Ancestral Dietary Strategy to Prevent and Treat Macular Degeneration: Standard Print Black and White Paperback Edition

Could a simple, all-natural, whole-foods diet - the same diet of our 19th century and previous ancestors - both prevent and treat age-related macular degeneration (AMD)? According to the hypothesis and supportive research of author, Chris A. Knobbe, MD, the answer is a resounding yes. Dr. Knobbe is a both an ophthalmologist and Associate Clinical Professor Emeritus, formerly of the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, and he has proffered a revolutionary hypothesis for the cause of AMD, a hypothesis which holds that AMD is a disease both initiated and driven by man-made, processed, nutrient-deficient, and toxic food consumption. Knobbe's hypothesis, originally developed in late 2013, has been thoroughly researched - and virtually every last shred of evidence supports the hypothesis. Dr. Knobbe headed a research project with colleague nutrition researcher, Marija Stojanosak, MSc and several ophthalmologists in the South Pacific Islands, where AMD is rare. By correlating processed food consumption to AMD prevalence in 25 nations around the world, Knobbe found that, indeed wherever processed food consumption was greatest, AMD prevalence was highest, and wherever processed food consumption was rare (such as the Pacific Island nations of Samoa, Solomon Islands, and Kiribati), AMD was extremely rare. In short, the evidence strongly supports the hypothesis, which has major implications for both preventing and treating AMD. Knobbe's revolutionary hypothesis and supportive research is published in the November, 2017 issue of the highly regarded journal, Medical Hypotheses. He has also presented his hypothesis and supportive research more than two dozen times to both scientific and lay audiences, all around the United States, including presentations at the Ancestral Health Symposium in 2016, 2018, and 2019, the Weston A. Price Foundation in 2017 and 2018, the Christian Ophthalmology Society in 2018, and in numerous cities for the Macular Degeneration Association. Knobbe's hypothesis, supportive research, writings, and presentations have received tremendous accolades from both colleagues and fellow nutrition researchers. Ophthalmologist and retina specialist of the United Kingdom, Andrew J. Luff, MA, FRCS, FRCS(Ophtha), FRCOphth, writes, "As the prevalence of AMD escalates, the devastating consequences of visual loss take their relentless toll on individuals, families, and health economies. This epidemic continues to grow, oblivious to a plethora of research. A massive financial investment (both University-based and pharmaceutical) has made no impact on the incidence of a disease that has resisted minor nutritional tinkering and seen no significant gain from our exponentially increased knowledge of genetics. In researching our frustrating lack of success in the quest for a unifying cause of AMD, Dr. Knobbe concludes that we have been looking in the wrong place. From a meticulous examination of ophthalmic history, comparative epidemiology and dietary change across the globe, he constructs a cogent and compelling argument for defects in basic nutrition as the fundamental driver of AMD. The data are stark and the potential consequences of dietary deficiency sobering. Dr. Knobbe's rational conclusion that a shift from traditional foods can wreak havoc on macular function will come as no surprise to those who have postulated similar cause for the multitude of chronic diseases now endemic in so-called developed nations. His hypothesis is unlikely to be welcomed by those committed to pharmacological intervention. Furthermore, a radical change to the diet of billions will not happen quickly. However, for newly diagnosed patients seeking hope and clinicians struggling for an answer, Dr. Knobbe's remarkable book offers the first tangible lifeline... The visual health of many millions of people worldwide over the coming decades may depend on whether Knobbe's message is heard..." Proceeds support Cure AMD Foundation.