Hello, it’s August and once again I really must thank you for your response to the words I wrote last weekend about reviews. It really matters that we make a stand for the truth and as so many of you know, I am quite vocal on many subjects pertaining to the health and beauty industry, not because I seek market share, but because I am sick and tired of the truth being covered up, which leaves us vulnerable and unprotected, as such, when making choices for our health and wellbeing.

Retrospectively, we were fortunate to have been granted a platform for over a decade in The Mail On Sunday YOU magazine, when Sarah Stacey was Health Editor. It was on that platform that Sarah and I were able to campaign for the truth on so many different aspects of our health and wellbeing, often with hard-hitting articles which had been meticulously researched by Sarah. We always knew that we had a duty and a responsibility to protect our readers and although Sarah is no longer Health Editor, nothing changes, including our relationship, because campaigning is in our blood. It always will be.

On subject, some of you may remember me writing about the College of Medicine Beyond Pills Campaign, which Sarah co-founded in 2022, and now has representation in Westminster politics with the Beyond Pills All-Party Parliamentary Group. This campaign is making rather a lot of noise, so I’m making a lot of noise too as I link Sarah’s update below. This is such important work, and it was a direct response to the Government’s National Overprescribing Review which showed that while some drugs do good, 10% of those dispensed in primary care were unnecessary, inappropriate or could do harm, including causing premature death.

Rather a lot of the focus has been on the over-prescription of antidepressants and, in Sarah’s words, a recent new, self-professed ‘gold standard’ study has hit the headlines claiming that, for the majority of patients, antidepressant withdrawal is largely mild, brief and overstated. This is plain wrong, and the paper has drawn robust criticism worldwide with many leading experts pointing out the unreliable assumptions. By excluding most real-world data on antidepressant use, the paper delivers a dangerously distorted picture which denies the experience of millions of sufferers, and risks misattributing withdrawal symptoms to relapse of depression so people may be prescribed more antidepressants.

In an article in The Standard which carried the title ‘Don’t Believe The Lies’, Dr Simon Opher who is a GP, Labour MP for Stroud and Chair of the Beyond APPG, stated: ‘If read uncritically, this new study could cause significant harm by misleading patients, clinicians, guidelines and policy makers. To anyone versed in reading clinical research, it seems the authors have been influenced in their conclusions by evidence that is not scientifically compelling. I fail to understand why these senior doctors do not interrogate the available range of evidence more thoroughly’.

It takes immense courage and strength to lead a campaign of this intensity and importance, so please do take the time to read Sarah’s report because I honestly believe that we all know somebody who could be affected now, or in the future, by the findings of this far-reaching report.
Beyond Pills Campaign Update by Sarah Stacey

In all of this I have always believed in integrated medicine, yet in any number of ways the above words correlate with the many words I have written about the media being influenced by marketing campaigns which are not scientifically compelling. When evidence-based research is deliberately overlooked to facilitate commercial gain, this becomes just one more example of the dangerous distortion, I believe by avarice, which now appears to govern the health and beauty industry.

Citing Superior Joints as an example of the above last weekend, this weekend I will cite Collagen Tripeptide Complex and I stand by every word that I have written, because collagen tripeptides have been clinically evaluated to exceed the efficacy of collagen peptides, the industry norm, quite significantly.

I think my overriding sadness in all of this is the total lack of integrity in health reporting, and it really is a sadness because our health is being compromised by those who have the deepest pockets to manipulate consumer choice. I think I will stop there, but it won’t stop me supporting clinically researched compounds, so with three articles on Collagen Tripeptide Complex linked below, I am dropping the price of Collagen Tripeptide Complex from £45 to £40, but I am also throwing in a gift with purchase, and that gift is Olverum’s Bath Oil (5 ml) because it’s fabulous and because it’s fabulous, there are no limitations here.
VH Editorials: Does Your Collagen Supplement Contain Collagen Tripeptides; Is Collagen Vital For Bone Health; Collagen For Scars; DoSe Collagen Tripeptide Complex £40 for 90 Capsules + Olverum Bath Oil (5 ml) Free (offer ends at midnight BST, Sunday 3 August)

Staying with clinically evaluated compounds, Magnesium, which is a mineral, is involved in hundreds of biochemical reactions carried out with the body and the symptoms of magnesium deficiency are identical to many of the symptoms associated with ageing. These include irregular heartbeat, clogged arteries, an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, low energy levels and high blood pressure. With healthy ageing being optimal, a study carried out by the laboratory Mineral Check found that 70% of 8000 people tested had lower than expected magnesium levels.

