Here we are, the first Saturday in August and I would like to begin this Weekend Read by talking about the importance of community and feedback.  I touched on this subject last weekend, but I want to further that conversation with some words about What’s The Solution, which we release each Tuesday morning.  What’s The Solution, as so many of you know, allows a discussion between us about common and uncommon health concerns, offering solutions to those concerns in a question and answer format.

Of course, I cover specific health concerns each week on the Weekend Read, but What’s The Solution will often help to support rare health issues and we have always considered it important to platform these concerns because there are always those who can relate, and in and of itself that is important.  But actually, the main reason I want to talk about What’s The Solution is because of the evolutionary acceptance of complementary medicine and the role that it plays in each of our lives, an acceptance that allows a balance between complementary and allopathic medicine, from our side of the equation.

With so many solutions rooted in the ancient knowledge and wisdom of natural ingredients, we still have a long way to go before the pharmaceuticals fully acknowledge and respect our existence, but we do exist and we exist for a purpose, a core purpose which allows discernment and choice, an educated choice.  When we launched What’s The Solution, I was concerned that we were sending out yet another weekly email, but your feedback has been a comfort and a joy, the joy being that I know how many of you have been supported.  So Tuesday’s belong to Shabir, but they belong to each of you too, and for the record we archive What’s The Solution.
What’s The Solution

With that said, I will begin this section of the newsletter by talking about a health concern, a very common health concern, and that health concern is high blood pressure.  Although I will offer a solution in the form of supplementation at the end of this section, primarily an understanding of this concern is critically important, most especially because high blood pressure is often referred to as the ‘silent killer’, silent because unless you know what the symptoms are, you would not necessarily know that you have high blood pressure.

Medically, high blood pressure is known as hypertension and this serious concern leads to a high percentage of deaths from heart attack, stroke and kidney failure, so the big ask here is to not only understand the risks, but to ensure that your blood pressure is monitored frequently, before complications arise.  When blood pressure is elevated consistently, the heart is having to work much harder in order for blood to be forced around the body, and although symptoms of high blood pressure vary, some of the most common symptoms include vision problems, severe headaches, pain in the chest area, breathing problems and blood in urine.

Aside from the ageing factor, which must always be taken into consideration, the three main causal factors which influence our blood pressure levels are a healthy diet, where reducing fat, alcohol and salt consumption will help to keep the heart healthy, a lack of exercise and stress.  Short-term stress increases blood pressure, which then reverts to normal, but ongoing stress results in the production of hormones which constrict blood vessels, meaning that the heart is burdened to force blood through the circulatory system, as mentioned above.

There are many herbs which are beneficial to the heart, and these include Hawthorn and Arjuna, often referred to as cardiotonics because they have the ability to enhance the contraction phase of the heart, allowing an increased volume of blood to be pumped around the body.  Additionally, several studies have indicated that Hawthorn extracts strengthen and tone the heart muscle.  Shabir takes a closer look in his article, linked below, and I am dropping the price of Cardio Peak With Standardised Hawthorn and Arjuna, our recommended form of supplementation, from £32 to £29 across the weekend.  And now we are going to talk about stress.
VH Editorial: High Blood Pressure; Cardio Peak With Standardised Hawthorn and Arjuna by Life Extension £29 for 120 Capsules (offer ends at midnight BST, Sunday 4 August)

Stress affects each of us in varying degrees and being a proponent of prevention rather than cure, it would seem sensible to reduce our levels of stress and anxiety as best we can.  I absolutely understand this is easier said than done in a lot of instances, most especially because we are living in an angry world, a world where people can be so incredibly cruel, not least on social media where all too often heinous acts of bullying and hatred are used on that platform to abuse and humiliate others.  I know all about this.  A major ‘player’ in the beauty industry did it to me.

In one sense this is not about me, but in another sense, it is about me in that my own experiences allow me to have a deeper understanding of mental health issues, a subject I often write about.  I am citing just one example here, but stress is of course triggered for a multitude of reasons, yet in all of this we have a choice and many choose prescribed medication in the form of anti-depressants.  However, there are those who prefer natural solutions to help lower stress and anxiety levels, and Magnolia Rhodiola Complex is our bestselling supplement to help support and lower those levels.

