Aloe To The Rescue

Sometime in May 2014, my son had an accident with a metal chair.  

 Apparently, a fellow classmate placed the chair over a doorway and it fell and hit him on his head as he was passing through. 

To cut a long story short – when he got home and told me that the school nurse had cleaned it for him and stopped the bleeding, I immediately thought of my trusted aloe. 

I cut a piece of aloe, removed the clear gel and cut a piece just wide enough to cover the cut area. He spent the rest of the evening with this on his head. The only time it was removed was to replace the dried out section with a fresh piece. It only took about a week and a half for the cut to heal properly so that he could get a haircut! 

Before it was normally a headache to get him to use the aloe on his face but after witnessing its performance on his head, I can hardly keep up with him now. Every day he wants to put aloe on this, aloe on that! Talk about aloe mania! 

Peeled aloe leaf

Aloe cut into pieces

Pure blended aloe (no water added)

I've been teaching him how to cut the aloe and remove the gel. Now he's adding it to his juices.

Dear old aloe vera, just cannot do without it.  Thanks Nature!

About the Author: Mevonnie Hugh is an affiliate marketer/independent business owner who promotes business opportunities & healthy living both online and offline.  Share my quotes at http://mevquotes.blogspot.com  Learn more at My Miracle Plant Website and http://www.proearnja.com

112 Tips for Healthy Living

Here are 112 tips for healthy living that I think we need to put into practice. As a true believer of aloe vera benefits, I have thrown some in there. I also wrote some of these as they hit me so they are not in any particular sequence.


