Top 5 Everyday Uses of Aloe Vera For Skin Care

At first glance, an Aloe Vera plant is peculiar looking, and frankly not that pretty when it comes to plants. But after consideration of all its medicinal benefits, the looks of the aloe plant become secondary. The aloe plant is actually a relative of different types of cacti which I'm sure you can notice just by looking at the leaves. This odd looking plant has a lot of really useful and beneficial uses. After learning all about this plant you'll wonder why you haven't been using it all along.

Without getting too much of a boring chemistry lesson, the reason why aloe works so well for our skin is the organic chemical compounds which exist within the plant. The most important of these compounds is the natural sugars (technical term: mucoploysaccharides) that make up the gel inside the spiky leaves. The gel quickly hardens when exposed to the air, so when it is placed on the skin it creates a bandage of sorts. Along with the sugars (also called MPS's) the Aloe Vera gel is chock full of other healing elements from nature like vitamins E and C, organic chemicals that work as a pain killer, and enzymes that work as an anti-inflammatory. The Aloe Vera plant is truly is an amazing piece of nature.

The benefits of the Aloe Vera plant have been widely known for thousands of years when ancient Greeks discovered the benefits while treating wounds and healing infections. Today there are many cosmetic products readily available which boast aloe as a main ingredient and most people have heard about the healing powers of Aloe Vera, especially to help soothe sunburns. This strange looking plant from the desert has a ton of uses and can be quite beneficial to a daily skin care regiment and healthy life style.

To give just a sampling of all the things aloe can do, here is a list of the top five uses:

Eczema sufferers can use aloe to soothe and heal the skin.

Eczema is a common skin condition characterized by extremely dry and flaky skin. Sometimes the skin can become so irritated that severe breakouts occur. A topical application of aloe gel or aloe lotion can soothe the irritation and the medicinal aspect of aloe will promote healing of the affected skin.

Use aloe as a wrinkle cream.

In the quest to find the fountain of youth, people spend a lot of money on expensive cosmetics which claim major wrinkle reduction. Instead, try applying Aloe Vera gel to wrinkles. Aloe actually stimulates the growth of new collagen and elastin in the skin which helps the appearance of younger looking skin.

An effective acne treatment.

Forget harsh acne topical treatments. Because of its antibacterial benefits, aloe is an effective facial cleanser and astringent. There are specially formulated acne soaps and gels made with aloe. The healing benefits of aloe help get rid of existing blemishes while the cleanser properties prevent new breakouts. Also, using aloe lotion on acne-prone skin will allow nourishment without an oily residue.

Use as an all-purpose moisturizer.

Again, because of its known healing properties, aloe is a popular ingredient in over the counter lotions and moisturizers. It is perfect as an all-purpose moisturizer because it is inexpensive, hypo-allergenic, natural, and has added benefits such as the anti-inflammatory and analgesic aspects.

Reduce the potential of burn scarring.

Most people are aware that applying aloe gel on a sunburn helps soothe painful skin, but they are unaware that by applying aloe on a burn from a hot stove (or curling iron, etc), it will actually minimize scarring on the skin. Keeping a burn consistently covered with a thin layer of pure aloe gel has been shown to heal a burn faster and reduce the appearance of a permanent scar. As stated above, the aloe gel (directly from the plant's leaves) works like a bandaid and medicine all in one to help the skin heal itself.



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Balance Your Hormones Naturally

Hormone imbalance is a common happening among most women at some point in their lives. Hormones can't protect us from everything; the body does crash on occasion. Hormones can get thrown off in even the healthy of women and at any age as long as the woman has hit puberty. Basically, for most women they have a fairly constant hormone balance with glitches that can happen every so often. Hormones help keep Women on a pretty regular menstrual cycle, maintain weight levels, sleep well, look young, and keep full of energy.

Symptoms occur when hormones balances are off. Not everyone will experience symptoms of hormone balance, but for most they will at a few different times of their lives. Often hormones can change in minutes if they are not imbalance. Symptoms of hormone imbalances are most common between the ages of 20 and 40, they tend to increase as the women ages, hence, menopause.