I am not going to write many words here about Magnolia Rhodiola Complex, other than to say that Magnolia extracts have been extensively researched and been shown to reduce cortisol levels in our bodies quite significantly, cortisol being the stress hormone. However, what I will say here is that Magnolia Rhodiola Complex helps to address many stress-related health concerns, and you will find thirteen articles on the product page covering issues such as adrenal stress, which affects many of us.  I will link just one article below and as I do so, I will also drop the price of Magnolia Rhodiola Complex to £25 from £28, across the weekend.
VH Editorial: How To Combat Stress Effectively; DoSe Magnolia Rhodiola Complex £25 for 60 Capsules (offer ends at midnight BST, Sunday 4 August)

Whenever I write about Magnolia Rhodiola Complex, I have a duty and a responsibility to say that if you are taking prescribed anti-depressants, you cannot take Magnolia Rhodiola Complex as it will contra-indicate.  I understand that in many instances further support is needed, and as an adjunct to prescribed medication, Florassist Mood Improve is completely safe to take.  This formulation contains Saffron, acknowledging compelling research indicating that Saffron compounds promote mood health.  And with the relevant article linked below offering further insight, I am dropping the price of Florassist Mood Improve to £23 from £26.
VH Editorial: A Probiotic Supplement To Relieve Anxiety; Florassist Mood Improve by Life Extension £23 for 30 Capsules (offer ends at midnight BST, Sunday 4 August)

Let’s move on, and as we do so I want to take a look at iron deficiency, because it is one of the most common deficiencies in the world, affecting approximately 15% of the world’s population. Iron is found in haemoglobin, a protein found in red blood cells which carries oxygen to all parts of the body.  Surplus iron is stored in our bodies as a reserve, but when our diet is deficient in iron, the body starts to use the reserves and once depleted the blood does not have enough iron and haemoglobin to oxygenate the body, which leads to anaemia, a widespread nutrient deficiency concern.

It is possible to be iron deficient without having anaemia and some of the symptoms include feeling lethargic, a lack of appetite, excessive hair shredding, restless legs and shortness of breath, but some of these symptoms could also be attributable to stress, so our recommendation is to seek a professional diagnosis.  With that said, iron is poorly absorbed by the body and the recommended daily intake is much higher than the daily requirement as in the majority of cases we do not achieve sufficient iron levels in the body, so to achieve this we recommend a diet of iron rich foods, which Shabir discusses in his article, linked below, together with supplementation.

We believe that Ionic Iron is the best form of iron supplementation as it contains ions, which are atoms that have an electrical charge.  All minerals are converted by the body into their ionic forms before utilisation, so Ionic Iron provides liquid iron in its best form for immediate absorption and utilisation by the body.  Interestingly, the pharmaceutical industry has been using ionic liquids to improve the delivery of medications, but an important point here is that ionic forms of iron do not cause constipation, or stomach discomfort, and unlike traditional forms of iron, this formulation will not overload the body with iron, which can be dangerous, so let’s stay safe here. 
VH Editorial: The Best Liquid Iron Supplement; Ionic Iron by Good Health Naturally £14.99 for 56 ml

Continuing our ongoing conversation about skin health and being her mother’s daughter, Lara is as besotted with Ergothioneine Serum as I am, but her skin is different to mine as it is prone to redness, so she also uses Azelaic Acid 10% Serum.  As with most of the DoSe serums, Azelaic Acid is not a single-ingredient formulation, they are specifically formulated treatment products, so Azelaic Acid 10% Serum also includes Hyaluronic Acid, Jojoba Protein, Sodium Lactate, with a dose of Ergothioneine, which is of course the signature ingredient of the DoSe collection.

As a treatment product, Azelaic Acid has been formulated to play a very specific role for the treatment of blemishes and the prevention of blemish marks and dark spots, but it also displays powerful anti-inflammatory properties to help calm and soothe skin prone to redness.  And because we are all about the health of skin, we have always believed that supplementation is integral and here we recommend Clear Skin Complex, a blend of skin targeted botanicals and key minerals, including Burdock, which has a long history of use in treating skin concerns, with Burdock playing a role in helping to remove toxins and inflammatory compounds from the liver.