1. Aloe vera aids and balances the digestive system.
2. A cold compress controls inflammation.
3. A hot compress relieves pain.
4. Pure aloe vera gel relieves pain.
5. Remove toxins from the body or the body will.
6. Stress and eyestrain cause headaches.
7. Avoid diet pills at all cost.
8. Add more fibre to your diet.
9. Best low-calorie diet is a vegetarian diet.
10. Relieve stress by meditating.
11. Best fasting is alkaline juice fasting.
12. Drink fresh fruit & vegetable juices instead of processed juices.
13. Water is a natural cleanser.
14. Drink at least 6 glasses of water daily.
15. Eat green leafy vegetables to help lower the risk of heart disease.
16. Vegetables are best eaten raw, steamed or steam-fried.
17. Drink water before, during and after exercise.
18. A good exercise regimen will lengthen your life.
19. Do something physical every single day.
20. Keep your joint flexible to reduce arthritis pain.
21. Drinking aloe vera juice helps maintain your energy levels.
22. Diet and exercise are inter-related for weight-loss & good health.
23. Monitor what you eat.
24. Avoid shopping when you are hungry.
25. When you eat, leave something on your plate.
26. Always eat at the table, never in front of the television.
27. Never skip meals, your appetite will only make you play “catch up”.
28. Cigarettes threaten your health.
29. Protect yourself/kids from secondhand smoke.
30. Boiled milk is easier to digest.
31. Eliminate as much fried foods as possible from your diet.
32. Trim all fats from meats before cooking.
33. Drink skim milk instead of whole milk.
34. Whole wheat flour/bread is better than white flour/bread.
35. Always use a list to shop for groceries.
36. Stay away from processed foods as much as possible.
37. Eat more white meat than red meat.
38. Use non-stick pans.
39. Always warm up before exercising.
40. Take the stairs instead of the elevator.
41. Hide your remote control; get up to change the channel.
42. Exercise for increased energy.
43. Diabetics – avoid injecting insulin into your muscle before exercising.
44. Less salt is good for you.
45. Plan your meals and menus.
46. Shop for products from health food stores.
47. Marinate meats in the refrigerator.
48. Scrub chopping boards between chopping each type of food.
49. Always use clean utensils.
50. Always wash your hands before you eat or prepare food.
51. Defrost meats in the bottom of the refrigerator.
52. White meats cook faster than red meats.
53. Keep all raw meats away from other food.
54. Disinfect hand, cutting board, utensils & surroundings after handling raw meats.
55. It’s healthier to prepare more of your meals at home.
56. Brush and floss your teeth at least twice daily.
57. Get at least 6 hours of sleep daily.
58. Laughter is good for your mental and physical state.
59. Aloe vera helps the renewal of healthy tissues and skin.
60. Aloe vera maintains a healthy urinary tract.
61. Hand washing is an easy way to prevent infections.
62. Accept yourself for the way you are.
63. Become more positive; positive emotions make life worth living.
64. Develop and maintain good posture for better relaxation.
65. Educate yourself about any history of family illnesses.
66. Breast feeding may help to get the body back into shape internally.
67. Breast milk has the right balance of nutrients for babies.
68. Breast milk help increase baby’s protection against illnesses & allergies.
69. Avoid all harmful drugs.
70. Dispose of garbage properly.
71. Exercise cleanliness of food, body and surroundings.
72. Excessive alcohol threatens your health.
73. Keep leftovers in the refrigerator.
74. Do not share hair-brushes, combs, toothbrushes or other personal items.
75. Never eat food that looks or smells bad.
76. Eat less sugar and sweets.
77. Do not pollute the rivers, streams and sea.
78. Avoid burning to clear land.
79. Avoid cultivation of steep slopes.
80. Protect and preserve our environment.
81. Respect your fellow man.
82. Have companionship – develop social connections.
83. Do something you love – get a hobby.
84. Walking helps the total circulation of blood throughout the body.
85. Keep your hands away from your nose, mouth & eyes to minimize catching a cold.
86. Train yourself & your family to sneeze into your elbow.
87. If you sneeze into a tissue, dispose of it and wash your hands.
88. Plan your goals.
89. Go out and make your goals happen.
90. Build your self esteem.
91. Start the day with a nutritious breakfast every morning.
92. Never eat raw or lightly cooked eggs.
93. Eat more alkaline foods to decrease aging.
94. Seafood is the best natural source of Omega-3 fatty acids.
95. Smile more to relieve stress, look younger & stay positive.
96. Try not to worry; accept situations & find solutions.
97. Eliminate stress – stress leads to acidosis.
98. Stay away from harsh laxatives.
99. Protect your skin from contaminants including dirt & uv rays.
100. Avoid preparing meals if you have diarrhoea or vomiting.
101. Wash your hands thoroughly after handling live poultry.
102. Do not eat or drink in areas where birds live or roam.
103. Do not allow animals in places where you prepare foods.
104. Keep cooked meat dishes in temperatures warmer than 140°F or cooler than 41°F.
105. Refrigerate cooked food within 2 hours of preparation.
106. Reheat leftovers thoroughly (165°F or more) before serving.
107. Keep hot foods hot and cold foods cold.
108. Do not let children 5 years & under handle live poultry without supervision.
109. Wash hands after touching animals, their food, etc.
110. Disinfect cleaning sponges/rags in kitchens/bathrooms and keep dry.
111. Never use a gas range or oven to heat your home.
112. Never run a motor inside or close to an enclosed area.


These are some of the health tips eating at my brain but I’m sure you can add more. With only one life to live; I’m trying to live it to the fullest ….. Be healthy.


About the Author: Mevonnie Hugh is an affiliate marketer/independent business owner who promotes business opportunities & healthy living both online and offline. Learn more at My Miracle Plant Website and http://www.proearnja.com

Aloe Vera For Your Acne



Facial Acne

Acne is a common skin disorder caused by excessive production of oil in the sebaceous glands – oil-clogged pores. It can appear on our face, neck, back, chest, buttocks and shoulders. Acne mainly affects us in our adolescent years and those of us with oily skin are more prone to outbreaks. Even in our adult years we may be affected so it is important to understand our skin and utilize an effective skin care routine.

