Health & Wellness - Stephen Cohen, O.D. | Steven P. Timmons [CITYSunTimes October 2011]

What You Don’t Know Can’t Help You

Lions And Tigers And Oxidative Stress, Oh My

By Steven P. Timmons

[Continued from October 2011 print issue - read more here.]

The obvious idea of taking oral glutathione is controversial at best. There is some evidence that oral glutathione may increase plasma glutathione levels in certain tissue fluids, but there is virtually no evidence that glutathione levels will increase inside the diseased cells where the real oxidative stress is taking place.
But hold on to your seats concerned citizens, because recently, some studies by the Faculty of Nutrition at Texas A&M University have finally demonstrated that glutathione production by the body can be increased. First of all, they showed that the intracellular levels of glutathione and its precursors – cysteine and glycine – are decreased in adults with Type 2 diabetes, and that this decrease is due at least in part to a much slower rate of glutathione synthesis. They then supplemented with oral doses of glycine and cysteine, the precursors, and this caused a marked increase in synthesis of glutathione within the cells of the diabetics. There was also a significant decrease in oxidative stress and plasma markers of oxidative damage.
For me, this means adding a couple of supplements to my vitamin regimen. If glutathione is my knight in shining armor, bending his spear toward the free radical foe, then I am going to make sure he has a good supply of glycine and N-acetyl-cysteine in his saddlebags.

Steven P. Timmons is a compounding chemist and consultant for Mountain View Pharmacy. He holds a B.S. in Biology from Stanford University and a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from Colorado State University.

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CITYSunTimes Online Extras & Web Exclusives October 2011 | Read the full SECTION

HEALTH & WELLNESS

Stephen Cohen - Dr. My Eyes Parents Beware: “Trick Or Treat” Shouldn’t Include Your Child’s Vision

By Stephen Cohen, O.D.

With Halloween just a few weeks away, here is my annual warning about novelty and cosmetic tinted contact lenses. Contact lenses, properly fit by a doctor and properly worn by a patient, can be a wonderful vision correction option. However, improper access to lenses has become rampant. This is a time of year when we see the greatest abuses and consequences of this poor decision. Every year there are stories of damage (sometimes permanent) occurring as a result of the misuse of these novelty lenses.
Trick or Treat Shouldn't Include Your Child's Vision Movie actors have long been able to alter their eye appearance through the use of special contact lenses. Technology now affordably, and safely, offers this novel type of lens to almost anyone. Lenses are available to put flames, the American flag, or an eight-ball on your eyes; white your eyes out entirely and even display your favorite football team logo right on your eyes. As most of us know, they can also enhance or change eye color entirely. (Remember the song “Don’t it Make My Brown Eyes Blue”?)
These lenses have become illegally available for purchase (without a prescription) on-line, as well as in beauty salons, gas stations and swap meets. At no time is this risk greater than during the Halloween season, where these lenses are often borrowed from friends “just for that special party.” A decorative or novelty contact lens is still a medical device, controlled by the FDA, just like regular contact lenses. The lens sits directly on the eye, and a dirty or contaminated lens can harbor bacteria and other dangerous entities. To illustrate, a young Ohio girl who obtained a pair of these novelty lenses from a video store developed permanent eye damage from a bacterial ulcer. There is now federal legislation, enforced by the FDA, which makes it illegal to sell these decorative lenses without a prescription.
Take a minute to warn your children. Tell them in no uncertain terms that they should NOT wear any of these lenses “just for the fun of it.” We have only two eyes, which are designed to last a lifetime. Don’t let a moment’s indiscretion damage their most precious sense. On this fun-filled holiday, let the rationing of the candy be the biggest issue you face with your children.

For more information, visit Dr. Cohen’s www.doctormyeyes.net, call 480.513.3937 or contact him via e-mail at stephen.cohen@doctormyeyes.net.