Well, another Saturday morning, another Weekend Read and we are going straight in today with a very common health concern, an overactive bladder. I have always believed it is important to discuss embarrassing health concerns and losing control of your bladder can be extremely embarrassing with widespread ramifications. People who have bladder control problems have trouble stopping the flow of urine, which is classified as urinary incontinence or an overactive bladder, yet for others it may just be the case of a constant urge to urinate, which is often termed as a sensitive bladder.

To demonstrate, and according to recent statistics, less than half of women and one quarter of men who suffer from an overactive bladder ever seek medical help and two large studies indicated that one in six adults report some signs of an overactive bladder, with one in three having episodes of urge incontinence. Most people associate this concern as part of ageing, but this is not always the case as bladder problems are often due to other health issues such as prostate enlargement and diabetes, but notwithstanding that, an overactive bladder affects one in six adults over the age of forty.

In women, an overactive bladder and stress incontinence, which is the loss of urine during physical activity or even sneezing, is usually caused by a weakening of the bladder muscle and pelvic floor muscles. Hormonal changes occurring after menopause are thought to be responsible for causing these anatomical changes in the bladder sphincter, and the reduction of the male hormone, testosterone, weakens the pelvic floor muscles and the bladder sphincter and oestrogen deficiency causes the shrinkage of the tissues.

There are many natural treatments to help treat an overactive bladder, including magnesium, cranberry and cornsilk supplementation, but these have limited success and we therefore recommend Water-Soluble Pumpkin Seed Extract. There is much evidence supporting the efficacy of pumpkin seed extracts for urinary problems, and in Germany, pumpkin seed extract is officially approved for the treatment of irritable bladder, however most supplements use pumpkin seed oil in their formulations, but studies have shown that the water soluble fraction of pumpkin seeds is far superior, demonstrating impressive results.

Water soluble pumpkin seed extract is excellent for women with urinary incontinence, but it is equally suitable for men, especially for those wishing to prevent prostate enlargement or for those who suffer from prostate enlargement. Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) often causes urinary frequency, impairs sleep and decreases the quality of life. Water-Soluble Pumpkin Seed Extract offers natural support for urinary incontinence, an overactive bladder and for the symptoms of prostate enlargement and it drops in price from £20 to £17.
VH Editorial: Treating An Overactive Bladder; Water-Soluble Pumpkin Seed Extract by Life Extension £17 for 60 Capsules (offer ends at midnight BST, Monday 13 April)

I often write about the supplements we should use two or three times a year and having written recently about cleansing intestinal parasites with Clove & Oregano Complex, we are now going to take a look at Super Cleanse For Colon. Super Cleanse For Colon is a natural remedy to help alleviate constipation, but in this context we are recommending it to cleanse the colon effectively, without the harshness of laxatives.

Colon cleansing is vital for optimal health because when food mixes with digestive enzymes, a plaque-like substance, called mucoid plaque, adheres to the walls of the intestines harbouring bad bacteria and fungi. This prevents the absorption of nutrients and because it slows the motility of the intestines, it can often result in fatigue, sluggish bowel movements, impaired immunity and numerous other concerns, including constipation. Formulated with fourteen powerful cleansing and nutritive herbs, Super Cleanse For Colon helps to flush toxins out of the lower intestinal tract, supports digestive function and drops in price from £25 to £22.
Super Cleanse For Colon by Nature’s Secret £22 for 100 Tablets (offer ends midnight BST, Monday 13 April)

Given our recommendation for cleansing the colon two or three times a year, I now want to talk about a supplement that can be taken on an ongoing basis for constipation as well as for digestive health and comfort. That supplement is Florassist® Daily Bowel Regularity and it has been formulated with Bifidobacterium lactis HN019, a specific strain which has been clinically studied and found to alleviate both occasional and recurrent bouts of constipation, assuming there are no underlying medical conditions, such as an obstruction in the gut, all of which leads to a discussion about the role specific probiotics play for our optimal health and wellbeing.
Florassist® Daily Bowel Regularity

After birth, our gut is colonised by trillions of micro-organisms called probiotics and each of us have a unique probiotic profile influenced by genetics, gender, diet and age, and this is often termed as the gut microbiome. This profile changes throughout our lifetime, yet these micro-organisms, mostly beneficial bacteria, play an essential role in carrying out numerous functions in our bodies including enhancing immunity, digesting food and manufacturing energising B vitamins, but with age the diversity of the gut microbiome generally decreases with an increase in potentially harmful, pro-inflammatory microbes.

