The world turns and as I write the first Weekend Read of the year, I do so with the hope that as the weeks and months unfold we will all be in a better place in the fullness of time.  In acknowledgement of all that has gone before, the mission to help hold us all together is paramount and it will continue to be so.  The struggle is real, very real, so we have to stand in our reality and we have to stand in our truth.  So I invite you to hold my hand as we continue to walk together throughout the coming weeks and months.

As with all things, perspective is fundamental to our health and wellbeing and I’m not only talking about products.  I truly believe that the very best we can do is to continue to tell it as it is (no holding back) for the better good of all of us.  I mean, why on earth do people write about detoxification in January.  It’s stupid anyway at this time of year, but this particular January the last thing any of us need is to deprive ourselves of our core comforts.  So none of that from me.  Make soup.  Eat custard.  Drink hot chocolate.  And let’s begin.

Obviously, supporting our immune system remains a priority, but Covid aside, we are of course in the midst of the flu season.  Over the past months I have written many words about Triple Flu Defence+, which for many years has been one of our bestselling health products.  For good reason, because this is the remedy that helps to combat infective viruses and also helps relieve the symptoms of flu and colds.  In helping to reduce the severity of symptoms including body aches, headaches, sore throats, coughs and congestion, this remedy is adjusted each season to help cover the latest mutations.

I need to make it very clear that I am not talking about Covid-19 here, but because I think this is such an important remedy to help protect us, I am reducing the price of Triple Flu Defence+ from £27 to £20, whilst stock lasts and I don’t really know what will happen here, so I guess it will be available until it isn’t available.  More I cannot say other than we all keep a bottle of this in our medicine cupboards and you should start taking it at the very first sign of any cold and flu symptoms.  In the moments when, it acts pretty fast.  Reinforcement.  In a bottle.
Triple Flu Defense+ (2020-2021) £20 for 30 ml

Interestingly, and perhaps rather predictably, Vitamin C was the most searched-for health term last year.  Prior to the pandemic, that status belonged to Turmeric (Curcumin) and it’s anybody’s guess what it will be this year.  So with that said, can we please take a look at Turmeric.  The health benefits of Turmeric are primarily due to its Curcumin content.  Curcumin is the compound that gives Turmeric its distinctive yellow colouring, and although a very small amount of Curcumin may be found in ginger, significant amounts have only ever been found in Turmeric.

With an in-depth look at the numerous health benefits of Turmeric, Shabir goes on to recommend his favourite Turmeric supplement.  It is of course Curcumin Elite and because I made a promise to continue what we were doing last year whenever and wherever I can, I am reducing the price from £29.50 to £25 for one day only.  This offer will end at midnight GMT tonight, Saturday 2 January, whilst stocks last.  And on this, the second day of the new year, Shabir’s eyes are already rolling.
VH Editorial: Turmeric – The Spice With Health Benefits; Curcumin Elite by Life Extension £25 for 60 Capsules (the discount will show up at checkout, not on the product).

Let’s talk about skincare.  The first thing I want to say is that I know it is a veritable minefield when it comes to skincare products.  My stance on skincare has never changed in that I absolutely refuse to load brands and products for the sake of it.  We have enough.  Rather famously (or infamously), the last time I wrote something like that, I got egg all over my face as I then went on to launch three new skincare brands in the shortest space of time.  I can live with the fact that I may well be eating humble pie at any given time, but if I do, I promise you that it will be for the very best of reasons.

I remain steadfast in my loyalty to the brands that mean so much to me.  iS Clinical is one such brand and as most of you know, I worship the ground that Bryan and Alec (the founders and my LA boyfriends) walk on.  But then I worship their products too.  Active Serum was the first serious serum I used on my skin, and although serums have of course come into their own over the past few years, I am talking about twenty years ago.  For all the products launched, Active Serum remains, in my mind, a hero amongst heroes, with the others being Hydra-Cool Serum, Reparative Moisture Emulsion and their brilliant Copper Firming Mist. 

