The Optical Vision Site

Get Your Mojo Risin’ With Science Based Nutrition For Eyecare And Mojo Trivia

Written by Cathy on February 24, 2010 – 7:52 pm -

Every Friday I look forward to reading Friday Pearls from Biosyntrx, This week, Ellen Troyer wrote about Mojo, the concept and how do you get it. She also recommends a book by Dr Marshall Goldsmith on  Mojo: How to Get It, How to Keep It, How to Get It Back if You Lose It (about $15.00 from Amazon)

An excerpt from Ellen Troyer’s, Friday Pearl-  Get Your Nutrition Science Mojo Working: ‘The Optometric Nutrition Society (ONS) faculty at last weeks six hour COPE approved continuing education course in Atlanta had their collective Mojo working.

For those of you who aren’t familiar with the concept of Mojo, Marshall Goldsmith, PhD, defines it this way, “It’s the positive spirit toward what we are doing that starts from the inside and radiates outside to those around us.” Mojo is that much-sought-after sweet spot where everything falls into place. It’s the confidence that comes from mastering an area of study, and enjoying the process.  ” Read the full story at Friday Pearl (biosyntrx.com/Article.php?ArticleID=803)

For those interested in getting their Mojo Rising, Biosyntrx has a full line of science based nutritional natural supplements for the Eyecare professional. Good for eyecare profits, better for customer service and the best for patient eye health.

For those who want to tune into The Doors singing Mojo Rising and only have the LP like me- you can order the DVD here from Amazon The Doors (the greatest hits) or download it on your iPod, or if you want to save money, watch the YouTube Video,

Mojo Trivia

• The word mojo has been around for about 100 years and appears to have African roots referring to a small bag containing a magic charm
• Mojo” first appeared in the 1920s in the southern United States, and probably entered Black English in the US from the Gullah word “moco” (magic), Gullah being a creole (mixture of languages) spoken by some groups of African-Americans in the coastal areas of Georgia and South Carolina.  The ultimate root of “mojo” was almost certainly the word “moco’o,” which means “shaman or medicine man” in the African language Fulani.
• Jim Morrison used Risin Mojo to refer to him- it is an anagram of his name.
• Mike Myers in Austin Powers, refers to ‘mojo’ as a combination of all the right stuff that makes a man successful. So, the term is used in a sexual context, referring to a man’s libido, virility or ability to attract someone they like or would like as a mate.
• Mojo is a type of sauce, with varying degrees of spiciness, made of olive oil, garlic, paprika, cumin and citrus such as lemon, orange, lime or vinegar. It originated in the Canary Islands and variations are popular in Cuba, Puerto Rico and various Caribbean Islands.

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Why Highly-prized Saffron Could Save Your Sight

Written by Shirley on February 23, 2010 – 9:08 pm -

An interesting headline that caught my eye in the Life Extension Daily News: Why Highly-prized Saffron Could Save Your Sight. Here is an excerpt from the article:

It is one of the world’s most valuable spices. Patiently collected flower by flower, the deep red stamens of the saffron crocus can fetch up to $750 per pound, writes Anastasia Stephens. But now there is more reason than ever to covet it. A study at Sydney University and the University of L’Aquila in Italy has found that when eaten, saffron may protect eyes from UV damage and slow the progress of diseases such as macular degeneration, a leading cause of blindness.

In macular degeneration, the cells in the retina at the back of the eye, which are responsible for clear vision, begin to die. But when patients with macular degeneration taking part in the study began eating a diet containing saffron, these cells began to recover. Professor Silvia Bisti, who led the research, says: ‘Saffron appears to affect genes that regulate the fatty-acid content of the cell membrane, and this makes the vision cells tougher and more resilient.’ The 25 participants in the study took saffron supplements or a placebo every day for three months. All those who took the saffron pill experienced improved vision, but the improvements disappeared when they stopped taking it.

Monique Simmonds, who investigates medicinal properties of plants at the Royal Botanic Gardens in Kew, explains: ‘The unique compounds found naturally in saffron that we believe may have medicinal value include crocin and safranal. They belong to a family called carotenoids, which includes betacarotene. Carotenoids give plants such as carrots or red peppers their color.

