How is your colon?

[Niorah]

WWJW, you should definitely try pure Aloe Vera juice. One table spoon two times a day, and it can be taken by itself or you can add it to fruit juices you like to drink or other delicious stuff like that.
It does take care of intestinal problems, both for constipation and all the way to the other end of the spectrum as well, it just regulates your digestion naturally. You can find it in shops like Holland & Barrett here in the UK, I think you may have a similar chain in the US? It's worth a try.

 

[RoJoHen]

Aloe Vera gives me a rash. I can't even imagine what it would do if I consumed it!

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

I know I keep saying this, but my dander gets raised every time I hear about a "magical product" that supposedly will cure whatever ails you. If it's not one thing (aloe vera) it's another (this bullshit Acai snake-oil crap).

And I definitely hate marketing-speak like "naturally regulate". (No offense, Niorah.) It's times like this that I wish that one Dudley Moore movie - can't remember the name - was true. Why can't ads just say what the product *really* does? In this movie, there's an ad agency that has lines like "Metamucil: It helps you go to the bathroom".

 

[Niorah]

The movie was Crazy People.

And strangely enough, you can't erase the fact that nature actually does provide us with what we need. Be it in the form of something you're familiar with like lettuce and tomatoes, or in the form of something that may come from a distant land, like aloe vera. Which is, may I say, nothing more than a plant, of which you'd be simply having the juice squeezed from the leaves. Have you ever drunk an orange juice because it's full of Vitamin C? Well, this is exactly the same thing, only with a different physiological purpose. Now you tell me what is so weird about it and why it's not acceptable to you as a natural remedy.

Garlic rubbed on cold sores: works - checked
Oranges and other fruits for Vitamin C: works - checked
Spinach as a source of iron: works - checked
Onion as a natural disinfectant of the upper respiratory ways: works - checked
Eucalyptus to help ease the breathing when congested: works - checked
Tea tree as a natural anti-bacterial: works - checked
Milk and dairy products as a source of Calcium - works - checked
Apricots and pumpkin as a source of Vitamin A - works - checked (with hilarious results, too.)

The list could go on and on and on.

Now if you want to jump on your high horse and keep telling me that generations after generations of human beings (and some animals too) have been doing everything wrong ever since their time on Earth began, be my guest.

I don't believe in "miracle cures" just as much as you, but there's a big difference between some idiot advertising god knows what pill on the tv, and natural remedies that your grandma would gladly pass on to you.

 

[RoJoHen]

Now you tell me what is so weird about it and why it's not acceptable to you as a natural remedy.

Because I'm allergic to it!

(I know you weren't talking to me, but I felt like mentioning it)

 

[Niorah]

Well, that's a pity because I tried it and it works like a charm, but there are other things you can use, without resorting to pills or chemicals, to make your colon more regular.

If you are already including fibre in your diet, you should also try some olive oil (preferably as a condiment), they even gave it to my grandmother when she was in hospital to help her with the digestive problems tied to the infamous, awful hospital food.

 

[RoJoHen]

Olive Oil as a condiment sounds absolutely disgusting.

And yes, there ARE other things I can do and AM doing. Reference here: http://trekbbs.com/showthread.php?t=100335

 

[Deckerd]

WOW, 15 - 45 minutes?

Yes, and it is the main reason I always bring the TrekBBS with me when I do it!

Ah, WiFi...

Men who answer their phones in the bog are the absolute worst.

 

[Deckerd]

The Italians and other Mediterranean peoples use olive oil as a condiment. They are the healthiest people on the planet. Every bloody chef in the UK glugs olive oil over everything now. They are determined to make us healthy no matter how much we complain.

 

[Rocketman]

Have you ever drunk an orange juice because it's full of Vitamin C? Well, this is exactly the same thing, only with a different physiological purpose.

Plants don't have a 'purpose', and Nature isn't a medicine cabinet offering cures for every ailment. A good many plants, however natural they are, are inedible, harmful, or completely toxic to humans.

Swallowing Aloë vera may well improve your digestion. But it's not 'natural regulation' any more than modern chemically synthesized medication is. And it may well be ineffective, or have harmful side effects, just as chemically synthesized medication. Indeed, it is more likely to have them, rather than less.

