Into February we go and after my words last weekend about being granted a platform to share, today’s Weekend Read is dedicated to honouring and dancing on that platform.  The thing about dancing on a platform is that we are able to dance to our own tune, a tune where we understand what it is to honour each other, so with that said, I would like to thank you for your continued feedback which is so incredibly important to us.  

Interestingly, but not surprisingly, most of the feedback I receive has nothing whatsoever to do with products, but about the importance of a shared stance and belief about life itself.  Conversely, most of the emails Shabir receives are about health concerns and products and it was this time last year that we launched What’s The Solution.

Released every Tuesday, What’s The Solution allows a sharing of some really common health concerns, but it also addresses lesser known concerns, which in turn allows an understanding of concerns which are not often written or spoken about.
What's The Solution

There are many things in life which are not often written or spoken about, but that’s a whole different subject matter for another time, which I will probably write about outside of the Weekend Read, such is its importance.  I don’t know when that will be, but what I do know is that there are many reasons I choose to stand outside of the health and beauty industry, even though we are health and beauty.  A conundrum, not really.  Let’s do the products.

Over the past few weeks I have been writing about core supplementation, so I want to continue the theme by talking about magnesium.  Magnesium is core for many different reasons, it is the fourth most abundant mineral in the body and it is involved in hundreds of biochemical reactions carried out in the body.  Magnesium is often thought to be the missing link in our diets and it is estimated that over 70% of the adult population is magnesium deficient.

As a key mineral, magnesium is required for the production of the energy molecule ATP (Adenosine triphosphate) within every cell of our bodies.  Without energy our cells cannot divide efficiently, and without energy the body’s repair processes are hindered.  Interestingly magnesium activates more enzyme systems in the body than iron and zinc combined and the symptoms of magnesium deficiency include irregular heartbeat, clogged arteries, increased risk of cardiovascular disease, low energy levels, high blood pressure and insulin resistance.

The benefits of supplementing with magnesium are numerous and several studies have indicated that those with low magnesium levels use more energy, which would explain why some of us get tired during the day.  But of course, there are many other benefits which include further studies showing that magnesium can help to decrease the release of cortisol, the stress hormone which is responsible for sleep deprivation.  Additionally, magnesium is known to be an effective muscle relaxant, easing tension in the body.

There are many magnesium supplements available which can often lead to confusion, making it difficult to decide which form of magnesium to take.  For the avoidance of doubt, Shabir formulated Magnesium Complex, an advanced formulation which provides eight magnesium compounds including magnesium glycinate, magnesium aspartate, magnesium citrate and magnesium malate, with each form of magnesium providing the correct therapeutic dosage for optimal results.  Soon to carry the DoSe branding, let’s continue to celebrate core supplementation as I drop the price of Magnesium Complex down to £19 from £22.  Across the weekend.
VH Editorial: Magnesium Supplements: Benefits, Deficiencies & Side Effects; Magnesium Complex £19 for 60 Capsules (offer ends at midnight GMT, Sunday 4 February)

Having written about how magnesium can help with a lack of energy, I made a promise to a customer last weekend that I would write about Daily Energy on this newsletter, so here it is.  Daily Energy can be taken as an adjunct to Magnesium Complex, which would seem to be a good idea, or it can be taken as a stand-alone to help address tiredness.  Tiredness is a very common concern and although we can often recuperate by taking time to relax, if you feel constantly tired this could be indicative of adrenal stress.

The adrenal glands are mostly responsible for releasing hormones when under stress.  Stress in this case can be physical or hormonal stress, as is the case when we age and our hormone production declines.  In both instances, the adrenals over-produce cortisol, the stress hormone, and whilst the adrenal glands are producing excess cortisol, they do not produce sufficient amounts of the energising hormones and enzymes, which can result in constant tiredness.

