It’s September, we are heading into the Autumn months and with the change of seasons we are given an opportunity to welcome and embrace this transformational and creative energy. And as we walk through the coming weeks and months together, our primary objective is to continue to talk about all aspects of our health and wellbeing and to protect ourselves wherever, and however, we can.  On many different levels.

I think it would be sensible to kick-start everything by talking about immunity.  We have recommended for the longest time that we need to protect our immunity from the first day of Autumn until the first day of Spring, but we slightly adjusted that with the onset of differing viral infections when we advised that immunity supplementation should be taken throughout the year.  We still stand by that, so let’s begin by saying we believe that we should all be taking a foundation supplement for immunity, if we can, and that supplement is Daily Immunity.

So, as we begin to build our immunity as best we can, it is a given that high stress levels, lack of sleep and nutritional deficiencies all play a role in compromising the immune system.  Of course, there are many other factors, including seasonal infections, as mentioned above, therefore it is important to ensure the optimal function of all processes carried out within our bodies for our overall health and wellbeing but, to further complicate matters, there are three categories of immunity: innate, passive and adaptive, so we need to understand those differences and our exposure to such.

Shabir talks about this in his article, linked below, and he also talks about the benefits of Daily Immunity and its ingredients, which include Astragalus, Elderberry, Oregano, Zinc and Vitamin C. Having said that we are going to kick-start everything by talking about immunity, I will help you to kick-start your immunity by taking the price of Daily Immunity down from £29 to £26 across the weekend.  And the caveat, there is no form of supplementation that will prevent any of us from catching a viral infection, no matter what, despite the clickbait headlines that state otherwise.  The irresponsibility is astounding.  And ongoing.
VH Editorial: A Daily Supplement That Supercharges Your Immunity; Daily Immunity £26 for 60 Capsules (offer ends at midnight BST, Sunday 3 September)

I know I write about sleep deprivation often, make that nearly every week, but we have to continually talk about these issues because the link between sleep deprivation and immunity is well documented.  In one study, participants who slept less than seven hours were three times more likely to catch a cold or an infection as opposed to those who slept for eight hours or more.  It is perhaps something to note when addressing immunity, which is why I am linking Shabir’s article about sleep deprivation once again and I’m dropping the price of Sleep Tight Plus, once again. And coming next, topical products for sleep. And a twist.
VH Editorial: Are You Getting Sufficient Sleep; Sleep Tight Plus £24 for 60 Capsules (offer ends at midnight BST, Sunday 3 September)

And the twist is that the next three products I am going to write about are all seasonal gifts.  I know we are only at the beginning of September, but I am going to drip feed a series of seasonal gifts over the coming weeks and months because they really don’t have to be seasonal, and they really don’t have to be gifts as you may wish to use them yourself. And because sleep deprivation is not a seasonal concern, I will start with Dream To Sleep from This Works. In fact, all three seasonal gifts are from This Works. I am having a This Works moment, with another This Works moment further down this newsletter. Let's go:

Dream To Sleep is a trio of sleep solutions encouraging us to wind down after a busy or stressful day.  The three products included are Deep Sleep Shower Gel (100 ml) a relaxing, essential oil-infused gel, which can also be used in a bath, Deep Sleep Body Cocoon (100 ml) a nourishing body lotion with the Deep Sleep fragrance of Lavender, Camomile and Vetivert, and Deep Sleep Pillow Spray (75 ml), which carries the same fragrance. Dream To Sleep is £28, but with a product value of £54, I thought it was worth mentioning now.  There is a method in my madness. Perhaps.
Dream To Sleep by This Works £28

Sleep On It could be called a first-aid kit for sleep. There are three products in this kit, Stress Check Mood Manager (5 ml), which is a blend of Ylang Ylang, Neroli and Patchouli to help bring a sense of calm, Stress Check Roll-On (5 ml) to help relieve feelings of tension and Deep Sleep Pillow Spray, which is perhaps the best-known This Works product, which has won many awards, notably when awards really were awards. I wrote about awards. Then. Anyway, I’m trying to behave myself, so let me just say that Sleep On It is £14 and it has a product value of £19.
Sleep On It by This Works £14

This is a classic.  Following my words on Deep Sleep Pillow Spray, I remember when the first clinicals were undertaken on this formulation and the results were truly significant.  It was a time of celebration and true recognition for a product which really helped so many, and it continues to do so.  Deep Sleep Pillow Spray is designed and clinically proven to help you fall asleep faster and to wake up feeling refreshed.  This Works Sleep Club continues the celebration as each set includes five mini (5 ml) Deep Sleep Pillow Sprays and costs £13, with a product value of £30. There could be a famine. But we’ll honour that famine as best we can.
Sleep Club by This Works £13

