And so October, which is probably my favourite month of the year, and I am going to lead this Weekend Read with the TEMPLESPA Repose campaign, an annual campaign of purpose where the chosen product, Repose, becomes a purchase with purpose.  We are both brands who believe in empowering people to live their lives to the full, we have wellness in our hearts and each year money is raised for a charity which we believe shares our values and needs our support.  For over forty years, Alzheimer’s Society, this year’s chosen charity, has been a powerful force for change, improving the lives of people living with dementia and their loved ones.

Dementia is the UK’s biggest killer, and one in three people born today will develop the condition in their lifetime and the Alzheimer’s Society state that it is a crisis which cannot be ignored. Tragically, many remain undiagnosed and do not receive the support or care they need and deserve, but there is hope.  They further state that this generation holds the power to end the devastation caused by dementia, but achieving this can only be done through a huge collective effort, and crucially the Alzheimer’s Society have been at the forefront of science and research, backing the world’s brightest minds and funding life-changing breakthroughs. 

Turning to the product, Repose Relaxing Night Cream is a beautiful cream with a fragrant blend of Valerian, Chamomile, Frankincense, Lavender, Patchouli, Geranium and Clary Sage, all of which are renowned to help calm and relax our senses when we need to rest.  Repose is also infused with hops to encourage restful sleep, natural plant extracts and antioxidants and with every purchase of Repose (50 ml), we will give you another jar of Repose (50 ml), which is absolutely free and has a value of £46.  For every Repose Duo sold, a donation of £6 will be given to the Alzheimer’s Society, so together we are raising funds, raising support and raising hope. 
Repose Duo by TEMPLESPA £46 (valid for the month of October)

And now for the rest, so I will begin by saying that we are driven by solution-based products, which is of course an obvious statement because it is our raison d'être, so let’s take a closer look. And when we take that closer look, it becomes apparent that almost without exception most of the products we endorse and recommend are multi-functional in that they offer solutions to a range of health concerns, so I am going to use Digestive Enzyme Complex as an example here, and in terms of efficacy, Digestive Enzyme Complex sets an example too, an example of a leading clinically studied formulation, which I wouldn’t want to live without. 

Our levels of digestive enzymes decline with age, which is a natural process, but they can also decline because of other factors, including stress, nutrient deficiencies and certain medications, and it is this lack that can often lead to a series of digestive problems including bloating, indigestion, wind and heartburn.  To put this into perspective, studies indicate that the body’s natural digestive enzyme production starts to decline by the time we reach twenty, with further indications showing that production decreases by an average of 12% with every ten years of age, so that by the time we reach our forties, levels have decreased by roughly 25%.

And in addressing that decline, we are able to supplement that lack with Digestive Enzyme Complex and as I link Shabir’s in-depth article on the role of digestive enzymes below, it is important to say that this formulation contains three different types of proteases, which are protein digesting enzymes.  Protein is the hardest food to digest and if protein-rich foods are not broken down sufficiently, it can often lead to symptoms of heartburn, acid reflux and indigestion, but I opened this section by talking about multi-functional solution-based products so, in demonstration, we are now going to take a look at halitosis and the gut health connection.

Halitosis, or bad breath, is normally associated with several concerns, including gum disease, however halitosis may also indicate poor gut health and interestingly, Hippocrates, a Greek physician, discovered a connection between breath odour and liver failure.  Although this approach is very basic, it established that exhaled breath contains compounds from deep within the body, not just from the respiratory system, and that changes in exhaled breath may alert us of a disease in the body.

Referencing halitosis specifically, if our food is not broken down efficiently it can stagnate in the gut, which can lead to constipation, bloating, the build-up of gas and halitosis, it really is as simple as that.  So, with two articles linked below referencing the importance of digestive enzymes, I cannot talk about gut health without mentioning Mega Probio, so I’ve just done that and in so doing I am dropping the price of Digestive Enzyme Complex from £29 to £26 and Mega Probio drops from £24 to £21, and that is simple too.
VH Editorials: Digestive Enzymes For Bloating, Gas Or Indigestion; Bad Breath & The Gut Health Connection; DoSe Digestive Enzyme Complex £26 for 60 Capsules; Mega Probio £21 for 60 Capsules (offers end at midnight BST, Sunday 6 October)

Ongoing, and on theme, I wrote many words about immunity last weekend, leading with Daily Immunity, which is our bestselling supplement in its genre, stating that each ingredient in the formulation not only supports our overall immunity but, within that, it supports specific concerns, citing cold sores as an example.  Cold sores are a condition caused by the infection of the herpes simplex virus and they are incredibly common, with seven out of ten people in the UK carrying the virus according to the Herpes Viruses Association, with one in three of us showing symptoms.

