Mr Bukle Zukum, an entrepreneur from the National Board for Technology Incubation (NBTI) Jos centre says indiscriminate mixture of herbal remedies can adversely affect the wellbeing of citizens.
Zukum made this known in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Tuesday.
According to him, many people just mix herbs together without due consultation thereby causing harm to themselves.
Zukum an expert in the production of herbal remedies using local spices such as turmeric, cinnamon seeds and honey said that people should adhere strictly to the direction and usage of medicines as directed by the producer.
“Most of the problems people encounter after using herbal remedies come mostly from the misuse of such remedies.
“In my work, I have come to notice that most people in the bid to get quick relief from their pain go and mix all sorts of remedies together with the hope of getting fast result.
“But these things don’t work that way, each remedy has the ailment for which it is produced, in fact the patient ends up aggravating his situation because most agents in one remedy might be an anti-agent in another remedy.
“So instead of helping the patient to get better, it rather adds to his discomfort and even in some situations may even lead to a life threatening circumstance,’’ he said.
Zukum therefore advised citizens to always adhere to prescriptions and dosage written on the leaflets of all remedies before taking them in order not to endanger their lives.
He further said that people should desist from mixing together remedies that they do not know the compositions and ingesting them without proper consultation.
On the standards of local remedies, the entrepreneur said that most Nigerian remedies were now standardised, adding that all of the remedies in NBTI undergo the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) safety specifications before they are allowed to be released.
He appealed to the government to provide funding for entrepreneurs to be able to commercialise their products and also go into further research to improve their innovations
“Most entrepreneurs products can compete favourably with all these GNLD or Tianshi products what we need is funding to be able to showcase our products to the world.
“With adequate funding, we can produce highest quality of materials that are locally sourced, produce enmass and export outside the country thereby bringing in the much needed foreign exchange for the country,’’ Zukum said.
Tag: health
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Indiscriminate mixture of herbs adverse to health- Expert
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New Ebola deaths recorded in Congo – health ministry
Two new deaths from Ebola and seven new confirmed cases have been recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo, the health ministry said on Tuesday.
One of the deaths occurred in the provincial capital of Mbandaka, according to a daily bulletin. A nurse also died in the village of Bikoro, where the outbreak was first detected, ministry spokeswoman Jessica Ilunga told Reuters.
The seven new confirmed cases were registered in Bikoro, the ministry said.
Health officials administered an experimental vaccine on Monday to 33 medical workers and Mbandaka residents, WHO spokesman Tarik Jasarevic told reporters in Geneva.
The vaccine manufacturer Merck has provided WHO with 8,640 doses of the vaccine and an additional 8,000 doses are expected to be available in the coming days, WHO said.
Congo’s ninth outbreak of Ebola since 1976 is believed to have killed at least 28 people so far.
Officials are particularly concerned by its appearance in Mbandaka, a crowded trading hub on the Congo River with road, water and air links to Congo’s capital, Kinshasa.
NAN reports that the WHO said it will need 26 million dollars for the Ebola Response in the DRC over the next three months.
WHO said it had also released two million dollars from its Contingency Fund for Emergencies, to scale up the Ebola response.
Read Also: Ebola outbreak spreads to DR Congo city
The Government of DRC, with the support of WHO partners, is preparing to vaccinate high risk populations against Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) in affected health zones.
The organisation said health workers operating in affected areas were being vaccinated on Monday and community outreach had started to prepare for the ring vaccination.
More than 7,500 doses of the rVSV-ZEBOV Ebola vaccine have been deployed to DRC to conduct vaccination in the northwestern Equator Province where 46 suspected, probable and confirmed Ebola cases and 26 deaths have been reported – as of Friday.
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Obasanjo, Gowon hail ABUAD’s revolution in education, health
Former Head of State Gen. Yakubu Gowon and ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo have hailed the Afe Babalola University Ado-Ekiti (ABUAD) for its contributions to education and health sectors within eight years of its existence.
They spoke yesterday at the inauguration of four multi-billion naira projects that will add value to the university and its teaching hospital.