 

[Niorah]

The Italians and other Mediterranean peoples use olive oil as a condiment. They are the healthiest people on the planet. Every bloody chef in the UK glugs olive oil over everything now. They are determined to make us healthy no matter how much we complain.

Yes, as an Italian I can confirm that we are the healthiest, and the so-called Mediterranean diet is considered to be fantastic for your health.

Olive oil, extra-virgin at that, is used as a condiment for fresh salads, together with a pinch of salt, a pinch of black pepper and some vinegar (you can choose if you like balsamic or just regular white or red vinegar). Try it, you might like it.

 

[Deckerd]

If you're talking to me, I was being tongue-in-cheek there. I use a lot of olive oil. If you're talking to RoJoHen, carry on

 

[Niorah]

If you're talking to me, I was being tongue-in-cheek there. I use a lot of olive oil. If you're talking to RoJoHen, carry on

Oh, no worries, I was just talking in general, in the spirit of the thread.

Have you ever drunk an orange juice because it's full of Vitamin C? Well, this is exactly the same thing, only with a different physiological purpose.

Plants don't have a 'purpose', and Nature isn't a medicine cabinet offering cures for every ailment.

If you want to get philosophical, nothing really has a "purpose", I'm just talking about natural remedies. I never said nature has a cure for everything, I said it can offer what we need, as it does to every other animal species on this planet. If it didn't, there would be no life to speak of and Earth would be a dead rock.

A good many plants, however natural they are, are inedible, harmful, or completely toxic to humans.

That's true, and aren't you just happy for the many people that tried the stuff before you, so nowadays you can have a pretty good idea of what works and what doesn't, without having to play Veggie Russian Roulette?

Swallowing Aloë vera may well improve your digestion. But it's not 'natural regulation' any more than modern chemically synthesized medication is.

I have nothing against the occasional chemical to help relieve pain or discomfort or whatnot, but why go for something your body wasn't intended to be able to synthesise when you have a perfectly good natural solution (again, already tested by previous generations so you don't have to get intoxicated upon consumption)?

And it may well be ineffective, or have harmful side effects, just as chemically synthesized medication. Indeed, it is more likely to have them, rather than less.

Well, I hate to bring up this kind of reasoning because I am strongly against "debating", but I have to say I'd love to see the reference data about this supposed "More harm than good" statement.

 

[Rocketman]

Swallowing Aloë vera may well improve your digestion. But it's not 'natural regulation' any more than modern chemically synthesized medication is.

I have nothing against the occasional chemical to help relieve pain or discomfort or whatnot, but why go for something your body wasn't intended to be able to synthesise when you have a perfectly good natural solution

Because my body was never intended to synthesize or metabolize that natural solution either. Salicylic acid (Aspirin, naturally found in willow bark) is a foreign substance to by body. It's a plant hormone, and if I ingest too much of it, I'll risk internal bleedings, regardless of whether it's through chewing willow bark or swallowing pills.

And it may well be ineffective, or have harmful side effects, just as chemically synthesized medication. Indeed, it is more likely to have them, rather than less.

Well, I hate to bring up this kind of reasoning because I am strongly against "debating", but I have to say I'd love to see the reference data about this supposed "More harm than good" statement.

Chemically synthesized medication is stringently tested on large number of individuals in every age group. Its side-effects and interactions with other medication are documented, and are reflected in labelling. No offense to grandma's folk lore, but I very much doubt she ever used control groups.

Chemically synthesized medication is also 'pure'; it contains the active substances, and nothing else that might affect your body.

 

[Niorah]

Because my body was never intended to synthesize or metabolize that natural solution either.

So all the people that have used aloe vera through the ages should have died or suffered like dogs all the time?
I don't get it.
You can be against natural products, if that's your thing, but if I am constipated I'll first try more fruit and vegetables in my diet, adding other natural remedies along the way if needed, and leave the chemicals alone for as long as I can. I don't want to put in my body something that has to come with a leaflet explaining the side-effects and interactions.
As for the quantity ingested, excuse me, but if you (general "you", of course) don't understand that too much of -any- given thing will harm you, you should be left to die by your own hands and stupidity. You know how it is, natural selection and all that jazz.

