Dr. Banik's Eye Nutrition Blog

Thoughts and suggestions on how you can maintain health for your vision, mind, and body.

What is Integrative Ophthalmology?

When I introduce myself to patients as an Integrative Ophthalmologist specializing in Functional Medicine, I often get quizzical looks. The response is usually, “I’ve never heard of that before! What exactly do you do?”

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Top 3 Foods To Fight Macular Degeneration

Nutrition plays an essential role in preventing eye disease. Consuming a nutritious and well-balanced diet of eye-smart foods can help prevent diseases of the eye such as age-related macular degeneration and cataracts. Here are the top three foods for preventing...

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How Healthy Is Your Brain? Take This Brain Health Survey

As we get older, our brain starts to lose its ability to create neurotransmitters needed for optimal mental function. The symptoms of this decline vary in each person but can include changes in mood, having a hard time staying focused, having a hard time sleeping,...

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Which Diet And Supplements Are Best For Brain Health?

Which types of diet and supplements are best for brain health? Here are some simple steps you can adopt in your lifestyle to help support your brain's optimal function. The first thing is to start eating a Mediterranean-style diet filled with whole, organic foods such...

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The Gut-Brain Connection And Migraine

Adapted from MigraineAgain.com. https://www.migraineagain.com/gut-brain-connection-migraine/ Have you ever heard of the Gut-Brain Connection? Migraine is well known to be associated with an array of gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms, such as nausea,...

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10 Ways To Strengthen Your Immune System

In these unprecedented and fluid times of the COVID19 pandemic, it’s important to focus on how we can best protect ourselves, our loved ones, and our communities against this invisible enemy.  To best support our immune system, it boils down to these 10 basics: 1....

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Caffeine and the Migraineur- Friend or Foe?

Caffeine is the world’s most popular drug, found in coffee, tea, energy drinks, and even chocolate. Surprisingly, decaf beverages also contain small quantities of caffeine. And much of the world is addicted, with up to 90% of Americans consuming caffeine on a daily...

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Can Omega-3s Help With Dry Eye?

Have you ever experienced a sandy or gritty sensation in your eyes? How about redness or intermittent blurred vision? It’s quite possible that you may have dry eye. Dry eye is perhaps the most common condition affecting vision. It can develop across all age groups...

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What to Eat, and Not to Eat- That’s the Question

A number of foods have been found to benefit the immune system in a range of ways. One group of foods is thought to reduce inflammation in the body, leading to less wear and tear on all your bodily systems, including your immune system. Adding anti-inflammatory foods...

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Alcohol And The Gluten Free Dieter

When you’re eliminating gluten, it’s important to consider booze and the gluten free dieter. How will you be affected by alcoholic beverages? You may not have thought much about how alcohol is made, but it can affect your exposure to gluten. Any beverages that are...

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A Gluten-Free Grocery List

When you have gluten intolerance, it helps to have a gluten free grocery list as a reference. The good news is that many foods are naturally gluten free and you probably already eat many of them. Grains - You’ll want to avoid wheat, barley, and rye. But that leaves...

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The Gluten-Free Diet and Your Family

When you’re getting ready to make big changes, you need to think about the gluten-free diet and your family. Should everyone go gluten free? Or is it too much? It’s important to understand how to feed your family in a healthy way. Eliminating gluten means eliminating...

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Modern Agriculture and Human Gut Health

If you've done much research on gut health, you already know that antibiotics, even when prescribed and used correctly, can really do a number on your digestive health. While they're killing off the pathogens they were meant to eliminate, antibiotics also rid your...

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