Let’s get back to supplementation and we are going to do so by taking a look at Candida overgrowth and although we recommend a specific product for this health concern, which I’ll talk about in a moment, it should be noted Daily Immunity also plays a role in that a weakened immune system can lead to infections.  Antibodies are the basis of the immune system as these compounds detect pathogens and then signal our white blood cells to destroy them. The other thing is that Candida overgrowth is responsible for many health concerns, so it is really important to prevent this organism from thriving in our bodies.

Some of those other health concerns include gastrointestinal disturbances, allergies, oral thrush and genital thrush, and issues can increase when we eat too much sugar, as well as having a compromised immune system.  Candipure is the supplement we recommend for Candida overgrowth as it contains clove powder, which naturally contains clove oil, which has been found to possess strong anti-fungal activity. This formulation also includes Black Garlic, a herb with powerful antimicrobial and anti-fungal properties, together with live probiotic cultures to help maintain a healthy balance between the good bacteria and pathogens, which reside in the gut.
VH Editorial: How To Treat Candida Overgrowth; Candipure £18.95 for 60 Capsules

Oral hygiene.  A huge subject and it is a well-established fact that large numbers of the adult population have some form of gum disease.  This includes gingivitis, which is the inflammation of the gums without tooth loss or periodontal disease leading to tooth loss.  The problem with gum disease is that the infecting bacteria move to other parts of the body causing inflammation, which is why gum disease is so often linked to heart disease and numerous other concerns, and why it is so important to help reduce that infecting bacteria. 

Florassist Oral Hygiene contains specific probiotic strains which have been shown to compete against the pathogenic bacteria which reside in pockets of gum tissue and thankfully Shabir has written an entire article about this, so I don’t have to.  What I will do is talk about Peri Gum Mouthwash Concentrate because it is one of those epic products that has been around for a very long time and it once saved me when I couldn’t get to the dentist.  Given that it was the middle of the night, I vividly remember it stopping the excruciating pain I was in and I’ve never forgotten that.  And that must be at least twenty years ago, if not more.

Peri Gum contains seven herbal extracts, including essential oils, which have antibacterial properties to help kill pathogenic species of bacteria, in line with Florassist Oral Hygiene.  These herbal extracts help to enhance localised circulation to promote the healing of gum tissues as well as having an astringent action to help shrink swollen gum tissue.  And because I can’t separate them in efficacy, let me take the price down on both products because I really think they work well together.  So Florassist Oral Hygiene drops from £18 to £16 and Peri Gum Mouthwash Concentrate drops from £22 to £20.
VH Editorial: A Probiotic Supplement To Prevent & Treat Gum Disease; Florassist Oral Hygiene by Life Extension £16 for 30 Lozenges; Peri Gum Mouthwash Concentrate £20 for 29 ml (offers end at midnight BST, Sunday 3 September)

I haven’t written about bladder control for quite a long time, so it is important to talk about this as losing control of your bladder is rather embarrassing. People with bladder control problems have trouble stopping the flow of urine, which is classified as urinary incontinence or an overactive bladder and a constant urge to urinate is often termed as having a sensitive bladder, yet according to recent statistics, less than half of women and one quarter of men seek medical help.  And although it tends to affect people over the age of 40, it’s not always an age thing.

Early medicinal remedies have always fascinated me, there is so much wisdom in natural medicine and we learn so much from the simplicity and efficacy of certain ingredients.  Pumpkin Seed Extract is one such ingredient and as early as 1578, a European herbal encyclopaedia notes the use of pumpkin seeds to treat urinary problems.  Modern research and studies have shown that the water soluble fraction of pumpkin seeds has demonstrated impressive results, so it is important to use pumpkin seeds and not pumpkin seed oil, which is used in most supplementation. And there is a difference. A discernible difference.