Hormone imbalances include any or some of the following symptoms. Allergy Symptoms, low sex drive, PMS, endometriosis, fibrocystic breasts, urinary tract infections, uterine fibroids, osteoporosis, and wrinkly skin are all signs of hormone imbalances. Some other ones include depression, fatigue, anxiety, weight gain, water retention, bloating, hair loss, and facial hair growth.

There are 2 types of female hormones, progesterone and estrogen. Any symptom of hormone balance can be caused by an incorrect level of one or both of these hormones. It is a very delicate and sensitive balance. Any little variations of there balance have a dramatic effect on health because it causes the symptoms mentioned above. Stress levels, nutrition, exercise, and ovulation all can be factors of how much hormones are produced.

There is 28 days in a healthy women's menstrual cycle. For the first 10 to 12 days of it there is only estrogen being produced. When ovulation happens progesterone is then produced by the ovaries. On 28 when the menstrual cycle restarts, hormone levels drop, causing menstruation. If by chance the ovulation did not occur the progesterone level never balances out with the estrogen but you still have a period. You have estrogen but your progesterone levels dropped very low. This causes the symptoms of hormone balance to occur.

A few things you can do at home to ensure your hormones stay in balance will help maintain a great balance. Check your diet, are you consuming high carbs, junk foods, processed vegetable oil, fatty foods, stimulants, and soy products. If you are consuming these kinds of foods it will cause a hormone imbalance. Eating a diet high in animal proteins, fish oils, coconut, and fresh veggies and fruits will help keep them balanced. Women who cut grains and other gluten products out of there diet tend to feel better shortly after eliminating them.

Eating non organic dairy products such as milk, cottage cheese, and ice cream can be treated with bovine growth hormone and antibiotics. Both of the steroids and antibiotics tend to stay in the milk cause interferences with female hormones. Organic dairy products were produced in a natural way and do not contain any of those steroids or antibiotics so they are safe to be eaten.

Commercial salad dressings can cause disruption of the natural regulation of hormone production. Cut down on coffee, black tea, chocolate, and soft drinks. They can over stimulate the adrenal gland and can disrupt hormones as well.

To help stabilize your hormones you can get some sunshine. Everyday exposure to full spectrum light will naturally balance your hormones. Celebrating your monthly cycle, recognizing and appreciating your feminine power rather than calling it annoying and a pain in the you know what. Looking at things in positive way will influence your health in a positive way as well. Yoga, meditation and deep breathing exercises will help to protect the women's biochemistry and can reduce PMS symptoms.

One more thing you could try is taking an herbal supplement. Alternative Health Supplements offers a few products that can help to naturally balance female hormones. Enhance Her is an all natural product that contains lots of herbs that are used for balancing the female hormones. This is an all natural product so it is safe to use and take daily; there are no negative side effects either. Any woman who has passed puberty can take this product. It will help to balance your female hormones naturally and give you a sense of over health and balance.

All of the following herbs can be found in this product. Saw palmetto is an herb used for bladder problems, breast enlargement, frigidity, hormone regulation, and weight regulations. Kava Kava is for urinary tract infections, vaginitis, anxiety, and fatigue. This product also has Dandelion to prevent breast cancer, tumors, organ disorders, PMS symptoms, water retention, yeast infections, age spots and lethargy. Motherwort is for menstrual cramps and pain, and sleeplessness. Wild yam is for miscarriage, morning sickness, nervous tension, and PMS. Blessed thistle is to help with cramps, menstrual headaches, eliminate vaginal discharge, and pregnancy.

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How Does Garlic Benefit You?

The reality about garlic is everywhere. What's intriguing is that it's been around from a long time as well. Of course, there are myths also related with garlic, about how it can ward off vampires. In today's world, if it can help ward off the many illnesses that we seem to be getting, it's nothing short of a magic herb.