Gen. Gowon and Obasanjo said ABUAD, founded by eminent lawyer and educationist Aare Afe Babalola (SAN), has shored up Nigeria’s image abroad and given Nigerians opportunities to receive quality education and healthcare delivery in the country.
The leaders said with the establishment of ABUAD, Nigeria was gradually regaining its pride of place scholarship.
The projects inaugurated are Dome Planetarium for Exploratory Trip for Space, Tele-medicine equipment at the teaching hospital, the multi-billion naira Postgraduate Hall and the Social and Management Science building.
Visiting the 400-bed ABUAD Teaching Hospital for the first time, Obasanjo noted that every Nigerian, including the rich, has no reason travelling abroad for medical treatment.
Obasanjo said: “ABUAD is gradually transforming Nigeria. When I reappointed Chief Afe Babalola the Chairman and Pro-Chancellor of the University of Lagos, he was determined to turn things around but that environment did not permit him.
“I want to thank God today that he has started translating those dreams to reality. So, with the aesthetic structures I am seeing, I can say that ABUAD has become a huge blessing to Nigeria.”
Gowon described ABUAD as a 21st century university with the culture of learning and morality, saying the university has become a cynosure of all eyes and investment that is fast radicalising the country’s education system.
He said: “This university is becoming a trail blazer in all aspects. The development is attracting global bodies to invest and the product is what you are seeing in the memoranda it was signing with big educational and health institutions across the globe.
“ABUAD is doing well in academics, morality and in agriculture. Look at the farm set up by the founder, Chief Babalola. It has offered employment and it is increasing food production in Nigeria.
“The benefit of this institution will be exceptionally tremendous. The founder has done well for himself in life by setting up an institution that has widening Nigeria’s recognition and contributions to scholarship across the globe.”
Babalola said with the establishment of ABUADTH, Nigerians do not need to travel abroad for medical treatments, adding that the university was set up to correct perceived imbalances in the education sector.
He said: “This university was set up to be a real example of 21st century university. A modern university that can compete with any university in advanced nations.
“This university was established eight years ago and it was ranked to be between one and four in Nigeria. By the time we will be 10, it will be number one in Nigeria and this will make it a formidable force in the global scene .”
On the new university teaching hospital, Babalola said the expatriates brought in from Aster Hospital in Dubai have been exposing experts in the university to various fields that can make treatment of any ailment easy in the university.
The ABUAD founder expressed optimism that the university would become the number one in Nigeria in the next two years with giant strides being recorded.
Babalola added that ABUAD would be one of the 100 best universities globally.
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Ambode: massive investment on health, education sectors underway
Lagos State Governor Akinwunmi Ambode yesterday reiterated his administration’s commitment to massively invest in the health and education sectors of the state, saying that 2018 budget would be accounted for by projects executed in the sectors.
Speaking through his Chief of Staff, Mr Samuel Ojo at the 5th Summit of the Association of the Lagos State Retired Heads of Service and Permanent Secretaries, Governor Ambode said that the sectors have remained the key areas of his administration’s development plan.
Describing the theme of the summit entitled: “Lagos State Vision on Education and Health in Relations to the sustainable Goals”, as apt, Governor Ambode said that the sectors determine the human capital development index of any nation.
“An educated and healthy population is a great asset that can contribute effectively to wealth creation. Great nations are not made by the quality of natural resources they are endowed with but by the quality of their human capital. In the last three years, our administration has invested heavily in the education sector to ensure that no child is left behind irrespective of their parent’s and economic status.”
The Governor assured that as a measure of premium placed on the two sectors and in line with his administration’s commitment to the Sustainable Development Goals, he said he would ensure that plans for the two sectors are implemented.
On her par, the state’s the Head of Service, Mrs Folasade Adesoye, said that it was crucial that education and health policies are simultaneously addressed and better coordinated to maximise gains of both sectors.
She added that the state has continued to be foremost state in the federation in term of growth and development, describing the forum as one of the key strengths.
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Lagos trains on health, safety in Chemical industry
The Lagos State Safety Commission (LSSC) has trained key players in the chemical industry on health and safety.
