As I welcome you to the Weekend Read, I have decided to go straight into the products this week, without too much preamble from me.  All I really want to say here is that I will never, ever stop making a stand for everything that I believe in, which includes the evidence-based work I am currently undertaking.  I remain independent as a person and we remain independent as a business.  I am not answerable to anybody, except to each of you, and I continue to stand outside of the health and beauty industry, because that is my choice.  Energetically.

On from that one of my main concerns at the moment is keeping each of us as safe as we possibly can.  There are so many tangents across this, but it is becoming increasingly obvious that the lack of energy I wrote about last week is so widespread, it could in fact be an epidemic all on its own.  Except of course it is all relative to the ongoing pandemic and if the physical symptoms don’t get you, it is likely that mental stress and anxiety will.  I am not being pessimistic here, I just need to address the realities of life as they are right now.  And that reality is far from cute and based upon the emails we receive on a daily basis. 

So in varying stages, let’s take a look at this from a product point of view and I have to start with Fulvic Acid Elixir.  Not for one moment am I going to tell you that this will prevent you from catching Covid, I would be strung up and sent to the Tower if I did.  And although Shabir would probably do the dance of all dances if I suddenly disappeared, what I will say is that I truly believe that Fulvic Acid Elixir helps to keep me away from infection, supports my health and wellbeing and helps increase the efficacy of all the other supplements I take. 

But of course, it is not only me that trusts and believes in Fulvic Acid Elixir, it is one of our bestselling supplements and now that reviews are finally showing up on the product pages, a miracle in and of itself, you can now see the comments we have received.  Albeit the review section has only just come into being, I quite like the fact that the Elixir has been described as a ‘holy grail’ product because I fully concur.  And with that concurrence, I am dropping the price of Fulvic Acid Elixir across the weekend from £30 to £25.  Glug.
VH Editorial: Fulvic Acid - The Elixir Of Life; Fulvic Acid Elixir £25 for 480 ml (Offer Ends At Midnight BST Sunday 8 August)

I have written about the benefits of the Saltpipe and how it can help respiratory issues a few times over the past year or so and I’m doing it again now.  This is, once again, in response to the emails we have been receiving regarding this health concern, so let me just say that this CE registered medical device will last for up to five years, based on daily usage.  And we do recommend using it daily because the natural healing power of salt therapy will help cleanse the respiratory system.  It is anticipated that more than 75% of the UK population suffer from allergies, asthma and bronchitis, but quite honestly I believe that most of us would benefit from cleansing our respiratory system given the ongoing circumstances.  And Shabir agrees with me. Tick.
The Cisca Saltpipe (Ceramic) £29.95

And now Ivy Thyme Complex.  Same subject, respiratory issues and the expectorants in Ivy Thyme Complex will help reduce the viscosity of mucus, loosening the irritant from the respiratory tract and aiding its removal.  It is the saponin constituents, aided by the volatile oils contained in Thyme, which work to help relax the bronchial spasm, thereby decreasing the thickness of mucus, which in turn helps to ease breathing.  A medicine cabinet product.  I think so. 
Ivy Thyme Complex (Bronchoforce) by A Vogel £11.15 for 50 ml

A new product launch.  But not just any new product launch because this is Shabir’s latest formulation, which he has been researching for some time and behold, he has written an article about it too.  Joyous news for me because it means he can give you the lowdown and I don’t need to write very much.  But what I will say is that the product is called Mankai Duckweed Powder and it is the only plant source that provides high quality complete protein, which is unavailable in other vegetarian sources such as hemp and soya.  It is also one of the most concentrated sources of a variety of vitamins, especially bioavailable Vitamin B-12, which cannot be obtained from other vegetarian sources.