 Garlic has been used since the ages for good health. But scientists are discovering new and exciting uses of this herb and the goodness it can provide. Here's a look at some of the methods in which garlic can benefit you.
* Managing cancer - Yes, garlic can really help in treating cancer. Studies have shown that some components in garlic such as diallyl disulfide can eliminate the cancer cells and help you in developing a strong immune system. Garlic is furthermore known to minimize papillary lung tumors. Eating a clove of raw garlic is furthermore known to reduce the occurrence of cancers in the first place.
* High blood pressure - Remarkable, but true. Conventional Asian medicine acknowledges garlic as a powerful hypertension controller and this fact is being corroborated by scientists throughout the world today. Garlic can help in checking your blood pressure so that the high levels can come down to normal levels. For garlic to help you in controlling your hypertension, you can simply take one clove each day or drink its fresh juice, crush a clove in warm milk.

Garlic is known to even treat ear infections, especially in small children who are very susceptible to them. Garlic acts as nature's own antibiotic without the harmful effects as it has strong anti bacterial and anti microbial qualities. Juice from the cloves of raw garlic diluted with water can be placed in the ear directly. Do note that this can cause plenty of pain as the garlic starts acting on the microbes that have caused the infection. The pain however lasts for just a little while and together with it the infection also goes away.
Garlic as antibiotic - Garlic is nature's very own antibiotic and the best part about it is that it doesn't get rid of healthy bacteria as well. More and more people are switching to garlic as an effective antibiotic.

Raising antioxidant levels - Garlic helps in pushing up the entire antioxidant levels of the body and this thus has its own chain of actions resulting in decreased serum glucose levels as well as reduced blood pressure.
Garlic gets rid of the toxins from the body so it's a great way to get your body cleaned up.
Garlic contains allicin, a strong compound that acts as an antibiotic and helps heal skin infections as well. It is interesting to know that allicin does not occur on its own but is formed when garlic is chopped or crushed.
In the past garlic was known not only as a vampire repellent but also because it helped in healing bruises and wounds. It was also a well-known treatment for indigestion and flatulence.
Garlic isn't simply healthy for your body, but it's also fantastic for your skin. Frequent consumption of garlic tones the skin, making it soft while also making your nails stronger. One more wonderful benefit is that it regulates dandruff related problems too.
There are certainly some side effects that you need to think about before you liberally start eating garlic to get all those benefits. Anything in moderation works well but if you overdo it, which is, eat a lot more garlic than you should, the following are the most likely side effects that you might probably experience.

* Body odor - If you eat a lot of garlic, you will observe that you have started smelling just like garlic. This is because the garlic is secreted through your pores and this lasts until all garlic is eliminated from your body. The body odor can be embarrassing and can cause a lot of stress.
* Garlic breath - Eating too much raw garlic can cause plenty of bad breath and this could hamper your self-confidence. The only way to counter it would be to eat raw garlic along with your food and to ideally eat it before you go to sleep.
* Digestion issues - Too much of a good thing can only be bad. So also with garlic and scientific studies have shown that if you consume too much garlic, it can burn the lining of your stomach and cause you a lot of pain.
* Allergies - For some people who suffer from garlic allergy, there could be rashes, fever or vomiting. It could also kick in adversely with some anti-coagulants as well. * The sulfur in garlic could result in botulism, which can cause acute stomach upset or even death.

If you've decided to make garlic an important part of your healthy lifestyle, make sure that you get organic garlic which has all the goodness inherent in garlic. In your regular shops, you may run into chemically treated garlic which is of no use. If the garlic bulb has sprouted, it means that the garlic has aged and has lost all its important compounds.
The most effective way to ensure that garlic retains all its beneficial substances is to smash it finely and add it to food. Many people also choose to have garlic juice whereas others hate its smell and taste. For such people, there are plenty of garlic based supplements which work precisely fine and could be like your daily dose of vitamins.
Physically speaking, a bulb of garlic might resemble an onion bulb but metaphorically also, there's a huge similarity. Just as you peel the different layers of an onion, with garlic, everyday new and more potent uses are being discovered.

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