Such is the efficacy of their products and the integrity of iS Clinical, the boys have never, ever paid for a testimonial.  Which speaks volumes in and of the fact that they remain in the top five (or is it three) cosmeceutical brands in the world.  Bridging the gap between science and beauty, iS Clinical has always been dedicated to producing ground-breaking highly effective clinically-validated skincare products that truly deliver physiological and transformative improvements to the skin.  There is no need or requirement here for ‘paid-for’ praise.  And I love them even more (if that’s possible) for not using essential oils in their formulations.  Respect.
iS Clinical

Staying on subject, a word here about a new skincare product that we launched just a few weeks ago.  That product was of course Skin Purifier by Clinisoothe+.  This is the product that helps clear most compromised skin conditions.  This is the product that will help repair skin that has been traumatised by the use of harsh chemical exfoliation, on which I have plenty to say, but perhaps not now.  And ultimately this is the product that will help restore the health and wellbeing of your skin.  If ever there was a product that epitomises the health/beauty crossover and our mission for excellence in all brands and products, this is it.  Liberal use.  For all.
Clinisoothe+ Skin Purifier £14.95 for 100 ml; Clinisoothe+ Skin Purifier £19.95 for 250 ml

In this week’s Health Notes, Sarah writes about the anxiety of the past year and how none of us have been immune to the pain and stress which has accompanied the pandemic.  Feeling frayed round the edges, Sarah discovered how Rapid Tapping sessions helped to calm her own anxiety.  The scientifically proven power of Emotional Freedom Technique is outlined in Sarah’s article, together with an offer of free daily Rapid Tapping sessions from Poppy Delbridge of House of Possibilities.

This offer runs from today, Saturday 2 January through to 31 January.  Sarah and I both know that this form of emotional release will help so many of you, so with our thanks to Poppy, let us tap.  As one.
Free Daily Tapping Sessions To Calm Anxiety by Sarah Stacey

Moving onto a treat.  Yes another one.  I have often said that I write things just to amuse myself and this is one of those occasions.  Not sure how amused Shabir will be when I tell you that I am taking the price down on ‘Duvet – Comforting Body Cream' by Temple Spa.  This is of course one of those limited edition offers, so while stocks last, which I guess won’t be very long, I am reducing the price from £29 to £16.  If you can’t get it into your basket, that would mean that we have sold through.  And the amusement part.  Well I know that most of you are under the duvet reading this, and quite honestly we might be better off staying there for the interim. 
Duvet – Comforting Body Cream £16 for 150 ml

Anyway, anyway, let’s talk about some of your feedback.  On the last Weekend Read I wrote (not the Boxing Day message), I mentioned dogs twice, so it was no surprise when I got a dog testimonial, which made me smile rather a lot.  So the following: ‘Fulvic Acid remedies have long been a favourite, so just a quick tale about Fulvic Acid Elixir.  A good friend had an aged dog who needed a boost and naturally I recommended it.  The vet was so astonished at the dog’s resilience and good condition, that he looked into Fulvic Acid Elixir for himself and his animal patients’.  Saving the world.  With Fulvic.  Amen.
Fulvic Acid Elixir £30 for 480 ml

If you have excessively chapped and broken skin on your hands, do try this tip from a customer who discovered that her children’s hands were healed rapidly by slathering Thyme Out Face and Body Mask on them.  I have seen the ‘before’ and ‘after’ photos and the difference is quite staggering.  But then I have been singing the praises of all the Thyme Out products for rather a long time now.  Let’s continue to sing as I take the price down from £18 to £15 for today only, Saturday 2 January, whilst stock lasts of course.
Thyme Out Face and Body Mask £15 for 8 oz