I am linking a relevant article below which takes an in-depth look at rosacea, including ocular rosacea, a common concern where we recommend A. Vogel’s Eye Drops, but on from that I am dropping the price of Clear Skin Complex from £28.45 to £25.  In a wrap, I had a moment with Ergothioneine Serum two weeks ago, Shabir had a moment with Multi-Peptide Anti-Ageing Serum last weekend, and Lara is allowed to join in and have her own moment, so we will include Fulvic Face Cream (30 ml) with every order placed for Azelaic Acid 10% Serum across the weekend, which is worth £15.
VH Editorial: Rosacea Treatment For Face And Eyes; Eye Drops by A. Vogel £11.99 for 10 ml; Clear Skin Complex by Viridian Nutrition £25 for 60 Capsules; DoSe Azelaic Acid 10% Serum £15 for 30 ml + Free Fulvic Face Cream (30 ml) (Only one gift per customer and offer ends at midnight BST, Sunday 4 August)

I often write about Green People and I am about to do so again as they have launched three aromatherapy bracelet gift sets, which are really cute.  The concept is pretty simple, each set arrives with an aromatherapy fragrance and a Lava Stone Aromatherapy Bracelet and you just drop your chosen mood fragrance onto the natural lava beads with the fragrance releasing as it gently warms up against your skin.  With full details on each of the product pages, the first set is Time To Smile, the second is Time To Relax and the third is Time To Sleep.  If I didn’t have an essential oil allergy, I would probably wear all three at once, but I can’t.
Time To Smile by Green People £20; Time To Relax by Green People £20; Time To Sleep by Green People £20

Right, a new month and a new offer from TEMPLESPA, so for the month of August Trufflesque drops in price from £65 to £32.50, so that’s two for the price of one if you are a Trufflesque aficionado.  Trufflesque is a rather sublime hydrating radiance mask which is loaded with black summer truffles, gold and silk peptides and natural plant extracts which are blended with a fruit and amino acid cocktail.  And as I leave you to read all about Trufflesque on the product page linked below, I will confirm that this offer runs through to midnight BST, Saturday 31 August, which seems to be rather neat, as I will write a reminder on that Saturday’s Weekend Read.  If I remember. 
Trufflesque by TEMPLESPA £32.50 for 80 ml

I am about to write about a limited edition offer, but I just want to say here that there are times when I can extend an offer if demand is high, but more often than not I am unable to do that and that is the case here.  So, in order to be equitable, there is only one gift per customer with this offer and if the gift fails to be added to your basket, that will mean the offer is over.  The gift is Pure Repairing Hand Cream (45 ml) from Margaret Dabbs and you will receive that gift if you spend £30 or above on any of the Margaret Dabbs products.  And we’ll leave it there.
Margaret Dabbs Products

On a roll and we are about to have a blitz moment, an Aurelia blitz moment as I drop the price of three of their products, as follows. Balancing & Purify Citrus Cleanser (120 ml) drops from £26 to £18, Balancing Ultra-Light Moisturiser (50 ml) drops from £30 to £20 and Cell Revitalise Night Moisturiser (30 ml) drops from £34 to £24.  As above, I am unable to extend these offers and once they are over, they really are over and the blitz will be complete.
Balancing & Purify Citrus Cleanser by Aurelia London £18 for 120 ml; Balancing Ultra-Light Moisturiser by Aurelia London £20 for 50 ml; Cell Revitalise Night Moisturiser by Aurelia London £24 for 30 ml (whilst stock lasts)

Time to debrief. Last weekend I wrote about Extra Strength Dream Coat and it flipped onto a wait list, so this is just to say that it is now back in stock.  To reiterate my words, Extra Strength Dream Coat is a powerful next-generation, anti-frizz hair, humidity-resistant treatment which has been formulated with flex-elastic polymers and results will last through three or four shampoos.  I dropped the price of Extra Strength Dream Coat from £32 to £28, and I just want to say here that I will uphold that price drop going through this week and that also applies to Lanolips 12-Hour Overnight Lip Mask, which dropped from £13 to £11.
Extra Strength Dream Coat by Color Wow £28 for 200 ml; Lanolips 12-Hour Overnight Lip Mask £11 for 15 grams

