All About Aloe

1271 High Street, Auburn, CA 95603 • Phone (530) 823-7092 • order line (800) 359-6091
Hours: Tues. – Fri. 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. • E-mail: [email protected] web: www.ImageAwareness.com

August 2008 Volume 4 : Issue 6

tell us that the Aloe Drink has alleviat- Leslie has suffered from Rheu-
ed digestive distress. This is probably matoid Arthritis for the past 15
due to the natural healing properties years. She also has bloating and
of the aloe and its mild anti-acid prop- severe stomach distress, mostly
erties. Digestive difficulties often from the Arthritis medicines. Her
begin when we overeat, or when we pain from the arthritis covers her
suffer a loss of digestive substances. entire body, especially her hands
and feet. Her hands are very de-
Heartburn formed with spongy nods on them.
I was having problems after eat- Leslie’s results from using the
ing. It was uncomfortable and pain- products have been remarkable! She
ful even to drink water. I wa using no longer experiences pain or swell-
powerful medications to try and ing in her knees, hands, or feet. The
deal with this problem--trying to al- spongy nods on her hands have de-
Mailbox
leviate it. I was on my way to my phy- creased. Leslie is able to actually put
GERD sician’s office when one of your dis- on a pair of shoes and walk without
I recently experienced a 2-month tributors mentioned that I should try difficulty... her stomach problems
long bout of acid reflux, which was so the Aloe drink. I came by the Image have all but disappeared with aci-
bad that I could not lie down, or even Awareness office and bought a small dophilus and Aloe drink and she is no
recline, for 8 hours after eating even container of the Aloe juice. I took it longer taking Tagament and Zantact.
a light meal. The only thing that did home and took it 15 minutes before
I left for the doctor’s office. I was re- Jim’s Comment
not bother me too much was fruit.
I called Jim, and he suggested lieved of my problem within two Recent research suggests that
exercise and aloe. The daily swim- minutes of taking it. By the time I got arthritis may be associated with
ming and yoga, I was doing, was to the doctor’s office I felt like I did overgrowth of harmful bacteria such
apparently not enough to stimulate not need the appointment. So then as Klebsiella in the digestive tract. I
digestion. I immediately started bik- I discussed with my family physician suspect that Leslie’s improved di-
ing and a little walking. Within 3 what I had done. He was interested gestion resulted from the fact that
days, I could lie down 6 hours after in what I had taken and was going the Acidophilus provided beneficial
eating. Within one week, the acid to get some for himself that night. microbes to compete with harmful
reflux was totally gone. Whenever I Margaret 11/13/2001 ones while the Aloe drink provided
get a recurrence, I use the Aloe Plus. a nutrient medium which promoted
Jim’s Comment the growth of beneficial microbes
That and Betagest are very helpful.
Aloe will often provide relief from and discouraged the harmful ones.
Thanks, Jim, for all your help....
heartburn very rapidly. The rapidity The aloe would also promote heal-
Rose (4/4/2008)
of improvement is often remarkable. ing of the gut which enabled Leslie
Jim’s Comment to discontinue the antacids. Use of
Arthritis
We have had numerous people antacids predisposes to harmful gut

