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Aloe Vera, taste bitter?  Rest assured there's a solution...

11/11/2013

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Addressing the issue of the bitter aloe-gel taste, as it's problem for some. Missing out on the most medicinal and fabulous Forever Aloegel, full of Natural Goodness would be a real shame! If your anything like me and have a sensitive palette, whatever you may taste that wouldn't agree with your taste buds, you gag or regurgitate!  Then what, would you or do you go back for more?  Most wouldn't and unfortunately they would lose out on all the Health Benefits that this healing gel provides.  Personally, I've experienced the issue of taste and have met resistance from others due to the bitterness of the aloegel. Regardless of the bitter taste, there is a solution! It is well worth finding a way to overcome this problem of taste with disguising it, so to ensure the benefits of this miraculous gel! When you know it's well worth it, literally you can suck it all up and you do it!  Very well knowing the value of consuming Forever's aloe and having a sensitive palette myself, I advise others to do what I do with aloegel which is just to simply adjust the taste!  
And here's a little attention getter, many aloe enthusiast have discovered  that when the aloe gel tastes particularly bitter, it's the result of a build-up of toxins in the body which needs to be relieved and cleansed out!  The more bitter the taste the more that your body needs it and ultimately is craving it!  
So how do you make this beautiful drink, this "white gold"  taste as wonderful as it really is?  Adjust the taste! 

How you make it taste is really all up to you. This can be an enjoyable experience by simply adding this miraculous gel into your everyday beverages or by making your own recipes.  
Click here for some recipe suggestions http://www.forevernutrilean.com/ForeverLeanEnglish/recipes.html and see below for more information on our very best Health and Weight-Management Program's ever discovered!

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FOREVER Weight-Management Programs

Do you want to lose those few extra pounds?
Would you like your pants to fit a little bit better?
Are you ready to take charge of your health and feel better?


If the answer is "YES" to any of these questions, then Forever Living Products has created a weight loss program that could work for you.

Clean 9 is a nine-day program that is designed to cleanse your body of harmful preservatives and other chemicals, as well as start to burn your excess fat.
FOREVER Nutri-Lean™ is the second step in the program.
It is a 30-day program that teaches how to eat properly, exercise, increase your metabolism and live a healthier lifestyle.


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Digestive Health Revolution - Aloe Vera Gel Challenge!

3/5/2013

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YES, a challenge that really works and truly guarenteed to better your health and well-being!
Take our Nutri-Lean program and if you do not feel a difference within 30 days of following this system, money back guarenteed!
That is how confident we are that you will lose weight, receive internal health benefits and attain external vitality. Win/Win! You will see the results soon after starting and give praise for such a wonderful and effective program.

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Nutri-Lean program includes:

3 -1 litre Aloe Vera Gel,
2 -840g Forever Lite Vanilla Meal Replacement (Protein...shakes),
1 -70 capsules Forever Garcinia,
1 -120 capsules Forever Lean,
1 -30 beadlets Forever Probiotic

Sonia's recommendation & suggested use for 30 days:
1 beadlet of Probiotic daily (empty stomach)
2 ounces of Aloe gel in morning (may mix) and
2 ounces Aloe gel before bed
1 capsule Garcinia (twice daily) one hour to 30 minutes before meals
1 capsule Forever Lean (3 times daily) take right before eating
2-4 cups Forever Lite - Meal Replacement or Snack Shake (mix 1 full scoop with 1 cup of skim milk or juice and shake well).
Purchase Retail or Wholesale?
    • A) Purchase as a retail customer - Simply follow this link (FLP Weight-Management), follow the instructions and make a purchase online. Purchase is safe and secure using your credit card.
    • B) Purchase wholesale- To be a smart consumer you may want to register as a FLP distributor and purchase at Wholesale Price's saving anywhere from 15% to 50% OFF this time and every time you buy these or any other FLP products.
      No, you don't need to sell! No,there is no membership fee!
      No, there is no registration fee! No, there is no catch!!! Asking why? No risk to sign up to find out more on benefiting from this opportunity, and you won't regret it!
These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
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Top 10 Reasons to Drink Aloe Vera Gel

1/10/2013

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1. Body-Building Blocks - Amino acids are our body’s building blocks. Eight which are essential and cannot be made by the body are found within the aloe plant! Drinking Aloe Vera on a regular basis allows you to help maintain your health by replenishing your body naturally with these essential amino acids. An analysis of the aloe vera plant shows that it comes closer than any other known plant to the duplication of essential amino acids. Just think – all this, and in just 2 to 4 ounces a day.