If you are prone to cold sores, we recommend taking L-Lysine as either an adjunct to Daily Immunity, or as a stand-alone, as numerous studies have indicated that Lysine supplementation can help to speed the recovery from, and prevent, recurrences of cold sores.  Lysine has anti-viral properties, but additionally it blocks the uptake of Arginine, an amino acid that prevents viral growth.  And yet, I cannot write about cold sores without mentioning Lysine Lip Balm, which is totally brilliant for the healing and treatment of cold sores and chapped lips, as well as treating cracked corners of the mouth, known as angular cheilitis, which can be so very painful.
VH Editorials: Prevention & Treatment Of Cold Sores; Cracked Corners Of Mouth; Daily Immunity £29 for 60 Capsules; L-Lysine HCI by Lamberts £14.95 for 120 Tablets; Lysine Lip Balm by Good Health Naturally £5.95

And because one thing leads to another, and because Lysine Lip Balm is a solution-based health product and I am forever writing about the inside/out approach to health, one more thing here. We consistently recommend Omega-7 Sea Buckthorn Oil to restore lipids within our skin, so it follows that Omega-7 will also help heal dry and cracked lips.  And here comes the multi-tasking part of the Omega-7 equation, because we also recommend Omega-7 for overcoming vaginal dryness, for tackling dry eyes syndrome and for managing Sjogren’s Syndrome. Full information on each concern below, and Omega-7 drops in price from £22.95 to £20 across the weekend.
VH Editorials: Overcoming Menopausal Vaginal Dryness; Tackling Dry Eyes Syndrome; Managing Sjogren’s Syndrome; Omega-7 Sea Buckthorn Oil by Sibu £20 for 60 Softgels (offer ends at midnight BST, Sunday 6 October)

In full flow, let’s talk about our eyes, and I’ll be brief here because this really should be on What’s The Solution, but never mind that because I think it is important to say that if you are concerned about the appearance of dark circles and puffiness around the eye area, Shabir recommends Cleavers.  I often write about Cleavers because of its ability to detoxify the lymphatic system, and here the therapeutic strength of this herb enhances lymph flow as it rids the body of toxins and in so doing it helps improve the appearance of dark circles and puffiness, in time. So let’s drop the price of Cleavers from £19.15 to £16.50 and move on.
VH Editorial: The Lymphatic System; Cleavers by Viridian Nutrition £16.50 for 90 Capsules

As we move on, we are going to take a look at Postherpetic Neuralgia (PHN).  PHN is the damage caused to the nerves by the shingles virus, leading to severe pain.  Shingles typically causes a painful, blistering rash and the symptoms of pain usually disappear with the rash, however for some people this pain continues for several months and PHN is defined as pain which lasts longer than three months.  A note here to say that the shingles virus is the same virus, VZN, which causes chickenpox and if you had chickenpox as a child, and I think most of us did, the virus lies dormant and it can reactivate.

There is no cure for shingles and although antiviral medication is often prescribed to shorten the duration, PHN displays as a burning, throbbing and jabbing pain which is usually limited to the area on the body where the shingles breakout occurred, so the focus here is on PHN where pain can last for several months, long after the rash has gone, due to the damage caused by the nerve fibres.  Here we recommend a specific magnesium, Neuro-Mag, because it contains Magnesium L-threonate, which has been shown to enter the nervous system via the spinal cord, thus relaxing the nerves which send signals of pain to the brain.

For balance, and topically, we recommend taking a healing cool bath with Magnesium Flakes, where the nerve relaxing properties of Magnesium help to ease the pain and symptoms of PHN. Alternatively, if you shower, Hope’s Relief Goats Milk Body Wash may help soothe the itching, and another mention here for Daily Immunity in a precautionary capacity because shingles is often associated with a weakened immune system.  So the wrap looks like this, the price of Neuro-Mag drops from £32 to £29 and I am throwing a 20% discount across all of the Hope’s Relief products this weekend, and there are six of them, each dedicated to compromised skin concerns.
VH Editorial: Treating Postherpetic Neuralgia; Neuro-Mag by Life Extension £29 for 90 Capsules; Magnesium Oil Original Flakes by Better You £10.95 for 1 kg; Hope’s Relief Products (offers end at midnight BST, Sunday 6 October)

Right, let’s take a moment to debrief, and separately, I debriefed with the VH Addicts on Thursday, which I felt I wanted to do for many different reasons, not least because I wanted to write a personal note to all the new members, which I did.  So, here I just want to say that there are moments when I take you behind the scenes, as it were, and this is one of those moments, in fact it is a Friday afternoon moment, a last Friday afternoon moment, when I was told late that afternoon that Imuno-Strength Liquid was being discontinued, and of course Imuno-Strength was on the Weekend Read.

I have absolutely no idea why we weren’t informed of this when we placed our order in preparation for the words I wrote last weekend, but we weren’t and it was too late to change the Weekend Read.  I sighed, I thumped my desk several times, but of course I stand by every word I wrote about Imuno-Strength because it is, and was, an exceptional product.  Except it’s just gone to product heaven, so in a world where I will only ever write about exceptional products, Viridian’s Organic Elderberry & Vit C liquid is another exceptional product, which is suitable for the entire family, supporting and helping the avoidance of colds and flu.

