Deep research and expert guides on maintaining your visual health.
Uric Acid: Antioxidant Versus Pro-oxidant in Glaucoma Introduction: Glaucoma is a progressive optic nerve disease in which oxidative stress and vascular dysfunction are thought to contribute to retinal ganglion cell loss. Uric acid (UA), the end product of purine metabolism, is of growing interest because it circulates at high levels in humans and has complex redox effects. In blood, UA is a poten...
Introduction Glaucoma is an eye disease in which retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) – the nerve cells that carry visual signals from the eye to the brain – slowly die. This causes gradual, irreversible vision loss. Doctors usually focus on lowering eye pressure to slow glaucoma, but research now shows that oxidative stress (a kind of chemical stress in the body) and imbalances in the autonomic nervou...
Heart rate variability (HRV) is the natural variation in time between consecutive heartbeats. Rather than beating like a metronome, a healthy heart speeds up and slows down slightly with each breath and in response to activity or stress. HRV is measured by recording the tiny differences in intervals between beats using an electrocardiogram or wearable sensors, and those differences are summarized with simple numbers that reflect short-term and longer-term patterns. These numbers can be calculated from short recordings or tracked over days and weeks to show trends. HRV matters because it gives a window into how well the body adapts to stress and recovers during rest. Higher variability generally indicates a resilient heart and nervous system, while lower variability can suggest stress, fatigue, illness, or reduced recovery. Factors such as sleep, fitness, breathing, age, medications, and hydration all influence HRV, so it’s most useful when tracked over time rather than judged from a single reading. People use HRV to guide training, manage stress, monitor recovery, and sometimes to help assess health risks or the course of illness.