The most common type of acne is Acne Vulgaris which includes whiteheads, blackheads, papules, pustules.



Whiteheads resemble little white towers growing out of your skin while blackheads look like tiny black, sometimes puffy spots on your skin.


Papules are painful red bumps and pustules are similar, kinda like ripe papules but with a white or yellow centre.


More severe types of acne are nodules - large painful lumps and cysts which are like nodules filled with yellowish white fluid.

You may want to choose the type of treatment for your acne very carefully as most acne treatments may contain dangerous chemicals which can cause harmful skin and internal conditions over long-term use. Do your own research on cosmetic ingredient safety assessments before choosing your products.


Personally, using the aloe vera both internally and topically for over 30 years has not produced any harmful side effects. It is a natural, non-toxic, antiseptic skin healer.


CLEANSING:
As a rule, everything that comes into contact with your face/skin should be immaculately clean!


Clean your skin gently at least twice daily, morning and night, with aloe vera soap, medicated soap/wash or a water-based cleansing cream/lotion to remove makeup. Use a clean wash rag every time (a baby wash rag is great for face). Do not rub hard or you may harm your skin. Rinse and pat dry, do not rub or you may spread the bacteria from any open pimples to other areas of your skin. You may use a grainy scrub to tackle blackheads.  This is much safer than squeezing.


APPLY ALOE VERA:

Apply pure aloe vera gel or ointment to your face/skin. If you have dry skin you may want to accompany it with an aloe vera moisturizing cream.


TREAT PIMPLES & SORES:

Apply aloe gel as often as you can throughout the day to quickly heal any sores or pimples. This will also help to reduce old scars and minimize or prevent new ones if you have picked your face. 


AVOID:


1. Stress. When you are tense, stress stimulates the adrenal glands, causes an over-production of the hormone cortisol which increases the oil in your skin to create acne.


2. Dirty hair. Many infections (pimples) on the face can be caused by dirt, dust and oil being transferred from the hair to the face. You may want to keep your hair off your face if you are troubled with acne.


3. Soiled pillows. Try to change your pillow cases as often as you possibly can to avoid further infections as you sleep - when you toss and turn.


4. Dirty face basins and soiled makeup applicators. Make sure your face basin is scrubbed clean and use disposable applicators for applying all your makeup. Become a star for cleanliness.


5. Picking and squeezing. Don't squeeze that pimple!! This may transfer excess oils and infect other areas of your skin. It can also cause undesirable acne scarring. Try a gentle scrub instead; avoid scrubbing inflammatory lesions or "ripe" pimples. Be conscious of where you put your hands when you are distracted. Try to keep your hands off your face.

6. Smoking. This can affect your skin’s ability to heal and also cause wrinkles so you look older.


7. Greasy, spicy foods and sweets. These foods have been known to increase the production of oil and aggravate breakouts. If you stop eating certain foods and sweets for a month, e.g. fries, then resume eating them at a later date and your acne gets worse, you should permanently exclude these from your diet. Sorry! You need to eat a nutritious, well-balanced diet of fruits, vegetables, meat, milk and whole grains.


8. Greasy or oil-based creams, lotions and makeup. These can clog pores and encourage the growth of bacteria.

9. Being a couch potato. Sluggish circulation can often cause overactive oil glands. Improve your circulation with exercise.


10. Dehydration. Drink plenty of water to lubricate your complexion. Try an aloe drink. It helps to heal the skin from within by flushing out impurities.

Aloe Helps Wounds Heal Faster

I just wanted to share another use of the aloe with you. I normally put a slice of aloe gel in the container of drinking water for my dogs.

Well, recently one of my dogs had an urgent operation and you know how dogs are – licking, grooming themselves and it seemed that after a couple of days he somehow ripped out the stitches and was left with an open wound.

