Weekend Read 13 September 2025
Saturday 13 September and today is the day that I am going to begin writing about Christmas gifts, most specifically because rather a lot of the products I will be writing about are limited editions and once they are gone, they really are gone, so we start early to help avoid disappointment, but there is also a consideration that these gifts are not solely for the festive season because some of them, well most of them, make wonderful gifts, whatever the occasion.
And today is certainly an occasion, because we are also going to launch a new DoSe skincare product, but before we do any of that, I am making an announcement and that announcement is that Triple Flu Defense for the 2025-2026 season has arrived. This is one of our bestselling seasonal products and it is a homeopathic remedy to help combat infective viruses, while also helping to reduce the severity of the symptoms of infection, including body aches, headaches, sore throat, cough, congestion, fever, chills and fatigue.
A note here to say that many of you will remember the Triple Flu drama last year because it arrived really late, towards the end of the year, and there was absolutely nothing we could do about it, except sigh. So thankfully, we are not sighing this year, but what I will say is that Triple Flu is formulated in one big seasonal batch, and once that batch has gone, it has gone, rather like the limited edition Christmas gifts. And therein a theme, but for the moment we are staying with health concerns.
Triple Flu Defense (2025-2026) by Dr Nenninger £30 for 30 ml
The health concerns we are looking at today affect rather a lot of people, so it is important to discuss them and we begin by talking about uric acid. Uric acid is a waste product and is produced because of the metabolism of purine-rich foods and although most uric acid dissolves in blood and is taken back to the kidneys for elimination through urine, purine-rich foods could elevate uric acid within the body, such foods being red meat, organ meat, most especially liver, seafood including shrimp, lobster, salmon and sardines, and alcohol.
High uric acid levels can cause major problems with joints causing crystals to form which can settle in joints causing gout, a form of arthritis which can cause severe pain. It should also be said that these crystals may also settle in the kidneys, resulting in the formation of kidney stones, and although these are just two of the most common concerns, there are ‘silent’ diseases which are often associated with high uric levels, which can cause complications such as cardiovascular disease.
An interesting fact here is that some people simply do not excrete uric acid sufficiently, whether due to poor kidney function or other underlying issues, but whatever the case this accounts for almost 90% of cases with high uric acid levels. The enzyme, xanthine oxidase is involved in the production of uric acid and, following the science, Terminalia bellerica has been established as a natural lowering agent. In a double-blind clinical study using this extract, nine out of ten of the 110 volunteers achieved the target level of uric acid within twenty-four weeks, without any side effects.
Demonstrating, as ever, that natural supplements are not overnight solutions, it should also be noted that in most cases medications are only prescribed to address full-blown attacks of gout or for those who have been diagnosed as having very high uric acid levels following a routine blood test. Uric Acid Control has been formulated for people suffering from high levels of uric acid caused from either gout, arthritis, diabetes, psoriasis or a high alcohol consumption and it drops in price from £20 to £18, across the weekend. And so we move on.
VH Editorial: How To Control Uric Acid; Uric Acid Control by Life Extension £18 for 60 Capsules (offer ends at midnight BST, Sunday 14 September)
Last weekend, I wrote about the seasonal transition from summer to autumn, most specifically about how shorter days and less daylight can disrupt the body’s internal clock and alter brain chemicals, which in turn impact mood, sleep and energy levels. I threw the focus on mood and energy, so today I want to take a look at sleep deprivation, which is a huge health concern, whatever the season.
I will begin by linking you to Shabir’s article on the benefits of sleeping on your back, which takes a look at different sleep positions because despite the fact that most of us are side sleepers, sleeping on your back is considered to be the healthiest sleep position, most especially if you suffer from back pain. Superior Joints is our bestselling product for joint pain, but staying with sleep deprivation, Sleep Tight Plus contains a powerful blend of herbal relaxants and natural sedatives formulated to help promote restful sleep. With a second article linked about sleep deprivation, Sleep Tight Plus drops in price from £26 to £23.