Featuring an Austrian organic elderberry extract standardised to oligo-proanthocyanidins (OPCs), this formulation guarantees the required amount of this active compound.  As such, it also stands out in the crowded Elderberry marketplace and it is enhanced with Brazilian acerola cherries which are rich in vitamin C, with vitamin C contributing to the normal function of the immune system.  So, as I drop the price of Organic Elderberry & Vit C down from £23.65 to £20, it sits alongside Viridian’s Organic Elderberry Throat Spray, which went out of stock last weekend, but it’s now back in stock and I will hold the price at £17, which dropped from £19.55.
Organic Elderberry & Vit C Extract by Viridian Nutrition £20 for 100 ml; Organic Elderberry Throat Spray by Viridian Nutrition £17 for 50 ml (offers end at midnight BST, Sunday 6 October)

And after all of that, let’s do some more seasonal gifts and I am going to begin with three products from Margaret Dabbs, the first being her Luxury Traditional Christmas Crackers.  There are six handmade crackers in this stylish set, designed in snowflake white with gold foil and each cracker contains an award-winning product, from a selection listed on the product page. They are expensive, but not quite so expensive if you are a VH Addict because you can apply your discount here, saving £6.60, and if you choose to become an Addict today, you will receive the same discount provided the membership fee of £30 is on the same order for recognition purposes.
Six Luxury Traditional Christmas Crackers by Margaret Dabbs London £66; VH Addict Membership £30

Staying with crackers, the second seasonal gift from Margaret Dabbs is the Fabulous Cracker, with each cracker containing the Nourishing Nail & Cuticle Serum Pen (15 ml) and the third seasonal gift is the Pure Nail Strengthening Treatment (9 ml) Christmas Tree Bauble, except you don’t have to hang it on a tree, as it makes a wonderful gift too, not least because this is the bestselling product which has been formulated to aid nail recovery and strengthen weak and peeling nails.  It can also be used as a treatment for bare nails, or as a base coat under polish, and as with all the seasonal gifts, this is a limited edition and will be available whilst stock lasts.
Fabulous Cracker by Margaret Dabbs London £13; Pure Nail Strengthening Treatment Christmas Tree Bauble by Margaret Dabbs London £16

Notwithstanding the fact that I opened the Weekend Read with the Repose campaign, l am on a roll with TEMPLESPA’s beautiful gifts and their Sea-Scape Revitalising Salts will transform your bathroom into a Mediterranean bathing experience.  Loaded with Magnesium, Potassium and Calcium and Arnica, these ingredients are joined by Mediterranean seaweed and maritime pine extract and infused with Eucalyptus, Rosemary, Thyme Grapefruit and Bergamot in a rather gorgeous keepsake tin, which you can refill over and over again.  I’m wondering whether it would be so terrible to refill it with biscuits for a different bathing experience.  These will do.  And I’m smiling.
Sea-Scape Revitalising Salts by TEMPLESPA £25 for 500 grams; Speculaas Biscuits by Nigella

And from one joyful moment to another, with TEMPLESPA’s Joyful Moment Gift Set, which includes the Good Life Invigorating Aromatic Candle (75 grams) together with Happy Space Energising Aromatic Diffuser (50 ml), which contains Mediterranean botanicals, including Bergamot, Sweet Orange, Lemon, Eucalyptus and Thyme.  And staying in a happy space, In Safe Hands is dedicated to happy hands, with three gorgeous products, Soft At Heart Soothing Hand Polish (30 ml), which is a limited edition product, Palm Balm Nourishing Hand Cream (30 ml) and Helping Hand Overnight Miracle Hand Mask (30 ml), which is a new product.  Full details on the product page.
Joyful Moments by TEMPLESPA £45; In Safe Hands by TEMPLESPA £20

Let’s end this section with a gift set from This Works, and it is a gift set which makes an appearance each year essentially because everybody loves a great sleep product and the Sleep Club gift set includes five x 5 ml Deep Sleep Pillow Sprays, which has been clinically proven to help you fall asleep faster, promoting blissful sleep.  This product has a value of £30, yet the set is just £13, making us love it even more.  And actually, I hope it continues to make an appearance each year, otherwise I might just have to eat the egg on my face next year. Scrambled, no doubt. 
Sleep Club by This Works £13

And into the Saturday only treat we go with an ode to Color Wow, so with every order placed for £35 and above, excluding p&p, we will automatically include one of three different gifts* from Color Wow which are computer generated, so we are unable to be specific about that gift, but it will either be Color Wow Security Shampoo (75 ml), Color Wow Security Conditioner (75 ml) or Xtra Large Bombshell Volumiser (50 ml).  And on subject, Color Wow have just released a new product, Youth Juice Collagen Scalp Treatment, which I have listed below and in one final fling, I have taken the price of it down from £44 to £40 for launch and for the interim.
Youth Juice Collagen Scalp Treatment by Color Wow £40

Before I go, I just want to say here that there are times when some of the Saturday only treats run out, and this may well be the case this weekend, but in that circumstance, we will always substitute with another gift because that’s the way we roll.  And as we continue to roll, let’s take a moment, a moment where we give thanks for all that we are and all that we have together, because gratitude is so incredibly important if we are to experience what it really means to share. We have been sharing for a very long time, and for that, I thank you.
Old Friends by Simon & Garfunkel; 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 after discount 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.