Magnesium is the fourth most abundant mineral in the body and it can be found in our teeth, bones and red blood cells, where approximately half of our Magnesium found in bone and the rest is found in the soft tissue in our bodies. Our bodies rigorously maintain about 1% of Magnesium within the blood, making blood tests notoriously difficult in identifying a deficiency, yet in all of this we do know that Magnesium activates more enzyme systems in the body than Iron and Zinc combined and we do know that it is important to supplement our bodies with Magnesium.

There are many different forms of Magnesium, including Magnesium Glycinate, Magnesium Citrate, Magnesium Taurate, Magnesium Malate and Magnesium Chloride. Whilst each compound has some specific benefits, for example Magnesium Citrate for gut cleansing, Magnesium deficiencies are best addressed by combining several Magnesium compounds in one formulation and that formulation is Magnesium Complex, an advanced Magnesium supplement containing eight forms of Magnesium, providing the full spectrum of the benefits of Magnesium, discussed in Shabir’s article linked below. And with that said, Magnesium Complex drops from £22 to £19.
VH Editorial: Magnesium Supplements: Benefits, Deficiencies & Side Effects; DoSe Magnesium Complex £19 for 60 Capsules (offer ends at midnight BST, Sunday 3 August)

One more thing, with the extensive research on Magnesium spanning the decades, it is important to say that Magnesium is an essential mineral for children’s growth and development, playing a crucial role in supporting the nervous system, as well as improving mood regulation and promoting restful sleep. It also contributes significantly to energy production, healthy bone growth and enhanced cognitive function, so please allow me to introduce you to Kids Liposomal Magnesium Glycinate Liquid which is flavoured with apple and blackcurrant, making it ideal for children who struggle with tablets or capsules and it drops in price here from £29.99 to £26.99 for the interim.
Kids Liposomal Magnesium Glycinate Liquid by Well Actually £26.99 for 250 ml

Right, let’s continue with clinically evaluated compounds and there is no doubt in my mind, or Shabir’s actually, that the extensive clinical studies carried out on Curcumin C3 Complex supersedes all that has gone before. Containing a patented extract of three of the most researched curcuminoids found in turmeric root, curcumin, demethoxycurcumin (DMC) and bisdemethoxycurcumin (BDMC), Curcumin C3 Complex is absorbed far more efficiently than most curcumin supplements, crucially providing curcumin, and other curcuminoids, in a form that protects them from the digestive system allowing these active compounds to reduce inflammation.

With bioavailability being key to efficacy, Curcumin C3 Complex has been shown to have the highest absorption of any curcumin on the market, and with clinical research showing that it has a 95% absorption of curcuminoids, the formulation’s bioavailability and absorption is further enhanced with the inclusion of BioPerine®, a patented black pepper extract. Aligning with Collagen Tripeptide Complex, I am linking three articles about Curcumin C3 Complex below, each of which supports the efficacy of this advanced formulation which drops from £27 to £24, across the weekend.
VH Editorials: Turmeric: The Spice With Health Benefits; Inflammaging; Turmeric: Can It Help Prevent Alzheimer’s & Dementia; DoSe Turmeric Curcumin C3 Complex £24 for 60 Capsules (offer ends at midnight BST, Sunday 3 August)

In all of this, we remain very clear that ongoing clinical research will often determine the status of existing formulations, which is why we often tweak formulations in order to uphold ethos and integrity, and that is true across supplementation and skincare. Turning to skincare, I need to tell you that we have changed the formulation of our Prickly Pear Serum, mostly because many of you asked us to revert to a formulation which just carried Prickly Pear as an ingredient, rather than a combination of several ingredients. And with the benefits of Prickly Pear discussed in an article linked below, 100% Pure Prickly Pear Seed Oil drops in price from £24 to £21.
VH Editorial: Beauty Benefits Of Prickly Pear Oil; DoSe 100% Pure Prickly Pear Seed Oil £21 for 30 ml (offer ends at midnight BST, Tuesday 5 August)

There is no doubt that Niacinamide has gained much recognition across the past few years and Shabir often refers to it as a Herculean multitasker, which always makes me laugh. So, let’s take a look and Niacin, which is also known as vitamin B3 can be found in many supplements and it is converted into Niacinamide which helps in the manufacture of enzymes that release cellular energy and break down fats more efficiently. Our digestive system, nervous system and brain function all depend upon adequate levels of Niacinamide, but as important as it is to the body, it is also important to support the health and integrity of skin.

Once again, extensive research has shown that the benefits of Niacinamide are numerous, including targeting fine lines, melasma and compromised skin concerns, with several studies indicating that Niacinamide helps reduce the severity of moderate inflammatory skin concerns. In addressing uneven skin tones, which generally arises as a result of enhanced and uneven distribution of melanin which is the predominant pigment of skin, Niacinamide works to block the accumulation of melanin on the surface of skin, helping to prevent skin darkening, often being used to treat melasma, a condition with marked facial hyperpigmentation.

