Pages

Labels

12th anniversary 21st Amendment Monk's Blood Abbaye De Saint Bon Chien abhyasa abuse abyss active vs. passive poses acute pain agility agitated depression ahimsa Al-Aksir alasya ale alesmith alignment Allagash anatomy Anchor Brewing Anchor Brewing Company anchor steam Anchor Steam Brewing and moderation Andrea Gilats Angel's Share anger ankle circles ankle injuries ankle joint ankle problems ankle sprains anti-aging solution anxiety aparigraha appetite arm pain arm strength arms arthralgia arthritis arthritis (menopause) arthritis of shoulder joint atrial fibrillation avery avery maharaja award winning beer store ayurveda B.K. Bose baba back care back extensor muscles back pain balance Ballast Point baltic thunder bandhas bandwagon of healthy eating baroreceptors basque cider Baxter Baxter Bell bay area beer beer beer advocate beer castro beer club beer club san francisco beer list Beer of the Month beer of the month club beer pong beer shop san francisco beer store Belgian beer belgian beer glasses belgian beer san francisco Belgium. Japanese best beer store in the world BFM Bhagavad Gita Bhramari Bikram Choudhury biological clock Birra Troll Birrifio bitches brew Bittersweet Lenny black butte black lager blood lactate blood pressure body image bone strength Bonnie Maeda bottle bag bourbon Brad Gibson brain strength Brasserie Caracole breath breath practices Brettanomyces Beer Brewing Bridge pose Bridget Frederick Bruery Coton Bruery Mischief Bruery Saison De Lente bruising Brussels Bruton beer bursitis bypass surgery California beer Callifornia beer caloric restriction Cantillon cantillon san francisco Carol Krucoff cascade apricot cascade sang rouge cask strength sake Castro Cat pose Cat-Cow pose cataracts central nervous system cervical nerves Chair Cat pose Chair Downward-Facing Dog pose Chair Purvottansana chair yoga chair yoga sequence challenging pose charlie papazian chatoe rogue cheese Child's pose children Chimay chimay san francisco chocolate indulgence chondromalacia christmas beer chronic illness chronic inflammation chronic pain chronic stress cognitive decline cognitive health collapsed lung commenting comments community community yoga compassion compression of joints connective tissue conscious relaxation contacting writers contentment cortisol counter-poses Cow pose craft beer craft beer san francisco craft beer store craft brew creaky knees Cucapa Barley wine Cuvee de Tomme Cuvee des Champions Damnation dave hauslein david hausein David Hauslein Dayna Macy De Dolle De Proef De Ranke Dead Guy Ale Decadence Pomegranite Saison Decadent Evil degenerative disc disease dementia dental disease depression Depuceleuse san francisco DFH Faithful Ale DFH Twenty dharana dhyana dhyanam diabetes diet digestion digestive disorders digestive system dogfish head Dogfish Head Theobroma Dolphin pose dominus vibiscum doshas double ipa Downward-Facing Dog pose Downward-Facing Dog pose (variations) drake's denogginizer Drie Fontinen duck feet Eagle pose Easy Inverted Pose eating habits eating healthy Einbecker El Camino (un) real emotional wellbeing endorphins endurance training enteric brain equanimity eric's ale European Society of Cardiology exercise extensor muscles eye floaters eye problems facebook beer Fantome fatigue feet felt real happiness fifty fifty brewing company Firestone Walker first growth first trimester fizzy yoga Flanders flat feet Flemish Primitive flemish sour ale flexibility Food pyramid guide forehead skin forward bends fred echardt front body frozen shoulder full sail topsail fun gait Gandhi ganglion cysts Garudasana genetics Georg Feuerstein George Gale ginjo Gonzo goose island goose island san francisco Goouden Carolus gouden carolus Grand Cru greed grief grow your own Gueuze gueuze girardin Haandbryggeriet hakutsuru Halasana (supported) hands Handstand Hanssens lambic happiness hard cider head position head rush headaches health care professionals healthy aging healthy eating Healthy Eating Ideas healthy spirits healthy spirits Mikkeller 1000 IBU healthy spirits san francisco healthy spirits. Deschutes Jubel Ale 2010 healthy spirits. san francisco healthy spirits. san francisco beer healthy spriits healthy style of eating heart problems Hedonist Beer Jive herbs hernias high blood pressure himsa Hinduism hip arthritis hip dysplasia hip replacements history of yoga Hitachino Nest Hitachino XH hoarding home brew home practice home yoga practice hop wallop Howe Sound Hugh Malone hummus hypertension hypotension ida immune system inflammation inguinal hernias injuries insomnia Inverted Lake pose Irritable Bowel Syndrome Jalandara Bandha Japanese beer jatharagni jay hinman jizake John John joint health joint pain joint replacement joints Jolly Pumpkin Jon Kabat-Zinn Judith Lasater kampai karma yoga karuna Kausthub Desikachar kidney kleshas knee alignment knee joint knee pain knee replacement Koningshoeven Krishnamacharya Krishnmacharya kundalini lactic