Making Tears Part 2
When visiting Poland a number of years ago, I had a chance to experience their renowned salt mines and - by visiting some museums and a castle, to gain an appreciation for what it meant to be royalty in the Middle Ages. (If any of you get the chance, I’d highly recommend a tour there.) This creates the next level of our discussion, as salt was a form of currency - so important and highly sought after as it was - and so critical to the production of our tears! For a detailed history of the salt mines, I recommend:
First, not all salts are Sodium (what we commonly think of as table salt) - and Calcium (another common salt vital to our lives) plays an important role in tear production. Calcium ions can be seen as tokens that open gates across membranes (I liken them to the gates in the cell or “establishment” walls that allow movement in and out of that establishment). Sodium also plays an important role and can “carry” the water in and out of the cells.
Regulation of these establishment activities (producing the salt-watery part of the tears) occurs from two “camps” - (Sympathetic and ParaSympathetic - we’ll establish them as the S and PS camps). Acetylcholine (ACh) is the messenger of the PS camp and generally tells the establishments within the larger castle (Lacrimal Gland) what to do regarding the basic, daily tasks of tear production (how many buckets of salty water are needed to sustain the surface of the eye - perhaps we can see those surface cells as the peasants). This establishes the daily rations - but is heavily influenced by the S camp (which communicates by epinephrine as well as a host of other hormones/transmitters). The “flight or fright” response of the S camp is the call-to-action responsible for emotional and reactive or “reflex” crying and can substantially increase the volume of rations (which has the benefit of washing away damaging irritants, apart from social responses).
Many of the finer aspects of hormonal influences remain poorly understood, possibly because there are too many “voices” at the table at any given time. The “Feudal Lord” ruling the Lacrimal Gland “castle” has many “advisors” (known as the biological “receptors” - or, in this analogy, the “ears” of these advisors). They get their messages from the many hormones and transmitters sent directly from the "King or Queen” as well as less directly, from the many hormone centers throughout our bodies.
One hormone called Serotonin appears to play a pivotal role in tear production (based on mouse research). Serotonin is best produced by a diet rich in Tryptophan, which is an essential amino acid found mostly in animal products, as well as in nuts and seeds, whole grains, and legumes. This “peasant diet” - good for producing Tryptophan - contributes to production of Melatonin - the sleep hormone - and since sleep appears to be linked to health in general and to production of healthy tears in particular (in this conversation), it is easy to begin seeing the underlying links to this happy “Medieval life.” (We will circle back to the essential Omega Oils found in fish, nuts and seeds when we get to the Meibomian Glands and their oils).
We’ll delve into more of that “Round Table” discussion next time.
To schedule an appointment with Dr. Jaccoma, call Excellent Vision at either of these two dry eye offices:
(1) 155 Griffin Rd, Portsmouth, NH 03801 (603) 574-2020
(2) 3 Woodland Rd, STE 112 Stoneham, MA 02180 (near Boston) (781) 321-6463