Eczema and Nopalea

People who suffer from severe eczema say it profoundly affects their life in a negative way. One woman I know gets it so bad that her entire face breaks out in itchy red rashes. She can’t wear makeup and she has to walk around with an angry rash on her face. Needless to say, it really harms her self-esteem.

Taking prescription drugs, such as prednisone gives temporarily and partial relief, but the side effects are never worth it to her.

Some of the minor side effects of prednisone – a steroid used to treat inflammation -- can include: trouble sleeping, nervousness, moodiness, increased hunger, sweating, the feeling of spinning and indigestion.

More serious side effects include possible severe allergic reactions that can be life threatening. Other side effects include loss of appetite, headache, joint pain, sore throat, cold, flu, fever, vomiting, swelling of legs, weight loss, vomiting a substance that looks like the grounds of coffee, euphoria, differences in menstrual periods, pressure in the eye, convulsions, dizziness, diarrhea or black stools and more.

Needless to say, you can understand why some people would avoid taking this drug to treat a skin condition. Many of the side effects are much, much worse than the eczema itself.

Another woman I know has a two-year-old boy plagued by eczema. She refuses – with good reason – to give him any prescription medicine that is not topical. She does not want to expose her child to anything that could cause harm. He scratches himself so badly, he breaks the skin and causes bleeding.

People like this have found one easy way to cure this skin condition – a regular dose of Nopalea Juice. It just makes sense that a drink that is known as a natural anti-inflammatory would help with this ailment.

Nopalea, made from the prickly pear cactus, is becoming renowned as a natural anti-inflammatory agent, as well as being a natural anti-oxidant. I’ve heard accounts of people seeing their skin clear up within days of drinking the juice.

The prickly pear cactus is gaining worldwide popularity as a way to treat chronic inflammation, as a way to naturally detoxify the body, and as a natural antioxidant, that boosts the immune system.

The importance of fighting chronic inflammation recently became known, well about a decade ago, when Time Magazine ran a cover story saying that scientists are linking inflammation to serious diseases and ailments.

Inflammation, the body’s natural response to invaders, can go haywire and not turn off once the threat is gone. What happens then is that the body’s inflammation response attacks the otherwise healthy body. Scientists are investigating the possible underlying link between this and illnesses and diseases as serious as Alzheimer’s and even colon cancer.

As these studies continue to emerge, the importance of treating inflammation is becoming increasingly clear.

In fact, the renowned Dr. Oz has touted the benefits of the prickly pear cactus on his television show. He has praised it for its ability to help people with diabetes and joked about the plant’s effectiveness in treating symptoms of hangovers.