Aloe Vera can help Digestive Disorders
Most of us take digestion for granted… until something happens that interrupts the otherwise normal flow of digestion. Under normal conditions, it’s effortless, requires no intervention from us, and remains for the most part outside our awareness.
But for a growing number of people, digestion is not that simple. Either from disease, food intolerances or allergies, that vision of digestion is merely wishful thinking.
When digestion goes awry, it can mean a wide range of symptoms from constipation and/or diarrhoea, stomach aches, cramps, heartburn and reflux. It might be just one of these digestive symptoms, or a combination of them. And they’re not only painful or uncomfortable, but they can grossly a person’s quality of life. And it also means that the problem needs attention.
Constipation is one of the most common digestive complaints. The definition of constipation includes infrequent bowel movements (although that by itself does not necessarily indicate constipation), difficulty passing a stool, and the feeling that there is incomplete evacuation of the bowels. Other symptoms of constipation include abdominal pain, bloating and distention.
Often constipation can be attributed to a diet low in fibre, inadequate fluid intake, or a sedentary lifestyle. Constipation can also occur as a side-effect of medications.
Diarrhoea is usually caused by parasites, bacteria or viruses. It can also indicate a chronic underlying condition, such as Crohn’s disease. In the western world, diarrhoea, although uncomfortable for a few days, is not usually life-threatening.
In the third world, where real dangers of dehydration are present, diarrhoea treatment needs to be swift to prevent complications. The usual treatment for diarrhoea is to replace lost fluids with an electrolyte mixture of water, sugars and salt.
Heartburn occurs when stomach acids come up through the oesophageal sphincter and irritate the soft tisues of the oesophagus, causing pain and inflammation. The pain is usually intense and felt over the breastbone near the heart. (Which is why it’s called heartburn, although it has nothing to do with the heart.)
The oesophageal sphincter is a ring of muscle that should allow food to travel only in one direction – downwards into the stomach and so into the rest of the digestive system. If the symptoms of acid reflux become chronic, it can lead to gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (GERD or GORD depending on whether the US or British way of spelling oesophagus is used).
The treatment for acid reflux vary widely, but commonly a change of diet to less fatty foods and reducing caffeine is required, along with eliminating foods that cause reflux.
Drug treatment may be antacids, proton-pump inhibitors (PPI’s) or H2 blockers. If severe, surgical intervention may be called for.
As you can see, there’s a wide range of digestive complaints – and these are just the most common problems with digestion. Treatments range in effectiveness. And often people just live with the symptoms – either because they’re so used to the symptoms, they don’t feel it’s worth bothering their doctor; or because the treatment they’ve had in the past didn’t work.
Aloe Vera has been used successfully for centuries to combat skin conditions and bowel conditions. And although it might sound unlikely that a natural plant can help with skin conditions as well as digestive problems, it’s worth considering that the lining of the gut is endothelial tissue – like the skin.
Aloe Vera is full of vitamins, minerals and other nutrients that can help heal stomach and digestive disorders. Research has shown that it balances and modulates the immune system, so lowering food intolerances, and the body’s reaction to them. (This is not a licence to take Aloe Vera, then continue eating foods you know irritate you!)
It can also soothe the stomach and help with acid reflux very quickly, as it forms a semi-protective barrier on the endothelial lining of the oesophagus; so it can help reduce the symptoms of heartburn.
Aloe Vera is reknowned for its effect of the bowel – particularly on helping both constipation and diarrhoea. It soothes, heals and allows the gut to return to its normal state of functioning. Healthy and normal.
Recommended Products For Digestive Problems
Tablet form aloe vera is extremely beneficial. Aloeride is a completely natural aloe tablet but manufactured to phramaceutical standards.
Unlike some aloe products that claim to be 100% pure aloe vera, Aloeride contains the Barbadensis Miller variety of the substance which is by far the most potent of all the aloe species. More about Aloeride