High praise indeed from so many of you for Ameliorate’s Winter Skin Survival Kit.  And of course we are in the depths of winter, so I know that many of you will be lashing these products onto dry skin.  See the thing is, that even if we are not going out, there is something to be said about having fabulous skin, no matter what.  I feel the same way about having pedicured feet throughout the winter months, even if they are hidden.  And there are products included in this kit that will take care of your feet too.  Seven products, which have had a 30% discount applied across them.  A skin celebration.  Perhaps. 
Winter Skin Survival Kit by Ameliorate £72

When we put our new website live, I said at the time that we would be dressing ourselves up in front of you and this remains the case.  There is still so much to do, and we will do it.  One of the things that I said I wanted to do was to have all of Shabir’s regimens in one place, which we haven’t been able to achieve yet, but never mind that, it will happen in time.  Hopefully before I take my last breath.  So here is one of his most common regimens and it’s the regimen for the treatment of warts and verrucas.  Short, sweet, to the point.  And effective.
VH Editorial: The Treatment of Warts and Verrucas; L-Lysine by Lamberts £10.95 for 120 Tablets; Organic Lemon Myrtle Oil £6.25 for 10 ml

A mention here for two products.  These two products were amongst our most-wanted products over the past few months and I guess they will remain that way throughout January and February.  They are both warm drinks.  The first is Tonic Health High Dose Vitamin Drink, which has an Elderberry and Blackcurrant flavour and is loaded with Vitamin C, D and Zinc, with a high strength triple action to help keep you well. 

The second is Night Time Immunity Drink which can be used as an adjunct to help support our immune system.  Its key nutrients include Vitamin C and Zinc, and in its all-dancing mode, it has the added addition of relaxing herbs and magnesium to help promote deep and restorative sleep.  In parody of a certain expression used on a rather well-known site, let me say they are ‘often bought together’.  Ahem. 
Tonic Health High Dose Vitamin Drink £6.99 for Ten Sachets; Night Time Immunity Drink £7.99 for Seven Sachets

Finally, with regard to products, I give thanks to Fulvic Acid Nail Cream for all its now extended uses, but essentially for keeping our nails healthy and strong; to Magnolia Rhodiola Complex for continuing to take the edge off anxiety in rather a profound way; to Sage Complex, menopausal or otherwise, it helps control our mood swings and to the fabulous Foot File because removing hard skin is so therapeutic.  Well I think so anyway.  
Fulvic Acid Nail Cream £12 for 30 ml; Magnolia Rhodiola Complex £28 for 60 Capsules; Sage Complex £25 for 90 Capsules; Foot File £11.95

I think it is pretty obvious that I can’t seem to end each Weekend Read without saying the things I need to say.  In so many different ways I feel so incredibly privileged to be able to use this platform for the work that is becoming increasingly important to so many of us.  It is one thing to campaign about pioneering brands and products, but it is quite another thing to be campaigning to help put an end to the incessant corruption, greed, jealousy and lies, which are all too often intertwined with relentless bullying.

There are so many facets to bullying, and whilst of course I stand with all those who have been bullied on a personal level, corporate bullying is on another level.  The deception is deep-rooted and rife.  And it incenses me.  It incenses me to such a degree that I will not let this go.  To give it some perspective, a few years ago I was invited to the boardroom of a glossy magazine.  I was told (not asked) that in order for our products to be written about in said magazine, I would need to give them a substantial kickback.  I refused.  I was then informed that none of our products would ever appear on their pages.  I walked out.  And that’s just the tip of a huge iceberg.

For all that we are, and we are many different things, at the very least I know that you allow me to stand in my truth.  I am always overwhelmed by your incredible emails and last week was no exception.  I know only too well the challenges we each have to face and we will get through, whatever the obstacles.  We will make it and as we do so we will continue singing.  It was rather remiss of me not to give an award to the song of the year for 2020, but as so many of you told me, it was Bruce Springsteen’s version of We Shall Overcome.  No more words.  As we sing.  Once more.
We Shall Overcome by Bruce Springsteen

With love

Gill x

 

 

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