From: Chung Tsung Mien
Date: Tue Mar 30, 1999 7:27 am
[rosacea] Ocular rosacea hot compresses vitamin B biotin
Found an interesting site (www.dadamo.com) with this query on ocular rosacea: (The site is based on the theory in the book “Eat Right for your Type” – eating foods based on your blood type). Interestingly, I am in the A blood group.
Q: I have a common dry eye problem. It is called Occular Rosacea.. The oil glands in my eyes are clogged, thereby producing tears without lipids that easily evaporate. Although, many people suffer from this, there is no known cure nor is there any understanding of what causes it by the medical community. I have a sneaking suspicion that diet is somehow a culprit. I am an A+ type. Can you shed any light on my problem or offer some guidance.
A: Checking through patient records, there appears to be about a 2:1 rate of rosacea in type A over the other blood groups. Perhaps this represents some element of “tolerance” on the part of type A over the other types with regard for the micro-organisms which tend to be the cause of the problem. In the eye, probably the most common manifestation of rosacea is the presence of chalazia, styes in the eyelids. And when these occur in multiple recurrent forms, very often there is an underlying rosacea. Styes are caused by blocked oil glands in the eyelids. Other symptoms of occular rosacea include oily and crusty eyelids, red rimmed eyes, conjunctivitis as well as burning and tearing.
One association seems to be that rosacea sufferers tend to have low levels of lactoferrin, an iron-binding protein found in tears and other body secretions which has a supressive effect on bacteria and their ability to penetrate the body’s barrier defenses; which in your case would be the tears themselves. Lactoferrin is associated estrogen: high levels enhance its activity, low levels suppress it. This explains perhaps why many post menopausal women suffer from dry eye syndrome. There are commercial supplements of lactoferrin, though they are nothing but encapsulated forms of the milk constituents whey and colostrum, both of which can be obtained from a variety of sources. Although dairy can be problematic for type A, these fractions are usually well-tolerated. If you find they are aggravating a mucous condition, you can try taking them with a rennett tablet (remember “Junkett”?) Following the type A diet should be a major help as there are studies indicating that vegetarian diets and fasting seem to have a positive effect on increasing lactoferrin.
Probably the most effective treatment is using hot compresses. The heat has an anti-inflammatory effect, and probably helps to dissolve hardened wax (tears possess a waxy substance) clogging the ducts. These should be applied several times during the day and this helps to drain the glands and clean up the lid. Another excellent remedy is to apply raw tomato slices to the eyes daily for 3-5 minutes. Tomatoes have a lectin in them which aggltuinates Staph and Strep organisms. Surprisingly, the tomato is quite soothing!
Other options include the B vitamin biotin (2000-4000 mcg daily) whch can suppress yeast reproduction. Some symptoms of biotin deficiency are depression, lethargy, eczema, dermatitis, anorexia, nausea, vomiting, inflammation of the tongue, and muscle pain. Infants with seborrheic dermatitis, evidenced by dry and scaly face and scalp, may also be suffering from a biotin deficiency. and an essential fatty acid supplement, such as black current seed oil capsules or 1-2 tblsp of flaxseed oil, which can help elevate prostaglandins in the tears.
