Our Supplement Philosophy

You Should Know What You’re Taking — and Why

The integrative ophthalmology marketplace is full of proprietary supplement lines — blends with trademarked names, house branding, and carefully guarded ingredient ratios. Some are genuinely evidence-based. Many are not. Most don’t tell you which ingredient is doing what, or whether the dose in their capsule matches the dose in the research.

Our position is straightforward: you should know exactly what you’re taking, why it was chosen, and what the evidence behind it actually says. We don’t relabel established supplements. We don’t sell a proprietary line. We recommend what we’d recommend to a family member — specific named products at evidence-backed doses.

How We Approach Supplement Recommendations

Supplement recommendations at Makari are always secondary to your classical herbal prescription. The herbal prescription addresses your constitutional pattern — the root dynamic driving your eye condition from a classical Chinese medicine perspective. Supplements address specific nutritional and antioxidant gaps that converge with the pattern.

We use three criteria when recommending a supplement alongside an herbal program:

  1. Evidence quality. Is there published clinical research — ideally a randomized controlled trial — supporting its use for your specific condition, at a specific dose? AREDS2 for AMD is the standard example. We cite the research, not the manufacturer’s claims.
  2. Compatibility with your herbal formula. Some supplements interact with herbs or medications. We review your full medication and supplement list before recommending anything.
  3. Fit with your pattern. An omega-3 supplement makes different sense in a Kidney-Yin deficiency pattern with dryness than in a Blood-stasis retinal occlusion pattern. Supplements are not pattern-neutral even when they’re evidence-based; we integrate them with the pattern picture.

Key Supplements by Condition Area

For Macular Degeneration (AMD) and Related Macular Conditions

The NIH-funded AREDS2 clinical trial (2013) remains the best available evidence for supplement support in intermediate-to-advanced AMD. The trial found that a specific formulation — lutein (10mg) + zeaxanthin (2mg) + vitamin C (500mg) + vitamin E (400 IU) + zinc (80mg) + copper (2mg) — was associated with a reduced risk of progression in patients with intermediate AMD or advanced AMD in one eye. We integrate this recommendation alongside classical herbal prescribing.

Note: AREDS2 research does not apply to every AMD presentation. Patients with early AMD or without identifiable drusen may not be AREDS2 candidates. Discuss with your ophthalmologist first.

For Retinal Health and Circulation

  • Omega-3 fatty acids (DHA/EPA). DHA is concentrated in the retinal pigment epithelium; adequate dietary and supplemental DHA supports retinal membrane integrity. Used in AMD, diabetic retinopathy, and dry eye presentations with a dryness component. We recommend specific DHA-high fish oil products by brand and dose, not a generic “fish oil” suggestion.
  • Astaxanthin. A xanthophyll carotenoid with antioxidant properties and some evidence for retinal and macular support at 6–12mg doses. A reasonable addition to AMD and retinitis pigmentosa cases alongside AREDS2 components and herbal prescribing.

For Dry Eye

  • Omega-3 fatty acids (EPA dominant). EPA-dominant omega-3 formulations are more studied for inflammatory-component dry eye disease than DHA-dominant formulations. Dose matters: research-backed dry eye studies used 1.5–3g combined EPA/DHA daily.

What We Don’t Do

We don’t put supplements on a monthly auto-ship subscription attached to our program. We don’t create a proprietary blend, attach a trademarked name to it, and charge a premium. We don’t recommend supplements we have a financial incentive to sell. If the evidence for a supplement is weak, we say so — and we don’t recommend it.

The classical herbal prescription does the work of the pattern correction. Supplements fill specific nutritional gaps where published research supports them. These are different things, and conflating them — as most supplement-forward programs do — is not honest clinical practice.

Supplement Recommendations Are Included in the Vision Program

Vision Program Package of 10 ($2,500) includes 1 month of recommended supplements. Package of 20 ($4,500) includes 2 months. The supplements we recommend are available at health-food stores or online — we tell you exactly what to buy. See full Vision Program pricing.

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