I know I write this all the time, but it is important to manage expectations and it can take several weeks, or months, of continued use of any given serum to notice a difference. Each of the DoSe products are result-driven, given time, and here Niacinamide is joined by Avocado, which helps to moisturise and nourish skin, together with Sodium Lactate, which provides moisture, Sunflower Petal Extract offering soothing relief to stressed skin, Aspen Bark Extract which is rich in salicylates to target impurities and of course Ergothioneine, an anti-inflammatory which provides potent antioxidant protection.
VH Editorial: Niacinamide Serum And Its Multiple Benefits; DoSe Niacinamide 5% Serum £12 for 30 ml (drops from £15) (offer ends at midnight BST, Tuesday 5 August)

And now I want to talk about Arnica. Arnica is a medicinal plant belonging to the daisy family and it is probably one of the best-known, multi-purpose healing plants renowned for its ability to alleviate bruising and swelling, muscular aches and pains, backache, cramps and sprains. So, this is where I tell you that Weleda have just launched a new product and that product is Arnica Cryo Gel, a cooling, non-greasy gel formulated with Arnica and Menthol for an immediate cooling effect to help ease local discomfort on the body, and I will include our feet in that equation.

Staying with Arnica, Weleda really do have a wonderful range of products which include their Arnica Muscle Soak which has been formulated with extracts of Arnica flowers and Birch leaves together with Rosemary and Lavender essential oils. Alleviating feelings of tiredness and fatigue, Arnica Muscle Soak is joined by Arnica Massage Balm, a traditional herbal medicinal product for a warming massage to relieve aching muscles or stiffness. Arnica Cryo Gel is £14.95 for 100 ml, Arnica Muscle Soak is £17.50 for 200 ml and Arnica Massage Balm is £17.50 for 100 ml, but for the entire month of August, we are offering a 20% discount on each of the products mentioned.
Weleda Arnica Products (offer ends at midnight BST, Sunday 31 August)

From feet to legs, and some words about Margaret Dabbs’ Firming Leg Serum which has been formulated to help tone, firm and tighten skin. Targeting puffiness it contains a clinically proven ingredient, Legance™, which helps to reduce water retention, and it also contains V-Tonic Complex, which is a blend of five powerful essential oils to provide an immediate cooling effect to help stimulate circulation. It can also help relieve hot leg syndrome, often experienced during menopausal years and with further details on the product page, I am dropping the price of Firming Leg Serum (100 ml) from £35 to £18, but this is a very limited offer and I don’t actually think it will last long.
Firming Leg Serum by Margaret Dabbs £18 for 100 ml (whilst stock lasts)

And another offer, this time from TEMPLESPA and for the entire month of August, Eye Truffle drops in price from £75 to £40, so that’s a saving of £35. Eye Truffle is a complete rejuvenation cream for the eye contour, designed to penetrate the dermal layer where wrinkles originate and it contains several key ingredients including Kombucha to improve the appearance of healthy skin, Sodium hyaluronate to attract moisture to the skin, Champagne extract (Grapes) to help encourage cell renewal and vitamin E, to soften and replenish dehydrated skin by replacing lost moisture.
Eye Truffle by TEMPLESPA £40 for 15 ml (offer ends at midnight BST, Sunday 31 August)

Rolling on, just one more offer and here we are offering a 20% discount across each of the Blooming Blends products, a range of natural herbal remedies and tinctures blended to strengthen the mind, body and soul. There are five products in the range and the bestselling tincture is Nighttime Blend, which really isn’t surprising bearing in mind that sleep deprivation is a huge concern for so many of us. Formulated with relaxing Oat Straw, calming Chamomile, soothing Limeflower, restful Lavender and de-stressing Ashwagandha, it can be taken as a stand-alone, or as an adjunct to Sleep Tight Plus, which may as well drop in price too, from £26 to £23.
Blooming Blends Products; DoSe Sleep Tight Plus £23 for 60 Capsules (offers end at midnight BST, Tuesday 5 August)

And into the Saturday only treat we go, so with every order placed for £35 and above, excluding p&p, we will automatically send you Pure Repairing Hand Cream (45 ml)* by Margaret Dabbs, an effective hand treatment cream formulated with Pentavitin™, Vitamin F Forte and Sweet Almond Oil for lasting hydration and for the relief of cracked and stressed skin. Product details below.
Pure Repairing Hand Cream

I honestly don’t think I need to add any more words, I’ve said enough, so let’s just end this Weekend Read with a song, mostly because thinking out loud is our way of being. It always has been.
Thinking Out Loud by Ed Sheeran; The VH Playlist

Wishing each of you a restful weekend.

With love

Gill x