Copyright 2008 by Jim McAfee. All rights reserved. 1

microbes which can contribute to teria, and fungus. The longer chains wounds, burns, corrosive chemicals,
a wide variety of health problems. modify and enhance the immune radiation, and infection. It has been
response. It had been suggested used to benefit the inflammatory
Aloe Vera that some of these larger chains help component of arthritis, Crohn’s dis-
I was first introduced to Aloe the body resist tumor development. ease, colitis, hay fever, and asthma.
vera as the result of a talk by Ivan Even if it does not always work it
Danhoff, M.D., Ph.D. who ran a re- The Aloe Puzzle is a safe compound without the
search laboratory in Texas. He re- Those who are of the persua- side effects of modern anti-inflam-
searched this remarkable herb for sion that all nutritional products matory drugs. Anti-inflammatory
30 years. He commented that he are created equal are due for a rude medications will sometimes slow
always applied the aloe to the back awakening when they begin experi- the healing process, while aloe gel
of his left hand while testing for- menting with Aloe vera products. has powerful healing properties.
mulations. The hand to which he There are several factors which can It has also been suggested that
applied the aloe did not have the make a tremendous difference in aloe may increase the anti-inflam-
blemishes, thinning, and wrinkling how one responds to such products. matory effects of topical steroids.
typical of old skin and readily ob- (Brinker, F., Contraindications and
servable on his right hand which did Aloin Drug Interactions, 2nd ed., 1998.)
not receive the aloe applications. Aloe contains two powerful
categories of substances, an exu-
Healing Properties
Aloe vera is probably native to
Africa. The plant has a long history of date and a gel. The exudate is a History suggests that Alexander
therapeutic use. It is mentioned in yellowish fluid. The substances it the Great conquered the island of
contains are given the name aloin. Socotra in order to secure the sup-
Aloin is a potent and potentially ply of Aloe to treat the wounds of his
toxic substance. Cells and tissues troops prior to going out to conquer
exposed to high concentrations the world. Studies demonstrating
of aloin will be damaged or killed. the healing properties of Aloe have
Aloin will kill worms in the di- been reproduced time after time.
gestive tract, but most people want Application of Aloe gel to a surface
to steer clear of this powerful sub- will result in 50% or more healing
stance because when it comes in than without application of the sub-
contact with the digestive tract it stance. GNLD has an aloe product
acts as a powerful laxative and pur- in the skin care line which is de-
gative. Some people experience signed to nourish and heal the skin.
griping discomfort. No one would Numerous papers have been
want to use a product with high published on the efficacy of Aloe
levels of aloin on an ongoing basis. gel for radiation and thermal burns.
Modern interest in Aloe was stimu-
Gel lated by the fact that it was shown
the Bible as one of the herbs to treat The second component of the to help radiation burns heal after
Christ’s body at the time of his burial. Aloe is the gel. The gel produces no the atomic bomb was dropped
Aloe consists of beads or chains harsh reactions and is devoid of harm- on Hiroshima. All other attempts
of polysaccharides which are basi- ful properties. As a matter of fact, the to heal radiation burns had failed.
cally carbohydrates. The chains can gel of the Aloe plant has a number A number of research papers sug-
have as few as 60 links or as many of healing and beneficial properties. gest that Aloe vera may offer signifi-
as thousands of links. The length cant benefit for digestive conditions.
of the aloe chains determines the Beneficial Blitz and his colleagues studied 12
characteristics of how the aloe will Effects patients with peptic ulcer and used
affect the body. Small chains ap- Aloe vera gel as the sole treatment.
pear to reduce inflammation and Anti-Inflammatory The results were dramatic, “All
benefit the functioning of the pan- Aloe gel has remarkable anti-in- of these patients had recovered
creas. Intermediate size chains ap- flammatory effects. It has been used completely... so that at this writ-
pear to protect against viruses, bac- to reduce pain and damage from ing at least 1 year has elapsed since

Copyright 2008 by Jim McAfee. All rights reserved. 2

 tendency to lower blood sugar. The result is that the immune sys-
Dried sap of the Aloe plant has been tem cells are galvanized into action.
used as a treatment for diabetes in In particular, the class of cells known
the Arabian peninsula. A study of as ‘phagocytes’ increase the activi-
a small group of patients demon- ties by which they attack and then
strated a drop of mean blood sugar engulf bacteria, waste products, and
from 273 mg/dl to 151 mg/dl. In- debris. This increase in scavenging
sulin levels did not change sug- activities cleanses the body, with
gesting that Aloe improved the re- knock-on benefits for a whole cas-
sponsiveness of tissues to insulin. cade of different medical conditions.”
A study of diabetic mice showed Reference
a drop in blood glucose of 43%. Aloe Plaskett, Lawrence G., The Health and
may contain several components Medical Use of Aloe vera, Tacoma, WA: Life
which work to lower blood sugar. Sciences Press, 82. Plaskett is a primary refer-
the last treatment.” The researchers ence for much of the information in this paper.
also wrote, “Clinically, Aloe vera gel A placebo-controlled study in
has dissipated all symptoms” and Thailand found that adding as little Stomach
“Aloe vera gel provided complete as a tablespoon of aloe juice twice
daily to diabetics using the medi- Disorders
recovery.” Few herbs come close to
cation glyburide resulted in bet- Aloe vera has a well deserved
aloe with regard to healing prop-
ter blood sugar levels and blood reputation as a regulator of stom-
erties and none I know of match it.
fat levels that those using the drug ach and bowel function. It stimu-
No pharmaceutical company
alone. (Phytomed 1996; 3:245-48) lates bowel function and will often
will finance trials of Aloe for stom-
provide relief for constipation. Aloe
ach or intestinal disorders because Phagocytosis speeds the healing of stomach dis-
herbal remedies can not be patent-
Phagocytosis is a combination orders and ulcers. This is probably
ed. Aloe offers so much promise it
of two Greek words (phagos-eat- due to its ability to reduce inflam-
deserves to be further investigated.
ing and kutos-hollow body). The mation, promote the health and
A study by Bland found that 6
word refers to the process whereby vitality of epithelial cells (the cells
out of 10 subjects “showed mark-
white blood cells engulf and destroy that line the digestive tract) and
edly better stool microbiology”
invaders like bacteria and viruses increase overall wound healing.
including a drop in yeast growth
or remove debris from the body. The digestive tract is filled with
in the digestive tract. Aloe encour-
Phagocytosis is the process by bacteria. Increasing the speed of
ages the growth of the beneficial
which the body not only defends healing decreases exposure to po-
acid producing bacteria in the gut.
itself, but also the core of the pro- tentially harmful organisms like
The ability to alter stool microbi-
cess of detoxification and internal Candida albicans, H pylori and
ology is highly significant. Substanc-
cleansing. The ability of aloe to pro- other harmful organisms. In addi-
es which feed and encourage ben-
mote this process is one reason why tion, food allergies are promoted
eficial bacteria in the digestive tract
aloe has been reported to benefit and intensified by a damaged in-
are called probiotics. Overgrowth
as many as 100 different conditions. testinal tract. As aloe speeds the
of harmful bacteria in the digestive
The immune enhancing proper- healing of the digestive tract and
tract has been associated with a wide
ties of aloe are associated with the promotes the overall health of the
variety of health problems including
mannose-rich polysaccharides in intestinal lining it decreases the
not only digestive disorders, but also
aloe. The mannose binds to cell sur- likelihood of allergic responses and
arthritis and autoimmune disease.
face receptors of white blood cells and decreases the intensity of response.
Allergic responses result in an
triggers beneficial immune activity. Obviously, aloe will not be for ev-
inflammatory response. Aloe vera’s
Plaskett provides a useful quote eryone with digestive disorders, but
anti-inflammatory properties can
on this mechanism of aloe func- it is well worth a try in any kind of
be expected to benefit many with
tion, “Specialized molecules in Aloe bowel disorder. Aloe products which
allergic tendencies for this reason.
vera whole leaf extract interact with contain the aloin component can
Hypoglycemic Effect special ‘receptor’ substances that cause severe aggravation of diges-
Aloe has been reported to ben- are embedded into the outer mem- tive disorders. Only products con-
efit diabetics, possibly due to its brane of our immune system cells. taining the gel portion would tend