VH Editorials: The Benefits Of Sleeping On Your Back; Are You Getting Sufficient Sleep; DoSe Sleep Tight Plus £23 for 60 Capsules (offer ends at midnight BST, Sunday 14 September); DoSe Superior Joints £30 for 60 Capsules
Staying on subject, Magnesium is often linked as being beneficial in addressing sleep disturbances and sleep deprivation, and extensive research indicates that Magnesium deficiencies can often lead to sleep deprivation. We generally recommend that Magnesium supplementation should be taken as an adjunct to Sleep Tight Plus for sleep deprivation, but of course it can be taken as a stand-alone supplement, most specifically because of its numerous benefits for several health concerns including a lack of energy, headaches and anxiety.
Magnesium is also important for skin health as this mineral is responsible for the elasticity and dermal protection of skin, most specifically for compromised skin conditions, including psoriasis and eczema, where it helps to reduce irritation and redness. However, reverting to sleep deprivation, Magnesium Complex has been formulated with a blend of eight forms of Magnesium for optimal efficacy, and with a recommendation to take this supplement approximately thirty minutes before sleep, Magnesium Complex drops in price from £22 to £19, also across the weekend.
VH Editorial: Can You Take Magnesium For Sleep; DoSe Magnesium Complex £19 for 60 Capsules (offer ends at midnight BST, Sunday 14 September)
One more health concern, a very common health concern actually, so let’s talk warts. Warts are small protrusions or raised lumps, which are caused by a viral infection, often arising as a result of broken skin or a compromised immune system. The virus responsible is the human papillomavirus, HPV, of which there are many strains, and warts are viruses living within skin with the blood vessels feeding the virus, ensuring that it carries on thriving. The reason why the removal of warts can often be painful is because the wart is attached to capillaries and embedded in the skin.
Often you can see black dots at the site of the wart, which are clotted blood vessels feeding the wart, and whatever the type of wart, we believe there is great justification in the use of the amino acid, L-lysine. Lysine inhibits viral replication by blocking the uptake of arginine, a major ‘food source’ for the virus to multiply and here we recommend L-lysine by Lamberts with a dose of three tablets daily on an empty stomach. Lysine also helps to boost the immune system, which ensures a faster recovery from this type of infection.
L-Lysine HCI by Lamberts £14.95 for 120 Tablets
Topically, we recommend Fulvic Acid Nail Cream to treat all types of warts, with the exception of genital warts. Formulated with a synergy of anti-viral oils, including Tea Tree, Lemongrass and Coconut, this formulation really works well for treating warts and cold sores, although of course its claim to fame is as a breakthrough nail cream formulation promoting nail growth and helping to prevent nails from splitting. Dropping in price from £14 to £12 across the weekend, Fulvic Acid Nail Cream also helps treat fungal nail infections, so once again we acknowledge the power and efficacy of Fulvic Acid, a potent anti-fungal compound.
VH Editorial: How To Get Rid Of Warts; Fulvic Acid Nail Cream £12 for 30 ml (offer ends at midnight BST, Sunday 14 September)
New Product Launches & Seasonal Gifts
And here it is, a new DoSe skincare product, which joins our curated collection of products dedicated to skin health, so please allow me to introduce you to Daily Cleansing Balm, a balm-to-oil cleanser which is suitable for most skin types. I will caveat that by saying that unlike any of the other DoSe formulations, Daily Cleansing Balm contains fragrance, Geranium Flower Oil, because Shabir wanted to include it, primarily because Geranium is often celebrated as a wonderfully uplifting and mood-balancing fragrance, creating a sense of wellbeing and calm.
I have spent almost three decades of my life talking about sensitive skin, essentially because I can’t use fragranced skincare and I am far from alone, so this is a departure, an exploratory departure, but interestingly I patch tested my skin and I didn’t react, which rather surprised me. Anyway, let’s talk about the formulation which can be used as a first-step in a double cleansing regimen, or as a stand-alone product.