I called in the vet and he came that same morning and performed a little surgery on my pet. Do you know what he asked me for after the operation? Some aloe, yes, aloe vera – he said that it would help the cut to heal faster, and not only that but, with aloe on the area dogs don’t really trouble the wound because they don’t like the taste. But I argued that my dogs are accustomed to having aloe in their water so it may not work.

This is what he did – after stitching the wound, he applied the purple lotion, smeared aloe gel all over the wound and surrounding area, then sprinkled it with wound powder.

Of course, it worked. Two days later the swelling had disappeared and it was healing nicely. It seemed to me that the aloe minimized the itching also as my pup didn’t try to scratch it. A week later you wondered “what cut”? “where”?

There you have it, another aloe episode.

Aloe for Constipation

Old people in Jamaica will tell you that these days we have too many different drugs messing up our bodies so they like their (old-time remedies) traditional herbal medicine. When it comes to constipation, what do you think the remedy is? Yes, aloe vera. Or as known by some of us “synkle bible” or “single bible”.

Aloin is in the yellow sap of the plant, somewhere between the green leaf and the gel. It is like a laxative, purgative medicine that causes the bowels to empty themselves. Each time you cut a leaf to prepare your juice or gel, a little of the sap drains into your preparation and for that reason persons should be cautious and start with small portions of the juice to determine what is right for them. Too much aloe containing the yellow sap will cause diarrhea.

One or two tablespoons several times a day seem to do the trick for some, while for others a glass twice for the day is sufficient to regulate their bowels. Also I see where a whole leaf is cut up and eaten to solve the problem. I have also seen many now put the cut leaf or the cut peels into a bottle or jar of water in the refrigerator to soak. They then drink it in moderation - a 1/2 glass two times for the week and each time they have a drink they replenish the water in the container.

Personally, I just like to have one or two tablespoons in my juice every other day like a tonic. I believe that because I make it a regular part of my diet I have never had any constipation problems.

Here’s to aloe keeping my digestive organs in check.

Aloe Vera and You – Healthy Drink

Aloe vera juice is an excellent source of vitamins and minerals - an essential source for maintaining circulatory and digestive health, energy levels and many cell processes.

Some of the vitamins present are vitamin A (Beta-Carotene), B1 (Thiamine), B2 (Riboflavin), B3 (Niacin), B5, B6 (Pyridoxine), B12, C (Ascorbic Acid), E, and some folic acid. It’s got minerals such as calcium, sodium, iron, potassium, magnesium and copper.

Now that you know that the aloe vera contains these vitamins and minerals, what are some of the foods you would you have to eat naturally to be sure you are getting them all? You would have to eat:

Tomatoes or tomato juice, carrot, broccoli, pumpkin, spinach, cabbage, okra, black-eyed peas, asparagus, brussels sprout, avocado, white rice, sweet potato, mango, banana, orange, strawberry, watermelon, eggs, milk, liver, chicken breast, fish, lean ground beef, shrimp, etc.

That’s just too much food for me – I’d rather have a little of those foods and a great aloe drink.

So you have heard that drinking the juice of the aloe vera can help keep you healthy, right? And you decided to go out and buy a bottle “just to try it” and what happened? You had one glass and expected a miracle!

Well I believe it’s a miracle drink but it doesn’t work like that. You see it’s like the saying “an apple a day keeps the doctor away” – you want to have a small drink of aloe on a daily basis. The commercially bottled type is less potent so 1/4 glass or so daily works fine for most persons. If you extract the 100% juice yourself then you want to take a tablespoon a day or every other day as your body can manage. Remember, each one of us is unique and your body may react differently, so start with small doses and determine what is right for you.

Delicious & Healthy Aloe Drink Recipe:

¾ glass *orange juice mixed with ¼ glass aloe juice (commercially bottled)
OR
1 glass *orange juice mixed with 1 tablespoon pure aloe juice extract

*optionally this may be your favorite fruit juice

That’s all for now.

Mevonnie
My Miracle Plant