acid lager Lambic large women leg cramps leg length discrepancy (LLD) Legs Up the Wall pose life coaching Life Coaching Executives Life coaching problems ligaments lips of faith longevity Lost Abbey Lost Abbey Brewing Company low back low back pain low blood pressure Luciernaga Lucifer lying male hormones male menopause malnutrition Man Bites Downward-Facing Dog marijuana marin brewing barrel aged old dipsea massage medical advice medical conditions (informing teacher of) medical conditions (yoga for) meditation Melina Meza Melitta Rorty men menopause mental health Mephistopholes micro brew micro-brew middle-eastern Midnight Sessions Lager Midnight sun brewing midnight sun hop dog midnight sun san francisco migraines Mikkeller Mikkeller Beer Geek Breakfast Mikkeller Black Mikkeller chipotle porter mind-body connection mindful yoga mindfulness mini office yoga sequence mini yoga practices miracle mission statement mood Morton's Neuroma motivation Mountain pose Multiple Sclerosis Muriel Zimmerman music nadis napa smith nate breed neck anatomy neck pain neuroma neuropsychiatric disorders new arrivals new belgium new releases nigori Nina Zolotow Niroga Institute noble pils nocturnal leg cramps Nogne-O non-hoarding non-violence Norwegian beer nutrient-dense foods oak aged oak aged ale oatmeal stout Odonata Rorie's Ale odonata saison office yoga Old Inventory Barleywine ommegang Ommegeddon oral hygiene Orval osteoarthritis osteopenia osteoporosis Oyster Stout pain pain management parabola partner yoga Paschima Namaskarana Paschimottanasana passive vs. active poses Patricia Walden Paul Grilley peanuts Pearl Jam Pearl Jam Beer pelvis perimenopause pes planus philosophy physio-yoga pigeon toes pingula pinto plantar fascitis Pliny the Elder Pliny the Younger Plow pose (supported) pneumothorax Port Brewing postural control posture Powerful pose practice practice (changing your) prana prana vayu pranayama pratipaksha bhavanam pregnancy private lessons proprioception psoas Puppy pose purusathas Purvottanasana Purvottansansa quadruppel questions R. Sriram Ram Rao rami barqawi Rami's Mommy's range of motion (ROM) rate beer ratebeer real ale Reclined Cobbler's pose red lentils Redemption relaxation Relaxation pose relaxation response religion (and yoga) resistance training resting restless leg syndrome restorative backbend restorative yoga retreats Reverse Prayer pose Richard Rosen Rodenbach barrel 230 Rogue Brewery Russian River Russian River Sanctification sacroiliac joint sacrum sacrum (anatomy of) safety saint somewhere saison Saison Du BUFF sake Salvation samana vayu samaranth san francisco san francisco Beer San Francisco beer store San Francisco Beer Week san francisco bottle shop san francisco craft brew san francisco fantome san francisco odonata santosha Sarah Powers Sarvangasana (supported) satya saucha Savasana scalene muscles scar tissue Schaerbeekse Kriek Schlenkerla Ur-Bock Schneider scientific studies Sculpin sedentary behavior Seedstore seniors sequencing Setu Bandha Shari Ser shochu shoulder blades shoulder joint (arthritis of) shoulder joint replacement shoulders shoulders. sequences Shoulderstand (supported) sierra nevada sierra nevada 30th anniversary Signature Ale sitting-rising sleep smiling soy speedway stout spiritual health spiritual wellness split peas squatting steenbrugge stem cell regeneration stillwater Stone stone brewing company stopping yoga practice store hours beer strength stress stress management stress response Stretching stroke strong cheese styana suffering Sukasana supplements Supplication Supported Child's Pose Supported Forward Bend Supta Badha Konasana surgery sushumna nadi Swiss beer Table pose tabouli Tadasana teacher (choosing) teachers teaching seniors Temptation testosterone Thanksgiving Thanksgiving Day Schedule The abyys san francisco The Bruery Thoracic Outlet Syndrome Thoreau tilting the pelvis timing poses Timothy McCall top sail toronado total knee replacement towards healing and finding the solution transferring transitions trappist trauma trial run coaching session truth tucking the pelvis TV Twilight and Life Coaching ujjayi breath unfiltered sake unibroue Upavista Konasana upper body flexibility upper body strength Upward Plank pose Upward-Facing Plank pose urthel Utkatasana val dieu Valley Brewing Company variety vata vayu vegetarian way vertical epic vestibular system victory Victory at Sea viloma breath vintage beer violence Viparita Karani vyana vayu Warrior 1 Warrior 2 pose Warrior 3 wedge weight loss weight management wild ale wild devil will power William Broad workshops wrist problems wrists wu tang clan xyauyu yamas Yin Yoga yoga history Yoga Journal conference yoga nidra yoga philosophy yoga sutras yoga therapy yogic breathing yogic phases of life yulesmith summer

Friday, November 9, 2012

Friday Q&A: Eye Floaters

Q: I have several students who have “eye floaters.” They are wondering if there is anything they can do for them.

