pyrucet, thiamaxx, several vitamins and gut remedies. Will be adding red light next.

This sounds interesting. Do you put lanosterol in your eyes or around on the brow and under lashes? Do you mix it with bicarbonate solution? How is going at this point? Thank you

 

[LA]

@Birdie, @ecstatichamster and all

I just passed my DMV eye test last Fall and the tester was amazed that I could read/see the smallest lines. I dont wear glasses. I had an older friend who was a Healer up near where Jack LaLanne lived. She was 1/2 German and 1/2 Native American. She told me that some of the Healers, she knew or knew about, used and/or recommend Ascorbic acid washes in eyes to keep away cataracts and other eye problems. So I started rinsing my eyes out once a week with Ascorbic acid mixed in distilled water and taking vitamin A once a week. Lately I also wear a visor or a big hat whenever I go into the sun. Sunglasses dont seem as protective 'for me' and 'sometimes' I use blue-blocker glasses.

 

[Birdie]

@Birdie, @ecstatichamster and all

I just passed my DMV eye test last Fall and the tester was amazed that I could read/see the smallest lines. I dont wear glasses. I had an older friend who was a Healer up near where Jack LaLanne lived. She was 1/2 German and 1/2 Native American. She told me that some of the Healers, she knew or knew about, used and/or recommend Ascorbic acid washes in eyes to keep away cataracts and other eye problems. So I started rinsing my eyes out once a week with Ascorbic acid mixed in distilled water and taking vitamin A once a week. Lately I also wear a visor or a big hat whenever I go into the sun. Sunglasses dont seem as protective 'for me' and 'sometimes' I use blue-blocker glasses.

Well, thanks and interesting. I think Jack LaLanne lived up on Mulholland... I was at the bottom of a nearby canyon.... That ascorbic ac wash is interesting. I'll mull it over... I still use 2.00 reading glasses though. It hasn't gotten worse as would be expected. An ophthalmologist actually yelled at me a few years back saying I must need stronger lenses since he did himself.

 

[LA]

Jack LaLanne died in Morro Bay, CA. Age 96 years - respiratory failure due to pneumonia. My mom was a big fan and learned to do Jack LaLanne's "chair exercises for housewives" on TV. My dad also thought LaLanne was a terrific inspiration to people of all ages.
The news reports, at that time, were that Jack LaLanne kept swimming in his pool even after he was diagnosed with pneumonia. I always wondered if continuing to swim in his pool every morning at 5:00am would have contributed to his death. I remember asking people if they thought Jack La Lanne would have recovered if he had rested and taken antibiotics. He was always in good shape and had a great voice and looked healthy and cheery even after his few face lifts when he started doing commercials for juicers and such things. He was comfortable on camera and had no trouble speaking and trying to inspire others.

Morro Bay near the unusual Morro Rock is a tourist spot. LaLanne didn’t live in the tourist area although he did book signings and appearances on occasion and drew a crowd.
In one of his books "The Jack La Lanne Way to Vibrant Good Health" pages 16 + 17 there is this sentence: "In the Hollywood movie colony, where I reside most of the year, and where my daily television show on healthy and nutrition originates . . "
- - You had a good guess! Various actors live in the Mulholland area especially off Mulholland Drive, although there are other sections where actors live when working in the studios, even some who live in Malibu or Santa Barbara, who do not want to drive after working and have places 'in town'.

 

[Birdie]

My mother died in Morro Bay. My sister lives in the hills nearby. Yes, I remember when he died. And I loved him too. I did watch tv when I was first married and remember those commercials!

 

[RealNeat]

Has anyone tried or had success with either turpentine, DMSO or castor oil in the eyes? I AM NOT SAYING THAT THESE SUBSTANCES ARE SAFE TO PUT IN YOUR EYE. Just asking as in principle they should assist in dissolving.

 

[LA]

My mother died in Morro Bay. My sister lives in the hills nearby. Yes, I remember when he died. And I loved him too. I did watch tv when I was first married and remember those commercials!

may she RIP and wow, probably breath-taking views of the sun dropping into the Pacific from those hills. Too cold that far north in the winter 'for me' although I enjoy looking at the pacific ocean when the sun goes down.