A story worth talking about...
A patient presented with Crohn’s Disease for which I often use Aloeride® as this very likely was going to be effective for him and so it was. What I hadn’t expected is that he would share his prescription with his wife who suffered from bronchial asthma all her life. She was dependent on bronchodilator inhalers, corticosteroids inhalers and oral steroids by mouth for frequent exacerbations. Her condition improved so much that she has not needed steroids since.
Having been symptom free for months himself, my patient did what many patients do, he stopped taking the remedies. Crohn’s however is something one has for life, so after two months his symptoms returned and he quickly restarted the advised regime. I phoned him recently to check up on him and he said this: "I take two Aloeride® in the morning and then I can forget about it for the rest of the day" but more tellingly he said: "my wife and I both can get on with our lives now".
(by Han van de Braak BSC LicAc MCSP MBAcC, this story also was published in the May newsletter of the Complementary Medical Association) |
How could Aloeride® have helped her asthma?
One study in 2005 found that 57% of the asthmatics studied found more relief from a combination of conventional and natural treatments, than prescription medicines alone. One of the natural treatments being used was aloe vera. This is not surprising because there are published studies on the benefits of aloe vera for asthma from as far back as 1951 to more recently in the mid 1980’s.
Aloe vera contains natural steroids and other compounds that inhibit or reduce inflammation. Interestingly, the studies done in Japan in the 1980’s showed that some compounds in aloe cause an increase in the removal of particles that may be asthma triggers. Aloe vera can be rich in highly absorbable Magnesium which is well documented to improve pulmonary functions in asthma. These are some explanations for how aloe helps asthmatics. Aloe vera should not be used to treat an ongoing asthma attack though, because it has only been shown to be effective when used as a preventative measure. So even if you use aloe and it helps, still keep your inhaler nearby for attacks.
One issue that people have with aloe vera products is the laxative effect. This may be a plus for some but for most people - and certainly for those with Crohn’s - it’s a huge drawback. Another important issue is that a great many aloe vera products do not have enough molecules to effect a real change. To effect change in Crohn’s Disease or bronchial asthma you need lots of them.
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