When I was diagnosed with Retinitis Pigmentosa nine years ago, my diet was horrible. My freezer was stuffed with frozen, processed foods and vegetables were the exception rather than the rule.

A friend who has long embraced whole-body health suggested that I get my hair analyzed to determine where I was deficient nutrient-wise. I did, but was immediately turned off when the woman who performed the hair analysis suggested that I needed to completely revamp my diet and lifestyle. She also said that her findings indicated poor circulation and possible liver deficiencies – which I now know are both directly related to poor eye health.

I started taking a few nutritional supplements but dismissed everything else the woman told me. Along with my horrible eating (and drinking) habits, my stress was through the roof. Any little thing could set me off and send my blood pressure boiling. I was angry and hurt over things that had happened in my past, and I felt trapped in a career I wasn’t passionate about.

Now, nine years later, I know that poor nutrition, stress, emotional turmoil and negative attitudes all play a significant role in degenerative diseases. And if I knew then what I do now, I would have drastically changed my lifestyle and diet the minute I heard the words Retinitis Pigmentosa.

I was recently asked what advice I could offer to a 14-year-old girl who is already struggling with loss of night and side vision. Her mother says she has a great attitude,  is passionate about dancing competitively, and benefits from a supportive group of friends. She is already way ahead of where I started. But here are my thoughts based on what I’ve learned.

• Avoid Stress: Stress is one of the biggest enemies when it comes to degenerative diseases. Bottom line? Stress makes you sick and will ABSOLUTELY speed the progression of your eye disease. So steer clear of it at all costs.
• Exercise: It’s great for stress relief, keeping weight off, staying physically fit and feeling good about yourself—which are all critical to slowing the progression of RP.
• Don’t Smoke: Yes. In addition to killing you, smoking is HORRIBLE for your eyes and will speed up vision loss.
• Eat Well:  What you eat matters. It’s been proven that diets rich in oily fish, antioxidants (think blueberries) and leafy greens help maintain eye health.
• Do acupressure and eye exercises daily.  Good circulation is key to slowing the progression of RP. I recently started doing acupressure and eye exercises (based on Dr. Yu’s video tutorials) and can actually feel the tingling sensation of blood flow while doing it. I wish I had started this a long time ago.
• Avoid Eye Strain: I’ve started to significantly reduce my reading, computer, texting, Internet and TV time on the advice of Dr. Yu. Already, I’ve noted a big difference in my eyes. They don’t hurt anymore  and a twitch that had started in my right eye (which a retinal specialist told me was caused by dry eyes) is gone.
• Get Perspective: For me, it took going to South Africa to write about AIDS orphans to realize just how great I had it. When you are feeling down, think about all you have to be grateful for in life. It helps.
• Have Fun:  Listen to your favorite music, sing, indulge in a double chocolate mocha, catch up with old friends, make new ones and laugh. Enjoying life may be the best remedy for any disease —eye diseases included.
• Embrace the Moment: The one thing my journey with RP has taught me is that none of us are immune to disease or death, life can change in an instant, and all we have for certain is now—so we better make NOW count.
•  Explore Every Therapy/Treatment Available. Don’t limit yourself to either a Western or Eastern medicine way of thinking. Because there are so many different gene mutations tied to RP, there isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution to managing RP.  Many people have benefitted from Traditional Chinese Medicine. Some people are finding success with micro-current stimulation. And eye exercises and good nutrition seem to be helpful all the way around. There are also new advancements (gene therapies, micro-chip eye implants, Valproic Acid clinical trials etc.) on the Western medical front. I say explore them ALL. As one wise MD/Naturopath once said to me: “Remember that when doctors say there is nothing that can be done for you, what they really mean is that there is nothing THEY can do for you.”

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