The LSSC held the one-day training in Lagos on Monday, in collaboration with its safety consultant Didomi Company Ltd.
The theme was ‘A focus on health and safety in the chemical industry: an education and sensitisation workshop on health and safety in the me mega city.’
Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Special Duties and Inter-governmental Relations, Dr Jemilade Longe, said the workshop is an advocacy programme for handlers of chemicals, to educate them on how to handle chemicals safely.
Longe, represented by his Director of Admininistartion, Human Resources, Basirat Akinsanya, said with the workshop, all those handling chemicals will be more safety cautious. She said this would enable the state achieve its vision and mission.
“When individuals are safety councious, organisations will be safe, the community will be safe and their will be less cases of emergency.”
She urged participants to take the workshop seriously, noting that life was all about safety and continuous training is essential.
The Commision’s Director-General, Hakeem Dickson, was represented by Director of Safety, Training and Education, Adebiyi Adeyinka.
Dickson said: “The Comision was established to ensure the safety of Lagosians and ensure that all sectors in the state’s economy are carried out in such a way that workers are safe. We are responsible to ensure that everybody in the state is safe irrespective of where they come from.
“The workshop is about handling chemicals safely and all stakeholders are here to be sensitised on how best to carry out their jobs so that the dangers arising from the handling of chemicals can be reduced.
“One of our functions at the commission is to conduct safety risk assessment of their storage facility, to know if the chemicals are safely stored.”
He said the workshop would ensure safe chemical handling in the state, noting that it would prevent spillage of chemicals that could ignite fire.
Didomi Company Limited, Chief Executive Officer, Adekola Joseph, said the workshop seeks to sensitise key players in the chemical industry, including the manufacturers, importers, dealers and users on the use of chemicals.
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Health workers to Nigerians: shun govt hospitals for now
THE striking health workers have warned Nigerians against using government hospitals during the ongoing Joint Health Sector Union (JOHESU) strike.
They noted that government hospitals have become death traps due to the JOHESU strike
Speaking under the umbrella body of Professional Associations in JOHESU (AHPA), the group warned the public not to put their lives at risk by seeking healthcare services in the health institutions.
They alleged that chief executives of health institutions have hired unqualified hands to attend to patients in the hospitals.
The workers also blamed the Ministry of Health for the continued unrest in the sector.
The group stated that they would not be cowed by the draconian directives of “no work-no pay rule” by the ministry.
Dr. Godswill Okara, who read the group’s prepared statement, said AHPA was worried with the way the ministry in collaboration with the medical doctors were trying to run the hospitals since the beginning of the strike action.
He said: “We are further worried and therefore we want to warn members of the public to be wary of seeking healthcare services in all the tertiary health institutions in the country while the strike lasts. This is because, in compliance with the obnoxious circular, chief executives of these health institutions have now gone ahead to recruit charlatans and quacks, who are mainly their cronies and relatives to hold out as healthcare professionals attending to patients in these hospitals.
“As we speak to you now we have discovered such cases in some FMCs including in the FCT and Owerri, where these quacks are now holding sway and maiming patients in the process.
“In one instance, an HIV negative patient has been issued with a positive result. And we have also been reliably informed that one medical director, in violation of extant rules on Public Private Partnership (PPP), brought into the hospital premises his relations to help him divert patients to his private hospital and equally stationed some other quacks to help him take patients’ specimens to questionable places for analyses.
“Some patients are now being issued with very doubtful Liver and Renal Function test results. No thanks to the promotion of quackery by the FMoH in these institutions to the detriment of the members of the public.”
The group urged the security agencies to investigate the allegations so as to end the trend and save lives.
“We urge the DSS to beam its investigative searchlights on all the tertiary hospitals where JOHESU members are currently on strike with a view to unraveling more of these corrupt practices, criminal acts and atrocities.”
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PZ Wilmar: Health crucial to economic growth
Notable food ingredients consumer brand, PZ Wilmar has said health is vital to economic growth. It said the major focus of its Mamador cook oil therefore is promotion of heart health.
Its Category Marketing Manager, Chioma Mbanugo said Mamador is a health conscious brand that focuses the health of the consumers, adding that it also striving to provide its consumers with the highest quality.
