Hello, and as I welcome you to another Weekend Read I would like to talk about being relatable.  This does of course follow through on my words of last weekend about highly sensitive people and although there is so much more that needs to be said, I think it’s really important to discuss what being relatable really means, most especially because there are so many things, and people, that we are unable to relate to for any number of reasons.  Although not verbatim, some of the following words are taken from Sensitive, the book I recommended last weekend.

Telling you that you’re overreacting when you are being victimised is one of the most common forms of gaslighting that narcissists and other abusers do.  They say it to discredit us and dismiss our own feelings so they don’t have to take responsibility for their words.  It also casts us as irrational and overly sensitive, and if they can get us to doubt ourselves, which is extraordinarily common, we accept their abuse because undermining is the name of the game. But there is only so much any one of us can take.  That much I know.

Being relatable means that we are able to walk together in our own truth, which brings a sense of comfort, most especially when we are talking about issues such as terminal illness, mental health or an acute health condition.  These concerns mostly fall outside of any product recommendations, that much is obvious, but if we are to be responsible for all health issues, then surely we have to walk and talk our experiences together, no matter what that looks like.  Life and relationships are multi-dimensional.  They always have been.

With that said, I am now going to talk about products and I’m going to talk about the products which have been extensively researched in trials and clinicals.  The health and beauty industry is a minefield of misinformation, which can be damaging on so many levels, so let’s do some more straight talking here as I acknowledge the depth of the research and clinicals which determine efficacy and, in turn, determine the products we endorse and recommend outside of our own-branded products.

Throughout the years we have always recognised pioneering brands and their products.  In some instances it may just be one stand-out product, in others it could be several products, but nevertheless the sole factor here is that we believe that they are best-in-class in this given moment, and of course that is subject to change, such change determined by ongoing research and development.  There can be no complacency.

So, let’s begin and I would like to do so by acknowledging Life Extension, a brand which we have endorsed for several years and we do so because their products have always been pioneering and ahead of the crowd. An example of such would be Essential Youth L-Ergothioneine, a powerful formulation with cell-protecting properties which has clinical validation. It really is an outstanding formulation, but others include Migra-Eeze, Astaxanthin with Phospholipids and Dopa-Mind.  Of course, there are many more excellent products, so let’s have a moment and in that moment, I am offering a 10% discount across all of the Life Extension products this weekend.
VH Editorial: Ergothioneine: The Longevity Nutrient; Life Extension Products (offer ends at midnight BST, Sunday 20 August)

Viridian has always had a place in my heart, not only because of their products, which are of course excellent in their own right, but because their intent is founded upon an ethical approach to our health and wellbeing.  That matters to me and it matters rather a lot because it speaks volumes about who and what they are.  Trust is earned, it cannot be bought, no matter what.  And I totally trust Viridian, which is a big statement, but if I have to base that statement on one thing, it would be their refusal to jump onto the CBD bandwagon.  We are aligned and that decision was, and is, totally based on ethics.  Not profit.

So, the Viridian products, well we have been endorsing Clear Skin Complex for several years because we don’t believe that anything else comes close, but there are others too.  Clove & Oregano Complex is a brilliant supplement which we recommend taking two or three times a year.  This solution-based supplement addresses many of the symptoms of intestinal parasitic infections and as Shabir explains in his article, linked below, most of us have intestinal parasites.  And because I think excellence should be celebrated, I am offering a 10% discount across all of the Viridian products.  A theme is developing.
VH Editorial: Most Of Us Have Intestinal Parasites; Viridian Nutrition Products (offer ends at midnight BST, Sunday 20 August)

Perhaps less known, Lamberts is another brand which offers some outstanding products and earlier this year I wrote about one of them.  That product was Neuro-Logical, so let’s look at this once more because it is an important product.  The Endocannabinoid System (ECS) is a biological system that helps maintain balance and order within the body.  It regulates fifteen major functions in the body using cannabinoids and some of those functions include pain regulation, digestion, inflammatory response, sleep, stress and metabolism.  We can help improve these processes by using plant-based cannabinoids such as Palmitoylethanolamide (PEA).  

PEA is a naturally occurring compound produced by the cells of our bodies.  PEA is normally produced as a result of inflammation to try and help the repair processes, unlike CBD which is not produced by the human body. As such PEA may help many bodily functions, which include helping to alleviate chronic pain, pain-relief in headaches, migraines, fibromyalgia and joint pain.  It can also help to improve mood, enhance sleep quality and aid inflammatory skin concerns such as dermatitis.  Also supporting the immune system, the most important property of this compound is its ability to help reduce inflammation in the body, which often leads to damage of cells, organs and tissues.