2. Anti-inflammatory Properties - Aloe Vera Gel has 12 natural substances that have been shown to inhibit inflammation without side effects. Aloe may also support proper joint and muscle mobility.

3. Daily Dose of Vitamins - Aloe Vera Gel includes Vitamins A, B1, B2, B6, B12, C and E, Folic Acid and Niacin. The human body simply cannot store some of these vitamins; therefore we need to supplement them regularly through our diets. What better way than by drinking a daily dose of Aloe Vera Gel, while at the same time building the body’s defense system naturally against oxidative stress!

4. Daily Dose of Minerals - Some of the minerals found in aloe vera include calcium, sodium, iron, potassium, chromium, magnesium, manganese, copper, and zinc. What a powerful storehouse! We all know that adding foods to our diets with naturally occurring vitamins and minerals is recommended for overall health. Drinking Aloe Vera Gel is a natural and healthful way to replenish the body’s supply.

5. Collagen and Elastin Repair - Aloe Vera can add a rich supply of building materials to produce and maintain healthy skin. The skin replenishes itself every 21 to 28 days. Using the nutritional building blocks of aloe vera, the skin can utilize these nutrients daily to help combat the effects of aging! A daily dose of Aloe Vera Gel can be just what your skin is thirsting for.

6. Regulates Weight and Energy Levels - Aloe Vera Gel naturally, and with regular use, allows the body to cleanse the digestive system. Our diets include many unwanted substances which can cause lethargy and exhaustion. Taken regularly, Aloe Vera Gel ensures a greater feeling of well-being, allowing energy levels to increase and helping to maintain a healthy body weight.

7. Immune Support and Function -
Aloe Vera provides natural support for the immune system. Since the immune system works around the clock protecting the body, aloe vera, with its natural immune enhancers, gives the body a continual arsenal from which to draw. Drinking 2 to 4 ounces of Aloe Vera Gel regularly may give your immune system the helping hand it needs.

8. Aids in Healthy Digestion - A healthy digestive tract ensures that nutrients from the foods we eat are absorbed into the blood stream. Aloe Vera has natural, detoxifying abilities. Drinking Aloe Vera Gel regularly may improve bowel regularity and increase protein absorption, while at the same time decrease unfriendly bacteria and yeast – all done naturally! Aloe Vera has also demonstrated its ability to assist in soothing heartburn and other types of digestive upset.

9. Provides Rapid Soothing - Aloe Vera enhances fibroblast function. Fibroblast are those remarkable little cells responsible for collagen formation. They also assist in the soothing of minor burns, cuts, scrapes and skin irritations.

10. Dental Health and Hygiene - Aloe Vera is extremely healthful for your mouth and gums. Take that to your next dentist appointment!
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Aloe Vera, preventing, treating and healing cancer!

12/5/2012

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PictureAloe Vera ~ Natural Remedy
If you're looking to prevent cancer, you need to know about Aloe Vera. More research on aloe vera is taking place all around the world as word spreads about its natural healing potential. You'll learn a wealth of information about this in this article.

Here, we present a collection of quotes and observations about aloe vera and cancer, documented in some of the best health books ever written. Read and remember these quotes, and feel free to share what you learn here with others who may also need this information.

