Retinopathy

September 18, 2017



Retinopathy is an eye disease of the retina where the blood vessels that supply blood to the retina become damaged and occluded. When the small arteries and veins are working correctly, they provide a continuous blood supply to the retina.

Sometimes the retina does not receive the nutrition and oxygen it needs, usually due to chronically elevated glucose or atherosclerosis.

The body then tries to compensate by replacing the circulatory system in the retina with new capillaries (veins) and arterioles (arteries).  This process is known as neovascular overgrowth. Unfortunately, these new veins are exceedingly fragile and can soon begin to leak and the new arteries may soon become occluded and blocked.  

The primary symptom of retinal vascular occlusion is a sudden change in vision, usually only in one eye. 

The best way to prevent retinal vascular occlusion is to identify and treat the risk factors. Since retinal vascular occlusion stems from vascular issues, it’s important to make lifestyle and dietary changes, such as:

A 3-year study published in 2001 followed the health of more than 10,000 men and women in four American cities. It found that during the study, 110 participants suffered strokes. It was found that they all had damaged blood vessels in their eyes. The damage included narrowing or ballooning of vessel walls, blood leakage and 'mini-strokes' in surrounding tissues.   

Dr. Tien Yin Wong of the University of Wisconsin, who led the study, said the results showed that problems with the blood vessels in the eyes were an indication of damage to veins and arteries in the brain, which cause strokes when blocked or burst.

According to Wong, "The only previously reliable way to examine the state of the blood vessels in the brain would have involved surgery. Retinal photography opens a new, non-invasive approach to investigate vascular diseases."

If you need to change your lifestyle, it can be challenging.  It requires diligence and commitment while you develop new habits and skills.

For more help, you can order Coco’s Healthy Cooking on Amazon.  Check the box to the right.  It is a book full of  whole foods, plant-based recipes.

© 2017 Melinda Coker

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Can Diabetes Be Cured?

September 8, 2015


Think about diabetes as bein
g on a spectrum.  

Type-1 diabetes is caused by substantial loss of pancreatic function and is considered irreversible.  These people have insulin deficiency and need to be on daily insulin injections. 

Slim people who have a partial insulin deficiency and blood sugars above 126 mg/dL are considered to have Type- 1 1/2  and may need insulin injections.

Type- 2 diabetics have insulin sufficiency meaning there is plenty of insulin.  This type of diabetes can be cured wi...

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Set the Alarm Clock Earlier

January 14, 2015


Back in December, I decided to implement a couple of changes to my schedule to see if I could be more productive in the New Year.

The first change I made was to set my alarm for 5:20 AM each weekday. Previously I had gotten up at that time two mornings a week to go to the gym, but slept until 6:30 on the other 3 days.  Yet I was always trying to find the time to go to my “home gym” and do my yoga tapes or my Egoscue E-cises.  Well, I finally found the time and it is on my new schedule. I n...

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The Tragedy of Kidd Kraddick

August 18, 2013
Kidd Kraddick in the Morning

Kidd Kraddick (center) was the 53-year-old radio host of the long-running nationally syndicated morning radio show, Kidd Kraddick in the Morning, at the time of his sudden death on July 27, 2013.
 
The news of his death hit the young people in our community hard as many of them had spent their teen years listening to his then late-night show on KEGL out of Dallas.

According to autopsy reports, Kraddick’s cause of death was the result of arteriosclerotic and hyperte...

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A Gallbladder Attack

April 30, 2013
 
I still remember the day nearly fifty years ago that my grandfather had a gall bladder attack while visiting our family.  He was in such intense pain that all he wanted to do was to get home (a 2-hour drive) to his own doctor.  My parents made him a bed in the car and my grandmother nervously drove him home.

What causes gallbladder disease?  What causes gallstones?  

Eating foods high in fat and cholesterol causes gallstones and gallbladder disease according to Dr. John McDougall’s book, Dig...

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Is There a Link between High Blood Pressure and Alzheimer's Disease?

April 23, 2013

High blood pressure (hypertension) is one of the most common chronic conditions in the U.S.  A blood pressure level of 140/90 mmHg or higher is considered high. According to the National Institute of Health, about two-thirds of people over age 65 have high blood pressure. 

We know that high blood pressure is the most important risk factor for stroke.  But a new study has shown that high blood pressure in people with a genetic risk for Alzheimer's disease may spur development of brain plaque, a...

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Low-Fat Diet for Multiple Sclerosis

February 15, 2013


An estimated 400,000 people in the U.S. have MS and another 200 are diagnosed with the disease every week.  Multiple sclerosis is most often diagnosed in people between the ages of 15 and 50 and women are diagnosed with the disease nearly 3 times more often than men.    

Multiple sclerosis is an autoimmune disease—one in which the body attacks itself—in this case the immune system attacks the tissues of the brain and spinal cord.

MS is more common in Northern latitudes and less common in co...

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Atrial Fibrillation - An Abnormal Heart Rhythm

January 26, 2013
What Is AF?
 
Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common heart arrhythmia in Western countries and occurs mostly in the elderly.  AF produces a rapid and irregular heartbeat, during which the atria (the upper two chambers of the heart that receive blood) quiver, or fibrillate, instead of beating normally.

Because the rapid and irregular heartbeat produced by AF cannot pump blood out of the heart efficiently, blood tends to pool in the heart chambers.  This increases the risk of blood clot forma...
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Carbs and Diabetes

September 11, 2012


Did you know that by being obese you are at significant risk for developing type 2 diabetes?  Did you know that populations of people in the world who eat the most carbohydrates have the lowest incidence of diabetes?

Somehow, we have gotten the message all wrong.  People who eat a high-fat, high-protein diet are much more likely to become overweight and diabetic.  A high carbohydrate, low-fat diet may help prevent diabetes.

What carbs should you be eating?  The best way to lose weight and get...


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Valentine's Day Is Not the Time for a Broken Heart

February 5, 2012


In the U.S. heart disease is the number one cause of death.  In this country, there are nearly 1,700 deaths every day from heart disease.  Even on that most adored day of love and flowers, 1,642 people will die from a broken heart according to The National Center for Health Statistics.

Many people die from a heart attack without ever realizing they had heart disease.  Risk factors for cardiac disease include high blood pressure, high cholesterol, smoking, obesity, lack of exercise or a fam...


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