Sunday, July 8, 2012

Slippery Elm Bark

I have been extremely busy with preparations for a boat show and exhibiting, then catching up with business after the show. That has kept me from posting on this blog the past two weeks.

I have said it before but it bears repeating. Psoriasis is caused by an unbalanced immune system. I treat my psoriasis by doing everything that I can to get my immune system in balance. One of the major factors that affect the condition of the human immune system is the state of the intestines, particularly the large intestine or colon.

Proper elimination is important to maintaining this balance. Waste products contain toxins and the longer that they remain in the body, the greater the chance of the toxins being reabsorbed into the bloodstream. Those toxins can play havoc with the immune system and any conditions that depend on its health. If you have constipation problems then you can be sure that there are other health issues that are related to it.

I start the day with a full glass of filtered water as soon as I get out of bed. This is very effective at flushing out the intestines. Some people make this a cup of warm water for even better cleansing effect.

Most mornings I follow the water about 20 minutes later with a cup of tea made from slippery elm bark powder. This is something that was recommended by Edgar Cayce for psoriasis treatment because of the colon-cleansing effects of slippery elm bark. I tried it, as well as other Edgar Cayce recommendations. I did not see any benefit from the others but the slippery elm bark tea seemed to help, so I continued with it.

I used to buy my slippery elm  bark powder from The Heritage Store in Virginia Beach, which they prepared in-house. Recently they have changed to an outside supplier and seem to be having supply problems. I have had to find a new source and have settled on More Than Alive . Their product seems good and effective.

It needs hot water to dissolve it because it clumps if mixed into luke warm water. I stir about 1/4 teaspoon into a 1/4 cup of boiling water, then stir in another 1/4 to 1/2 cup of cold water. Leave to stand for a few minutes, which allows it to gel a bit before drinking. This should be taken 20-30 minutes before breakfast, to allow it to work before consuming any food.

I recently discovered another benefit from slippery elm that I did not know. I saw on a Dr Oz show that he recommended taking slippery elm for fighting colds as soon as you feel that itchy and scratchy discomfort in your throat. That was when I realised that I have not had a cold or flu since I started taking slippery elm more than 2 years ago.

Give  slippery elm a try, you may benefit with reduced psoriasis symptoms and fewer attacks of winter ailments.