Some clinics have used aloe vera to increase the effectiveness of cancer treatment with the chemotherapy agents cyclophosphamide (Cytoxan, Neosar) and 5-fluorouracil (5-FU). Several studies indicate that aloe vera gel can protect both the immune system and the skin from the effects of radiation treatment. In addition, at least one study suggests that taking aloe internally can reduce the likelihood of lung cancer in smokers.
- Prescription for Herbal Healing: An Easy-to-Use A-Z Reference to Hundreds of Common Disorders and Their Herbal Remedies by Phyllis A. Balch, CNC

Radiation burns cause skin ulcerations that had been nearly incurable until physicians began trying the old folk remedy of the aloe vera leaf. Today, aloe vera has gained such great popularity that it is being used in many cosmetics and health products. Aloe vera juice that is taken internally has been found to be effective in almost every illness, including cancer, heart disease and AIDS. In fact, there is hardly any disease or health problem for which aloe vera has not been proven successful.
- Timeless Secrets of Health & Rejuvenation: Unleash The Natural Healing Power That Lies Dormant Within You by Andreas Moritz

Added to the juice, we should take aloe vera. Aloe vera is the single most healing of all the herbs. It's anti-cancer, anti-parasitic, and it repairs DNA. It protects us from viruses and bacteria. Every time I take juice, I take aloe, and it makes a big difference.
- Gary Nulls Ultimate Anti Aging Program by Gary Null, Ph.D.

Hyland commented that normal cells appeared protected and abnormal cells appeared more sensitive to treatment, when Aloe vera was a part of an integrated approach. Various cancer patients have experienced remarkable reversals in health status after adding aloe to their protocol. It was, in fact, triumphant accounts of Aloe vera enhancing the efficacy of previously failed treatments that spurred the glyconutrient movement.
- Disease Prevention and Treatment by The Life Extension Editorial Staff

Ivan Danhoff of the North Texas Research Laboratory in Grand Prairie, Texas, discovered large 9,000-molecule Aloe Vera polysaccharides, he freeze-dries to inactivate enzymes, called "Albarin" used in I.V. treatment of terminal cancers. He was in application and raided by the FDA. in October 2001 at the Medical Centers for Preventive & Nutritional Medicine in Florida, after having put 94 of the first 100 cancers studied into remission in terminal patients given 2-3 months to live, with 80% of remaining patients in remission.
- Anti-Aging Manual: The Encyclopedia of Natural Health by Joseph E. Mario

Acemannan, extracted from the aloe vera plant, appears to be one of its most active ingredients. It is used both orally and intravenously, and has uses from antiviral, antifungal, and antibacterial to helping with symptoms from AIDS and cancer.
- Smart Medicine for Healthier Living : Practical A-Z Reference to Natural and Conventional Treatments for Adults by Janet Zand, LAc, OMD, Allan N. Spreed, MD, CNC, James B. LaValle, RPh, ND

Reports of Aloe vera being life-saving to cancer patients are not scarce. Dr. Julian Whitaker reported that a 10-year-old boy diagnosed with a rare brain tumor (a meningioma) went into total remission after drinking 8 oz of whole-leaf Aloe vera concentrate a day for 3 months. Because surgeons were unable to remove the entire tumor, its continued growth rendered an uncertain prognosis. At the time of the Whitaker report, the child was living a normal life and participating in sports but drinking Aloe vera juice every day (Whitaket 1995a).
- Disease Prevention and Treatment by The Life Extension Editorial Staff

Taken internally, 98 or 99 percent pure aloe vera juice is known to aid in the healing of stomach disorders, ulcers, constipation, hemorrhoids, rectal itching, colitis, and all colon problems. Aloe vera can also be helpful against infections, varicose veins, skin cancer, and arthritis, and is used in the treatment of AIDS. We have had excellent results using colon cleansers containing psyllium husks in combination with aloe vera juice. We have found this combination to be good for food allergy and colon disorder sufferers.
- Prescription for Nutritional Healing, 4th Edition: A Practical A-to-Z Reference to Drug-Free Remedies Using Vitamins, Minerals, Herbs & Food Supplements
by Phyllis A. Balch, CNC

One tablespoon of aloe vera juice, diluted with a little water, before meals or at least once in the morning before breakfast, helps to break down old deposits of waste and bring basic nutrients to cells and tissues. Those who feel their liver is still releasing many toxins several days after a liver flush may greatly benefit from drinking aloe vera juice. Aloe vera has been found to be effective in almost every illness, including cancer, heart disease, and AIDS.
- The Amazing Liver & Gallbladder Flush: A Powerful Do-It-Yourself Tool To Optimize your Health and Wellbeing by Andreas Moritz

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Forever Bright Toothgel 

10/25/2012

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Did you know that according to a recent study, Forever Bright® was found to be more effective than other leading toothpastes on the market?

