Pure Aloe Vera Gel Uses and Benefits

Uses for Aloe Vera Gel

The gel of the aloe vera plant has been utilized for soothing and healing purposes for 1000’s of years. Aloe vera is a very moist plant which grows in warmer environments and can be utilized fresh out of the plant, in prepackaged extracted gels or as formulations with some other ingredients.

Aloe Vera Gel Uses for Skin Conditions
Ointments and products created using aloe vera have been shown to have some evidence for treating seborrhea and psoriasis. Additional skin problems that might benefit from aloe gel include burns, blisters, insect bites, allergic rashes and frostbite. It offers relief after too much exposure to the sun and could assist in preventing blistering from the sunburn. Pure aloe vera gel uses also include reducing irritation and itching as a result of a number of skin problems, including bug bites, shaving burns and abrasions. Placed on small cut and scratches, aloe might perform a better job than cortisone cream at lowering the pain without the risk of thinning or damaging your skin.

Hair Conditioning Uses of Aloe Vera Gel
Popular as a moisturizer for skin, pure aloe vera gel features a similar regenerative influence on hair. Aloe gel conditions hair, leaving it shinier and softer. Mix 1/2 a cup aloe gel with the juice from half a lemon. Add in hair-supportive essential oils, such as rosemary for greasy hair or peppermint for dried-out hair. Apply such mixtures to wet, fresh-washed hair. Leave on for about 5 minutes, then rinse.

Pure Aloe Vera Gel Benefits for Relieving Dandruff
One of the uses of aloe vera gel is that it might help with dandruff relief, especially in cases of seborrheic dermatitis. This disorder causes scaly skin and inflammation upon the scalp. Seborrheic dermatitis patients who applied aloe vera ointments to their scalps twice a day for 6 weeks encountered a 62 % reduction in symptoms such as itching and scaliness, as outlined by a study publicized in the “Journal of Dermatological Treatment” back in 1999.



Aloe Vera Gel Uses for Herpes
University of Maryland Medical Center reports that aloe vera applied topically can be useful for treating the genital herpes symptoms, voicing a study of males who usilized aloe vera for treating genital herpes outbreaks and experienced a quicker recovery of herpes sores compared to men that used a placebo lotion. Should you have genital herpes, speak with your physician about pure aloe vera gel uses for treating your outbreaks.

Shaving Uses for Aloe Vera Gel
This wonderful use of aloe vera gel is often overlooked or even not known about, but aloe vera gel makes an excellent natural alternatice to shaving creams. In fact you will most likely find that it does a better job at keeping you face feeling softer and kepping the inflammation of shaving at bay. I can attest to this personally.

Best Wishes
Darren Haynes

Blueberry Research Shows Bone Health Benefits in Rodents

Blueberries Research

blueberry researchGreat bone health is vital to maintaining flexibility throughout life. Even So, many people encounter pain in their joints as a result of reduced skeletal strength.

Recent blueberry research publicized in the Journal of Bone and Mineral Research revealed that polyphenol antioxidants present in blueberries might help enhance bone health in lab rodents. It is these compounds that give fruits their blue, red and purple pigmentation.

Even though the benefits haven’t been confirmed in humans, the scientists said they’re optimistic that these findings might lead to natural treatments for bone-based ailments.

The results of this research demonstrated that rodents given a diet comprising of 10 % blueberry freeze-dried powder experienced a greater bone mass than the others that didn’t consume this powder. The researchers declared that one reason behind the rodents’ enhanced bone health might be that blueberry polyphenol antioxidants stimulate a growth in osteoblasts, a type of bone-forming cell.

The key mechanisms powering this process involves two genes, TCF and LEF, and a type of protein called beta-catenin, that work together via numerous pathways to encourage proper cell function and cell growth.

Is Pickle Juice Good for You or is Pickle Juice Bad for You?

Is Pickle Juice Good for You or is Pickle Juice Bad for You?

Well the answer to the fundamental question “is pickle juice good for you or is pickle juice bad for you?” is simply this – both. There is one key benefit to pickle juice – sports nutrition – and one key disadvantage – possibly increasing acid reflux.

