Whether your patients suffer from dry eyes due to working on a computer, exposure to irritating conditions, or actually have a chronic illness such as Sjögren’s Syndrome which can cause severe eye dryness, there is a powerful nutrient that can help.

Sea Buckthorn, a rich source of omega-7 fatty acids, is the right choice for:

• Relieving dry eyes and restoring eye moisture
• Preventing eye fatigue and soreness
• Reducing symptoms of Sjögren’s Syndrome
• Stopping redness and irritation
• Helping you feel more awake and refreshed

If your patients have dry, tired eyes, they are not alone.

Dry eye syndrome (DES) affects about 3.2 million women and 1.68 million men over the age of 50. For women, DES parallels menopause and other typical conditions of aging. For men, it corresponds not just with age, but hypertension, antidepressant use, and benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH).

Aside from computer use, dry eyes have many other causes as well: driving, working outside, contact lens wear, common over-the-counter drugs (like antihistamines), dust, wind, and exposure to air pollutants. In serious cases, an autoimmune disease like Sjögren’s Syndrome may be the root cause.

The right balance of fatty acids is truly essential to our health in many ways, and this includes healthy skin and mucous membranes. However, it is not just omega-3, 6, and 9 fatty acids, which are pretty familiar to anyone interested in natural health. Omega-7, also called palmitoleic acid – not nearly as common as the others – is critical, too, but much harder to find. There are only a few sources of the rare omega-7 fatty acid, but the science on this subject is exploding. Today we’ll discuss how to reduce or eliminate dry eyes with omega-7 from sea buckthorn.

The Answer to Dry Eyes: Sea Buckthorn Oil

Sea Buckthorn (Hippophaë rhamnoides) has a long history of use and is such a healthy berry that it is called “the nutrient bomb.” Some varieties have been recommended for centuries in Traditional Chinese Medicine for everything from improving digestion and stopping heartburn to keeping the heart and circulation running smoothly. In fact, those are all still very good reasons to use an extract from the berries.

Berry are packed with over 200 nutrients, including antioxidant tocopherols, betacarotene, phytosterols, and omega fatty acids acids, including omega-7. In fact, omega-7 comprises about 50% of sea buckthorn berry’s fatty acid content, making it one of the most valuable nutrient sources, and the richest plant-based source of palmitoleic acid you’ll find.

Not all sea buckthorn products contain omega-7 fatty acids. That’s because omega-7 is found only in the berry, not the seed oil.

But it’s important to choose a sea buckthorn supplement that includes omega-7, because not all of them do.

Sea buckthorn berries need to be carefully harvested and so that they are not damaged, which will reduce their nutrient profile. Also, a supercritical CO2 extraction process is best. It too, helps preserve the delicate balance of beneficial fatty acids and other nutrients.

Supercritical CO2 extraction uses carbon dioxide in liquid form, which is odorless, tasteless, and non-toxic.  Oils in plants that are extracted using this method contain no heavy metals, are completely pure and safe, provide no base for germ growth, and need no additional preservation. Supercritical CO2 extraction works at very low temperatures, so it preserves the sensitive plant constituents, and avoids the risk of biologically active components being destroyed by oxidation. Plus, it yields high levels of the omega fatty acids.

Relieving Dry Eyes

One of the reasons we develop dry eyes is because the moisture levels of the eyes (and the entire body) change as we get older. Aside from simple change in body chemistry, our lifestyle contributes to dry eyes as well. Being at a computer all day, working outside, wind, dust, allergies, and prescription drugs can cause a lot of the irritation and dryness that make us wish for lasting relief.

While the causes can vary, the basic mechanics of dry eyes generally boil down to two types: an “aqueous deficient” form of dry eye (you simply don’t produce enough tears or moisture to keep the eyes from feeling dry); and an “evaporative” dry eye where the amount of moisture starts off normal, but the composition of the tear film layer is simply not stable or healthy enough to prevent the eyes from drying out.

Certainly, there are many over-the-counter and prescription eye drops and “artificial tears” available, but they don’t really address the structural reasons that cause the problem to begin with. Nor do they offer a long-term solution. For that, your patients need nutrients working systemically from the inside.

Nutrients from sea buckthorn, including omega-7, do just that.

A double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled clinical study included one hundred men and women aged 20 to 75 who were experiencing dry eye symptoms. Not surprisingly, half of them used contact lenses – a major contributing factor to dry eyes and fatigue.

For three months, half of the participants used a supercritical CO2 sea buckthorn extract (SBA24®), in morning and evening doses. Participants kept a logbook of symptoms throughout the study, and clinical tests (including eye exams and fatty acid analysis of the tear film) were conducted.

The redness and burning sensations were lower in the sea buckthorn group versus the placebo group, and in similar studies, those using sea buckthorn also had a much better fatty acid composition of their tear film than those in the placebo groups.

So why does sea buckthorn work so well for dry eyes? The researchers believe that one important reason is the reduction of inflammation, which tends to dry out the eyes – and keep them dry. Other research has shown that omega fatty acids help reduce the inflammation, and they have a combined effect of increasing tear secretion while reducing inflammation. Fatty acids – and a healthy fatty acid balance – also help build the composition of tear film, produced by the meibomian glands at the edges of the eyelids. The lipid content of that film is what helps prevent water and moisture loss from the eyes, so it’s an important factor in dry eye syndrome and other conditions of eye dryness. In fact, there is a demonstrable difference in the fatty acid composition in the tears of people with healthy eyes versus those suffering from dry eyes. Additionally, omega-7 fatty acids helps the cells themselves retain moisture.

Sea buckthorn oil has also been clinically proven for women with Sjögren’s syndrome, an autoimmune disease that leads to excessive dryness in the eyes, mouth, and vagina. In a double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover study, 24 women aged 37 to 66 took sea buckthorn oil or a coconut oil placebo for three months. The improvement for women in the sea buckthorn group was dramatic. The botanical relieved itching, pain, dryness and burning sensations in the mucosal tissues throughout the body. For anyone suffering from this painful condition, I highly recommend sea buckthorn. It has the power to improve your life dramatically.

Of course, carotenoids and tocopherols have also been shown to have similar effects on inflammation and oxidative stress in the eyes. Sea buckthorn provides all of them in one package, along with the added benefits of moisture-improvingomega-7. So, not only do you have nutrients that support the structure of the eyes, but one that prevents free radical damage to the retina and other sensitive components of the eyes as well.

There is a Natural Solution to Dry Eyes – Sea Buckthorn Oil

Whether your patients have occasional dry eyes after being outside or working long hours staring at a computer screen, or are stressed each day by knowing they’ll have to contend with irritated, sore, and tired eyes, they don’t have to reach for the drops or some prescription drug.

Sea buckthorn can help eyes feel fresh, rested, and healthy again. Plus, it will have amazing benefits for skin, and support heart and digestion, too. That’s because sea buckthorn truly is a “nutrient bomb”. The omega-7 it provides along with its astounding nutrient profile, make it a natural wonder they’ll appreciate every day.

For fresh, rested, and healthy eyes, recommend taking 500 mg of sea buckthorn oil daily. Be sure to look for sea buckthorn oil that has been extracted using CO2 technology and features berry pulp and seed oil.