Eye irritation after liver cleanse?

[Guest guest]

I am long-time CureZone reader, and a new subscriber to this list. I

appreciate your help with this inquiry -- and your patience with the

length of this introductory post. (I thought the additional

background might be important for those responding to my query.)

Thanks! -- Metta

----------------------------------

I am interested to know if anyone has experience with or knowledge

about the relationship between liver health and eye health. I think

I have begun to discover a correlation between bowel congestion and

blood-shot eyes, and with good diet and colon cleansing, this problem

seems to have been resolved.

However, after my second liver cleanse (a little over 1 month ago), I

noticed that my eyes were quite irritated the next morning (red, with

a " scratched " feeling under the lids -- particularly the left eye),

and although there is no significant discharge or sign of infection,

the " scratched " feeling has only continued to get worse during the

past several weeks -- and it does not seem to respond to topical eye

washes (boric acid, silver, homeopathic, etc.).

I don't know if these eye symptoms are only coincidental with the

cleanse, but I suspect they are not (given my history -- see below)

since I read in the CureZone forum that " Obstruction of the bile

ducts inside liver by hundreds and thousands of intrahepatic stones "

are " the main cause of almost every chronic illness. "

By way of background:

-- I have done quite a bit of colon cleansing over the years, and

I've taken lots of good liver cleansing herbs over the years (milk

thistle, etc.).

-- I only recently did my first 2 liver cleanses. In both cases, I

flushed out hundreds of soft, tiny beige colored stones, along with

about a dozen of the bright green bile colored stones. Unfortunately

(and in spite of all the reading I did ahead of time), I did not

realize I should have done a colonic after my liver flushes, and I am

wondering now, in the course of my second flush, if a bile or liver

duct might have gotten clogged, and this might be causing the eye

irritation. Is this is possibility?

-- I also attempted a complete removal of my amalgam (mercury)

fillings 10 years ago, but recently discovered I was scammed by the

dentist and not all of the mercury was removed. Unfortunately, I

cannot now afford to have any more dental work done. Do you think it

is a problem for me to continue with the liver cleansing if the

mercury has *not* all been removed?

-- 20 years ago, in a desperate attempt to improve my complexion

(adult acne), I accidentally overdosed on Vitamin A, which I know

collects in the liver. (I didn't realize then that liver congestion

was the *cause* of my acne, and that the high doses of Vitamin A,

over several years, would only make the situation worse.)

Unfortunately, the Vitamin A overdose (and consequent liver

congestion) severely impaired my ability to metabolize thyroid

hormones, and I have been on low dose thyroid hormones ever since.

My goal is eventually to remove all the mercury, and cleanse my liver

enough to eventually wean myself off the thyroid hormones -- and I

just purchased s Moritz's book, _The Amazing Liver Cleanse_

today so I can continue to learn more about the liver cleansing

process.

However, in the meantime, my primary concern right now is with the

symptoms of eye irritation since they are getting progressively

worse, and I don't want to take any chances with my eye sight! I'm

strongly tempted to do another liver cleanse, in the hope of clearing

any additional blockage(s) that might be contributing to the symptoms

of eye irritation -- unless some of you more experienced folks feel

that additional cleansing might *not* be advisable under the

circumstances?

Any feedback and help will be genuinely appreciated!

Thanks,

Metta

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 10/11/2004 6:40:41 PM Eastern Standard Time,

gallstones writes:

> the Vitamin A overdose (and consequent liver

> congestion) severely impaired my ability to metabolize thyroid

> hormones, and I have been on low dose thyroid hormones ever since.

Hi Metta,

Have you had your thyroid hormones rechecked recently? You may aware of this

already (if so, sorry for the repeat), but a common symptom of Hashimoto's

Thyroiditis (and I think even Grave's?) is sore, weepy, swollen eyes. If left

untreated, the eyes bulge. My Mum has Hashimoto's and the eye problem was how

she

was diagnosed. Well, really just wondering, especially as you mentioned

preexisting thryoid problems on top of the eye thing.

Btw, Accutane is a drug commonly used to treat cystic acne. My daughter was

on it before I realized there was such a thing as flushing. Accutane is an

extremely high dose of Vit A. When I asked about possible overdosing, the doc

assured me that it would be hard to do so and the worst side-effects would be

dry

mouth, dry mucous membranes, potential for depression and, if pregnant, some

pretty nasty birth defects. No mention made of liver congestion, though.

Does anyone have any info on Vit A and liver function? I take it on a regular

basis, and felt it had synergistic benefits with the other Vits, mins and

herbals I'm taking.