Speaking during the unveiling of its national consumer promo, tagged: Mamador Kitchen Makeover in Lagos at the weekend, she said the promo was designed to reward loyal consumers across the country.
She said: “We believe that consumers should enjoy their meals without any worries, the heart is essential to us as humans and we can also agree that our kitchen and its utensils also play an important role in ensuring healthy living. So we consider this a better way to reward our loyal consumer than to further enhance their cooking experience and encourage them to make more healthy and tasty meals.”
Also speaking, the Sales Director, PZ Wilmar, Ipsit Chakrabarti said the firm remained committed to providing great quality, healthy cooking oil for Nigerian families.
“This promotion, as it extends to all markets and stores across Nigeria, is also an extension of that commitment; we want ensure that our consumers do not just enjoy healthy and tasty meals but they also enjoy the process of making them as well,” he said.
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AXA Mansard Health, others move against breast cancer
AXA Mansard Health Limited, a leading health insurance provider and its partners African Women’s Entrepreneurship Programme (AWEP) and Alliance Hospital, Abuja have showed their commitment to tackling breast cancer by sponsoring a breast cancer seminar.
It was titled: ‘Current trends in the management of breast cancer.’
The event featured the education on breast cancer and its management.
An oncologist Dr Bisi Ademuyiwa listed strategies on preventing cancer, handling triple negative breast cancers, global best practices and emerging new trends in breast cancer treatment.
She dispelled myths and tales about the nature, causes, spread and treatment of breast cancer.
Dr. Ademuyiwa also consulted with 40 breast cancer patients at the Alliance Hospital, Garki, Abuja.
This was in line with AXA Mansard’s focus on the needs of the women, and its SHE (Super Heroes Everyday) Initiative, through which the firm demonstrates its understanding of the woman – her nature, needs, goals and achievements.
The SHE initiative identifies how important the woman is and proffers solutions to her challenges.
AXA Mansard Health Limited Chief Executive Officer Mr. Tope Adeniyi said: ” Breast cancer is beyond just a health issue; it has social and economic implications on its victims, their families and their societies. We will, therefore, continue to be an active participant in the fight against the deadly scourge.”
Breast cancer is the second most common type of cancer in women. It kills about half a million of them yearly due to insufficient medical care and awareness about the disease.
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Health implications of current heat waves
SIR: The atmosphere these days is becoming increasingly hot and unbearable. The development which has caused profuse perspiration and does not seem to have reprieve even at nights is the effect of global warming currently sweeping across the globe.
This climate change is becoming an emerging public health concerns. The high temperature coupled with humidity has led to mortality and morbidity where it continues unabatedly through the night. The body becomes exhausted and overwhelmed and may react to this situation mildly or severely from minor symptoms like psychological stress, heat rash, heat cramps, chicken pox to extreme cases like heat syncope, exhaustion, meningitis, fainting and strokes which may lead to neurological damage and even death.
This period of heightened temperature with adverse bodily effects is what is referred to as heat wave. With increase in the body’s temperature, central nervous and circulatory systems are impacted. The most vulnerable to heat waves are children, elderly, sedentary urban dwellers who do not have access to air conditioners and those whose apartments do not have windows that allow for ventilation of air. Others are obese and people with certain medical conditions, even diuretic drugs for treatment of high blood pressure and medications for mental health conditions have been found to be susceptible to heat and can worsen the condition of the patients.
Where electricity is not available especially at night hours, the tendency would be to keep both doors and windows ajar. This could be an open invitation to dangerous reptiles and men of the underworld, so care must be taken so that one does not jump from fry pan to fire.
Air conditioners have been found to be effective in cooling room temperature but fans actually aggravate such situations because of the hot air they blow.
It is reported that heat waves kill more Americans than other natural disaster like floods, hurricanes, tornadoes and tsunamis.
World Metrological Organization had predicted prolonged and extreme hot weather across the world. It arrived at this conclusion after compiling data from over 80 weather agencies around the world. It is recorded that 2016 was the world hottest year, unfortunately it has so far not changed and this trend has not shown signs of abating soon.
