| My father in law is 91 years of age. He has | | | | reduced, but also the UPTAKE of these nutrients |
| enjoyed good health most of his life up until he | | | | is greatly reduced by less effective digestive |
| reached his 80th birthday. Since then his health | | | | systems and lack of essential enzymes. |
| has still been pretty good compared to most. No | | | | Evidence of this is in the amount of eye diseases |
| doubt a factor in his good health has been due to | | | | present in the population. Consider these facts: |
| him being a keen gardener and up until recently | | | | * 45 million people worldwide are blind; 135 million |
| grew all his own organic vegetables. | | | | have impaired vision. (American Academy of |
| BUT, about a year ago his eyesight started to fail, | | | | Ophthalmology, AAO). |
| and he is now blind! | | | | * Every 5 seconds 1 person goes blind; 1 child |
| It's certainly traumatic having to cope with a | | | | goes blind every minute (AAO). More than 1.5 |
| world of darkness after 90 years of light! He can | | | | million of these are due to various nutritional |
| no longer read, watch TV and of course he | | | | deficiencies, or unnecessary infections. |
| cannot drive any more. As a result his quality of | | | | * Unless preventative action is taken 100 million |
| life has taken a significant downturn for the worse | | | | people will lose their sight unnecessarily by 2020. |
| and he says he is now ready to 'move on'. But, | | | | (AAO). |
| on the positive side he feels he has had a good | | | | * Over 2.3 million Americans are visually impaired; |
| life and has no regrets. It's likely that this will not | | | | over 1 million Americans over 40 are blind from |
| be to far away as once the will to live goes, the | | | | eye disease. |
| body starts shutting down and that is happening | | | | * 17% of Americans aged 45 or older report |
| to him now. | | | | some type of vision impairment. This rises with |
| I often reflect on his situation and ask myself if | | | | age to 26% at age 75 and older. |
| his blindness could have been prevented? Knowing | | | | * 5 million Americans have vision problems related |
| what I know now I can confident that the | | | | to diabetes. |
| answer to this is yes. Unfortunately, eight years | | | | Pretty sobering isn't it? |
| ago when my son and I founded a company with | | | | OK, so what can you do? |
| my knowledge about these things was pretty | | | | Well do what I do! Provide your eyes with the |
| minimal and as such my ability to help at that time | | | | ammunition they need to fight degeneration! This |
| was limited. | | | | means ensuring that you have a reasonable intake |
| His Doctor was prescribing a number of drugs | | | | of the essential nutrients that 'feed' your eyes |
| back then and I was not in any position at that | | | | and keep them healthy. |
| time to debate the merits or otherwise of what | | | | The key ones are Zeaxanthin, Lutein, Bilberry |
| he was taking. I do know that some of the drugs | | | | Extract, N-Acetyl Cysteine, L-Carnosine, Beta |
| had potential interactions with our Total Balance | | | | Carotene plus trace elements such as |
| and as such he never got to experience the | | | | Molybdenum, various Vitamins and a host of other |
| benefits that this supplement could have given | | | | Co-Factors such as Enzymes to ensure |
| him. | | | | bio-availability. |
| I have since learned that the long term side | | | | Yes, you may be thinking, but do these nutrients |
| effects of the drugs may have been one of the | | | | really work? Well, they do for me! I recently had |
| contributors to his current state of blindness. | | | | an eye exam and the optician was really quite |
| Hindsight of course is a wonderful thing but it | | | | amazed at the health of my eyes. So, how do I |
| often only comes with knowledge accumulated in | | | | get the 'ammunition'? Simple, all these nutrients |
| the intervening period. For example, prescription | | | | are in Total Balance, and a lot more which help |
| drugs were largely responsible for the death of | | | | the eyes but I have not mentioned here. |
| my Mother at 89...but...that is another story. What | | | | The benefits that Total Balance has given to my |
| I do know is that she could have had many more | | | | eyes are not unique. We frequently get reports |
| quality years had I known then what I know now. | | | | from customers who have astonished their |
| It is of course too late to help my Mum or my | | | | opticians by improving their eyesight just through |
| father in law, or indeed if I go further back to | | | | Total Balance. |
| before my Dad died, I could include him as well. | | | | But, none of this is surprising. Even the National |
| But, it is not to late to help other people who are | | | | Eye Institute believes that half of all blindness can |
| at a stage in their lives where these degenerative | | | | be prevented. Of course lifestyle choices such as |
| diseases have not yet manifested themselves. | | | | smoking, diet and excess alcohol consumption are |
| We all have them to some degree and the secret | | | | often cited as culprits but even the National Eye |
| is keeping them latent. This is possible IF, | | | | Institute acknowledge that a lack of anti-oxidants |
| appropriate steps are taken early enough. | | | | which are the 'ammunition' that I referred to |
| Because I don't want to turn this article into a | | | | earlier is also a significant cause. |
| book I will just focus the rest of it on the eyes | | | | (By the way, the blindness being experienced by |
| because this is what prompted the article in the | | | | my father in law is not as a result of any |
| first place. | | | | negative lifestyle choices.) |
| It's not too late for most of us! | | | | Here is a simple example of just how one nutrient |
| Most of us take our eyesight for granted, until it | | | | (anti-oxidant) I mentioned earlier can help your |
| starts to fail. Like a stone rolling down a hill once it | | | | eyes. Lutein! Consider this: |
| starts it continues to gather momentum! The | | | | In one Harvard study, a diet of 6 milligrams of |
| same principles apply to degenerative | | | | lutein per day led to a 57 per cent lower |
| diseases...once they are diagnosed they are hard | | | | prevalence of Aged Macular Degeneration, leading |
| to stop, but they can often be slowed down. The | | | | the study's authors to suggest a diet high in lutein |
| key is to try and stop it getting to the point that | | | | to lower the risk of contracting AMD. |
| they are advanced enough to be diagnosed. | | | | Now this is just one nutrient and a relatively weak |
| Remember that just because you have not been | | | | one at that. There are dozens more studies |
| diagnosed with a particular ailment such as cancer | | | | supporting the efficacy of the nutrients that I |
| or an eye disease does not mean that you don't | | | | mentioned above. By the way we have 5mgs a |
| have it. In fact, cancers are within all of us to a | | | | day of Lutein in a full dose of Total Balance. It |
| lesser or greater degree. | | | | becomes even more effective when it is |
| Your eyes are in a constant state of | | | | combined with the other ingredients I mentioned |
| degeneration. The rate at which that takes place | | | | above. |
| is dependent upon the amount of ammunition | | | | It is no miracle that Total Balance helps your |
| your body has to fight the degeneration. In our | | | | eyes...it is pure science that it does. Add our |
| younger years there is usually enough basic | | | | Omega 3 to your daily Total Balance regime as |
| ammunition to keep the rate of degeneration | | | | well and you will be doing your eyes an even |
| quite slow. But, as the years move on the not | | | | bigger favor. In good health and may you keep |
| only is the intake of nutrients (ammunition) | | | | your good eyesight. |