A: First off, how many of you out there reading this have ever had an “eye floater”?  I’ll bet loads! Even though they are considered an age-related eye phenomenon, I had one long ago, perhaps in my twenties or thirties. But before I get too far ahead of myself, let me define what we are talking about here.

According to the Mayo clinic, eye floaters are spots in your vision. Eye floaters may look like black or gray specks, strings or cobwebs that drift about when you move your eyes. And typically, when you go to look at the floater, it will frustratingly move out of your field of vision. The gall! But, usually, this common condition is more annoying than threatening to your health.

Eye floaters, again via our friends in Minnesota, are considered a result of age-related changes that occur as the jelly-like substance (vitreous) inside your eyes becomes more liquid. When this happens, microscopic fibers within the vitreous tend to clump together and can cast tiny shadows on your retina, which you may see as eye floaters.

Usually, this is not a sign that you have to worry about or that portends dangerous changes to your vision. However, there are several worrisome additional symptoms that you need to watch out for, as they could indicate a more serious problem called retinal tear, which can lead to retinal detachment (not the desirable vairagya kind we aim for in yoga!) that can lead to loss of vision. So, if you notice a sudden increase in the number of eye floaters, contact an eye specialist immediately—especially if you also see flashes of light or lose your peripheral vision. These can be symptoms of an emergency that requires prompt attention. To re-iterate: usually a couple of eye floaters are not of any immediate concern, although if you have not had an eye exam in a while, it might be a good time to see your ophthalmologist or optometrist. Go immediately if any of these show up, too:  many more eye floaters than usual; a sudden onset of new floaters; flashes of light; darkness on the sides of your vision (peripheral vision loss). 

In addition to age changes already mentioned and the more serious tear to the back of the eye, occasionally floaters can be a result of inflammation on the back of the eye or bleeding into the center of the eye. These would likely cause more symptoms than just a floater, and you’d likely feel compelled to see you eye doctor soon than later.

If you’ve never had an eye floater, but now that you’ve read about them you’ll be worrying about them (this used to happen to me all the time in med school—I’d read about some deadly illness for the first time and start to imagine I was getting symptoms of the condition!), here are the risk factors for developing them:

•    age over 50 (yikes!  I’m in trouble again!)
•    nearsightedness (got this one, too!)
•    eye trauma
•    complications from cataract surgery
•    diabetic retinopathy
•    inflammation in the eye

In order to rule out the bad eye situations, your eye doc will do a full eye exam, including dilating your pupils with drops so he/she can get a clear look at the inside and back of your eye. Surgery is typically reserved, for situations of retinal tear or detachment. There are some experimental procedures using lasers to zap floaters if the floaters are really big and annoying to you. But these are still considered experimental.

In most cases, no treatment is recommended. You are simply asked to get used to the floaters and try to ignore them. Now, if they are kinda annoying for you, you could try applying your yogic skills of observation, attention and focus to the floaters, and incorporate them into your present reality, which according to yogic philosophy, is always changing. That means these guys could actually start to disappear, and you will be aware of it when it happens.

A quick look at the many websites that claim that yoga can help resolve eye floaters tend to recommend a balanced practice of standing poses, seated poses, supine and prone poses, with both forward bends, backbends and twists, but tend to strongly swear off inversions. Pranayamas recommended include Skull Brightening, Alternate Nostril and Solar Pranayama, inhaling on right nostril, exhaling out of left.  One site recommended Trataka, or gazing practices, using a candle, your shoulder or the tip of your nose for your focus. However, I could find no research on the benefit or risk of any yoga tools for eye floaters.

I suspect that a gentle yoga practice, with its likely benefit of stress reduction, would be a helpful way of addressing this condition if it is creating more stress in your daily life. And I, too, would suggest that you use caution with inverted poses in case an increase in pressure in the head and eyes might worsen or precipitate floaters. No definitive research is available to prove or disprove this idea, but you can monitor your own symptoms by doing gentle inversions, like Standing Forward Bend or Downward-Facing Dog, staying for only brief periods of time and noticing afterward if anything changes with your symptoms. If any of our readers have had person experience with floaters and yoga, please write a comment back to us. We’d love to hear about it!

—Baxter
Posted by
Labels:
 

Sample text

Sample Text

Sample Text