162 Achieving pH Balance to Treat Specific Ailments
macula so that blood vessels will once again grow there? If the blood
vessels are growing where they are supposed to grow, they will provide
nourishment for the macula, possibly restoring the macula’s central
vision. Preventing macular degeneration from getting worse depends
on reducing toxic waste levels in the eye so as to clear away the waste
material that sets up a barricade between the macula and the oxygen-
carrying blood vessels behind it.Treating Macular Degeneration
Besides a junk-free, metabolically appropriate diet, the most important
single nutrient in treating macular degeneration is zinc. The enzymes
whose function is neutralizing aberrant chemicals in the macula can’t
do so without zinc as a coenzyme. Dr. David A. Newsome of the Loui-
siana State Eye Center in New Orleans conducted a research experi-
ment in which he gave half of the 151 subjects, who all had macular
degeneration, 100 mg of zinc twice a day, while the other half received
a placebo.^7 Examined between one and two years after the experiment
began, the subjects who took the zinc were found to have better vision
than the ones who received a placebo.
Another way of assuring that the macula gets a normal supply of
oxygen is by taking antioxidant supplements such as vitamins E and C
and selenium. They make more oxygen available by preventing its
breakdown, and vitamins E and C dispose of waste by absorbing the
alien molecules that have invaded the macula. Oxygenating magnetic
or far infrared pads placed over the eyes at night during sleep have the
advantage of targeting the area where oxygen is needed most. The fact
that a suffi cient supply of oxygen helps ensure the production of nor-
mal energy levels in the rod cells in the macula is particularly impor-
tant in light of the fact that 10 percent of those with macular
degeneration go on to develop the more serious wet form of the
disease.
Could a defi ciency of yellow pigment (retinene) in the photosensitive
rod cells in the macula be one cause of macular degeneration? The
answer is yes, judging from a recent research study.^8 This study shows
that people who eat one carrot daily—or any other beta-carotene-rich
vegetable, such as spinach—reduce their chances of developing macular