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I receive a monthly health newsletter that has long been warning about the use of an aspirin-a-day therapy and it's effect on macular degeneration. It claims that it makes your retinas more likely to hemorrhage--a primary cause of macular degeneration. It goes on to say that that's why we have an epidemic of macular degeneration in America. I know that LEF has long advocated use of aspirin in this way, and I trust them for a lot of my health information. This newsletter has been railing against aspirin therapy for some time now. What are the facts?

Dunno, but do know that an acquaintance just was diagnosed with MD and the first question I asked was if she had been taking aspirin. Yup, her DR has had her on baby aspirin for years for her heart...I've since talked to a few other people since then and the same thing with them, but that isn't to say there are a lot of folks out there who have the problem and never took aspirin...

If aspirin is not good because it thins the blood, then why do some macular degeneration products contain gingko and vitamin E? Known thinners. It's really confusing. My mother has this condition and can never get a straight answer from her doctors.

Ginkgo simply makes the red blood cells slippery so that they can squeeze through the tiny capillaries. I'm not sure exactly what aspirin does other than tear up the GI system. Maybe it does a job on the blood vessels and they become weak or damaged or something ... if anyone has info to enlighten us, please do.

Other than the protocol for Macular Degeneration, do you know of any other suggestions to possibly repair the degeneration?

::Acetylcarnosine eye drops might help.

Biochemistry (Mosc) 2000 May;65(5):588-98
The natural histidine-containing dipeptide Nalpha-acetylcarnosine as an antioxidant for ophthalmic use.
Babizhayev MA, Yermakova VN, Semiletov YA, Deyev AI.
Innovative Vision Products Inc., County of New Castle, Delaware 19810, USA.

The naturally occurring compound Nalpha-acetylcarnosine is proposed as a prodrug of L-carnosine that is resistant to enzymatic hydrolysis by carnosinase. Eyes of rabbits were treated with 1% Nalpha-acetylcarnosine, L-carnosine, or placebo and extracts of the aqueous humor from the anterior eye chamber were analyzed for imidazole content by reverse-phase analytical high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and thin-layer (TLC) and ion-exchange chromatographic techniques. Topical administration of pure L-carnosine to the rabbit eye did not lead to accumulation of this compound in the aqueous humor over 30 min in concentration exceeding that in the placebo-treated matched eye. Nalpha-Acetylcarnosine showed dose-dependent hydrolysis in its passage from the cornea to the aqueous humor, releasing L-carnosine after l5-30 min of ocular administration of the prodrug in a series of therapeutic modalities: instillation < or = subconjunctival injection < or = ultrasound-induced phoresis. Different treatment techniques showed excellent toleration of 1%Nalpha-acetylcarnosine by the eye. Once in the aqueous humor, L-carnosine might act as an antioxidant and enter the lens tissue when present at effective concentrations (5-l5 mM). The advantage of the ophthalmic prodrug Nalpha-acetylcarnosine and its bioactivated principle L-carnosine as universal antioxidants relates to their ability to give efficient protection against oxidative stress both in the lipid phase of biological membranes and in aqueous environments. Nalpha-Acetylcarnosine is proposed for treatment of ocular disorders that have a component of oxidative stress in their genesis (cataracts, glaucoma, retinal degeneration, corneal disorders, ocular inflammation, complications of diabetes mellitus, and systemic diseases).
PMID: 10851037::

Also, anyone else who may have had good results or know of any other suggestions is welcomed.

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