A couple years ago I read this article, "New Evidence That Green Tea May Help Fight Glaucoma and Other Eye Diseases." This study showed that powerful antioxidants in green tea do penetrate eye tissue and reduced oxidative stress in the eye for up to 20 hours.
Will green tea cure Tom's glaucoma? No, of course not, but it's something I can do for him that is safe and could help him. This is both low risk - it's just tea- and green tea is purported to have many health benefits.
Every morning I brew up some green tea for Tommy and use it to flush his g-tube after his morning and night feeds. It's a small thing but it's something healthy that I can do for him that is easy, cheap and low-risk.
Fish Oil
Tom gets four mls of high quality fish oil every morning through his g-tube. I took fish oil supplements all through my pregnancy with him and while breastfeeding.
What is so good about fish oil? Fish oil is made of omega-3 essential fatty acids and the brain is also partially made of omega-3 fatty acids. Doctors are currently beginning to use fish oil (at extremely high doses) to treat people with traumatic brain injury.
I have been following the story of a family whose daughter nearly drowned and is being treated with high doses of fish oil with the hope of restoring brain function and brining her out of her coma. They have already seen some impressive changes in their child and you can follow this developing story here. I am glued to the daily updates.
How does fish oil help the brain? Research suggests it may:
All of this information tells me that omega-7 fatty acids can help the brain cope with brain damage and inflammation. I want Tom's brain to grow and develop to its fullest potential and omega-3 supplementation is the only thing I hear of that is having a positive effect on the brain. Tom doesn't have a "brain injury" but as a child his brain is still growing. I never hear of any research being done to help children with microcephaly. The only studies I can find focus on using microcephaly to guide diagnosis. Since no one is offering treatment I am left to do what I can.
These are two forms of "alternative" medicine that I use to help Tom. They are afforable and well studied for safety so I feel confident using them on my son.
Disclaimer: I am not a doctor. Please consult with a physician if you have any questions!
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