Hello Saturday 14 June and as I welcome you to another Weekend Read, we are going to throw the focus on travel products, in other words this is the travel newsletter where we take a look at all aspects of travel together with the solution-based products to keep us safe and well.  Of course, and as ever, some of the products I will be writing about are not solely for travel, but they make an appearance because they are linked to summer health concerns and that’s where I am going to begin.

I want to start with Sleep Tight Plus because jet lag is a really common concern, most especially if you are crossing different time zones and it is characterised by a number of symptoms, including nausea, fatigue and headaches.  These symptoms are dependent upon the length of travel, but the overriding issue is that our bodies are not synchronised to differing time zones, so it is often difficult to sleep, and if you do manage to sleep, you tend to wake up really early in the morning, most specifically if you have flown long haul.

Having referenced jet lag, I just want to come in here to say that Sleep Tight Plus is our bestselling supplement for sleep deprivation and I will caveat that by saying that sleep remedies are notoriously difficult to formulate, so it was important to include the correct therapeutic strengths of each of the compounds included.  So, taking a look, these compounds include Magnolia bark which works to physically relax the body, helping to reduce cortisol, the stress hormone, and the formulation also includes Valerian, which has been studied extensively for supporting sleep, Ashwagandha, Hops and Passion Flower, which has a long history of traditional use as a calming herb.

The other thing to say here is that as with any form of supplementation, Sleep Tight Plus will take time to take effect, so it is important to say that this is not an overnight fix and if you are travelling, we recommend that you start taking Sleep Tight Plus two to three weeks before travel for optimal efficacy.  However, this is just not about travel because sleep deprivation is a huge concern throughout the year, so I am linking Shabir’s article about the signs and symptoms of sleep loss below, and as I drop the price of Sleep Tight Plus from £26 to £23, it is important to say that you cannot take Sleep Tight Plus if you are taking prescribed medication for sleep deprivation.
VH Editorial: Signs And Symptoms Of Sleep Loss; DoSe Sleep Tight Plus £23 for 60 Capsules (offer ends at midnight BST, Sunday 15 June)

I know that I am forever writing about Mega Probio, but I really can’t write about travel related health concerns without mentioning Mega Probio because travelling abroad increases the risk of getting travellers’ tummy, most specifically in countries where there is little regulation across food and water hygiene.  Food poisoning on holiday is often caused by contaminated water, poor hygiene by food handlers and contamination of food by insects, and these are the main causal factors, so let’s take a closer look.

Food poisoning and travellers’ diarrhoea are often treated with prescribed antibiotics, but whilst they perform their role of destroying harmful bacteria, they are not without side effects, and this includes disrupting the balance of good bacteria in the gut.  I think it is relevant to say here that antibiotics play a specific and important role in the treatment of food poisoning, but as a preventative measure we recommend taking Mega Probio at least seven days before travel, during travel and for another seven days upon return.

Probiotics are live bacteria and we have recommended taking a broad-spectrum probiotic since the beginning of time, well VH time, which would perhaps explain why Shabir has written so many articles on Mega Probio, twenty to be precise, all of which are listed on the product page.  But back to food poisoning, and here Mega Probio offers support in maintaining a healthy microbiome which, in turn, helps to fight diseased bacteria, the common cause of food poisoning.  And with all of that said, I am dropping the price of Mega Probio from £25 to £22 across the weekend.
VH Editorial: Restoring Optimal Gut Health; Mega Probio £22 for 60 Capsules (offer ends at midnight BST, Sunday 15 June)

A moment, if I may, and in this moment I just want to say that Mega Probio still hasn’t received the DoSe branding, although of course it is a DoSe product in all but name.  Logistics determine branding, and at this point I really don’t know when Mega Probio will receive the DoSe branding, but one thing I do know is that I promised some time ago that when Mega Probio finally received the DoSe branding we would celebrate and you can hold me to that.  I’m not sure what we will do, but trust me it will be spectacular, it has to be spectacular.

Actually, one more thing before I revert to food poisoning, and I am going to revert, but having written that I mention Mega Probio rather a lot, I can’t wait for the end of the year to do a headcount on product mentions.  It’s going to be a tight race between Mega Probio, HA and Collagen Tripeptide Complex and I promise you I am not going to skew the results, but given that I am most obviously in mode, that’s another mention chalked up for HA and Collagen Tripeptide Complex, and on the other side of DoSe there will be a race between Ergothoneine Serum and Triple Vitamin C 23% + Ferulic Acid, so I’m discounting each of these four products by 15%.  With a smile.
DoSe Hyaluronic Acid Capsules High Strength; DoSe Collagen Tripeptide Complex; DoSe Ergothioneine Serum; DoSe Triple Vitamin C 23% + Ferulic Acid (offers end at midnight BST, Sunday 15 June)

Anyway, with six months to go before I announce the winners, I will now revert to food poisoning because I will always take a pragmatic approach, so although I have written about the attributes of Mega Probio, I do have to mention Enterosgel.  Enterosgel is a brilliant remedy for helping to treat severe indigestion, diarrhoea, abdominal pain and food poisoning.

