Nutrition. Vitamins. You.
Nutrition. Vitamins. You.
Cancer and Weight Loss Dr. Claire Arcidiacono, ND Weight loss is a common side effect experienced by those with cancer. This weight loss can occur for a number of reasons. To start with, having cancer can lead to weight loss. This is because in some …
Methyl-B Dr. Claire Arcidiacono, ND Most people have heard that it can improve your health if you take a B complex. You may even have heard the term “methylation”. But do you know what that term means? Why does it even matter? This blog …
Neuropathy
Dr. Claire Arcidiacono, ND
Neuropathy is usually something that most people associate with diabetes. This is an accurate connection because one of the most common causes of neuropathy is diabetes. But did you know that neuropathy can also occur after cancer treatments? To start off this topic I’ll ask a simple question, what is neuropathy? Well neuropathy, or as some call it peripheral neuropathy is basically a condition where the peripheral nerves or in other words the nerves outside of the brain and spinal cord become damaged. This is very common in our hands and feet. (1)
The symptoms you can experience if you have neuropathy can include numbness or tingling in your feet, hands, legs or even arms. You may also feel as if you are wearing gloves or socks when you’re not. You may have sharp, jabbing pain that may even occur during activities that don’t normally cause pain. As the neuropathy progresses’ you may notice an increase in sensitivity to touch. There may also be muscle weakness and a lack of coordination. If your motor nerves are affected you may have an inability to move. You may notice an intolerance to heat. You may experience either excess sweating or an ability to sweat at all. There may also be a drop in blood pressure. You may also have bowel, bladder or digestive problems. (1) Lastly you may notice cramps in your feet. (2)
It’s important to see a doctor if you notice the symptoms of neuropathy starting to develop. When you see the doctor they will do a full medical history and a neurological exam. The doctor may also order certain blood tests, imaging tests and even nerve function tests. The doctor may also perform a nerve and skin biopsy. (3)
Neuropathy can lead to a loss of sensation. This means you may not feel if something is too hot to touch. As a result you may have complications such as burns. As a result of the loss of sensation you may end up with skin injuries or deeper wounds especially on the feet. Because of the lack of feeling in your feet you may not notice any injuries which increases the risk of developing an infection. (1) If an infection is left untreated it can lead to complications such as the need for an amputation. (4) Lastly neuropathy often leads to a lack of balance which can lead to an increase in your fall risk. (1)
What can you do to help with the symptoms of neuropathy? Well as I said in my blog on chemo brain it is often best to wait till after treatment is complete to start supplements. This is to avoid any potential interactions. However life style changes can be implemented at any time.
Our product highlight will be our Methyl-B formula!
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Cerebral Care Dr. Claire Arcidiacono, ND I wanted to take the time to talk about one of my favorite formulas for our memory and brain health. This formula is called Cerebral Care. But what is it about this formula that I like so much? …
Combat Chemo Brain Dr. Claire Arcidiacono, ND One topic that comes up a lot is what to do about the side effects that can occur as a result of the different cancer treatments. The first side effect I will be talking about is called …
Blue Light is Hard on the Eyes
Dr. Claire Arcidiacono, ND
Blue light is something you may have heard talked about in the news and even all over social media. But just what do we know about this new phenomenon? I wanted to tackle this topic because there’s so much information about this topic and not all of it is backed by science.
To start with the blue light we will be talking about in this blog is artificial light. We will not be talking about natural blue light that the sun gives off. Artificial blue light is the type of light that is given off by electronics such as smart phones, laptops, tablets and even certain TVs. So what can result from overexposure to blue light? One complication that can occur when you are overexposed to blue light is eye strain. Eye strain can present with symptoms such as dry eyes. When you have eye strain your eyes may be watery and teary. You may have blurry vision. In addition to feeling tired your eyes may feel irritated and even sore. You may even start too experience headaches. (1)
Blue light is also thought to be associated with other eye conditions such as macular degeneration and cataracts. However studies haven’t found convincing evidence for this and more research is needed. (1)
In addition to affecting our eyes blue light can cause a shift in nighttime melatonin secretion. In fact while light exposure of any type at night can affect melatonin it appears that blue light is the strongest inhibitor of nighttime melatonin secretion. This can cause an imbalance in our circadian rhythm or in other words it can cause us to have difficulty with sleep. (2)
In addition to affecting our sleep being exposed to blue light at night appears to have the same side effects as “night shiftwork”. While it is not proven it does appear that night exposure to light of any type may affect chronic conditions such as diabetes, heart disease and even obesity. (2)
I know what your thinking – but Dr. Claire I read on the Internet that blue light is making everyone go blind! Should I toss out my tablet? Smash my phone? Well according to the American Academy of Ophthalmology there’s no need to be so drastic! Right now there’s no evidence that blue light from electronic is causing eye damage. (3)
What can you do to help protect yourself from blue light? Well one way is to rest your eyes frequently when using electronics. It can also be useful to sit or stand further away or as Grandma used to say “don’t sit so close to the TV!” It can also be helpful to limit glare by adjusting screen contrast on your electronics. It is also important to keep your eyes well lubricated. Lastly you can see your optometrist for information glasses that can help with eye strain.
But what vitamins can help keep our eyes healthy so blue light doesn’t affect us?
I hope you found this topic to be interesting. While I will be moving on from this topic I just wanted to remind everyone that Invite nutritionists are always available to help with any questions you may have that were not covered throughout this series.
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