Find out more at: http://bit.ly/aloedentalstudy
Comparative evaluation of the antimicrobial efficacy of aloe vera tooth gel and two popular commercial toothpastes: An in vitro study.

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Natural Goodness!

9/18/2012

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Forever Aloe Vera Gel is Bursting Full of Natural Goodness!
With over 200 trace minerals and vitamins including calcium, sodium, iron, potassium, chromium, magnesium, manganese, copper, zinc, vitamins A, B1, B2, B6, B12, C, E, Folic Acid, and Niacin, it’s packed with a punch to help naturally build the body’s defense system against oxidative stress.
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Natural & Delicious Skin Care

8/1/2012

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A natural way to repair your skin from acne, rashes, and sagging skin is to juice 2 cucumbers, ½ red bell pepper, 1 carrot and ½ apple, ounce of aloegel. Enjoy this refreshing, rejuvenating drink.
Let us not forget our wonderful Skin Care collection...
Vitality Forever!
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Aloe Vera article from Dr. Atherton...beneficial information!

9/9/2010

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Article on Aloe Vera, Myth or Medicine?

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by Dr Peter Atherton M.B.Ch.B., D.Obst. R.C.O.G., M.R.C.G.P. 
About the Author: 
Dr Peter Atherton is currently a research Fellow at Oxford University studying the medicinal effects of Aloe Vera.

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It was about three years ago, whilst I was a full time General Practitioner, a job that I had been doing both at home and abroad for twenty eight years, that I came across Aloe Vera.
I had vaguely heard of it as an addition to various cosmetic products, but I was completely ignorant of its origin and unconcerned about its actions. I was certainly unaware of its fabled medicinal properties and as a strictly conventional physician I had no interest in any form of complementary or alternative medicine. In fact, I was almost dismissive of claims made by alternative practitioners and felt they largely achieved their 'cures' by way of a placebo effect. So I left it to others to indulge in acupuncture and applied kinesiology – what was that anyway?

Should anyone have told me that within three years of my meeting with a mother, whose son's eczema had totally cleared with an Aloe Vera and Bee Propolis cream, that I would be researching its medicinal uses full time, I would have laughed. But it happened. That meeting was to totally change my medical perspective and in fact to change my life.
At first I couldn't accept that Aloe Vera combined with Bee Propolis (the sticky resinous substance collected from various tree barks and buds by bees with which they line their hives creating a sterile environment) could suppress this atopic or juvenile eczema, where all my moisturisers and steroid creams had not. It was even more upsetting because my special interest in Medicine was dermatology and I thought I knew a bit about it. What was in this stuff? Why did it work? I was already sure it wasn't a placebo effect so my search for a scientific explanation began.


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I began this search by reading everything I could about the plant's history, for by now I at least realized that it was a succulent (Liliaciae Sub species aloinae), a member of the lily and onion family, also related to garlic and asparagus, of which there are more than three hundred varieties but of which only a few had medicinal properties. It is generally accepted that the most potent was Aloe Vera Barbadensis Miller.

The name Aloe Vera or True Aloe probably stems from the Arabic word Alloeh meaning "Shining bitter substance". We still refer to "bitter aloes" describing the laxative drug still listed in the U.S. Pharmacopoeia today. This drug was made from the sap of the plant found under the hard green rind. It contains mainly aloin, chemically an anthraquinone, which has been known since ancient times to possess very powerful purgative action if used neat. Bearing in mind that severe constipation was a very serious problem in those days, it is not surprising that this extract of Aloe Vera was highly prized just for this action.

I discovered that Aloe Vera has been used by mankind for several thousand years and over the centuries there have been many references to Aloe Vera in many cultures: from the ancient Egyptians, Greeks and Romans, as well as in the literature of the Indian and Chinese peoples. Several famous physicians such as Pliny the Elder, Dioscorides and Galen, the father of modern medicine, who first described how the circulation worked, all used Aloe Vera as part of their therapeutic armory.