Increasingly, research has determined that many probiotic species have specific roles to play in the body, including elevating mood, preventing gum disease and protecting our heart, but before we take a look at some of those specific probiotic strains, we have long recommended that we should each take a broad spectrum probiotic supplement. Mega Probio is that core probiotic, it is a non-dairy supplement containing eight species of friendly bacteria that can colonise the gut after passing through the harsh environment of the stomach, so with Mega Probio acting as the core, specific strains can be added for dedicated support.
DoSe Mega Probio

I am not going to write about each specific strain because Shabir has covered each of them in his article, linked below, but I am going to write about Florassist® Mood Improve because it has been well established that the gut influences our emotions. There are many communication pathways between the gut and the brain, such as the vagus nerve which passes through the chest and abdomen connecting the nerves from key organs to the stem of the brain.

Florassist® Mood Improve has been the subject of human studies and showed a 50% plus decrease in low mood scores and a 55% improvement in anxiety scores, and it was noted that another pathway for altering mood is the ability of these probiotics to produce neuroactive compounds. Known as the gut-brain axis, these neuroactive compounds communicate with the cells in the brain, essentially acting as chemical messengers, bridging the gap between our digestive system and nervous system, thus supporting emotional balance.
Florassist® Mood Improve

Broad spectrum probiotics work to clear the gut of inflammatory compounds, but for those who suffer from the chronic symptoms of IBS and other inflammatory bowel disorders, we recommend Revive Liquid Probiotic. Revive Liquid Probiotic is a soil-based probiotic drink containing fifteen strains of beneficial microbes, with herbs such as Slippery Elm and L-Glutamine included in the formulation, Slippery Elm to help soothe the inflamed gut lining and L-Glutamine to help repair damage to the gut lining caused by inflammation. Obviously, we recommend this for inflammatory bowel concerns, but we also recommend Revive Liquid Probiotic for leaky gut syndrome.
VH Editorial: What Is Leaky Gut Syndrome; Revive Liquid Probiotic

The final probiotic I want to mention here is Travel Biotic which contains a unique non-pathogenic yeast called Saccharomyces boulardii, a compound that helps to increase the number of bacteria residing in the gut and in turn these bacteria product lactic acid helping to prevent pathogens from thriving. Traveller’s diarrhoea is invariably caused by contaminated water or by food which has been contaminated by insects, so if you are travelling, we strongly recommend this supplement to prevent and treat diarrhoea.
Travel Biotic by Viridian Nutrition

As mentioned above, I am linking Shabir’s article on probiotic supplementation below, where he covers the probiotics I haven’t written about and these include probiotics for oral health, heart health and skin. You have noticed that I haven’t put any prices next to the individual products, deliberately so, because I am throwing a 15% discount against each of the products mentioned in Shabir’s article and I’ll hold that discount until midnight BST, Monday 13 April, or whilst stock lasts.
VH Editorial: What Can’t Probiotic Supplements Do

Right, because I have gone straight in today with several health concerns, a moment after last weekend’s moment and this is where I want to thank you for your ongoing support, but most specifically I want to thank you for understanding the importance of our independent stance, enabling us to support your health and wellbeing as best we can. I often write that I am not seeking market share, and truly I am not, size really doesn’t matter to me, but what really matters, as per last weekend, is that we continue to provide unbiased, unfiltered recommendations supported by undeniable evidence.