Nigerian Metrological Agency has also corroborated this report and therefore warned that Nigerians will experience warmer nights and hotter days. Nigerians living in the northern flank of the country are already trying to adjust to this adverse weather condition. In some parts, the heat of the sun is reportedly felt as early as 7am; experts have warned that Nigerians should avoid long exposure to the sun.
But in a clime where many of its citizens are subsistent farmers who work manually and spend endless hours in their farms to either till the land or harvest their crops, such warnings are easily ignored. Effects of being exposed to the sun for a long time should rather be explained to them; so that they would limit the time they spend outside.
Similarly, vendors hawking sundry articles on busy Nigerian roads spend their days under the sun. The advice here is that they spend sometimes under shades to reduce impacts of the sun on their skins.
It is advisable to stay under shades of trees, bathe regularly and enough water should be taken in order to prevent dehydration during this period. Also, virtually all fruits are good for the body in times like this, but fruits and vegetables such as tomatoes, cucumber, leafy greens, berries, coconut water, water melon are among the best, even spicy pepper is recommended because it can stimulate heat receptors in the mouth that enhances circulation which produces sweat that cools down the body. Also, frequent checks of the body’s blood pressure are recommended. Sun screen and sun lotion with solar protection can be of help to the eyes and the body respectively.
Alcoholic drinks and beverages such as spirits, coffee, caffeinated drinks, sodas and also smoking of tobacco are more dangerous to the body during this period.
But the solution to adverse effects of global warming still remains the sustained tree planting culture. With desert encroachment in some parts of the northern part of the country resulting in depleted vegetation and wind erosion, this is the inevitable action to take in other to stay alive.
- Itaobong Etim,
Calabar.
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Some herbal guardians of health in 2017 (7)
When we go on a walk with Mother Nature in her wondrous healing gardens, we are never in want of remedies for all kinds of ailments. That is one of the lessons taught in those parts of this series on GLAUCOMA and CATARACTS of the eye lens. We set out, for example, on the healing effects of Magnesium on such ailments as sleep disorders, muscle spasms and pain, brain fog and depression, constipation and indigestion and the likes of them, and we were to end up on the radiance of its healing rays on glaucoma and cataracts of the eye lens before moving on to some other healing remedies which made a positive impression on our health or ideas of health last year. The fact that Magnesium and other herbs or food supplements may help in the natural management of cataracts sparked enquiries about whether it is possible to resolve cataracts of the eye lens without ophthalmic surgery.
Last week, we received two positive contributions. One was by Dr. Edward Kondrot, an ophthalmologist for 20 years, who says he no longer employs surgery to cure these cataracts except, perhaps, in extreme cases. Two incidents persuaded him to drop the knife. One was a growing body of scientific and medical knowledge which shows that more than half of the people who undergo cataract surgery may end up with macular degeneration, a cause of blindness. The second is the discovery from about 1978 that certain nutritional supplements used as eye drops may reverse cataracts.
The second contribution came from a woman with eye problems which took her to many consultants. Medication after medication worsened her eye condition and devastated her health in many ways. But in only one month of being on Magnesium dietary supplementation, her health problems dramatically cleared. In the following feature, these possibilities are explored. Welcome, once again, to the thoughts of Dr. Kondrot, and the ideas of many researchers on this subject…
Natural cures for eye cataract
I promised to return to a natural cataract cure, based on the enquires of some challenged readers. There are some products in the Nigerian market. These include Cataract clear and Glutarakt. Listen again to Dr. Edward Kondrot: “The traditional treatment that Western ophthalmologists do is to remove cataract. They do not look at the underlying cause. They insert a plastic lens to take the place of natural human lens. You have been hearing all sorts of things about the danger of plastics. I think it could be a potential problem to plot a plastic device inside your eyes. Although rare, there are complications, infection, loss of vision, corneal swelling, glaucoma and, interestingly, an increased incidence of muscular degeneration. I am not totally against cataract surgery. In some situation, you should have cataract surgery where it is advanced to the point where it is obstructing your vision. In most cases, when the cataract is at the earlier stage, you should consider the alternative treatment I am going to talk about.