Other outstanding products from Lamberts include Multi-Guard ADR, which Shabir always recommends for adrenal stress, which is so often misunderstood, yet it can affect most of us at certain points of our lives.  So, leaving Shabir to do the lowdown on adrenal stress in his article linked below, one more outstanding product from Lamberts and that product is L-Lysine HCI, often recommended to prevent and treat cold sores, it contains a grade of lysine used in clinical products, and there is a difference.  There always has to be a difference, so let’s leave it there and follow the current theme by discounting all of the Lamberts Healthcare products by 10%.
VH Editorial: Adrenal Stress; Lamberts Healthcare Products (offer ends at midnight BST, Sunday 20 August)

Having taken the above section outside of our own-branded products, I want to throw the focus on one of our own products and that product is Superior Joints.  I know that I have written much about this product, but I will continue to do so because it provides pain relief for so many concerns, such as joint pain, knee pain and backache.  I think it is also important to say that at any given time we will enhance the efficacy of each of our supplements, should we feel the need to do so, and Superior Joints has evolved over the years into the supplement that it has now become.

The evolvement of products is of course ongoing and it needs to be that way if we are to offer the best possible solutions for each and every health concern.  Superior Joints leads in its genre, it has for many years, so in and of itself that is a celebration.  A celebration that helps so many of you and if we are talking about the things that really matter here, pain relief is so very important because it can be so debilitating.  So, in recognition of the help that Superior Joints brings to so many, I am taking the price down from £30 to £26 across the weekend.
VH Editorial: Lower Back Pain; Superior Joints £26 for 60 Capsules (offer ends at midnight BST, Sunday 20 August)

Staying with our own products, I absolutely know that I wrote about Fulvic last weekend, but I’m going to continue talking about it because there are several products in the Fulvic range. So, all I want to do this weekend is drop the price of the Fulvic Shampoo and Fulvic Conditioner because I have been having an ongoing love affair with Fulvic, and it has spanned nearly twenty years.  I absolutely promise you that my hair has changed dramatically over the years.  It used to hang around my face like a pair of limp curtains and sure, it has taken time, but nobody ever said I had fabulous hair, but they do now.  And I smile.  To myself.
Fulvic Acid Shampoo £22 for 240 ml (drops from £25); Fulvic Acid Conditioner £22 for 240 ml (drops from £25) (offers end at midnight BST, Sunday 20 August)

Another reason to smile because I really wasn’t smiling when our latest consignment of Fulvic Elixir got held up in customs.  This is happening all over the place and it can sometimes take up to six weeks, or longer, for products to get through customs.  It is a really difficult situation, which is totally out of our control and we have had an ongoing issue with Mrs White’s Unstung Hero, which has literally just been resolved after it got stuck in France for an inordinate period of time.  So, at last, Mrs White’s Unstung Hero is back in stock after a long absence when it was sorely missed.  Best not to say anything else.
Mrs White’s Unstung Hero Insect Repellent £20 for 250 ml; Mrs White’s Unstung Hero Insect Repellent £15 for 100 ml 

Anyway, back to Fulvic Elixir, we have literally just received our latest consignment, which is why I’m smiling, and I’ll keep that smile on my face as I tell you that I’m dropping the price of Fulvic Elixir from £30 to £26. I think that sharing a smile is really important, given the world we are living in and however simplistic that may be, I don’t really care because there is something seriously wrong with people.  I know we have all been through an awful lot over the past three or four years, but seriously you would think people have had a personality transplant.  The lack of values, respect and humility, is astounding.  Didn’t really mean to do that, but I just did.
VH Editorial: Fulvic Elixir: The Elixir Of Life; Fulvic Acid Elixir £26 for 480 ml (offer ends at midnight BST, Sunday 20 August)

Moving on, as I think we should, let’s talk about eczema.  I often write about eczema, but I do so because it is a common skin concern and it is thought that over 15 million people in the UK suffer with it according to Allergy UK.  Recommending products for eczema is notoriously difficult because what will work for one, will not necessarily work for another and I know that I have said that many times, but it is important to caveat that because of the claims brands make about their products, which are simply not true, so a recommendation is just that, a recommendation and I want to be really clear about that.

For the record, I grew out of my eczema many years ago, without the use of products, and I’m not saying that it will never appear again because it just might.  I’m sure those words will not go down very well with many brands, but there are certain products that can help to alleviate the common symptoms for those prone to eczema, such as itching, and Shabir believes Basix Skin Defence Cream to be one of them.  I’ve said what I needed to say, so I’ll let Shabir give a fuller explanation in his article, linked below, and all that is left is for me to tell you that we are dropping the price of Basix Skin Defence Cream from £16.99 to £14.
VH Editorial: How To Treat Eczema; Basix Skin Defence Cream £14 for 50 ml (offer ends at midnight BST, Sunday 20 August)

Time for a new product, except it really isn’t a new product, it’s a conglomeration of products, offered as one.  I don’t think I really need to introduce any of you to Ross J. Barr because I’ve written about him extensively over the past three or four years and I’m not his PR, I just happen to think he’s a rather fabulous person, as are his products.  I am sure that most of you can remember when we launched the Healing Patches, there is a back story, but we’ll leave that for the moment because all you really need to know right now is that they have helped, and continue to help, so many of us.