‘Studies show that these compounds play key roles in preserving eyesight, protecting against cancer and preventing Alzheimer’s.’ Added to pilau rice, risotto and dishes such as paella, saffron threads give a slightly bitter taste as well as a yellow color. To replicate the Italian study, 20mg of neat saffron – about 16 threads – would need to be eaten daily.

However, 1g of saffron is expensive – around $10. It is not yet available in supplement form and the quality of culinary saffron can vary hugely.

To read more you can link to the original article in the Daily News

For more information on specific nutritional products for healthy eyes you can go to Friday Pearls From the Desk of Ellen Troyer, MT MA – Biosyntrx Chief Research Officer. We have posted several of Ellen’s Friday Pearls. Vitamin C and Eye Health is a very informative post for example.

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Important Eyecare Supplies From Amcon-The Eyecare Supply Center

Written by Cathy on February 18, 2010 – 7:56 pm -

I don’t know if our readers are aware of this, but Amcon, The eyecare supply center, has a blog called the Amcon Gazette. We subscribe to the blog and recommend that you do as well.

Anyway they have done a few posts that are interesting and eye -provoking with some subjects that we have never thought about before. Some excerpts from their blog that you might consider reading:

Supplies Your Practice Should Have For Emergencies- It’s better to be safe than sorry.  These three products are important to have on hand for different types of emergencies: Epipens, the Biohazard Spill Kit and the Angle Closure Glaucoma Emergency Treatment Kit.

Allergic reactions can be triggered by medications or other elements in the environment. Epipens inject epinephrine very quickly, suppressing the immune system and curbing the allergic reaction. Epipens are a new product for Amcon, just recently added to our product line.   They are currently offered on the Amcon web site and will make their debut in the 2010 Amcon product catalog.  Amcon carries two types of Epipens: a standard Epipen and Epipen Junior for patients weighing 33-66 lbs.

Developing an Dry Eye Center - which was taken out of a Review of Optometry issue.- Adding a Dry Eye Center to your practice is a great

way to offer new and valuable services to your existing patients as well as bring in new business. Many patients who suffer from dry eyes are not diagnosed and continue through their daily activities with eye irritation and discomfort….

Getting started does not have to involve a large investment. Brush up on recent studies about Dry Eye Disease and make sure you educate your staff as well. Integrate a Dry Eye Evaluation as part of the pre-exam paper work that patients fill out. Then make sure your office is stocked with a few basic supplies needed to diagnose dry eyes. We recommend Amcon’s Tear Flow Test Strips and Amcon’s Dry Eye Test Strips. These will allow you to accurately test for dry eye and have measurable results to record in your patient’s charts.

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Solar Power Under Your Skin- Talk About Super-Charged!

Written by Cathy on February 15, 2010 – 7:20 pm -

Solar power is definitely the trend of the future, and it seems there are no boundaries where to utilize solar cells, in contacts, in clothing, in eyewear….

This comes to us from Medgadget: A collaboration between researchers from Donghua University in Shanghai, China and Max Planck Institute for Colloids and Interfaces in Potsdam, Germany has developed photovoltaic cells that can be used to recharge batteries in implanted devices by shining a near infrared laser beam through the skin

Nanowerk reports:

They use rare earth upconverting nanophosphors to absorb 980 nm laser light and then emit visible luminescence which can subsequently excite traditional solar cells to produce electricity.

In their work, the research team determined that, under the irradiation of a 980-nm laser with a power of 1W, the visible up-converting luminescence of rare-earth nanophosphors can be efficiently absorbed by the dyes in 980LD-PVCs so that they exhibit a maximal output power of 0.47 mW.

In particular, after being covered with 1 to 6 layers of pig intestines (thickness: ca. 1mm per layer) as a model of biological tissues, 980LD-PVCs still possess a maximal output power of between 0.28 and 0.02 mW, which is efficient enough to drive many kinds of biodevices.

