“You Are What You Eat”
Segment 7A
General guidelines for oil - or - back to “you are what you eat”
Unplugging the oil glands is an obvious first step. Because most of us are not going back to the 1000’s-year-old diet of fish, nuts and seeds, I recommend daily omega-3, 6 & 9 oil supplements. MedOp made the MaxiTear Dry Eye supplement we’ve recommended for years, but this company was bought out and their standard formula has been hard to come by. I found an Amazon supplier at: https://www.amazon.com/MaxiTears%C2%AE-Dry-Eye-Formula-Bottle/dp/B09HLB84J4/ref=sr_1_5?gclid=Cj0KCQiAlMCOBhCZARIsANLid6YqUk-u5sQ7owunUjT94xuw17HHaUY1xE_v_Uymxwbxz6yCD_D97VgaAo9PEALw_wcB&hvadid=177778061232&hvdev=c&hvlocphy=9002432&hvnetw=g&hvqmt=e&hvrand=15494291267728129816&hvtargid=kwd-14757575736&hydadcr=21222_9690766&keywords=maxitears+dry+eye+formula&qid=1641090704&sr=8-5
I like it because it offers an ideal blend of these oils, mixed with the principal protein in a healthy tear, called mucin. They also have included curcumin, which is an active anti-inflammatory component found in Tumeric and the capsules are small enough to be easily swallowed. They’re also covered in a special enteric coating designed to dissolve once a capsule gets through your stomach. This allows optimal digestion without having fishy aftertaste burps as can be common with many gelatin covered capsules.
Segment 7B
Do you have any digestion issues?
Some people may have a hard time digesting fats and oils. These are most commonly folks who have had gallbladder surgery or a history of gallstones, though others may have Gluten issues or other gut inflammation diseases. In order to get the most out of oil supplements and to resume enjoying the occasional fatty meals, there are supplements designed to deliver natural gallbladder products that can aid in the digestion of these oil‘s. eyeThera found an ideal such product in a simple to take capsule from the AST company, called Lipase HP Plus, to help optimize absorption of your oil supplements. They can be purchased directly from their company at:
https://astenzymes.com/product/lipase-hp-plus/
If you have a healthy gallbladder and no problems with digestion, then you can take four of the Maxi Tears capsules with breakfast every morning. If you don’t have your gallbladder, or if you’re experiencing difficulty tolerating fats or greasy foods, then you can try taking one capsule with Breakfast, another with lunch, a third with supper and a fourth with a snack at bedtime - or
- take your 4 eyeThera Capsules 15 minutes after taking one or two AST capsules with breakfast
- or you can take two oil capsules with one AST capsule at breakfast and two capsules with another AST capsule at supper time. Some experimentation may be necessary if you find difficulty taking these capsules, but without a steady intake of these essential oils, it is less likely you can solve your dry eye issues. It is also recommended that you consult with your primary care provider or dietary specialist for optimizing your Omega Oil intake. It is possible to measure blood levels in those patients who continue to struggle, in order to confirm if they are achieving optimal blood levels with their supplement and diet programs.
You’re still encouraged to eat fish, nuts and seeds - and if you regularly eat all of this, then you may be okay taking fewer omega oil supplements (or even none if your diet is perfect) - but if you’re trying to dig out of an MGD-related dry eye problem, then you need an “oil change” and may need all the dietary (and supplement) help you can get.