test it: salivation and dry eye

[wetEyes]

Hi everybody,
a recend study found that increased salivation induced by chewing sour candy significantly increases aqueous tear production:

Salivation induced better lacrimal gland function in dry eyes (2009)
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20635605

Please test this finding for yourself, preferably during computer work, and let us know if you notice any difference.

It will be interesting to see the results. If this works, it would be a simple, cheap and safe method to increase eye comfort.

[alisonW]

Very interesting...

I will definitely give this a try. I love that it's something that may help and does not go into the eye.

[Guest]

For me, this is true. Spicy foods make my eyes feel great while eating them too... all that eye watering is wonderful. Trouble is, I'd weigh 1000lbs if I ate all the time to keep my eyes more moist

[Toril]

....I agree on that one....spicy foods make my eyes feel better for a little while!

[wetEyes]

I heard that "Center Shock" and "Warheads" are very sour. You can try them to induce lacrimial secretion.

[fundryeyes]

The problem with eating candy is the sugar. I can't see this being sustainable. Sugar not only makes you gain weight but is bad for inflammation. Maybe sucking on a lemon would do ? The sad part of that is I'm serious.

[tearless2]

Thanks for the interesting article. Does anyone know if the increased moisture is the type of tears you get from crying or the basal type?

[Lucy]

We Sjogrens people will buy sugar-free lemon candy to suck on to make saliva. I'm not sure about making tears - but if it was a two for one deal, all the better. Lucy

[Minni]

With my highly autoimmune reactive body, foods that are blood-thinners such as citrus, spices, and onions/garlic cause my body to become inflamed & develop sores.

When I suck sour candy, I get tongue sores & even painful trench mouth (similar to that experienced by many people with kiwi & pineapple).

I'd also get sore throat, flu symptoms, and probably red eyes & bad headache.

Conversely, that's why coffee probably helps my headaches - because it constricts rather than opens the vessels. It does cause me esophagitis, though, if not diluted with stuff such as molasses, milk, etc., so low-acid coffee would probly be better.

Note that vinegar is OK for me, since it's less acidic on the PH scale than citrus or sulfury onions. Also, if citrus is buffered by eggs & yogurt, it's more tolerable. Alot of what I can or cannot tolerate depends on the exact combo ingested.