More from Nanowerk: Photovoltaic cells to power biological nanorobots inside the body…

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Tarantula Shoots Hairs in Owners Eye

Written by Cathy on February 11, 2010 – 9:09 pm -

A creepy case of a man who got tarantula hairs stuck in his eye has doctors advising people to wear eye protection when handling the eight-legged pets.

In February 2009, a 29-year-old man visited the St. James’s University Hospital in Leeds, England, after enduring three weeks of a red, watery and light-sensitive eye. A dose of antibiotics for what was presumed to be conjunctivitis didn’t clear the symptoms.

Doctors at the hospital examined the eye under high-magnification lenses and spotted hair-like projections sticking into the cornea of the right eye. Read the full story at MSBNC

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High Dose Vitamin C Can Increase Cataract Risk

Written by Cathy on February 10, 2010 – 7:30 pm -

Women who took 1,000 mg of vitamin C daily were 25 per cent more likely to develop cataract

If you want to preserve your vision as you age, you might consider tossing your vitamin C supplement. According to a study published in the February issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, high-dose vitamin C supplements – 1,000 milligrams daily – can increase the risk of developing cataracts.

Researchers followed 25,593 women, aged 49 to 83, for eight years and found that those who took 1,000 mg of vitamin C daily were 25 per cent more likely to develop cataracts than those who did not use supplements.

Among women 65 and older, vitamin C use increased the risk of cataract by 38 per cent. Taking vitamin C in combination with hormone replacement therapy or corticosteroid medication was associated with an even greater risk.

Read the full story at the globeand mail.com

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Stress And Eye Health-Opportunities For Eyecare Professionals.

Written by Cathy on February 3, 2010 – 7:43 pm -

I got these pictures of the latest in platforms shoes and wanted to use them in a post so bad, then we recieved our Friday Pearl From Biosyntrx about Stress and Eye Health and I thought- these shoes would be so stressful to wear, my feet would hurt, my back would hurt, I would be a nervous wreck waiting to fall, plus the whole what to wear (the most stressful part) and being 5′11 how much would I tower over people, my eyes would be twitching, my my knees would be shaking UGH ! After reading Biosyntrx’s article on stress and Eye Health, I now know I could wear this shoes and know that Epi-Cor will be helping me behind the scenes overcoming my stress!

From The Friday Pearl From Biosyntrx (we highly recommend this blog)

‘A number of our customers have asked us why we include an immune system modulator in our eye-health-management product line. Our answer: an improperly nourished immune system eventually affects ocular health and vision.

The immune system is particularly sensitive to the stresses of normal, every day life. Overwork,

financial problems, change in diet and poor sleep can cause imbalances in the immune system that can dramatically affect overall health, including eye health.

Studies published in early 2009 suggest that 75% of the U.S. adult population endures moderate to high stress and it’s most likely even higher than that at this point in time. This is taking a tremendous toll on mental and physical health. Health management during extended periods of high stress is dependent on a properly modulated immune system.

Immune system modulation is a dynamic metabolic process that requires constant nutritional support’. Read the full story at Biosyntrx

Most people are stressed, they come into your office and they are stressed. Do you take this as an opportunity to talk about eye health and make nutritional recommendations for stress relievers? Do you carry the products? Evaluate the below statistics and know that 75% of your patients walking in the door are stressed and strong candidates for nutritional supplements such as EpiCor.

Eye Bogglers (From American Psychological Association 2007)

• 33% of Americans are living in extreme stress
• 75% of Americans stress is coming from money and work
• 43% of Americans said they overeat or miss meals due to stress

The Top 10 Causes of Stress from Real buzz.com

1. Not having enough time
2. Unhealthy lifestyle
3. Taking on too much
4. Conflicts at work or home
5. Inability to accept things as they are
6. Failure to Take time out to relax
7. Non work related things such as illness, death
8. Failure to see humor

The eye nutritional market is growing, learn about it and capture it for your financial and patient health.

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Man Has Glasses Tattooed On His Face

Written by Cathy on January 13, 2010 – 8:25 pm -

This  guy decided to get really into eyewear by having eyeglasses tattooed on his face. A very different and certainly a street look or some could said a raccoonish type of appeal.

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