Chris A. Knobbe, MD is an ophthalmologist and Associate Clinical Professor Emeritus, formerly of the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, in Dallas, Texas. Dr. Knobbe, a native of Colorado, graduated from the University of Colorado School of Medicine in 1990, completed a transitional internship at Denver Presbyterian/St. Luke's Medical Centers, and then a three-year ophthalmology residency at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, in Denver. After seven years in private practice, Knobbe joined the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center as an Assistant Clinical Professor, a position he held until 2017.
On a more personal note, at the age of 34, Dr. Knobbe began to suffer with arthritis, which progressed markedly over the next 16 years. At the age of 50 and after seeking the advice and treatment of nearly a dozen physician colleagues, Knobbe finally found dramatic relief - however, not by any traditional medicine or procedure - but rather by altering his diet towards a more "Paleo" way of eating. This was a life-changing event for Knobbe, which sparked his interest in discovering as much as possible about the prophylactic and healing powers of food.
The nutritional journey was a long and arduous one with peaks and valleys, until Knobbe discovered the research of Weston A. Price. Price completed an epic volume of nutritional anthropology and wrote a nutritional treatise in his book entitled, Nutrition and Physical Degeneration, which was published in 1939 followed by a second edition in 1945. Price detailed numerous discoveries in a nearly decade-long interval of on-the-ground research, in which he evaluated numerous populations on five continents as they transitioned from native, traditional diets, to Westernized diets, the latter of which were replete with man-made, processed, nutrient-deficient and toxic foods. Such diets led to numerous diseases of civilization and the previously healthy suffered numerous maladies.
In 2013, Knobbe envisioned that Westernized food consumption might also be the primary driver of the disease age-related macular degeneration (AMD), which is the leading cause of irreversible vision loss and blindness worldwide. This led to a revolutionary hypothesis, that is, that AMD might be a disease of processed food consumption, rather than a disease caused by aging and genetics as allopathic ophthalmology has believed for decades.
In early 2015, with enough research to believe that the hypothesis would be supported by epidemiologic evidence, Knobbe left practice to pursue investigation of the hypothesis on a full-time basis. Some eighteen months later, the fundamental research with AMD prevalence correlated to processed food consumption in 25 nations was complete. More importantly, the evidence strongly supported the hypothesis.
On August 12, 2016, Dr. Knobbe made the debut presentation of his revolutionary hypothesis for the cause of AMD at the Ancestral Health Symposium, held at the University of Colorado Boulder. He's made dozens of presentations in cities across the U. S. since then, published a scientific paper in the journal Medical Hypotheses, and has founded Cure AMD Foundation(TM), the latter being a nonprofit organization with 501(c)(3) status in support of this cause.
Dr. Knobbe's hypothesis, scientific paper and book, while accepted by numerous physicians and ophthalmologists, has not resulted in broad supportive dietary advice by mainstream allopathic ophthalmology. However, ancestral nutrition researchers and progressive physicians now understand that the exact same advice (ancestral diets) is preventing all the diseases of civilization, including heart disease, hypertension, stroke, cancers, type 2 diabetes, obesity, autoimmune disorders, and so much more. Thus, Dr. Knobbe continues his work -- at saving vision. Come join those who are saving their own vision, in this revolution!