As a matter of interest, Shabir has written about them in his article on Lower Back Pain, as above, as an adjunct to Superior Joints, but from launching the Healing Patches, we went on to launch the Calm Patches and the Sleep Patches.  So please allow me to introduce you to the Patch Pack, which brings together all three patches in one convenient pack.  The Patch Pack includes five Healing Patches, ten Calm Patches and ten Sleep Patches.  If you were to buy the patches individually the total cost of all three would be £45, but the price of the Patch Pack is £40, offering a saving of £5.  Let’s rock it. 
Patch Pack by Ross J. Barr £40 (as described above)

Right, let’s do a few more things before we come to the end and the first thing I want to say is that the offer on the Silk Sleep Eye Masks ends at midnight BST, Tuesday 22 August, which just happens to be Lara’s birthday, but we won’t dwell on that.  What we will dwell on is that these eye masks are really gorgeous and I’m so happy to have one in my life, most especially for when I do long haul flights.  Anyway, all you need to know is that they are currently on offer at £58 after which they will become £69.  And if you are thinking about giving somebody a fabulous gift, this would be one of my suggestions.  I have not said Christmas.  No, no, no.
Silk Sleep Eye Mask – Midnight Blue £58; Silk Sleep Eye Mask – Damask Rose £58 (all orders honoured up until midnight BST, Tuesday 22 August)

Earlier this year we launched Darling, the Italian suncare range.  There are launches, and there are launches, and I absolutely loved doing this launch because the products are exceptional, the design of the products is exceptional and although I refuse to write about Barbie products because everybody else is, there is a certain element around the design which reminds me of Barbie, and I’ve always had a thing about Barbie (and Sindy) so that’s the first thing I want to say.

The second thing to say is that when you buy any of the Darling products, we will automatically include their Medium Protection SPF 20 Sunscreen (100 ml) as a gift.  This is a broad-spectrum UVA and UVB protection which is lightweight and fast-absorbing and it’s not sticky, which is wonderful because I really dislike sticky products.  It could be said that we are quite late in the season, but we are still in August and we travel to warmer climes throughout the year. And who knows, it is not beyond the realms of possibility that we could have an Indian Summer.  Anyway, there is only one gift per customer whilst stock lasts, and yes, it is in a pink bottle.  Of course it is.
Darling Products (Limited Edition offer, whilst stock lasts and if it fails to go into your basket, that means the offer is over)

An Aurelia treat, why not, we do them often and so I am about to do another one.  Probiotic Blemish Hero is a spot cream paste infused with distilled Witch Hazel, white China Clay and Salicylic Acid which has been specifically formulated for breakouts and redness without over-drying the skin.  It will also help to reduce swelling on the skin and the healing process too.  Probiotic Blemish Hero is £18, but that drops to £13 whilst stock lasts and once again if it fails to go into your basket that means the offer is over.  Done.  And dusted.
Probiotic Blemish Hero by Aurelia London £13 for 15 grams

One more thing here and it’s an offer from Ameliorate.  Smoothing Body Exfoliant is a high-performance treatment for dry, rough and bumpy skin.  As the name of the product suggests it exfoliates the skin, but it also softens skin and smooths Keratosis Pilaris (chicken skin).  With the inclusion of Shea and Cocoa butters and Coconut oil, it will also help moisturise skin for up to eight hours.  And the offer, well if you buy Smoothing Body Exfoliant, we will automatically include Ameliorate’s Exfoliating Body Mitt, which has a value of £10.  Once again this is a limited edition offer and as such there can only be one gift per customer.  Product details listed below.
Smoothing Body Exfoliant by Ameliorate £18 for 150 ml; Exfoliating Body Mitt by Ameliorate (Limited edition offer, whilst stock lasts and if it fails to go into your basket, that means the offer is over)

And into the Saturday only treat we go and with every order placed for £35 and above, excluding p&p, we will automatically include a gift from Temple Spa*.  We have several different gifts to offer you here and as ever these gifts are computer generated and as such we are unable to make an adjustment to that gift. I hope you enjoy using the Temple Spa product you receive.
Temple Spa

As we come to the end of another newsletter, I would just like to thank so many of you for your emails regarding the really sensitive subject matters we have been discussing over the past two or three weeks.  These are not easy things to talk about, these are not easy things to write about, but we do it anyway.  And as I read your words and I write mine, this song goes round and round in my head.  It is perhaps a song of defiance, a song that speaks of freedom, a song that speaks of illusion, which is how I ended the last Weekend Read. And just perhaps it is relatable, on a level.
Don’t Cry For Me Argentina by Julie Covington; The VH Playlist

With love

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.