We are excited about our newsletter. The articles are designed to help you and your family have a healthy lifestyle.

This month we are discussing 7 Ways Aloe Vera Can Help You and To Stress or Not To Stress?!

We have also include a great recipe for HALIBUT AND VEGETABLE KABOBS

Known to herbalists and medical folklorists for centuries as the "medical plant" or "the potted physician", this cactus-like plant with green dagger-shaped leaves filled with a clear, viscous gel was brought from Africa to North America in the sixteenth century.

But long before this, aloe, whose name means "shining bitter substance," was widely regarded as a master healing plant. The ancient Egyptians referred to aloe as the "plant of immortality" and included it among the funerary gifts buried with the pharaohs. In recent decades, medical research has confirmed and extended many of the health claims for the shining bitter substance (used topically or consumed as a liquid) that is the heart of aloe. Here is a brief review of its merits.

Helps Heal Wounds

The bulk of the aloe leaf is filled with gel, 96% water with the other 4% containing 75 known substances. Applied to wounds, aloe gel is a mild anesthetic, relieving itching, swelling, and pain: it also is antibacterial and antifungal, increases blood flow to wounded areas, and stimulates fibroblasts, the skin cells responsible for wound healing.

Soothes Burns

In a study in the Journal of the Medical Association of Thailand, 27 patients with moderate burn wounds were treated with a gauze coated in either aloe gel or Vaseline™ (petroleum jelly). The burns healed more quickly in the aloe group, with an average healing time of 12 days compared to 18 days for the group using Vaseline.

Minimizes Frostbite Damage

A study published in the Annals of Emergency Medicine established that aloe works for frostbite as well. Researchers gave standard treatments for frostbite (antibiotics, ibuprofen, and rewarming) to 154 patients with mild to severe frostbite. Of patients who additionally received Aloe Vera cream, 67.9% healed without any tissue loss (amputation) compared to 32.7% in the control group. Researchers concluded that aloe prevented a decrease of blood flow to the frozen tissues, a common cause of tissue loss in frostbite.

Screens Out Radiation

Aloe protects against skin damage from X rays, according to researchers at Hoshi University in Japan publishing in the journal Yakugaku Zasshi. They found that aloe was an effective antioxidant, mopping up the free radicals caused by radiation, and that it protected two of the body's healing substances, superoxide dismutase (an antioxidant enzyme) and glutathione (an amino acid which stimulates the immune system).

Benefits Lung Cancer

Aloe's protective effect was confirmed in a study of 673 lung cancer patients in Okinawa, Japan, published in the Japanese Journal of Cancer Research. This survey looked at the connection between smoking, comparative amounts of 17 plant foods in the diet, and the occurrence of lung cancer over a five-year period.

Aloe was the only one of the plant foods that was protective against cancer. "The results of plant epidemiology suggests that aloe prevents human pulmonary carcinogenesis [lung cancer]," stated the researchers. Further, aloe is "widely preventive or suppressive against various human cancers."

The following part of the article is IMPORTANT for your weight-loss needs!

Eases Intestinal Problems

Aloe Vera juice can be effective for treating inflammatory bowel disease, according to a study in the Journal of Alternative Medicine. Ten patients were given two ounces of aloe juice, three times daily, for seven days. After one week, all patients were cured of diarrhea, four had improved bowel regularity, and three reported increased energy.

Researchers concluded that aloe was able to rebalance the intestines by "regulating gastrointestinal pH while improving gastrointestinal motility, increasing stool specific gravity, and reducing populations of certain fecal microorganisms, including yeast." Other studies have shown that Aloe Vera juice helps to detoxify the bowel, neutralize stomach acidity, and relieve constipation and gastric ulcers.

Reduces Blood Sugar in Diabetes

Aloe reduced the blood sugar levels in diabetics, as reported in Hormone Research. Five patients with adult (non-insulin- dependent) diabetes were given 1/2 teaspoon of aloe extract daily for up to 14 weeks. Blood sugar levels were reduced in all patients by an average of 45%, with no change in their total weight.

A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him. When the class began, he wordlessly picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls. He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was.

The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls. He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was.

The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else. He asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with an unanimous "yes."

The professor then produced two cups of coffee from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar effectively filling the empty space between the sand. The students laughed.

"Now," said the professor as the laughter subsided, "I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life. The golf balls are the important things---God, your family, your children, your health, your friends and your favorite passions---and if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full.

The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, your house and your car. The sand is everything else---the small stuff.

"If you put the sand into the jar first," he continued, "there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls. The same goes for life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff you will never have room for the things that are important to you.

"Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Play with your children. Spend time with your parents. Visit with grandparents. Take time to get medical checkups. Take your spouse out to dinner. Play another 18.

There will always be time to clean the house and fix the disposal. Take care of the golf balls first---the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand."

One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the coffee represented. The professor smiled. "I'm glad you asked. It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem, there's always room for a couple cups of coffee with a friend."

-- unknown

A scientific advancement in snacking control, Snack Defense^TM works all day to reduce the desire for sweets while it helps prevent the urge to snack between meals. Formulated with a blend of natural ingredients, including Gymnema sylvestre, a cutting-edge herb that targets the body's response to sweets, plus chromium polynicotinate and Garcinia cambogia extract, Snack Defense^TM takes weight loss to a whole new level. For more information click here!

Directions:
Cut the halibut filet into 1-inch cubes, making enough to evenly thread onto 8 skewers. * Sprinkle with salt and pepper and set aside. Cut the red and yellow peppers into 1-inch squares. Cut the onion into 8 large chunks, and then separate each chunk into 2 pieces for easier threading. Wash the mushrooms and snap out the stems.

If you plan to barbecue the kabobs and are using wooden skewers, soak the skewers in water briefly before threading so they don’t burn. Thread the fish, peppers, tomatoes, onion chunks and mushrooms onto 4 large or 8 small skewers. If you are not going to cook the kabobs right away, place in the refrigerator, loosely covered with waxed paper. Whirl all ingredients for the basting sauce in the blender. The basting sauce can be made in advance and refrigerated.

Preheat broiler (or prepare barbecue) and spray cold broiler pan with pan spray. Place broiler pan under the heat for a few minutes to heat up, then place the skewers carefully on the hot pan. This will sear the fish and vegetables quickly. Spoon some of the basting sauce over the fish, and broil 3 to 4 minutes, or until fish and vegetables begin to brown. Turn skewers, spoon basting sauce over, and cook the other side for another 2 to 3 minutes. Spoon any additional basting sauce over the fish when serving.

*Note: Any firm fish will work for this recipe, as will cubed chicken breast. Vary the vegetables according to your taste, but mushrooms, tomatoes and peppers are a classic.

Nutritional Analysis Per Serving:
Calories: 335
Protein: 52 grams
Carbohydrates: 19 grams
Fat: 6 grams