Can Aloe Vera help with Eczema and Dry Skin

Eczema is very common allergic condition that affects the skin. It’s also called dermatitis, which is simply another name for eczema.

Although there are a number of different types of eczema, they all stem from inflammation and irritation of the skin. And ususally, there is an allergic element to people developing ezcema, which is why eczema is linked to other allergic ocnditions such as asthma and hayfever.

Unfortunately, to those people who do have an allergy, eczema can be triggered by just about anything touching the skin. It might be the nickel in jean rivets, or a particular brand of washing powder, a particular type of fibre in clothing (wool, polyester,etc.) or anything that the person has developed a sensitivity to. (see below)

Usually, the skin becomes dry, red and flaky. It may also be mildly irritated, sensitive and itchy; sometimes it can feel as if it’s burning and intensely painful.

Eczema is very common, and affects all races and ages, from young infants to the elderly. It’s estimated that about 2% of adults have eczema, and about 18-20% of children have some eczema.

» read more: Aloe Vera & Eczema

How Can Aloe Vera Make You Healthier?

Aloe vera is widely known, yet oddly it’s little appreciated for all its possible health benefits.

Although it looks like a cactus, the Aloe vera plant is actually a member of the lily and onion family. So it’s a succulent - ie. it holds water in its fleshy leaves. Its’s been used medicinally for thousands of years, and has been known for its healing qualities for as long as records have been kept. Even as far back as 6500 B.C aloe vera was used and revered for its curative properties.

Still, it comes as a surprise to most people that aloe vera is not just treatment for minor cuts and burns. Of course, it’s very effective as a topical salve or ointment. However, taking aloe vera as a food supplement can offer enormous health benefits most people are completely unaware of.

To understand the benefits of aloe vera, we need to understand that a lot of our health problems come from two areas—a weakened or compromised digestive system, and a weakened or compromised immune system.

» read more: Can Aloe Vera Improve Health

Aloe Vera, Children & Nutrition

We all know that nutrition is vital for all of us, but none more so than for growing children.

As we race into the 21st century, we’re looking for a world of convenience and speed. We’re living and working - and eating - faster than ever before.

And it’s not all good news - as Jamie Oliver’s TV series ‘School Dinners’ about school meals illustrated. Now more and more schools are starting to provide, or take into account, the idea of what constitutes a really healthy meal for children.

Most school lunches consist of burgers, pizzas, chips and crisps, with sugary drinks… High fat, high salt, high sugar - not a great recipe for healthy, thriving kids; and certainly not conducive to an afternoon of quiet learning!

Speaking to school teachers, they talk of placing the asthma inhalers at the back of the classroom for the kids to line up and take their inhalers after lunch. Is there any coincidence that this need dropped dramatically after the school started providing healthy lunches? Is there a link between diet and allergies?

» read more: Aloe Vera & Kids

Aloe Vera And The Immune System

Aloe Vera and the benefits of Aloe Barbadensis Miller (pure Aloe Vera) works to improve the body’s immune system. The human immune system is incredibly complex, and when you think of the billions if not trillions of cells which go to make up our bodies, and how they work together to protect us via an organised communication and response system, it’s almost mind-boggling.

The Immune System

Essentially the immune system works through triggering a wide array of chemical processes. The simple job is to discriminate between ’self’ and ‘non-self’ cells and organisms; ie. things that belong in body and things that don’t.

Examples of some the things which don’t belong are viruses & bacteria. When our immune system is working correctly, it reacts swiftly to the foreign particle in our bloodstream, usually by detecting certain proteins or chemicals on the cell wall of the potential threat.

There are times when our immune system won’t work quite as it’s supposed to; and when this happens, the immune system becomes less able to discriminate between ’self’ and ‘non-self’. It begins to see certain types of normal cells as foreign, and so reacts against them.

» read more: Can Aloe Vera Help The Immune System

Can Aloe Vera Help Allergies

Aloe Vera and its effect on allergic reaction has been well documented. Some of the allergies that pure form Aloe Vera provides great relief to are: pollen, chemicals, dander, perfume, dust mites and certain foods.

Allergies or allergic reaction can be caused by many things - some can be passed on by our parents and some can be provoked by the environment we live in.

In some it is the combination of hereditary weaknesses of digestion, nutrition, and environment. In order to reduce the conflict with allergies it is necessary to strengthen connective tissue called collagen. When the collagen tissue is weakened in the nasal passages, lung tissues and intestinal tract cell walls allow foreign bodies to enter via the blood stream, which causes and the allergy or the allergic reaction.

This reaction can be stopped or reversed by using Aloe Vera.

Pure form Aloe Vera has an acidic pH, which persuades the body to produce the correct amounts of hydrochloric acid to improve your digestion. A person with allergies sometimes are inflicted with a weak digestion, which will not allow the body to absorb the correct amount of nutrients from the foods and supplements consumed. Once the body starts receiving the correct amount of nutrients, it will start producing collagen and will build up tissue structure to stave off and fight the allergies.

» read more: Allergies And Aloe Vera