Melting away make-up and cleansing skin of dirt and impurities, Daily Cleansing Balm deeply nourishes skin and uses a crystalline lipid structure that supports the skin’s natural barrier. Infused with Almond Oil, the balm comforts and softens dry or dehydrated skin, while Ceramide NP reinforces the natural barrier to help maintain long-lasting hydration, together with Triolein and vitamin F.
Triolein is a triglyceride found in components of olive oil and several studies have indicated that Triolein helps support natural collagen and elastin production, which are key proteins for skin elasticity and firmness. Vitamin F, references a blend of essential fatty acids, primarily linoleic acid, which is crucial for the health of the skin barrier. These fatty acids nourish the skin and help restore the lipid barrier, which is important for hydration and optimal skin health.
So, with the active ingredients in Daily Cleansing Balm noted, this ultra-rich and nourishing balm is the first-step of a dedicated skincare regimen, providing a gentle, yet powerful cleansing experience, which can be followed through with the award-winning Daily Cleanser as part of a double cleansing regimen. In celebration, Daily Cleansing Balm launches at £22 and we will hold that price until 4 pm BST, Friday 19 September, when it will become £25. And being neat, Daily Cleanser drops in price from £17 to £15 for the same period of time.
DoSe Daily Cleansing Balm £22 for 125 ml; DoSe Daily Cleanser £15 for 100 ml (offers end at 4 pm BST, Friday 19 September)
Right, here we go, seasonal gifting and there is just one place for me to start and that’s with TEMPLESPA’s amazing Advent Calendar, which has become an annual event, as it were, mostly because it always sells out before we even get close to the festive season. Each year TEMPLESPA theme their seasonal gifts and this year the theme is ‘Delicious Mediterranean Moments’ with the packaging of these seasonal gifts reflecting a hand-illustrated Mediterranean larder, a sensorial showcase of the nutritious ingredients encased in their formulations.
So, with an invitation to explore this year’s seasonal collection, the Advent Calendar is ‘A Journey For The Senses’ and it contains twenty-four wonderful products, including thirteen full-sized products, six limited edition products and five travel-size products. Taking a closer look, the full-sized products include In The Beginning, Trufflesque, Skin Truffle and Repose; the limited edition products include Reusable Bamboo Pads, a Satin Hair Scrunchie and Cleansing Wristbands and the travel-size products include Be Gone, Body Truffle and Purification.
The price of the Advent Calendar is £200 and with a value of £630, there is a saving of £430, which isn’t too difficult to work out. Full contents are listed on the product page, linked below, and with two more seasonal gifts to share with you this weekend, we move on.
Advent Calendar by TEMPLESPA
The second seasonal product is also a limited edition offering, it is also from TEMPLESPA and it is Truffle Treat. Truffle Treat is a twenty-minute luxurious facial for when your skin needs a serious boost of hydration and radiance. Infused with gold peptides and black truffles, Truffle Treat is an invitation to paint your face in festive gold and it arrives with its own facial mask brush. I’m not sure how long this limited edition offer will last, but I sincerely hope it lasts longer than this weekend.
Truffle Treat by TEMPLESPA £12 (Trufflesque 15 ml + Facial Mask Brush)
The final seasonal gift I am going to share today is Neom’s Ceramic Star Natural Diffuser, a little hanging star created to fragrance your world, and mine. It can be hung on Christmas trees, but it can also be tied to door handles or popped in drawers wherever, and whenever you need a fragrance boost. All you do is spritz the Ceramic Star with your favourite essential oil or fragrance, including pillow and room mists. Neom do a range of essential oils, linked below, with a special mention for their new fragrance, Sparkling Joy, which is a blend of essential oils including Ginger, Lime and Vetiver.’