We have been recommending Enterosgel for many years and it works like a clever sponge as it passes through the gut, absorbing most harmful substances within twelve to twenty-four hours, which is backed by over thirty years of clinical research.  Enterosgel is a safe and effective treatment for all ages, including children and working on the premise that it is better to be safe than sorry, we recommend taking Enterosgel away with you, so here I am dropping the price of Enterosgel from £22.39 to £20 for the interim.
Enterosgel £20 for Ten Sachets

Right, we are now going to talk about travel sickness, with a few words to say that nausea is one of the symptoms of jet lag, but primarily travel sickness is thought to be induced as a result of conflicting messages sent to a very specific region in the brain from the visual, gastrointestinal and inner ear nerves.  Before I recommend a supplement for travel sickness, and that supplement is Ginger, it is important to say that highly acidic and high fat foods should be avoided before travelling, so we recommend eating a neutral food, such as yoghurt, a few hours before travelling.

So, Ginger.  Ginger is a traditional herbal remedy which has a long history of use for travel sickness, it has been the subject of extensive scientific research and interestingly it has been shown that Ginger capsules are more effective than some over-the-counter medications for travel sickness.  Research has determined that Ginger absorbs acids and helps to block nausea in the gastrointestinal tract, so the recommendation here is that one capsule should be taken daily, three or four days before travelling and on the day of travel.
VH Editorial: Ginger’s Benefits And Side Effects; Ginger Capsules by Lamberts £12.50 for 60 Capsules

Dehydration is a big issue for rather a lot of us, so we are going to talk about it, but most specifically we are going to talk about Electrolytes.  Electrolytes are minerals in our bodies and they include Sodium, Potassium, Magnesium and Chloride, each of which play a critical role in regulating hydration levels, nerve function and helping to maintain correct pH levels.  Dehydration is often accompanied by feeling tired and weak and one of the main causes of an Electrolyte imbalance is dehydration.

The market is flooded with Electrolyte drinks, powders and supplements, but we believe that Electrolyte Fix Liquid offers optimal efficacy, essentially because it contains Electrolytes sourced from the Great Salt Lake in Utah that are in an ionic form, which means that they are bioavailable to the body, unlike many Electrolyte products available.  This difference is really important and this formulation contains a variety of other minerals aside from the four essential Electrolytes as specified above.  Electrolyte Fix Liquid can be taken neat or it can be diluted in cold drinks for an Electrolyte boost.  An Electrolyte cocktail perhaps.  In the heat.
VH Editorial: Recharge Your Body With The Benefit Of Electrolyte Liquids; Electrolyte Fix Liquid by Viridian Nutrition £14.25 for 100 ml

There are certain health concerns I always write about during the summer months, and I make no apology for repeat messaging, so here is my repeat message about Lyme Disease.  Lyme Disease is an infection caused by a specific bacteria which is transferred into the human body by ticks biting into skin.  These blood sucking ticks are capable of spreading many diseases, including Lyme Disease, which can, in severe cases, be life changing. 

The first symptoms of Lyme Disease include a rash, accompanied by flu-like symptoms, muscle pain, joint pain, fever and chills, making it imperative to remove ticks immediately.  If not detected early enough, Lyme Disease can result in numerous concerns which usually appear months after the original tick bite, so if you are concerned then please seek professional help as soon as you can, and now we are going to talk about the Tick Remover Card.

The Tick Remover Card is a credit card size device which contains two different size tools for different size ticks and a magnifying lens to ensure the proper removal of the tick, being careful not to twist or crush the tick.  The aim here is to remove the tick in one piece, seal it in a plastic bag and take it to a medical professional who will probably prescribe antibiotics to help prevent bacteria transmitting within the body.  One last thing, please be extraordinarily vigilant most specifically if you are walking through high-risk areas such as grassy and woody areas.
VH Editorial: Lyme Disease And The Tick Remover Card; Tick Remover Card £4.49 for One Card

And now prickly heat because I really cannot write about summer health concerns without mentioning prickly heat, which is also known as miliaria or heat rash.  Prickly heat is a skin condition that occurs in hot, humid weather conditions when small particles of sweat block the sweat glands causing a rash to appear on the body and although the rash can develop anywhere on the body, it most commonly occurs on the face, neck, back, chest and thighs.  It is composed of tiny spots or bumps that are surrounded by an area of red inflamed and itchy skin where the trapped sweat causes localised irritation and the characteristic heat rash.

