Aloe is often used as a houseplant that also offers useful medicinal properties in everyday life. Derived from ‘alloeh’ meaning bitter in Arabic, Aloe vera, grows in close to 240 varieties across the dry regions of Africa, Europe, Asia and America. The most popular form of Aloe that is used commercially is Aloe barbadensis miller.
It is a genus of plants of the Asphodelaceae family, related to the likes of onions and asparagus. Extracted from the aloe plant, Aloe vera has a multitude of medicinal properties and is thought to enhance the overall well-being of an individual, including many physical
February 2010
Enhance Your Well-Being With Aloe
by Sheila McCormick on February 24th, 2010MRSA: The Latest Developments on Eradicating this Deadly Superbug
by Sheila McCormick on February 17th, 2010The dreaded Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA) is an infection caused by the Staphylococcus Aureus bacteria. This superbug is a strain which has developed a resistance to antibiotics and can be fatal. It is found mainly in hospitals and nursing homes and consequently it affects those who are sick and the elderly who have weakened immune systems.
Cases of MRSA have soared since the 1980s and it cost $6 billion last year in the USA alone, not to mention taking 19,000 lives. MRSA kills tens of thousands of patients each year in some of the top hospitals across the USA, Europe and
Hugs, Chocolate And Red Wine Are Healthy Choices For Valentine’s Day
by Sheila McCormick on February 10th, 2010Three things that are closely associated with Valentine’s Day have the potential to give you a longer, healthier life. Hugs, dark chocolate and red wine can all bring significant health benefits to you and your sweetheart.
Hugging lowers the body’s levels of cortisol, a stress hormone that has a negative effect on your immune system. The emotional benefits of hugs are obvious and well-documented. One study concluded that hugging dramatically lowers blood pressure and boosts levels of oxytocin, a hormone that promotes a sense of well-being. As one family therapist put it: “We need four hugs a day for survival, we
Human Growth Hormone (hGH) & Secretagogues
by Ann Mills on February 7th, 2010The Pituitary Gland
It all began in the late fifties with a Russian doctor named Dillman, who described what he believed to be an internal mechanism (or a body clock), which was running down. The center of this body clock was in the area of the brain called the hypothalamus, or more specifically, the pituitary gland. Dr. Dillman felt that it was a change in hormone balance which brought about the aging of the body. He concluded that if he could improve this balance, he could slow down and possibly even reverse the aging process.
Bringing this to our modern day, what
Boost Your Immune System With Probiotics
by Sheila McCormick on February 5th, 2010Probiotics have been a part of the human diet for over 5000 years. In the Old Testament, Abraham attributed his longevity to ingestion of fermented milk. Goat’s milk yogurt became known in 16th century France as a “wonder cure,” when a Turkish doctor saved King Francis I from intestinal disease with its use.
1908 Nobel Prize winner and microbiologist Elie Metchnikoff studied the trend of many people living to 100 in Bulgaria and credited their good health and longevity to a microbe in a popular Bulgarian yogurt. He named the microbe Lactobacillus Bulgaricus.
As complimentary and alternative medicine (CAM) is becoming more