Acid Reflux (Heartburn)
Vinegar is in fact one type of food that is not advised if you have acid reflux. The University of Columbia suggests that this is due to the acidic nature of vinegar irritating an already sore wind pipe. Vinegar is a substantial ingredient for making pickle juice, so the notion that pickle juice can help stop acid reflux is contrary to typical medical health advice. Actually, when Jennifer Huget of “The Washington Post” attempted to find proof for a similar claim that cider vinegar combats acid reflux, Professor. Joel Richter at the Temple University of Medicine shared with her that he “completely had no idea how apple cider vinegar would aid someone with GERD and acid reflux.”

The notion that pickle juice aids acid reflux seems to be entirely a matter of word-of-mouth. No scientific research seems to exist, neither has there been official speculation why the brine could be beneficial. This means that drinking the juice while you have acid reflux might be risky; you may wind up tempting fate and upping your pain, especially when you have been told by your physician to not use vinegar. Additionally, if you’re keeping an eye on your salt intake, taking pickle juice is actually a bad idea since pickle juice is high in sodium.

Sports Drink Benefits
Pickle juice generally features high quantities of electrolytes, including salt. This makes pickle juice much like sport beverages in its effects within the body. Electrolytes assist nervous system function and helps cells communicate with each other via nervous impulses. Whenever you deplete the electrolyte levels in your bloodstream by exercising, it can result in muscle tissue cramping. A 2003 study released in the Journal of Athletic Training highly recommends athletes that use pickle juice for replacing fluids to dilute the juice due to its high acidity and salt content.


Is Pomegranate Juice Good for You?

Is Pomegranate Juice Good for You?

is pomegranate juice good for youIf you want the short answer to the question “is pomegranate juice good for you?”, then YES, it is! If we are talking about wholesome beverages, they don’t get a lot healthier than fresh pomegranate juice. When compared with red wine, green tea and acai berry juice among others, pomegranate juice possesses a lot more antioxidants. So what does this mean exactly?… well supplementing around 8 oz. of pomegranate juice into your diet daily can significantly enhance your health and wellness in a number of various ways.

Influence on Cholesterol
In accordance with MayoClinic.com, it’s unclear how helpful pomegranate juice is for lowering cholesterol. Even So, it does promote a reduced rate of cholesterol build-ups in blood vessels, which in turn lowers our chances of developing cardiovascular disease. Make certain to consult with your physician before including pomegranate juice into your routine if you suffer with high cholesterol levels or some other medical problem, because it may interact with some medicines.

Heart Protection
Heart disease is the number one source of death in the USA, killing more individuals than pneumonia, cancer, diabetes and accidents combined, based on a 2008 statement by The Presbyterian Hospital of New York. Pomegranate juice can help keep our hearts healthy and prevent possible heart related illnesses. Scientists at the Sapienza University in Rome, reported in the April 2009 publication of the “Journal of Medicinal Food,” that antioxidants called tannins in pomegranate juice help to prevent blood clotting and, which decreases cardiovascular events like heart attacks.

Lowering Blood Pressure
A different heart health benefit of pomegranate juice is its ability to lower blood pressure. Together with high cholesterol levels, hypertension is also a key risk factor for the development of heart disease. The June 2010 publication of “Phytotherapy Research” points out that a protein within the blood called angiotensin II causes blood vessels to constrict, and this increases blood pressure levels. When scientists in India tested the effects of pomegranate juice in rodents they discovered that it lowered blood pressure levels by blocking the action and production of angiotensin. The final results of this study were released in the June 2010 publication of “Phytotherapy Research.”

Diabetes Regulation
Pomegranate juice features some very powerful antioxidants referred to as oleanolic, gallic and ursolic acid. These acids are documented in the June 2007 publication of the “Journal of Medicinal Food” for being predominantly accountable for the anti-diabetic effects of pomegranate juice. These acids not only help with blood sugar regulation and defend us from diabetes, they also help protect diabetes sufferers from developing some of the problems which arise from diabetes, like neural damage and neuropathy.