Daily Energy contains a herbal blend of adaptogens, which combined with natural energy boosters help to sustain energy levels throughout the day.  These ingredients include Ashwagandha, Maca, Siberian Ginseng and Suma and together they can help prevent tiredness, most especially the mid-afternoon slump, which many of us often experience.  With Siberian Ginseng often described as rocket fuel, I am dropping the price of Daily Energy down from £23 to £20 across the weekend. 
VH Editorial: Enhancing Energy; Daily Energy £20 for 60 Capsules (offer ends at midnight GMT, Sunday 4 February)

With that done, I would like to return to magnesium for a moment, but this time I want to talk about the benefits of magnesium bathing.  I am a huge advocate of medicinal bathing and bathing in magnesium helps to relieve stress, eases aching muscles and joints and will also help to promote better sleep, which is why we always recommend taking a magnesium bath an hour or so before you go to bed. 

Anyway, the thing here is that I have been writing about this subject for a very long time and although there are any number of products incorporating magnesium flakes now available, we launched Magnesium Oil Original Flakes for and on behalf of Andy Thomas, founder of BetterYou, in 2007.  We went on to campaign together about the importance of Vitamin D3, which I promise you was far from mainstream at that time.  So, with a nod to pioneering products, concepts and excellence, we are offering a 25% discount across all of the BetterYou products for the entire month of February. 
BetterYou Products (offer ends at midnight GMT, Thursday 29 February)

I want to stay on the subject of sleep, mostly because it is a huge subject, but also because I want to tell you about a new product from A. Vogel.  That product is called Sleep Well and it is a plant-based sleep complex with Lemon Balm, Lettuce, L-Tryptohan and Magnesium.  Magnesium seems to be having a moment today, but having written about many of its benefits above, let me just say that you can take Sleep Well as an adjunct to Magnesium Complex should you feel the need.

Sleep Well is delivered in an easy-to-take dissolvable granule form which has a natural orange flavour, it is suitable for long-term use and it is non-addictive.  I want to say here that sleep deprivation is an extraordinarily difficult concern, which means there is no absolute about any of the sleep supplementation we list or recommend.  What works for one, will not necessarily work for another, therefore I can make no promises.  But if you do want to try Sleep Well, I am dropping the price from £15.99 to £13.99.  This could be interesting.
Sleep Well by A. Vogel £13.99 for 14 Sachets

Let’s talk about Co-Enzyme Q10.  Having written last weekend about the declining levels of HA and NAD in our bodies, Co-Enzyme Q10 is another nutrient where levels decline with age, so by the time we reach our forties our levels of Co-Enzyme Q10 are approximately half the level they were in our twenties.  Co-Enzyme Q10 is important for the optimal function of the body on a daily basis.  Known as ubiquinone because it is ubiquitous in the human body, Co-Enzyme Q10 is required by every single cell in the body.

A powerful antioxidant,  Co-Enzyme Q10 helps to neutralise free radicals, which are highly reactive molecules known to damage the tissues.  Often recommended for conditions such as high blood pressure, Co-Enzyme Q10 helps protect the heart against free radical damage and it also helps to oxygenate heart muscle tissue, which is the most important muscle tissue in our bodies.  Studies have also indicated that Co-Enzyme Q10 can help mental alertness, showing that there is an approximate increase of 56% in cellular energy production by the brain when supplementing with this nutrient.

Such is the importance of this nutrient, there are many studies citing the benefits of Co-Enzyme Q10 and perhaps it is of particular relevance for those on prescribed cholesterol medication as it is known that statins deplete levels of Co-Enzyme Q10 in the body.  It should also be noted that Co-Enzyme Q10 has to be converted by the body into ubiquinol before it is able to be utilised by the body and this presents a major challenge because the capabilities of this conversion reduce with age.