Chemically synthesized medication is stringently tested on large number of individuals in every age group. Its side-effects and interactions with other medication are documented, and are reflected in labelling. No offense to grandma's folk lore, but I very much doubt she ever used control groups.

Nope, no groups, just common sense. Which before the invention of controlled groups did a good job of keeping the species alive for a few thousand years.

Chemically synthesized medication is also 'pure'; it contains the active substances, and nothing else that might affect your body.

Then why the need for a label/leaflet?

Again, if natural products are not your thing, it's ok, it's your business and please do give the OP any advice you consider sound and useful, but as far as I am concerned, I'd rather give advice about something that I have tried, that is natural, and that doesn't need a leaflet an arm long. And that's my business. I don't bash your personal choice, you don't bash mine, we're all friends.

 

[Nerdius Maximus]

Eat lots of foods rich in fiber and drink plenty of water. That infomercial is bullshit and a ripoff. It's trying to scare everyone into thinking that they have an anaconda-sized turd lurking around their insides. Don't give money to any organization that makes its money by frightening people.

 

[Cr031k]

If anyone is pooping less than once or twice a day in here they need to get checked. Fecal matter contains dead bacteria and other harmful waste toxins. If its just sitting around it releases harmful toxins back in to your body. Thats why your body is processing food waste and coming out your butt. If you have a "movement" every other day or a few times a week. THIS IS BAD!

Your bowel movements should be clay like and never hard. Read up

http://ezinearticles.com/?What-is-a-Normal-Bowel-Movement?&id=417558

And keep on A "movin"

 

[RoJoHen]

WOW, 15 - 45 minutes?

Yes, and it is the main reason I always bring the TrekBBS with me when I do it!

Ah, WiFi...

Men who answer their phones in the bog are the absolute worst.

Neat. Good thing I don't do that then.

 

[RoJoHen]

Because my body was never intended to synthesize or metabolize that natural solution either. Salicylic acid (Aspirin, naturally found in willow bark) is a foreign substance to by body. It's a plant hormone, and if I ingest too much of it, I'll risk internal bleedings, regardless of whether it's through chewing willow bark or swallowing pills.

By this logic, you shouldn't even be eating food. Or hell, drinking water! Drinking too much water can kill you, ya know. I actually got water poisoning once because I drank too much of it.

 

[Rocketman]

Because my body was never intended to synthesize or metabolize that natural solution either.

So all the people that have used aloe vera through the ages should have died or suffered like dogs all the time?
I don't get it.

No, but they may have suffered from any number of complications or side effects, immediately or later in life. The thing is, with many of these natural cures, you just don't know.

Because my body was never intended to synthesize or metabolize that natural solution either. Salicylic acid (Aspirin, naturally found in willow bark) is a foreign substance to by body. It's a plant hormone, and if I ingest too much of it, I'll risk internal bleedings, regardless of whether it's through chewing willow bark or swallowing pills.

By this logic, you shouldn't even be eating food. Or hell, drinking water! Drinking too much water can kill you, ya know. I actually got water poisoning once because I drank too much of it.

Actually, my point was that the same arguments Niorah used against artificially synthesized medication apply to 'natural cures', and often more so.

I don't want to put in my body something that has to come with a leaflet explaining the side-effects and interactions.

Chemically synthesized medication is also 'pure'; it contains the active substances, and nothing else that might affect your body.

Then why the need for a label/leaflet?

Because pharmaceutical companies, unlike grandma, can't plead ignorance in court.

Natural cures have side effects and interactions. Just because they don't come with a leaflet doesn't mean they don't need one.

Chemically synthesized medication is stringently tested on large number of individuals in every age group. Its side-effects and interactions with other medication are documented, and are reflected in labelling. No offense to grandma's folk lore, but I very much doubt she ever used control groups.

Nope, no groups, just common sense. Which before the invention of controlled groups did a good job of keeping the species alive for a few thousand years.

With an average life span of about forty-five years.

And that's my business. I don't bash your personal choice, you don't bash mine, we're all friends.

That argument applies to politics, religion, philosophy, cars, art, sports, pretty much any field where it's difficult to definitively separate 'correct' beliefs from 'incorrect' beliefs.