I think it is truly unfortunate that so many cutting-edge and pioneering compounds struggle for mainstream recognition, but I have come to accept, albeit reluctantly, that many of these compounds are side-lined because they threaten an industry narrative designed to protect established interests. I know I am extraordinarily vocal on this subject, but with or without mainstream recognition, we have to stand our ground and I am standing my ground. And, as I stand my ground, and in conclusion, when you buy NAD+ Generator, we will automatically include Collagen Tripeptide Complex (42 Capsules), which is worth £25 in demonstration of independent recognition.
DoSe NAD+ Generator £32 for 30 Capsules + DoSe Collagen Tripeptide Complex (42 Capsules) Free (worth £25) (offer ends at midnight BST, Sunday 12 April or whilst stock lasts)

I absolutely know that in recent weeks I have written quite extensively about NAD+ Generator and Collagen Tripeptide Complex, but I also know that both products supersede all that has gone before and I felt it was important to underline my messaging about undeniable evidence. And with that done, it is perhaps interesting to note that NAD+ Generator can help prevent many of the symptoms of jet lag, explored in Shabir’s article, linked below.
NAD+ For Jet Lag

Moving on, let’s talk about cold sores, a condition caused by the infection of the herpes simplex virus, which most of us have in our bodies. It normally remains dormant, residing in the sensory nerve cells near the site of infection, however at some point most of us will have a cold sore and all I really want to say here is that we have long recommended Lysine Lip Balm for the prevention and treatment of cold sores. We believe it stands alone in its genre, it combines the anti-viral properties of coconut oil and lysine, the latter of which has been studied extensively for its ability to block the uptake of arginine, an amino acid which promotes viral growth. And that is that.
VH Editorial: The Prevention And Treatment Of Cold Sores; Lysine Lip Balm by Good Health Naturally £5.95 for 5 grams

A few more things and two offers from Aurelia, the first of which is their Aromatic Repair and Brighten Hand Cream, which has been blended with Aurelia’s pigmentation complex using Sea Daffodil as a key ingredient. Aromatic Repair and Brighten Hand Cream drops in price from £29 to £17.40, whilst stock lasts and the second product, Miracle Cleanser (50 ml), which is Aurelia’s bestselling product, drops in price from £24 to £14.40, also whilst stock lasts and blended with Protida, Aurelia’s probiotic complex, it is fragranced with Eucalyptus, Chamomile, Rosemary and Bergamot and it arrives with Aurelia’s antibacterial bamboo muslin cloth to help buff away dead skin cells.
Aromatic Repair and Brighten Hand Cream by Aurelia London £17.40 for 75 ml; Miracle Cleanser by Aurelia London £14.40 for 50 ml

In mode, we are offering a 20% discount across each of the TanOrganic products and there are seven products in the range including their Facial Tanning Oil, the Self Tan Eco Towels and their bestselling, and award-winning, product, TanOrganic Self Tanning Oil which combines intense moisture with an elegant tan to leave skin looking healthy and glowing. Blended with Borage Seed, Argan and Orange Peel Oil, it is easy to apply, it is streak-free and this dry oil absorbs quickly into skin.
TanOrganic Products (offer ends at midnight BST, Sunday 12 April)

Finally, we are offering a 20% discount across the Ameliorate products, and I am extending this offer until midnight BST, Sunday 26 April. If I remember, and that’s debatable, I will also write about it on Saturday 25 April, but notwithstanding that we launched the brand in 2012, it was a global launch, the hero product at that time was Skin Smoothing Body Lotion, in fact it was the only product in the range, but it became Transforming Body Lotion and although the world has changed considerably since that time, the core mission to improve the appearance and feel of rough, dry and bumpy skin remains unchanged.
Ameliorate Products

Into the Saturday only treat and with every order placed for £35 and above, excluding p&p, we will automatically include Altruist’s Sunscreen SPF50 (25 ml)*, which provides high UVA and UVB protection and is a fast absorbing, water-resistant, fragrance-free formulation. Full product details linked below.
Altruist Sunscreen SPF50

A few more words. When I was writing the section about pioneering compounds struggling to achieve mainstream recognition, I very nearly wrote that recognition might as well be over the rainbow, which would seem to be an interesting analogy given that ‘over the rainbow’ has deep ties to alchemical history. I really could go down a rabbit hole with this because it fascinates me, but it also fascinates me that some scholars believe that the film, The Wizard Of Oz, also has deep ties to alchemical history. And just perhaps residing over the rainbow is a metaphor for inner peace. And understanding.
Over The Rainbow by Judy Garland; The VH Playlist

Wishing each of you a restful weekend.

With love

Gill x