Water soluble pumpkin extracts exert a tissue-building effect on the pelvic floor muscles through several mechanisms, and we’ll discuss two of them.  Firstly, this extract works to make testosterone more available, which is the hormone that is deficient in those suffering from an overactive bladder.  Secondly, these extracts help to increase nitric oxide, a molecule that is crucial for helping to relax the bladder muscles.  When the bladder is full, nitric oxide is required and when there is insufficient nitric oxide, the result is bladder hyperactivity, which results in an urge to urinate, the symptoms of a sensitive bladder.  And there it is.  The cause.  And the effect.
VH Editorial: Treating An Overactive Bladder; Water-Soluble Pumpkin Seed Extract by Life Extension £20 for 60 Capsules

One product.  Three health concerns. The product is Omega-7 Sea Buckthorn Oil. The health concerns are vaginal dryness, Sjogren’s Syndrome and Dry Eyes Syndrome. I am listing each of the articles below for further information and although this is not an exhaustive list of benefits, it goes some way to understanding the importance of Omega-7 and how, in the world of supplementation, Sibu’s Omega-7 Sea Buckthorn Oil is an example of an outstanding supplement.  So, I’m dropping the price from £21 to £18, whilst stock lasts.
VH Editorials: Overcoming Menopausal Vaginal Dryness; Managing Sjogren’s Syndrome; Tackling Dry Eyes Syndrome; Omega-7 Sea Buckthorn Oil by Sibu £18 for 60 Softgels (offer ends at midnight BST, Sunday 3 September, or whilst stock lasts)

I have a few more things to say and I will start by saying that the moth season is back again.  I absolutely know that the season was several months ago, but there is often a second wave in September, and we are in September.  I think some moths are truly beautiful and I wouldn’t want them to come to any harm, but I don’t want them in my wardrobe, so these are great deterrents.  Thank you.
KateMoth – Moth Deterrent by RoadScents £11; KateMoth Moth Deterrent Drawer Liners by RoadScents £18 for 6 x Drawer Liners

BetterYou. Last weekend I offered you a 25% discount across each of the Magnesium Flake products. Needless to say, we went out of stock of some of those products, but being a Bank Holiday weekend there was nothing I could do about it, so we are running slightly behind because of the Bank Holiday, so please bear with.  Notwithstanding that, I have more BetterYou news because we are now discounting all of the BetterYou products by 25% for the interim. This means that if you missed out last weekend, you can still get that discount and you can also order enough D3, or any of the other products, for the season.  If you feel the need.
BetterYou Products

So, the final fling and it’s another moment for This Works as I promised above.  Skin Deep Dry Leg Oil is another one of those multi-award winning products and was specifically formulated to treat dry, rough and under-nourished skin on our legs.  It is blended with thirteen essential oils and six cold-pressed plant oils including Rose, Tuberose, Sandalwood and Evening Primrose. Helping to maintain the lipid skin barrier, it should be used after bathing and if you buy Skin Deep Dry Leg Oil, we will automatically include Perfect Hands Intense Moisture as a gift and that gift is worth £19.  Please note that there is only one gift per customer in order that we may share as widely as we can.
Skin Deep Dry Leg Oil by This Works £44 for 150 ml + Perfect Hands Intense Moisture 75 ml Free (this is a limited offer and if the gift fails to go into your basket, then the offer is over)

Into the Saturday only treat* we go, and with every order placed for £35 and above, excluding p&p, we will automatically send you Neom’s Super Shower Power Shampoo (50 ml), which is packed with apple seed oil and plant proteins.  Full product details listed below.
Super Shower Power Shampoo by Neom Organics

As we come to the end of another Weekend Read, l think it best that I just leave you with a song.  It’s far better this way because I have totally lost it this week with the health and beauty industry. I can’t talk about it because I’ve gone legal, but let me just say this once again, I am not frightened of the health and beauty industry, I never have been and if certain sectors of the industry think that they can weaken, silence or undermine me, they are very wrong.  

We often gain strength from adversity and I will not rest until I have exposed each and every one of them. And I will. By telling the truth. I honestly believe that we need to have the courage of our own convictions, no matter what that looks like.  And I write these words for and on behalf of each of us, because I am sick and tired of consumers being duped, and we are all consumers.
Let's Hang On by Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons; The VH Playlist

Wishing each of you a restful weekend.

Gill x

 

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Prices and products advertised at times of sending and publishing are subject to change and availability.

*Free gifts will only be granted if the items purchased are physical products and your total basket value exceeds the required amount noted.  Saturday only treats are subject to change should the specified gift run out prior to your purchase and are only included in orders placed between 7.45am (GMT) and Midnight (GMT) on the Saturday the Weekend Read is sent.  VH Addicts membership is a digital product and therefore will be excluded from the basket value.  Some gifts are blocked from international shipping due to local limitations imposed based on the country destination.  If this is the case, we will replace the gift with one that is able to be shipped to your destination.