Bowel & Digestion and how they relate to Many Human Diseases such as IBS, and Colitis

Aloe Vera appears to be beneficial for many people with digestive disorders, and other disorders that are just as real and painful, but more difficult to diagnose. For this reason, many people with digestive problems, and concerns such as Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) and Acid Reflux are looking into Aloe Vera drinks (the Plain Gel) for relief. (See "Recommendation" page for drinks people with Crohn's or Colitis would use.)

People with Crohn's have reported relief by drinking Aloe, from the terrible and often debilitating joint and muscle pain. (PLEASE NOTE, ALOE VERA - NOR ANYTHING ELSE SHOULD BE THOUGHT OF AS A "CURE" IN AND OF ITSELF. It does; however, provide your body - your immune system - with a large number of vitamins, enzymes, and other nutrients it needs to do its job properly.) Always seek professional medical advice before changing your diet when you have a serious illness. This includes drinking Aloe Vera. (A good brand of Aloe will be natural and safe, but may interfere with medicines you may now be taking, such as blood thinners. Avoid inexpensive drinks, which are usually watered down though they by law don't need to report this on the label, and drinks which are clear enough that you can see through them.) And NEVER alter / reduce your prescribed medicines without the prior knowledge and approval of your medical professional.

The following information released (April 2001) is relevant to IBS and Colitis.
SOURCE: The American Journal of Gastroenterology 2001;96:773-775. A common virus may be the cause of many hard-to-treat cases of inflammatory bowel disease, researchers in Italy report. More than one third of patients in a new study who had colitis that did not respond to steroids were infected with cytomegalovirus (CMV), the investigators found.

A form of inflammatory bowel disease, ulcerative colitis causes the large intestine to become inflamed and ulcerated, leading to bloody diarrhea, abdominal cramps and fever. Colitis can also occur in patients with Crohn's disease, a chronic inflammation of the intestinal wall.