Also, a good friend has managed to wean herself off her thyroid meds (under

doctor's supervision) by starting a regular workout regime. This has proven

quite miraculous to her as she has been on these meds for about 12 years now,

but

retesting at regular intervals is showing a marked improvement and the doc

feels she will be entirely off her meds in the near future if she continues to

progress at this rate.

None of this may be of any help whatsoever, Metta, but was wondering about

the thyroid issue while reading your post, before you even got to that point.

So, felt I should mention it, just in case.

All the best to you!

Peace, n

[Guest guest]

Metta -

I personally do not know if there's any connection between a liver cleanse &

eye health, but...the symptoms you describe are common in people with dry

eye syndrome - it doesn't matter if your eyes don't " feel " dry - if they are

dry, it can cause alot of the " scratchy " feelings, the bloodshot look, and

even the feeling that there's something in your eye when you know there's

not. I know dry eye syndrome is very common in people with autoimmune

disorders such as Lupus, Rheumatoid Arthritis, etc - so I guess it would

make sense to have these eye symptoms with different types of liver

problems.

I work for an eye doctor, and I have dry eye syndrome. It was never that

bad until last year - I apparently do not close my eyes all the way when I

sleep, which stress can easily cause - which all the stress I've been under

medically (read almost any of emails to see why) I'm sure has created

problems with more than just my eyes.

I have tried all the drops out there (please, whatever you do - stay AWAY

from using on any regular basis the conventional drops that get rid of that

bloodshot look - it's the worst thing you can do!) and they only provided

temp relief.

I had punctal plugs put in last March and my eyes are nowhere near as bad as

they were.

The plugs keep the tears in your eyes from draining away too quickly (and,

no, it will not cause watery eyes - I haven't heard from/of one patient of

ours come back with that complaint!).

I still have minor problems with the dryness, so I just use Similasan Dry

Eye drops - and when I have contacts in, I use a contact lens rewetting drop

or any artificial tear that does not have preservatives - the preservatives

in drops are the main reason contact lens wearers cannot use just any drops

while their contacts are in.

My boss/eye dr said people with dry eyes should avoid ALL preservatives -

whether in food, medication, drops, etc - because that will only exacerbate

the effect. Any eye drops you use should be preservative free - and there's

plenty out there. Don't buy any vitamins/herbs/etc with preservatives

either - why take natural remedies to make yourself better if you're just

going to cancel the effect with artificial ingredients like preservatives?

I think our bodies would like it a lot more if each of us avoided

preservatives - dry eyes or not!

Oh, and even though most people think antihistamines are THE drug to dry out

your eyes (and they can/do) - anti-depressants do also, as well as many

other meds you'd never think of.

There is a new medication out there called Restasis that treats dry eyes -

but it must be used twice daily and it is an antibiotic - although it's only

a tiny bit that can get in your system - but if you have dry eyes, and don't

treat it, you could suffer permanent damage.

see http://www.restasis.com/default2.htm?Restasis for more info

I did use Restasis for several months prior to the plugs, because I'm a

chicken! and I was dealing with so many other health issues at the time,

that I could not muster up the courage to even consider plugs. They say the

main side effect is burning - and my eyes burn if I use with saline or even

get water in my eyes - and I did not experience any burning whatsoever!

I'm glad I went for the plugs tho - it's a lot less drops in my eyes, and my

eyes are so much whiter now that they're not irritated.

The risks with not treating dry eyes are ulcers or infections of the cornea.

You can also try adding essential fatty acids to your diet as well - Oils

such as Flaxseed, Black Currant, Borage, and Evening Primrose.

see http://www.allaboutvision.com/conditions/dryeye.htm for more info about

dry eyes.

Cathie in PA

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Date: Sun, 10 Oct 2004 16:18:10 -0000

From: " Metta Zetty " <AIA@...>

....I am interested to know if anyone has experience with or knowledge

about the relationship between liver health and eye health. I think

I have begun to discover a correlation between bowel congestion and

blood-shot eyes, and with good diet and colon cleansing, this problem

seems to have been resolved.

However, after my second liver cleanse (a little over 1 month ago), I

noticed that my eyes were quite irritated the next morning (red, with

a " scratched " feeling under the lids -- particularly the left eye),

and although there is no significant discharge or sign of infection,

the " scratched " feeling has only continued to get worse during the

past several weeks -- and it does not seem to respond to topical eye

washes (boric acid, silver, homeopathic, etc.)......