Copyright 2008 by Jim McAfee. All rights reserved. 3

 1271 High Street, Auburn, CA 95603
Phone (530) 823-7092 order line (800) 359-6091
E-mail: [email protected]
Visit our website! www.ImageAwareness.com

to be helpful where healing or re- products since most of them taste so powerful skin moisturizer and has
duction of inflammation is desirable. bad they would gag a maggot. The added linden extract and pan-
product is concentrated and usually thenol to enhance this property.
GNLD Aloe Vera Plus produces soothing effects on the The aloe ointment makes skin
GNLD Aloe Vera Plus meets all digestive tract in very small doses. softer and promotes elasticity.
requirements of the International
Aloe Science Council, a voluntary in- Carbonated Aloe Drink
dustry group that establishes stan- For those who are addicted to Removal or Addition
dards for aloe vera products. The carbonated beverages, GNLD has a to this Newsletter
company uses a “gel only” filleting carbonated aloe. The product is not If you wish to be removed from this health-
process to avoid harmful substanc- as effective for digestive problems letter simply send us an email requesting to
es found in the whole-leaf aloe. as the Aloe Vera Plus, but some with- be removed. If you wish to add an email ad-
dress send us the address with a request to
Approximately half of the out digestive issues find this quite be added.
drink consists of GNLD’s special a relaxing and enjoyable beverage.
3-fold concentrate herbal blend Web Resources
consisting of ginseng, chamo- Aloe Vera Gel www.yourbodyssignlanguage.com
mile and passion flower to calm Many GNLD customers are not www.imageawareness.com
and relax the digestive tract. familiar with the Aloe Vera Gel which
The product also contains is part of the Nutriance Skin Care Disclaimer
line of products. This aloe product This publication contains the opinions and
critically important electrolytes ideas of its author. It is intended to provide
like potassium and magnesium is designed to promote the health helpful and informative material on the sub-
which are vitally important for of the skin when externally applied. jects addressed in the publication. It is pro-
vided with the understanding that the author
all the tissues of the body, es- It provides soothing relief to skin and publisher are not engaged in rendering
pecially the nerves and heart. overexposed to sun, wind, and cold. medical,health, or any other kind of personal
This is an incredible product professional services in this newsletter. The
Aloe Vera Plus contains reader should consult his or her medical,
170% of the Daily Value of vita- which has been clinically proven health or other competent professional be-
min C which works with a syn- to calm the skin’s surface and al- fore adopting any of the suggestions in this
leviate minor skin discomforts. The newsletter or drawing inferences from it.
ergistic effect enhancing the The author and publisher specifically dis-
healing properties of the aloe. aloe is combined with allantoin and claim all responsibility for any liability, loss, or
The aloe beverage also tastes calendula which are known to pro- risk, personal or otherwise, which is incurred
mote enhanced cellular renewal. as a consequence, directly or indirectly, of
good which will be important to use and application of any of the contents of
anyone who has tried other aloe The aloe ointment is also a this newsletter.

Copyright 2008 by Jim McAfee. All rights reserved. 4