If you are older than 50, macular degeneration is something you should be thinking about. Its a leading cause of vision loss with aging. I believe it is almost completely preventable. Good diet, healthy lifestyle, and specific nutrients that I’ve mentioned in past issues are a place to begin.
If you already have macular degeneration, I think you can stop it is progression and, in many cases, even reverse it. There are two types of macular degeneration — dry and wet. Macular degeneration begins with the dry form. The dry form is marked by waste products building up in your macula (a small, highly sensitive part of the retina responsible for detailed central vision). This further reduces circulation and oxygen delivery. The cycle feeds on itself. Eventually, the capillaries themselves begin to leak. This leads to the more damaging wet variety.
Oxygen deficiency lies at the heart of the problem. Why? A deficiency of oxygen reduces the ability of the cells to pump out toxins. This leads to swelling and inflammation and reduces the eyes ability to generate new blood vessels in injured tissues. As you can see, inflammation can lead to a vicious cycle: Less oxygen leads to tissue swelling and inflammation, which leads to more swelling. The swelling pinches off circulation and causes further oxygen starvation.
One way to interrupt the cycle is to pump desperately needed oxygen into the damaged cells. The easiest way to do this is with a hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) chamber. In an HBO chamber, you become pressurized, like when you are diving. Increased pressure literally dissolves oxygen gas into the waters of your body and blood. That allows oxygen to diffuse everywhere, even into places that are pinched off due to swelling.
But does it put enough oxygen into your eyes to stop macular degeneration?
My friend and hyperbaric mentor, David Steenblock, DO of Mission Viejo, California reports remarkable success with his program, which includes HBO.
He even turned me on to a medical report detailing the reversal of one variety of macular degeneration called cystoid macular degeneration. This variety is often seen in diabetics, retinal vein occlusions, uveitis, cataract surgery, and common age-related macular degeneration.
Drs. Jansen and Nielson from Copenhagen, Denmark reported their experience with HBO and macular degeneration. They treated two patients with cystoid macular degeneration with HBO. The first was a 57-year-old type-2 diabetic. His visual ability had diminished to the point that he had difficulty reading. His visual acuity measured a low 0.5.
After just 90 minutes of HBO, his acuity jumped to 1.0 and he could immediately read normally — after just one treatment! That is unheard of!
The second patient was a 56-year-old man with macular degeneration and other retinal pathology. His acuity started at only 0.2 and he could not read at all.
He underwent five sessions of HBO and showed remarkable improvement by the third day. His acuity jumped to 0.9. He also regained his normal reading ability.
Whats remarkable about both of these cases is that the improvements lasted at least seven months. The authors reported a day-by-day improvement in the macula. They called HBOs ability to improve macular degeneration outstanding and very rapid. Dr. Nielsen says that HBO should be started as early as possible, before there is irreversible damage.
I encourage anyone with macular degeneration to consider HBO treatment in your oxidative physicians office. Many doctors thought that you needed high pressure in a metal chamber for therapeutic HBO effects. With the advent of portable fabric mild hyperbaric chambers, HBO doctors are learning that higher pressure is not necessarily better. In fact, it might not be as good in many conditions.
Famed HBO practitioner Dr. Richard Neubauer of Naples, Florida confirmed this. He privately told me he sees better results with MS at lower pressures of about 1.5 ATA (atmospheres).
I am now a fan of a mild chamber manufactured by the Oxy Health Corporation. I like it so much, I use it for treatment. It generates 1.3 ATA, plenty enough to saturate starving tissues with healing oxygen. Its lightweight, portable, and relatively inexpensive.
If you have a chronic circulatory problem, including macular degeneration, you might find it more cost effective to purchase one outright. Typical office treatments start at $75. I recommend daily treatments for the best results, so doctor visits can get expensive.
My father greatly benefited from HBO and other oxidative therapies I’ve written about in these pages. His macular degeneration has been relatively stable for 15 years with intermittent visits to me.
But you do not have to suffer from macular degeneration to benefit from these chambers. John Smoltz, the All-Star pitcher for the Atlanta Braves, takes a nap in his own portable chamber before every game. He loves what it does for his health and his game. A typical initial HBO course is about 20 sessions of one hour each. And it can keep your eyes and body free from many diseases.
If you are interested in trying HBO, many of the doctors recommended by the organizations below will offer the treatment. Or you can contact Dr. Steenblock’s office and Dr. Neubauer’s office.
If you would like to find out more about owning your own chamber, please contact Oxy Health Corporation.
Ref: Acta Ophthalmologica Scandinavia, 2004, 82(4).