There are also many romantic tales about it, suggesting that the Egyptian queens Nerfertiti and Cleopatra used it as part of their regular beauty regimes. Supposedly Alexander the Great in 333 B.C. was persuaded by his mentor Aristotle to capture the Island of Socotra in the Indian Ocean for its famed Aloe supplies, needed to treat his wounded soldiers. Aloe is also mentioned in the Bible several times, for example, in St. John's Gospel, but this was in fact, Lignin Aloe, not Aloe Vera. Lignin Aloe is a tree whose scented bark was used for incense as well as an ingredient used in embalming the dead.

The true Aloe has been endowed with such marvelous properties that over the years around the world it has been given many wonderful names such as Burn Plant, Medicine Plant, Wand of Heaven and Plant of Life.
The first reference to Aloe Vera in English was a translation by John Goodyew in A.D. 1655 of Dioscorides' Medical treatise De materia Medica which he wrote in AD 70-90.
Traders first brought Aloe Vera to London in 1693 and by 1843 considerable amounts were being imported to be made up into medicines. Throughout the 18th and 19th centuries it remained one of the main popular prescribed and over-the-counter medicines.

Whilst discovering the fascinating history of Aloe Vera I was also experimenting with some Aloe products on myself and my family, and getting some remarkable results. Aloe Vera can be drunk as a nutritional health drink or tonic or it can be applied topically to the skin and scalp as creams and lotions. Like most natural remedies, Aloe works best when used fresh from the plant but it oxidizes rapidly when cut and exposed to the air. Unfortunately, it will only grow in warm, fertile areas and its main enemy is frost, so here it must be grown indoors. If one has access to a mature plant then the best way is to cut a leaf off it, fillet out the inner leaf gel and use it directly, but for most of us it is necessary to buy a preserved product. I think the product should remain as near to the natural plant as possible to achieve the correct balance of ingredients and be interfered with as little as possible, so I do not favor products that have either been heat treated, filtered, concentrated or powdered.

When using it at home I saw the phenomenal effect it had as a first aid burn treatment – my wife often burns her hands on the Aga oven because the glove is never where it should be. She was very skeptical at first, but was truly amazed by the rapid pain relief, the speed of healing and the healing without a scar. She never even attempts to find the glove now!! No wonder it is called the burn plant!
I had also discovered that the first really scientific research into Aloe Vera was carried out in the 1930s and 1940s into its effect on X-Ray burns.(1-9)

I started drinking the gel daily and after about ten days noticed that chronic catarrh, a legacy of smoking for 20 years, had cleared up and more importantly I just generally felt much better.
Reassured by experience and my reading which confirmed Aloe Vera as a tried, tested, extremely safe and non toxic remedy, I was prepared to try it out on some selected patients in my practice.

My investigation at that time had shown that Aloe Vera seemed to work in two definite areas, firstly on damaged epithelial tissue and secondly on the immune system. An epithelium is an anatomical term that is defined as "a layer of cells that covers the surface of the body or lines a cavity that connects with it". So the skin, the largest of our body organs, is the largest epithelial tissue. It connects through the mouth with the lining of the gastro-intestinal tract as well as the lining of the nose and sinuses, the lining of the lungs and the genital tract. It is not surprising, therefore, that Aloe Vera will speed up the healing of a burn or some damaged eczematous skin just as well as it will heal a mouth ulcer or even a stomach ulcer or a problem of the bowel lining – all epithelial tissue. It is certainly not a panacea for all ills as, unfortunately, some people suggest. This action on surfaces and membranes rather than on solid organs defines its uses, and where it is appropriate its effect is often dramatic.
Conditions which are caused by a disordered immune system such as asthma and some forms of arthritis also seem to benefit from Aloe Vera. Good results are even reported by sufferers from that ill understood condition M.E. (Myalgic encephalo- myelitis) or Post Viral Fatigue Syndrome. Evidence for improvement in this syndrome is purely anecdotal but recently an equine vet, Peter Green, carried out a trial and showed that Aloe Vera had a remarkable effect in horses suffering from a similar post viral debility. He got a tremendous response and actually was able to demonstrate that the white blood cell count, which is lowered by the illness to almost fatal levels, had returned to normal after Aloe Vera treatment. Unfortunately, there is no similar way of measuring the effect in humans as there is no demonstrable change in the blood picture.