Vitamin B-12 is vital for a healthy nervous system, for the production of our sleep hormone, for brain function and for the production of red blood cells, which carry oxygen around the body to ensure energy production.  As we age, our bodies cannot absorb B-12 efficiently and higher intakes are recommended.  So the wrap from me is that I will hero-out any form of supplementation that helps promote sleep and energy, because we all need both.  I suppose I should also hero-out Shabir because he always seems to be one step ahead with innovative products and ingredients, keeping us safe, once again.  And I typed that with a straight face.  Miraculously.
VH Editorial: Mankai Duckweed, The Smallest Vegetable, Big On Vitamins; Mankai Duckweed (High Protein Superleaf Powder) £22 for 500 grams

I must be slipping, I have written four paragraphs without offering you a treat, so let me correct that right now.  And I will correct it by telling you that we have overfilled yet another of our bestselling serums and this time it is Hyaluronic Acid Serum.  I think we all know by now about the benefits of using this serum, and if you don’t you will find all information on the product page.  So straight to the point, and in a limited time treat, instead of receiving 30 ml of the serum, you will receive 45 ml, with the price remaining the same, which is £10.  Go. HA.
Hyaluronic Acid Serum by Garden Of Wisdom For VH £10 for 45 ml

Might as well continue on theme, so let’s take two products from one brand.  That brand is Margaret Dabbs and without further ado, I am taking the price down on two of their products.  The first is their Intensive Hydrating Hand Lotion, which was £8, but now becomes £5.  And the second is the Pure Repairing Nail & Cuticle Treatment Pen which drops from £12 to £8.  It goes without saying that we have a limited amount of stock across each of the products, so once they are gone, they are gone.  Amen.
Intensive Hydrating Hand Lotion by Margaret Dabbs London £5 for 45 ml; Pure Nail & Cuticle Treatment Pen by Margaret Dabbs London £8

Because I am on a ‘keeping us safe’ health kick today, I now want to write about a very common health concern, which is becoming increasingly prevalent.  And it is high blood pressure, which is often termed as the ‘silent killer’ because unless you know what the symptoms of high blood pressure are, you wouldn’t necessarily know that you have high blood pressure.  Medically, high blood pressure is known as hypertension, which can lead to heart attacks, strokes and kidney failure. 

Most of us don’t get our blood pressure monitored frequently, so do please read Shabir’s article where he talks about understanding blood pressure readings and sets out the main symptoms and causes of high blood pressure.  As ever, he recommends an appropriate supplement to help support any given concern and, in this regard, he recommends Cardio Peak With Standardized Hawthorn and Arjuna.  So, he does the recommendation and I do the price drop, which in this instance falls from £32 to £29.  Whilst stock lasts.
VH Editorial: High Blood Pressure; Cardio Peak With Standardized Hawthorn and Arjuna by Life Extension £29 for 120 Capsules (Offer Ends At Midnight BST Friday 13 August)

Look who is back.  It’s our friend the Dandelion and this time Dandelion makes an appearance in Frutin Gastro Gel, where it supports good digestion.  Dandelion is joined by Pectin (natural and micro-fruit fibres) which creates a protective foam barrier on contact with gastric liquid.  Frutin Gastro Gel is recommended for stomach acid issues and I’m telling you this after a customer wrote the following: ‘I suffer from heartburn which I mainly get when my stomach is empty, but occasionally when I eat the wrong foods.  Frutin helps immediately and I have started to take one tablet just before going to sleep’.  Sounds like a plan.  If you suffer from heartburn.  
Frutin Gastro Gel by New Nordic £14.95 for 60 Chewy Tablets

On the subject of all things chewy, I am wondering about gummies, but most specifically the Ashwagandha and Apple Cider Vinegar Gummies.  Do you suck them, do you chew them, or do you swallow them whole.  I am intrigued, I tend to suck mine.  Perhaps this had better be one of those rhetorical questions, otherwise I will be bombarded by emails.  The thing is, I just felt like writing that.  So I have.
Ashwagandha Gummies by Goli Nutrition £18.95 for 60 Gummies; Apple Cider Vinegar Gummies by Goli Nutrition £18.95 for 60 Gummies

Product break.  And I would like to say this.  I have written much about product reviews, and of course I headed up the last Weekend Read with news about the ongoing consultation to update the legislation on reviews.  I think you all know I was outvoted about putting reviews onto our site and I still feel that they are an intrusion, but there is another side to that.  And that other side is that so many of you have responded, not just about the products, but about us, which you will find under Customer Stories at the bottom of our site.  I am deeply touched by your comments. Thank you so, so much.  Staying close.

