According to the website Eye Topics and an article entitled, “Keep Your Eyes Fit with Good Nutrition”, a balanced diet not only helps lower our risk for health problems such as diabetes, heart attack and stroke, but it also can help to lower the risk for certain eye problems such as cataracts and Glaucoma as well as other eye concerns. Carbohydrates that are also needed for many other systems in the body also help the eyes as well. It is important to limit the carbohydrates that have a high level of glucose and eat more foods with a lower glucose level such as: beans, peas, peanuts, apples, sourdough and rye bread, brown rice, protein enriched pasta, skim milk products, whole grain cereals, oranges, and apricots.

Protein is also important for our eyes. Protein is needed for all our muscles, organs, and glands, and it also helps to provide fluid for the tears that help keep our eyes moist. Our bodies need twenty-two amino acids to stay healthy and our body can produce some of these on its own, but we must get nine of our amino acids from the foods we eat. Some proteins are complete proteins which mean that they contain enough of an essential amino acid that our body needs. These foods include: beef, lamb, poultry, fish, shellfish, eggs, milk, and milk products. Foods such as the protein found in fruits and vegetables may not have all of the essential amino acids we may need, so it is important to eat all different kinds of proteins for good health.

Some studies have shown that anything that affects the cardiovascular system can affect our vision as well. If the blood supply to our eyes becomes blocked this may result in a sudden loss of vision People with Type Two diabetes that have poor diet and exercise habits may have diabetic retinopathy and vision loss. Other studies have shown that: fats found in French fries and many other snack foods may result in a high risk of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) which will result in vision problems. Also, obesity has been linked to a higher risk of cataracts.

After a doctor’s visit, my aunt discovered she was allergic to nickel, a tough elemental metal that is mixed with the gold, with some copper, zinc and silver for good measure, to stiffen the end product and make it easier to shape due to the increased tensile strength of the metal. This has been a common practice for centuries after it was discovered that even 85% pure gold was very soft and would wear out quickly.

Copper is naturally occurring in the body, as is silver and zinc, but not nickel. So, it makes sense that nickel-containing jewelry is the culprit of the allergic reaction. This reaction is called Contact Dermatitis and can show up at any age. Once you have dermatitis, and your doctor has tested you to verify it is indeed a nickel allergy, you may find that your best course of action is to avoid nickel jewelry as this type of allergy often lasts decades.

So how can you treat this allergy without losing your precious gold? Unfortunately, white gold is white due to the nickel it contains. However, you may purchase 18 Karat yellow gold if it is nickel free. Here are some tips that may help: For gold rings, coat the inside with clear nail polish, about three coats. This should keep the metal off your skin, but will eventually wear off, and it may damage the ring itself. Coating earring posts is not recommended as it does wear off. Hence, use platinum or hypoallergenic posts.

An easy approach would be to sell all your nickel containing accessories such as white gold or gold filled jewelry. Then, purchase items that do not contain nickel, but are just as attractive. Copper, although a very base metal to wear, can be worked into beautiful pieces. They have to be well taken care of, though, and tarnish, especially when exposed to acids in the sweat. This can often result in a green stain on the skin where the jewelry was. Often copper jewelry artisans will use a clear coat of enamel or other barrier material on areas that touch the body to avoid such a reaction.