“There is a published five-year study looking at the incident of macular degeneration in a group of people who had cataract and cataract surgery. The study demonstrated that there was a three fold increase in macular degeneration after cataract surgery. This statistic is shocking. Most eye doctors, including myself, at one time thought the person is just getting older. They are going to develop macular degeneration, anyway. This is false. You should take the steps to find out what is causing the cataract, and try to reverse it with more natural means. These are the three causes of cataract, and each one of these areas needs to be addressed. The first one is aging. The clock is ticking. There is not much we can do about that, but we can begin to change our lifestyle to help reduce the ill effects of aging.
“A big area I want to talk about is nutrition. There is no question that cataract is linked to nutrition. The bottom one is HEAVY METALS. There is no question cataracts are related to LEAD. If you have elevated LEAD, you need to have this taken care of. These are some of the essentials to treat cataracts: Nutrition, proper hydration and reduced stress.
“Physiologically, in the eyes when you develop a cataract, researchers have found that the ASCORBIC ACID and GLUTATHIONE levels in the AQUEOUS that surrounds the CATARACT becomes decreased. It makes sense if the elements are decreased that we need to replenish them in the body to help slow the progression of the cataract, or in some cases reverse it. GLUTATHIONE-containing foods: Spanish, Broccoli, Brussel Sprouts, Parsley, Avocado, Asparagus, Grapefruit, Strawberries and Milk thistle.
“These are some Glutathione-containing foods. Grandmother was right…more important are foods to avoid. White sugar is first on the list. Another is fructose … there is also sucrose and fruit juice concentrate. All are high in sugar, which help the cataract grow. Proper hydration is essential. If you do not drink enough water, these toxins will accumulate and cause adverse changes in your body. One of them is CATARACT…
“There was a study done out of HARVARD UNIVERSITY that links low-level LEAD exposure to the development of CATARACT…there is no question all of us have been exposed to LEAD. When I was growing-up, we had leaded gasoline, leaded paints and leaded pencils. It is in our environment, water and food. I believe this is the biggest contributory factor to the development of CATARACT. We need to be tested for heavy metals. The only accurate way is a six-hour URINE PROVOCATIVE TEST. You could be dying of lead poisoning and your urine would be negative for lead…the lead goes into your bone, brain, eyes, muscles and fat…the best way to remove the lead is CHELATION THERAPY. Dr. Robert Rowen, the Editor of SECOND OPINION, stated that IVEDTA chelation a month can prevent cataract.
“…I am interested in reversing the cataract and actually improving your vision. There are two prescription eye drops that can do this. The first one is OCLUMED. The second is an eye drop developed by Dr. Rowen. It is a mixture of DMSO, ASCORBIC ACID and GLUTATHIONE. Earlier, I commented that the Ascorbic Acids levels and Glutathione levels are reduced when you get a cataract, so it makes sense to have an eye drop like this …The Oclumed has a great combination of key ingredients to help reverse the cataract. One is L-carnosine, which immediately neutralises existing free radicals. N-Acetylene-Carnitine provides a long-term protection because it lasts longer in the cell. This eye drop also has Glutathione, which is one of the most important antioxidants in the lens. It also has CYSTEINE ASCORBATE, which is a water-stable source of Vitamin C and L-Cysteine, which are very important antioxidants. We need to get the Glutathione and Ascorbic acid, or Vitamin C in high concentration to reverse the cataract changes. L-Cysteine is use to regenerate or reduce the oxidised form of L-Glutathione in the eyes.”
(For more information about the impact of glutathione on health, read the post in www.olufemikusa.com entitled CELLGEVITY, SENIOR CITIZENS AND THEIR PECULIAR CHALLENGES).
Dr. Edward Kondrot mentions many more nutrients good for the eyes, and lays out some products he has developed and used to reverse cataracts in 20years of work in this field. Someday, we would return to him, given the high rate of cataract occurrence in Nigeria and the wish of challenged people to resolve their condition naturally.