I suppose at this point I could do my ‘not all supplements are created equally’ speech because it is true and it is relevant, it always has been.  It is for this reason that we recommend Super Ubiquinol CoEnzyme Q10, because it provides the active state of Co-Enzyme Q10 that is required by our bodies. It also features as one of Shabir’s essential supplements for optimal health, so let’s drop the price of Super Ubiquinol CoEnzyme Q10 with Enhanced Mitochondrial Support from £45 to £40 across the weekend.  This is the form of Co-Enzyme Q10 that Shabir takes.  And not to be left out, I take it too.
VH Editorial: Choosing The Right Co-Enzyme Q10; Super Ubiquinol CoEnzyme Q10 with Enhanced Mitochondrial Support by Life Extension £40 for 60 Softgels (offer ends at midnight GMT, Sunday 4 February)

In mode with discounting products for the entire month of February, we are continuing to offer 25% off the RRP for Single Ingredient DIRTEA Pouches and 15% off Tins and Superblends between now and midnight GMT, Thursday 29 February and not to be left out, we are also offering a 20% discount on the two Basix products.  Those two products are Basix Skin Defence Cream Foot Food, which is seriously wonderful for dry, cracked and hard skin, and Basix Skin Defence Cream, which has been formulated with natural ingredients to target dry skin conditions, providing soothing relief for compromised skin conditions, including eczema, psoriasis and atopic dermatitis.
Dirtea Products; Basix Skin Defence Cream Foot Food; Basix Skin Defence Cream (offers end at midnight GMT, Thursday 29 February)

Continuing the theme, most of you know that each month we do a treat from TEMPLESPA and the treat this month is In The Beginning Deep Cleansing Melt.  In The Beginning is one of TEMPLESPA’s bestselling products and I’m not at all surprised because this concentrated balm is formulated with Mediterranean ingredients of Olive, Calendula, Basil, Clary and Lavender, delivering rich Vitamin E straight onto your skin.  In The Beginning has a list price of £35, but that drops to £27, also for the entire month of February.  
In The Beginning Deep Cleansing Melt by TEMPLESPA £27 for 75 grams (offer ends at midnight GMT, Thursday 29 February)

Nearly there, just two or three more things to share with you.  The first is that if you buy any of the Lanolips products, we will automatically include a gift with your purchase.  That gift is Lano Rose Hand Cream Intense (50 ml), which has a value of £8.99 and it contains triple Lanolin, Rose Oil, Shea Butter, Cocoa Seed Butter, Vitamin E and antioxidants which work to hydrate and protect your hands.  There is only one gift per customer and if the product fails to go into your basket, that will mean that the offer is over.  I can’t join in.  I’m allergic to Lanolin. 
Lanolips Products

At the beginning of this newsletter, I wrote that it was a year since we launched What’s The Solution, so I feel we should celebrate by having a Vitamin C party, and it looks like this.  If you buy DoSe Liposomal Vitamin C then we will automatically include our bestselling beauty product free, and as so many of you know that product is Vitamin C Serum 23% + Ferulic Acid, which is worth £12.  I am doing this because we believe Liposomal Vitamin C stands in a class of its own, but also because Shabir formulated Vitamin C Serum and I suppose the moment belongs to him.  In a way.
DoSe Liposomal Vitamin C £35 for 240 ml + Vitamin C Serum 23% + Ferulic Acid by Garden of Wisdom for VH 30 ml (whilst stock lasts)

And that is that, so into the Saturday only treat we go and with every order placed for £35 and above, excluding p&p, we will automatically include Drift Away (30 ml)* by TEMPLESPA. Drift Away is a relaxing bath and massage oil which has been formulated to emulsify in bath water to help you chill out and ease away stress.  Full product details listed below.
Drift Away – Relaxing Bathing

And as we come to the end of another Weekend Read, if we are going to dance on our platform, then let’s dance to Fleetwood Mac.  I may be going a bit soft in the head, but Shabir loves Fleetwood Mac, so with no more words needed from me, let’s do it.
Dreams by Fleetwood Mac; The VH Playlist

With love

Gill x

PS:  Daily Immunity has just arrived and is now back in stock.
Daily Immunity 

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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.