Innholdsfortegnelse
Innholdsfortegnelse
Have you ever had the sensation that there’s sand in your eyes, or a scratchy, gritty feeling, like something tiny and invisible is stuck behind your eyelid? You blink or use eye drops, hoping for some relief, but the discomfort keeps coming back.
For millions of Americans, this isn’t just a temporary nuisance–it’s a daily reality. This relentless irritation could also be a sign of something more serious, called Dry Eye Syndrome (DES), also known as Dry Eye Disease (DED).
The terms are used interchangeably but refer to the same thing: dry eyes due to a condition where the eyes don’t produce enough tears, leading to poor lubrication.
The result is a range of symptoms, including itchy, tired, achy, and sticky eyes, as well as blurred vision and pain. Surprisingly, another side effect of dry eyes is watery eyes (caused by the body’s natural reaction to the dryness). I’ve dealt with dry eyes myself, and I can tell you, it isn’t very pleasant!
DES isn’t the only culprit for dry eyes. Sometimes dry eyes are just due to temporary factors, like prolonged screen use or environmental conditions (like wind and smoke). For example, for the last few spring seasons in Wisconsin, we’ve found ourselves downwind from many Canadian wildfires, which significantly affect our air quality. Even thousands of miles away, our air is affected by the smoke, which can lead to breathing issues, and you guessed it – irritated and gritty eyes. Dry eyes are also a frequent side effect for those who wear contact lenses long-term or from certain medications, like antihistamines and decongestants. Even prescription medicines for depression and blood pressure can have a drying effect on some people.
And of course, age is often a factor in dry eyes. No surprises there! As we age, our bodies often need some assistance to operate optimally. Let’s face it–many parts of the body start feeling drier with age. Women are especially prone to dry eyes during the times of perimenopause, menopause, and post-menopause, due to all the hormonal fluctuations through these stages. For men, dry eyes can correspond with health issues like hypertension and benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH).
Although there are obviously many different causes, dry eye typically falls into one of two main categories. The first is aqueous-deficient dry eye, where you simply don’t produce enough tears or moisture to keep your eyes from feeling dry. The second is evaporative dry eye, where tear production starts off normal, but the composition of the tear film layer is simply not stable or healthy enough to prevent your eyes from drying out.
But guess what? Regardless of what’s causing dry eyes, there’s an incredibly effective natural solution that many people swear by, including myself. It’s one of my favorite health-promoting nutrients! (Ok, I have a lot of favorites, but that’s only because science and nature have truly provided us with so many wonderful solutions for our health!) Let me introduce you to my favorite solution for dry eyes: the small but mighty sea buckthorn berry.
The sea buckthorn berry is a tiny, bright orange fruit that comes from the sea buckthorn plant (Hippophae rhamnoides). This shrub is found in northern climates and is highly regarded for its amazing nutritional profile.
The sea buckthorn berry’s secret weapon for dry eye support is omega-7 fatty acids. Omega-7 is found in just a few foods like avocados, salmon, and macadamia nuts, but sea buckthorn is the richest known source. Often referred to as a “nutrient bomb,” the sea buckthorn berry contains more than 200 bioactive compounds, including vitamins, antioxidants, essential fatty acids, and plant sterols. This vibrant little fruit is a true source of health!
Omega-7 fatty acids are also naturally incorporated into the walls of your cells, including those in your eyes, and help the cells better hold on to moisture. The nutrients in sea buckthorn work together to keep the body’s mucous membranes, including the tear film of the eyes, hydrated and strong.
In fact, it’s extremely effective for those suffering from Sjogren’s syndrome, an autoimmune disease that causes inflammation and dryness throughout the body, including the tear glands in the eye. In a placebo-controlled, double-blind study, patients with Sjogren’s syndrome used either sea buckthorn oil or a placebo for three months. Those in the sea buckthorn group showed greater improvement in overall symptom relief, including dry eyes!
Given the nutrient composition of omega-7, it’s not surprising that it delivers such remarkable results. Fatty acids help keep cellular structures healthy and strong. If you don’t have enough of those vital nutrients on board, you’re much more likely to suffer from dry skin, poor digestion, and, of course, dry eyes.
With so much information readily available at our fingertips today, it’s more important than ever to ensure the nutrients we trust are supported by credible scientific and clinical research.
Luckily, you can rest assured that sea buckthorn has a great deal of research behind it. For example, one double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled clinical study included one hundred men and women aged 20 to 75 who were experiencing dry eye symptoms. Half of them wore contact lenses regularly (which probably contributed to many of their dry eye and eye fatigue symptoms).
For three months, half of the study participants took a supercritical CO₂ sea buckthorn extract, in both morning and evening doses. Throughout the study, the participants kept a logbook of symptoms and clinical tests, including eye exams. Fatty acid analysis of the tear film was also conducted.
The study results were impressive! The sea buckthorn group reported lower instances of eye redness and burning sensations, versus the placebo group. In similar studies, those using sea buckthorn also had a much better fatty acid composition of the tear film than those in the placebo groups.
Researchers believe that an important factor in sea buckthorn's ability to relieve dry eyes is its ability to reduce inflammation, which tends to dry out the eyes and keep them dry. Other research also shows that while omega fatty acids help reduce inflammation, they can increase tear secretion at the same time. Fatty acids also help build the composition of the tear film, which can help prevent water and moisture loss from the eyes. Additionally, omega-7 fatty acids help the cells themselves retain moisture.
Personally, when I take a sea buckthorn berry supplement, I can feel the benefits of the omega-7 fatty acids rather quickly. My eyes feel hydrated and refreshed, so much so that I forget they had been bothering me in the first place.
It’s important to note, though, that not all sea buckthorn supplements contain omega-7 fatty acids. This is because omega-7 is found only in the berry, not the oil. However, the oil does have a few health benefits of its own. It is rich in essential alpha-linolenic and linoleic fatty acids, for beneficial omega-3 and omega-6. Both the berry and the oil also supply high levels of natural vitamin E (tocopherols and tocotrienols) and plant sterols, along with the omega-7 fatty acid.
My personal favorite sea buckthorn is a combination of the extract of the sea buckthorn berry and oil to deliver the full benefits of the plant. It is also supercritical CO2 extracted with no solvents, to provide the most benefits of the sea buckthorn berry.
Whether you experience dry eyes from being outdoors or staring at a screen for hours, or you deal with irritated, sore, and tired eyes on a daily basis (possibly due to contact lenses or medications), you don’t have to rely on eye drops or prescription drugs for relief.
Sea buckthorn is a highly effective natural solution for all causes of dry eyes! This powerful “nutrient bomb” supports fresh, rested, and healthy eyes thanks to its rich omega-7 content. (As a bonus, sea buckthorn can also deliver powerful benefits for your skin, heart, and digestive system, too.) I encourage anyone with dry eyes to incorporate an omega-7 supplement into their health regimen for results they’ll notice.
References:
ANSVARSFRASKRIVELSE:Velværesenteret har ikke til hensikt å gi diagnoser ...
Sunnhetsportalen har ikke til hensikt å tilby diagnose, behandling eller medisinske råd. Les mer. Innholdet i sunnhetsportalen er kun for informasjonsformål. Kontakt lege eller annet helsepersonell angående eventuelle medisinske eller helserelaterte diagnoser eller behandlingsalternativer. Informasjonen i denne sunnhetsportalen skal ikke anses som en erstatning for råd fra helsepersonell. Påstander om spesifikke produkter i denne sunnhetsportalen er ikke godkjent for å diagnostisere, behandle, kurere eller forebygge sykdom.