L-carnosine
L-carnosine is “big” news to many people. But to scientists and workers in the medical field, it is not. L-carnosine, also called carnosine, is made by the body from two non-essential amino acids, ALANINE and HISTIDINE. Non-essential amino acids are produced by the body from ingredients in the diet, whereas we have to consume essential amino acids because the body cannot make them through transformation of one amino acid into another. Carnosine is an antioxidant amino acid with many health benefits in the body. The body can make lots of it if the diet provides Alanine and Histidine. As an antioxidant, carnosine helps to neutralise free radicals. These are molecules which damage cell membrane and DNA, the genetic code of the cells. Cells damaged by free radicals become weak or tired, are unable to function properly, may becomed diseased and even die prematurely.
Our eyes are attacked everyday by free radicals, especially by the blue rays in the wavelength of the sunlight we require to see. Mother Nature is not unaware that this may happen and, so, has fortified the eyes with antioxidants to protect the eyes against free radicals. Among these antioxidants are Glutathione, the body’s master antioxidant, Vitamins A, C and E, Alpha Lipoic Acid (ALA), Zinc, Magnesium, Selenium and, from the carotenoid family, Lutein, Zeazanthin and Astazanthin. The bioflavonoid family provides arsenal which include Rutin and Quercitin. There are also Ginkgo biloba and Bilberry. All these and more are present in the eyes. But, under stress or over exposure to free radicals or even poor nutrition, poor in the sense of antioxidant deficiency in the diet, the eye may not obtain enough antioxidants from the diet everyday, and gradually, unknown to us, become damaged by free radicals.
Some medical studies have shown that L-carnosine improves nerve function, even in autism, and protects muscles.
Cataract types
There are three types of cataracts, generally speaking. Cortical or diabetic cataract begins in the periphery of the lens and grows inwards. Cataract in the middle of the lens is called Nuclear cataract. Sub capsular cataract are often found at the back of the lens and called posterior sub-capsular cataracts. They often affect diabetics, steriod ulcers, people challenged with retinitis pigmentosa and severely short-sighted people, that is people who can see very near objects but may not see beyond their “noses”, literally speaking. Symptoms may vary among the various types and the degree of challenge, but they all tend to exhibit cloudness of vision and sensitivity to light. Retinitis pigmentosa is characterised partly by swelling of blood vessels in the retina which may leak into it and/or growth of new blood vessels in the retina.
Carnosine therapy
Carnosine abounds not only in skeletal and nerve tissue but also in the lens of the eyes, where there is still no evidence of its production. Thus, it is still assumed that carnosine is produced elsewhere in the body and transported to the eye lens. This is not the end of the story. In the eye lens, as elsewhere in the body, Carnosine is degraded by an enzyme named Carnosinase into Histidin and Alanine. Carnosinase is resident in the lens. As carnosine is not in the lens for decoration purposes, and as it is being degraded by Carnosinase, and as low levels of Carnosine would appear to be present in cataract of the lens, researchers began to think of ways to pump more to carnosine into the lens. N-Acetyl Carnosine (NAC) provided an answer in NAC eye drops. NAC was found to be a precursor of Carnosine in the eye. When it is dropped into the eye, NAC is protected against Carnosine degradation and safely delivers L-carnosine into the lens to do battle with cataract.
The battle is with an army of chemical substances which, individually, in combinations or as a group can obstruct proper vision in what is known as cataract. Just to name a few, there are Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS), Advanced Glycation End products (AGEs), peroxides and Aldehydes among others. ROS are “singlet” oxygen free radicals. We all know that we need oxygen to live. This oxygen has two molecules (O2). When it is used for our living processes, such as the production of energy, it produces a waste know as singlet oxygen (O), or ROS. This waste attacks the membranes of cells to steal electrons from them in other to stabilise itself as O2. The attack put holes in cells through which there contents links out and through which they may become infected and damaged. AGEs are produced when excess blood sugar, as in diabetes, damages fat and protein molecules. Hydrogen Peroxide damages fats in the cell membrane. The damage they cause disperse light rays and inhibit healthy vision.