Cancer Prevention
Some of the most amazing news to come out of pomegranate juice studies is its capacity to help prevent cancers. The Nov. 2009 publication of “Nutrition and Cancer” featured an evaluation by V.M. Adhami at the Dermatology Department at Wisconsin University. This review, which is focused on scientific study of pomegranate juice, states that the antioxidant qualities of pomegranate juice ends the growth of lung, colon, and breast cancer cells; animal studies which included consuming pomegranate juice demonstrated that together with those kinds of cancer cells, also inhibited the growth of prostate and skin cancer cells. The antioxidants in pomegranate juice, which seem to have the anticancer effects, are flavonoids and tannins.

Slowing Osteoarthritis
Pomegranate juice might prove helpful as a natural remedy for the kind of arthritis that develops from the deterioration of bone and cartilage. A study which analyzed the strength of pomegranate extract at fighting osteoarthritis discovered that this fruit’s flavonol antioxidants may slow down joint deterioration by preserving cartilage.

Drug Interactions
Pomegranate juice could cause an interaction with specific medications. If you consume blood pressure medications, statin medications or ACE inhibitors like Lisinopril, you need to consult with your physician before including pomegranate juice into your diet.


Is Apple Juice Good for You?

Is Apple Juice Good for You?

is apple juice good for youIf you are looking for a quick answer to the question “is apple juice good for you?”, then yes it is, but it needs to be freshly made and consumed in moderation because fruit juice contains sugar along with all the wonderful nutrition it contains. Commercial juice almost always contains more sugar than fresh made juice because it has sugar added to it or it is concentrated (which means concentrated sugar basically!). However, don’t let this discourage you, there are some great health benefits to drinking apple juice, just get a juice extractor!

Cardiovascular Health
Drinking cloudy apple juice daily is shown to be an effective natural remedy for lowering LDL “bad” cholesterol levels in the bloodstream. Cloudy apple juice is made by juicing apples with their skins on as opposed to clear apple juice which is made with peeled apples. There has been several studies that have tested this and even though clear apple juice helps to lower LDL cholesterol, cloudy juice is more effective. It is a soluble form of fiber in apples called pectin that is responsible for this beneficial effect, and a lot more pectin is found in the skin than in the pulp of an apple. Pectin binds with some cholesterol in the intestines, stopping it from entering the bloodstream and therefore decreasing LDL cholesterol levels. Instead, we just excrete it!

Apple juice is shown to have further benefits for cardiovascular health, and again this involves LDL cholesterol. The problem with LDL cholesterol is not so much that it is in the bloodstream but that when it becomes oxidaized in the bloodstream it will then stick to artery walls to form plaque build-ups, a disease known as atherosclerosis, a key cause of heart disease and heart attacks. Apple juice helps because it contains polyphenol antioxidants that help to limit oxidative damage to LDL cholesterol cells in the blood, therefore reducing the amount of LDL cholesterol that gets turned into plaque.

Protection Against Alzheimer’s Disease
One study published in 2009 in the Journal of Alzheimer’s disease found that giving apple juice daily to mice for one month improved their cognitive function abilities and delayed the rate of cognitive decline as they aged. The mice where given the human equivalent of two glasses of apple juice per day.

The results of another study that was released in the American Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease and Other Dementias found that apple juice is a helpful aid for calming down the declining moods which are part of a normal progression for moderate and severe cases of Alzheimer’s Disease.” The patients of this study drank two 4 oz. servings of apple juice every day for 30 days. Even though there was no improvement in cognitive function, there was a significant change in mood and behaviour such as anxiety and agitation.

Anti-Inflammatory and Anti-Cancer Benefits
In a study released in the Journal Molecular Nutrition Food Research, German researchers analyzed the specific cancer-preventative qualities of a polyphenol extract from apple juice. Amongst the most notable discoveries, a number of substances in apple juice have powerful anti-inflammatory properties. Inflammation is connected with numerous chronic diseases, such as cancer, heart disease, and some neurological conditions. Antioxidants in apples called procyanidins were discovered to restrict the activity of Cox-1, a major enzyme involved with serious inflammation.

Research indicates that cloudy apple juice contains greater levels of procyanidins than clear apple juice does. One study established that the ‘cloudy particles’ in apple juice possess up to 60 percent of whole apple procyanidins within the juice.

In health
Darren Haynes