I think that both of the above products are destined to become iconic, but I believe that DoSe Digestive Enzyme Complex is also destined to become iconic.  I am a living expert on digestive enzyme formulations and although I have taken and recommended differing formulations across the years, there are those which have made my stomach cramp, and there are those where I have questioned their efficacy over time, which essentially is why I asked Shabir to formulate Digestive Enzyme Complex, and he did so using three types of proteases, which work optimally throughout the intestines ensuring that proteins are broken down to aid digestive problems.

As ever, the most up-to-date research and clinical evaluations were adhered to in the formulation of Digestive Enzyme Complex, allowing its status as a pioneering and cutting-edge formulation. And because this supplement really does stand out in the crowd and because we are nearly at the end of this Weekend Read, I am dropping the price of Digestive Enzyme Complex from £29 to £26 as my final fling, and in and of themselves, these product flings could become iconic in their own specific right and in their own specific moment.
VH Editorial: Digestive Enzymes For Bloating, Gas Or Indigestion; DoSe Digestive Enzyme Complex £26 for 60 Capsules (offer ends at midnight BST, Sunday 4 August)

And into the Saturday only treat we go, and with every order placed for £35 and above, excluding p&p, we will automatically include Fulvic Body Lotion (60 ml)*, with an invitation to dose Fulvic Body Lotion with your chosen DoSe serum, if indeed you have a DoSe serum.  Of course, Fulvic Body Lotion is brilliant as a stand-alone, but some may wish to specifically dose the lotion and an example here would be dosing with Peptide Rescue Serum for inflammatory skin concerns on the body.  And having mentioned Peptide Rescue Serum, which is formulated with Neurophroline, I will also include Fulvic Face Cream (30 ml), with every order placed.  And that is that.
Fulvic Body Lotion; DoSe Peptide Rescue Serum £22 for 30 ml + Free Fulvic Face Cream (30 ml) (Only one gift per customer and offer ends at midnight BST, Sunday 4 August)

Some words. I often take you behind the scenes of the health and beauty industry, which I absolutely promise you is not for commercial gain, but because I detest injustice, any form of injustice.  It never ceases to amaze me how an industry can be so disingenuous in its messaging about trust, care and values when so very often it significantly fails to align with that same messaging.  And the one that really kills me is the ‘be kind’ dialogue, because there is nothing kind about the lies, corruption and greed which are all too often covered up with ‘puff’ articles and interviews extolling the virtues of amoral brands and people.

I find that shameful, but of course it is not only the health and beauty industry, the fashion industry carries its own shame as recent investigations by Italian authorities have uncovered sweatshop conditions in factories linked to two luxury brands, as reported by The Business of Fashion.  And quite rightly the sector’s marketing mythology and value equation is being questioned amid stratospheric price increases in the luxury sector.  Conversely, the same is happening in the health and beauty industry where marketing mythology and value equation appear to be totally out of touch with reality, but as ever the truth can so often be found in the lifting of the mythological veil.

For balance, and on a lighter note, Shabir has always declared that in his next life he is coming back as an IT expert, mostly because neither of us understand the language these people speak and I’ve decided I want to come back as a journalist, an investigative journalist.  Or just perhaps we should all come back together to sing as one on a far larger platform, a globally recognised platform.  And just perhaps, in this moment, we should dedicate the words of Viva La Vida to the conglomerates and their ilk, which may, or may not be, prophetic.  With a wave and an amen to all SMEs.  From me.
Viva La Vida by Coldplay; The VH Playlist

All that is left is for me to wish each of you a restful weekend as we uphold our trust and belief that light will always prevail over dark, in the end.

I will not let anyone walk through my mind with their dirty feet.
Mahatma Gandhi

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 (BST) and Midnight (BST) 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. One gift per customer, whilst stock lasts.