In 1978, Allen Babizhayeb and his colleagues told the world that L-carnosine could reduce lipid peroxides within the lens. Many studies have confirmed the hypothesis. Indirectly, L-carnosine activity also reduces or blocks conversion of the gelataneous protein fluid in the lens sac to a stony substance, which prevents light travel to the retina.
Many studies have found, also, that in cataract formation, there are depletions of enzymes such as Superoxide Dismutase (SOD) and Catalase. SOD destroys the superoxide, a major poison to the cells, by breaking it down into hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and oxygen (O2). There are about three lines of SOD. These may be formed from with Zinc and Copper or from Manganese or from Iron or from Selenium. Each line protects a different part of the cell. Thus, SOD defence for the cytoplasm is different from SOD defence for the cell nucleus and from SOD defence for the mitochondria, where energy is produced. Thus, again, a deficiency of a particular SOD ingredient may expose to danger the area that ingredient is expected to help protect. SOD, formed from Zinc, inhibit ROS. Catalase inhibits hydrogen peroxide. One molecule of catalase may destroy millions of hydrogen peroxide molecules in one second. Naturally, the nuclear area of the lens depends on the diffusion of Glutathione, the master antioxidant, from the cortical region of the eye. But aging is said to slow the diffusion rate, exposing this region and the nuclear region to harm.
L-carnosine is credited, also, with vanquishing ROS forces as well as neutralising AGEs. In addition, L-carnosine is reported to chelate heavy metals from the eye, thereby preventing them from wreaking damage. As an anti-oxidant, it swallows up excess blood sugar which causes glacation (damage) of fat and protein molecules in the eye. L-carnosine also prevents protein molecules from cross linking and forming that stony material in the lens known as cataract. Interestingly, L-carnosine has been shown to dissolve this formation. Even in laboratory rats induced to develop cataract of the lens, L-carnosine eye drops slowly dissolved the stone, the cataract, in the first eight weeks, followed by a more aggressive action in the next five weeks.
Dogs featured in some of the controlled experiments. In one such study, 30 dogs of various breed challenged with lens cataracts were treated with a combination proprietary product, as L-carnosine is said to work better when combined with other antioxidants. The proprietary combination administered in this experiment comprised two percent NAC, Glutathione, Vitamin C, Cysteine, L-Taurine and Vitamin B1 (thiamine). The blend came from OCLUVET of Arizona. The eyes of the 30 dogs were checked. Some had mature cataracts, some immature cataracts, some cataracts and eye inflammation and nuclear sclerosis. Improvement were significant in the immature cataracts and nuclear sclerosis groups. About 80 percent of the dogs recorded improvements.
In a human study involving 49 subjects challenged with senile cataracts, 76 eyes were affected. Of the 76 eyes, 41 eye were administered one percent NAC eye drops two times a day. Eighteen patients (21 eyes) formed one control group. They received eye drops of all ingredients except NAC. There was an untreated group of 10 patients (14 eyes) who received no eye drops.
Six months after, 90 percent of patients in the treated group were seeing better than before the experiment. About 89 percent improved on glare sensitivity. At 24 months, no members of this group suffered any vision decline. Generally, there was a decline in the control groups. In other human trials, there were significant statistical improvements. These were attributed to the attributes of NAC as an antioxidant, anti-glare agent, heavy metals chelator, Aldehyde scavenger, Carbonyl scavenger, producer of Nutric Oxide (NO) etc. I would like to suggest that, while NAC may be given a try, everyone challenged with one vision disorder or another should not forget to fill the medicine cabinet with some, if not all and even more of the following.. ‘.. .Zinc, Vitamin A, Vitamin B-complex, Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Selenium, Alpha Lipoic Acid, Bilberry, Magnesium, Taurine, Lutein and Zeazanthin, DTA, Cellegevity, Noni, Grape Seed Extract, Lion’s Mane Mushroom, CoQ10, tissue or cell salts, and greens such as liquid chlorophyll, Spirulina, Kale, Chlorella for chelating heavy metals, Asparagus, Red Kidney Bean pod tea (for lowering blood sugar). Spirulina and Kale provide alk the amino acids, including HISTIDINE and ALANINE from which the body manufactures Carnosine.