Right, before my emotions get the better of me, let’s continue.  So let’s take it to the end with another theme, keeping us happy.  And we’ll start this section with a new product from Aurelia, well it’s just a few weeks old to be precise.  The product is Probiotic Blemish Hero, it is a skin-saving paste which is infused with distilled Witch Hazel, White China Clay and Salicylic Acid.  It works on breakouts and redness and the happiness factor comes in when I tell you that I have just taken the price of this product down from £18 to £12.  And the caveat.  Whilst stock lasts.
Probiotic Blemish Hero by Aurelia London £12 for 15 grams

And here is an invitation to walk into my shower with me, not literally of course, but metaphorically because I have two Clouds in my shower.  The original Japanese Cleansing Cloud (Green) and the Yuzi & Nashi Pear Japanese Cleansing Cloud (Yellow).  If I had my way, I would gift each of you a Cloud because they are happy Clouds and they have a smile on their face.  Given that I wouldn’t have nearly enough Clouds to spread the joy, I’ll do the next best thing and offer them to you at £8 each, which is a saving of £4 per Cloud.  Are there more Clouds on the horizon, yes there are, but hand-made products take time.  And I know the sun will shine on them.  When they appear.
Japanese Cleansing Cloud (Original) £8; Japanese Cleansing Cloud (Yuzi & Nashi Pear) £8

To be honest, I’m not sure that the above two paragraphs are going to make Shabir tremendously happy, but never mind that, I’ll donate a pot of Gummies to him.  I would buy him a bag of Maltesers, but the last time I wrote about eating chocolate, it was an Orange Twirl actually, I got a few emails telling me off for announcing to the world that I ate chocolate. 

You really couldn’t make it up, but I was told I should be ashamed of myself because I was, after all, running a health business.  I eat chips, I drink Diet Coke and I bake cakes at the weekend.  In between answering your emails.  And I’m not ashamed.  I’m real.

What is also very real, is the wait list that fell upon my head last Saturday.  And to some extent, it still exists.  It was of course for Color Wow’s Xtra Large Bombshell Volumizer, the futuristic foam that refuses to damage your hair, but blows up the volume.  I suggested that it could well be a solution for those who are suffering from the thinning of hair because of ongoing stress issues. 

A further consignment arrived, but as I’m writing this, another delivery is on its way.  I love a product rampage, but I would love it even more if I had a crystal ball.  And on this I can’t even blame Shabir, I did the ordering.  And completely under-estimated the massive demand.  Please don’t shoot me.  My work is far from over.  More of which will be revealed over the coming weeks.  Ding, dong. 
Xtra Large Bombshell Volumizer £23 for 200 ml

I don’t think I have any other significant updates for you, except to say that I am keeping my eye on the Magnolia Rhodiola Complex situation.  I am still anticipating that we will receive our delivery earlier than I previously thought, but in the meantime, I have literally just read a review about Florassist Mood Improve, which you may wish to check out while you are waiting for Magnolia Rhodiola Complex to arrive.  The reviews are listed at the bottom of the product page, which I shouldn’t really have to say to you, but although the IT side of the reviews should be completed before you read this, I know from experience that I am wishing upon a disappearing star.
Magnolia Rhodiola Complex £28 for 60 Capsules (Wait list); Florassist Mood Improve by Life Extension £25 for 30 Capsules

So into the Saturday only treat we go and this week we will be gifting you one of Biobelle’s Botanical Fibre Facial Masks, which I know so many of you love.  So with every order placed for £30 and above, excluding p&p, we will include the Cutie Pie Botanical Fibre Facial Mask to help exfoliate and brighten your skin.  Its ingredients include Pumpkin Seed Oil and Maple Sugar.  Licking not permitted.

All that remains is for me to share this week’s song with you.  It is a song that has been requested by many of you.  It’s from Bruce Springsteen and it’s definitely another one of those ‘VH anthem songs’.  The song is ‘Tougher Than The Rest’.  And let’s sing it loud and clear.  Because we can.  Walk the thin line.
Tougher Than The Rest by Bruce Springsteen; The VH Playlist

With love and respect.

Gill x  

 

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