In the U.S., Carrington Laboratories have isolated one of the sugars from Aloe Vera, a long chain polysaccharide which is being trialed with AIDS patients. It has been shown in laboratory testing to be an immunomodulator, i.e. it can both enhance the immune response – very beneficial to AIDS sufferers whose response is very poor; but it would also seem to be able to slow down or retard the response where it is too much. A common example of such a response would be in hay-fever, where there is an over-reaction to grass pollen's  Carrington Laboratories' product "Carrisyn" is already licensed for the treatment of a viral illness in cats, a form of feline leukaemia. The continuing development of this drug for human use is very exciting.

The response of the immune system to attack by either bacteria, viruses or cancer cells is extremely complex, but part of it involves a system of messenger substances such as the interleukins and tumor necrosis factor called Cytokines. Cytokines activate cells such as neutrophils and lymphocytes to attack their targets. The attack may take the form of antibody production of direct engulfment by the cell – phagocytosis. By orchestrating the response the cytokine system can both enhance and retard activity, hence the polysaccharides in Aloe Vera which affect this system are referred to as immunomodulators.

In order to understand the various ways in which Aloe Vera may work it is necessary to look at the constituents of the plant. There are over 75 known ingredients and they are all contained in about 1% of the plant, the rest being water, so they are obviously present only in small amounts. Their disproportionate action is thought to arise from the synergistic effect of these substances, i.e. they can be likened to working together as a team so that the total effect is greater than would be expected from the combined individual effect of each substance.

When deciding which patients to select for a small pilot study of Aloe Vera in my own practice, my criteria were that a) they either had a disorder of an epithelial tissue, such as a skin problem, or b) an immune problem such as rheumatoid arthritis. I chose patients with chronic conditions that had not responded well to conventional therapy. At my suggestion most were keen to try it, and overall I was immensely impressed to find that I achieved roughly a 70% success rate across the board. Given that I was dealing with some of my most difficult cases I was tremendously encouraged. With the skin conditions I got my best results on atopic or juvenile eczema and confirmed what I had been told by the mother who first introduced me to it. The Aloe Propolis cream produced both a moisturizing, anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial response. This resulted in softer, less itchy skin and reduced infection. It is infection that usually causes these children's eczema to flare up so I think the addition of bee propolis, a sort of natural antibiotic, is most useful.
Two patients with chronically itchy skin (urticaria) settled down and several adult patients with acne rosacea where the facial skin is constantly red with pustule formation, also noticed a marked improvement with a reduction in their high colour by applying an Aloe Vera gel preparation twice a day. One particular elderly lady in her eighties who developed a traumatic ulcer on her skin was delighted to see it healing virtually on a daily basis over a few weeks, and once healed it was impossible to see where it had been as there was no scarring, a regular feature of Aloe Vera treatment.

Many patients, after treatment with aloe for various skin problems, commented that their skin quality had improved and felt softer and smoother This is not surprising as Aloe Vera has been added to many cosmetic products for many years because of its known rejuvenating action.