Ceramic Star Natural Diffuser £6; Essential Oil Blend Scent Discovery Set £35; Sparkling Joy Essential Oil Blend £23 for 10 ml; Perfect Peace Essential Oil Blend £23 for 10 ml; Cosy Nights Essential Oil Blend £23 for 10 ml; Christmas Wish Essential Oil Blend £23 for 10 ml; All by Neom Wellbeing
With a note to say that we have put the Seasonal Gift section live on our site, linked below, we head into the Saturday only treat and with every order placed for £35 or above, excluding p&p, we will automatically include a favourite TEMPLESPA treat, All Talk Travel Lip Balm*. All Talk is a delicious blend of Mediterranean fruit flavours loaded with natural plant extracts, vitamins and botanicals formulated to moisturise and condition dry, chapped lips. Product details also linked below.
Seasonal Gifts; All Talk Travel Lip Balm
Going Back
Once again, I really must thank you for your ongoing emails about your experiences and memories and having said that this section would take on a life of its own, I don’t whether to laugh or cry because I am now sitting on a pile of song requests and I don’t know that I have enough years left in me to include all of them. On subject, laughing and crying are distinct, separate emotional expressions and rather a lot of us cry when we hear certain songs, which is perfectly understandable.
I have always believed that crying is a cathartic release as it is a way to help relieve stress and process our emotions, and this emotional purging, or catharsis, can lead to a sense of relief and clarity, often stimulating feel-good hormones, such as oxytocin and endorphins. So, with that said, five songs this weekend, the year is 1968 and in February 1968, The Beatles, Mia Farrow, Donovan and others travelled to India to visit Maharishi Mahesh Yogi at Rishikesh.
Donovan, a Scottish singer-songwriter, had written the song ‘Jennifer Juniper’ in January 1968 and it was released one month later, in February. The song was dedicated to Jenny Boyd, the sister of Pattie Boyd, but despite being the inspiration for ‘Jennifer Juniper’ they were never in a relationship, yet apparently Donovan admitted to having a crush on her. However, she married Mick Fleetwood, the co-founder, together with Peter Green and John McVie, of Fleetwood Mac, in June 1970.
Jennifer Juniper by Donovan
In August 1968, The Beatles released ‘Hey Jude’, which was their first single on Apple Records, their record label. It was more than seven minutes in length and at that time it was the longest single ever to top the British Charts. It also spent nine weeks as Number One in the US and on 4 September The Beatles filmed a video of the song, which first appeared on David Frost’s ‘Frost On Sunday’ show four days after it was filmed, on 8 September. A note here to suggest that you watch the ‘Hey Jude’ video through to the end, because if anything is going to give you the feel-good factor, it could well be the man dancing with flowers on his glasses. What a time.
Hey Jude by The Beatles
Towards the end of the year, on 8 December 1968, The Association performed ‘Never My Love’ on The Ed Sullivan Show. The song had been released the previous year and was certified ‘Gold’ by the Recording Industry Association of America, having sold one million copies as of December 1967. In 1999, ‘Never My Love’ was recognised as the second most-played song in history according to Broadcast Music, Inc. (BMI), sandwiched between the Number One song, ‘You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’ and ‘Yesterday’, which came third, also linked.
Never My Love by The Association; You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’ by The Righteous Brothers; Yesterday by The Beatles
Before I leave you, let me say that I absolutely know that Shabir and Lara have secret conversations about the length of the newsletters, but I don’t actually care. Thoughts of taking this section further have crossed my mind, including writing about retro fashion and food; I’m not going to do that, but what I will do is put a link to Nigella’s (she’s one of us) Pineapple Upside Down Cake. Pineapple Upside Down cakes became popular in America in the mid-1920s when the Dole Pineapple Company sponsored a contest for pineapple recipes, receiving over 2500 submissions for the inverted pineapple cake. Another moment, in a long line of moments.
VH Playlist; Pineapple Upside Down Cake by Nigella
Have a wonderful weekend.
With love
Gill x