So, two products to recommend here, the first being Stinging Nettle Urtica Drops, a supplement which helps prevent and treat prickly heat.  Stinging Nettle supplements are often used to provide relief from hay fever and other allergies because they have the ability to inhibit the release of histamine, which is responsible for the rash.  The other thing to say here is that Stinging Nettle displays powerful diuretic properties, which help to eliminate the compounds which are responsible for the inflammation of the sweat glands.  So, that’s the supplement, and the second product I am now going to recommend is a topical product, Thyme Out.
Stinging Nettle Urtica Drops by A. Vogel £11.50 for 50 ml (drops in price from £12.99 for the interim)

Thyme Out.  What can I say about Thyme Out that I haven’t already said across the years and if I had to write a list of epic VH products, other than our own, Thyme Out would most definitely be on that list.  I have the most vivid memory of discovering Thyme Out at an exhibition in LA. There were no frills, no big ta-dah’s, just this simple product sitting on a wooden trestle table surrounded by the big boys with their eye-wateringly expensive stands, which I tend to avoid like the plague.  Perhaps they are the plague.

I could write more, but I won’t, so let me just say that Thyme Out really is a magnificent product which instantly cools, comforts and helps relieve itching.  It is a water-based tincture which works for any number of concerns, other than prickly heat, including cuts, grazes and all types of skin rashes.  It is perfectly safe to use on children and animals, it’s quite excellent for treating sunburn, so as it receives hero status I am dropping the price of Thyme Out from £18 to £16, across the weekend.
Thyme Out (Original) £16 for 200 ml (offer ends at midnight BST, Sunday 15 June)

I’m not quite finished, because if we are talking travel products there are some additional products which I will not leave home without, so here is my list and of course I am going to start with Fulvic Shampoo and Fulvic Conditioner, because I will not break the habit of a lifetime, well it seems like a lifetime.  I swear by Fulvic Shampoo and Conditioner, I always have and I am not prepared for my hair to sulk because I left my shampoo and conditioner at home, so I am dropping the price of the Fulvic Travel Duo from £18 to £12 and I will also drop the price of the Fulvic Travel Trio down from £25 to £17 that includes the Fulvic Mist, which in and of itself could be considered as a stand-alone travel essential because of its ability to help relieve sunburn.
Fulvic Travel Duo £12 (Fulvic Shampoo 60 ml + Fulvic Conditioner 60 ml); Fulvic Travel Trio £17 (Fulvic Shampoo 60 ml + Fulvic Conditioner 60 ml + Fulvic Mist 60 ml) (offers end at midnight BST, Friday 20 June)

Mrs White’s Unstung Hero is most definitely on my list, but of course it has been on my list forever and will remain on my list forever. I really don’t need to write about Unstung Hero, but what I do need to write about is DEET, because even if you choose not to use Unstung Hero, please stay away from insect repellent sprays containing DEET.  The chemical DEET (N,N diethyl-toluamide) has several downsides, and I’ll start by saying that DEET smells awful and it leaves an unpleasant oily residue on skin, but on from that numerous studies have suggested that DEET can have a serious effect on our nervous system if ingested accidentally, not that any of us would ingest it.

There is one more thing I need to say, and I know I’m repeat messaging again, but it’s important to repeat the message because mosquitoes are attracted to normal fragrance, so please do not use fragrance in conjunction with insect repellent sprays because this will cancel out the properties of these formulations, which would not be cute.
Mrs White’s Unstung Hero Mosquito Repellent £20 for 250 ml (glass bottle); Mrs White’s Unstung Hero £15 for 100 ml (aluminium bottle)

And one last thing, I am very aware that I haven’t written about SPF treatments, so I will end this Weekend Read by saying that a few weeks ago I wrote that I used Coola products, and I do, but I don’t use them on my face because there is only one product that I use on my face and that’s Extreme Protect.  I actually wrote similar words on a recent Addicts bulletin where I also stated that Extreme Protect was the sole reason we would never formulate SPF products on the DoSe branding.  There would be no point because Extreme Protect is one of those products which really does stand out in the crowd and I doubt I will ever change my positioning.

I know Extreme Protect is expensive, but I only ever use it on my face, so it lasts absolutely ages, but there is one more thing to say and I am going to reference prickly heat here. Prickly heat is a photochemical reaction, so it is important to use sun protection with high UVA/UVB protection, but more than that Extreme Protect is an advanced formulation free from oils and perfumes which can often aggravate skin and I think that’s all I really want to say, other than we are now heading into the Saturday only treat.
Extreme Protect SPF 40 Translucent by iS Clinical £85 for 100 grams

And here it is, the Saturday only treat, so with every order placed for £35 and above, excluding p&p, we will automatically include the 4711 Eau De Cologne Tissue Wipes*, which are infused with the iconic scent of 4711, which was originally created in 1792.  These tissues are cool and refreshing and full product details are listed below.
4711 Eau De Cologne Tissue Wipes

With love 

Gill x