It achieves this in several different ways. Firstly the polysaccharides act as moisturisers, hydrating the skin. Secondly, aloe is absorbed into the skin and stimulates the fibroblasts to replicate themselves faster(10,11) and it is these cells that produce the collagen and elastin fibers  so the skin becomes more elastic and less wrinkled. Aloe also makes the surface of the skin smoother because of its cohesive effect on the superficial flaking epidermal cells by sticking them together. It also possesses the ability to interfere with the enzyme that produces melanin deposits in the skin, preventing the formation of 'liver spots' which tend to form in ageing skin. If Aloe Vera is applied regularly and for long enough it will often cause established spots to disappear. The best demonstration of this effect that I have ever seen, was shown by Dr. Ivan Danhof, an American physician who has worked with topical aloe products in the cosmetic industry for 30 years. When testing new creams and lotions, being right handed, he always applied the material with the fingers of his right hand to the back of his left hand in order to test its texture, smell and penetrability. He now declares that he has one old hand and one young hand and indeed the comparison when he puts his hands together to show the backs, side by side, is quite remarkable. One hand is the typical hand of a seventy year old with thinning, wrinkled skin covered in a variety of blemishes, whilst the other, his left hand, is clear and smooth and looks 30 years younger.
Although there is anecdotal evidence to suggest that Aloe Vera helps inflammatory conditions of the gastro intestinal tract such as gastritis, diverticulitis and colitis there is no firm evidence to support this. One paper has looked at Aloe Vera in the treatment of peptic ulcers with good results(12) and one paper by Dr. Jeffrey Bland(13) of the Linus Pauling Institute of Science and Medicine in California studied the results of Aloe Vera on the gastro intestinal tract of normal people. He found that Aloe Vera had several measurable effects. There was a faster movement of food through the bowel with better protein digestion and absorption, an increase in water in the stool made it bulkier, and a normalisation of stool bacteria, where there had previously been high levels of yeasts in some of the subjects. As a result of these findings I decided to look at the effect of Aloe on the Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS). This is an extremely common condition affecting probably more than five million people in the U.K. It is the commonest condition seen by the Gastro-enterologists in hospital clinics; yet most people do not even consult their doctor.

The IBS is complex in its make up, and it is acknowledged that there is usually both a physical and a psychological component, resulting from stress. It is called a functional bowel disorder because if the bowel is examined it appears to be perfectly normal in every respect. There is no known cause and no uniformly effective conventional medical treatment. However, it can be extremely debilitating to the sufferers who complain of abdominal pain and bloating or intermittent diarrhea  sometimes alternating with constipation. Occasionally there is passage of mucous.

The physical disorder is thought to be a dysmotility or alteration in the normal smooth peristaltic movement of the bowel and so it seemed a good subject for Aloe Vera. As I hoped, regular consumption of Aloe Vera gel worked well in the majority of patients who tried it. One female patient was so pleased with her newly controlled bowel that she said "I can go shopping now with confidence – it's great". It is now my first line treatment for IBS.

Unfortunately, in all cases where Aloe Vera suppresses symptoms they return after a few days if the drink is stopped, so taking Aloe Vera in no way results in a permanent cure.
When looking at disorders of the immune system I selected some patients with arthritis, some with asthma and some with M.E. (Post Viral Syndrome). Only about 40-50% of the M.E. patients benefited from drinking the Aloe Vera, but I got a much better response from the arthritis and asthma sufferers.
People with Arthritis, under the influence of Aloe Vera, were able to reduce the number of anti-inflammatory and pain killing tablets to a level where they ceased to get the usual side effects of abdominal pain and indigestion, whereas the asthmatics were able to cut down on their usage of inhalers, including the steroid inhalers. These effects were probably due to Aloe Vera's innate anti-inflammatory effect as well as its effect on the immune system.

For various reasons it is generally not possible in general practice to do proper randomized controlled trials using just one's own patients but I am convinced that there is enough evidence available now to suggest that the properties of this amazing plant should be properly tested, to prove whether or not there is just a myth or real medicine here. I for one, hope to be a part of this exciting field of research over the next few years.


Positive Health issue 20 June/July 1997
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    Welcome!

    about the Author

    Sonia is an advocate for 'Natural Alternatives' while sharing easy everyday solutions.
    Her goal is to introduce  practical and natural strategies in our lives as opposed to the accessible conventional ways that our society has so adapted to. She is determined and continuously researching alternatives to cultivate healthier wellness methods. Her life has not been an easy one but she persevered and is truly empathetic in nature and completely interrelates with others. Due to her experiences Sonia has a real understanding of the difficulties that our busy lifestyles and culture bring and wants to help.
    Sonia maintains years of business knowledge, holistic passion and enthusiasm for change. Here on her blog you will meet some of her discoveries and revelations.

    Sonia's Blog is produced to offer information for natural wellness solutions with an easy to follow blueprint for living well and enjoying life!

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