Quick Tips For Managing Your Food Intake Over The Holiday Season

Eat Slower To Eat Less
Wolfing down meals may be enough to nearly double a person's risk of being overweight according to Japanese research suggests. Put you fork down between mouthfuls. Put your sandwich back on your plate between mouthfuls. Thin people often do this automatically. The rest of us have to learn it.

Snacks
Keep healthy snacks at the front of the fridge or cupboard. Put unhealthy snacks at the back of the cupboard or fridge. Put them in plain dark containers. Snack from a plate, not the packet -- it is easy to feel you should finish the packet. Put what you need on a plate, and put the rest of the pack out of sight.

Party Eating & Drinking
When you go to a party, socialise away from the area where the food and drink are. That way you are likely to eat and drink less and enjoy the party more.

Clean Your Teeth More
Keep a toothbrush handy and clean your teeth with a strong minty toothpaste. This can help reduce your need for sweet food.

Drink More Water
Water fills you up and makes you feel less hungry.

Don't Give Up!
Eaten food you shouldn't? That doesn't make you a bad or weak person. Just accept what's happened and get back to eating healthily.

Get Some Help
Self-hypnosis CDs can help the will power and herb and mineral supplements can help dramatically reduce cravings. It may be too late now to get these in place for the holiday season, but get yourself organized to have that bit of extra support in the new year. Will power is not always enough. If that’s the way you’ve tried in the past and failed, get some help and check out our great products that can help you control your eating. All come with a 60-day money-back guarantee.

Happy holidays :-)

20% off self-hypnosis self-help CDs

We’re offering 20% off all the self-help self-hypnosis CDs in our online shop. Offer ends on Friday at midnight.

You need to quote the code SAVE12 as you go through the checkout process. This great saving applies to online orders only.

Get yourself ready for the New Year with

• Exercise Motivation CD


• Financial Success CD


• Stop Smoking CD


• Positive Thinking CD


• Weight Loss CD

And lots more. Carriage is £1.50 (within the UK; outside at cost). Order before noon (Monday to Friday) and your order is sent out by first class post the same day, otherwise the next working day.

All our products come with a 60-day money-back guarantee – we want you to be happy with what you buy from us.

You can listen to excerpts online before you buy.

Self-Hypnosis CDs Make Great Christmas Presents

Self-Hypnosis CDs make great gifts – not too expensive, easy to wrap, easy to post, show you care …

Check out the ones we sell – you can listen to an excerpt of most of them –

• Deep Sleep


• Positive Thinking


• Chakra Meditation


• Driving Test Help


• Play Better Golf


• Exercise Motivation


• Guided Meditation


• Financial Success


• Kids Bedtime Relaxation
  

Check these and more out here.

Stomach Bloating Help

Stomach bloating can be a real problem at any time of the year and particularly at party time when you might want to fit into something slinky.

So we are here to help. Buy 1 pot of Optibac (high quality prebiotic and probiotic supplement) and get a course of Antibloat probiotics free.

The Optibac costs £8.80 and the free AntiBloat is worth £7.33. Carriage is £1.50 (for the UK)

Start with the Antibloat course and then move on to the Optibac when it’s finished.

Suitable for vegetarians.

Get more information and order online:


or you can place phone orders on 0844 412 4486 (outside the UK +44 844 412 4486) quoting the product code 4509 for the Optibac and asking for your free 4502 Antibloat

Are You A woman With Hair Loss?

Are you one of the many women who is concerned about hair loss?

Do you suffer from hair thinning that doesn’t occur in patches but occurs across the whole scalp, possibly with shorter hairs present at the hairline?

You may be suffering from chronic telogen effluvium.

This is particularly likely if you suffer from heavy periods which deplete your iron stores, or if you are a vegetarian who doesn’t eat enough foods with iron and/or vitamin B12 in them.

Try our supplement Iron + Vitamin C + L-lysine + Vitamin B12

This supplement will not help you if you are suffering from alopaecia where you lose your hair in patches, or if the hair loss is just noticeable on the top of your head (so that a central parting looks wider than it should be).

Otherwise give it a try!

Worst foods for pesticide residues

Learn about PAN UK's research on pesticide residues in food and find out about the top (or should we say bottom?) foods for having pesticide residues.
Read more >>

Thanksgiving Weight Loss

More good thoughts from Kim Lyons, BS, CPT, Best-selling author of Your Body, Your Life, Co-trainer on The Biggest Loser, Your Fast Track to Fat Loss Coach

Too many people mess up once and then think their entire diet is ruined.They feel as if everything they've done prior to that day was wasted andthere's no sense going on.

Or even worse, they rationalize to themselves, "Well, I already cheated, so it doesn't matter now, I might as well keep pigging out."

That's nonsense. If you threw in the towel every time you didn't score100% on your diet, most people would never get through more than a few days on any structured program.

Just because you mess up once doesn't mean you should quit! You're only human. Don't let one small slip keep you derailed.

When you've strayed from the plan, enjoy it, don't let guilt and discouragement get you down. Firmly plant your wheels back on the tracks and start rolling again. Deal?

Here's my suggested plan for Thanksgiving dinner or any other special holiday occasion or event coming up:

a.) be a little more active and have a little bit smaller portions the day prior and all the way up to your special meal.

b.) make simple, healthier changes to the foods you love , so that you can enjoy the meal, but in modified, healthier versions.

c.) eat until comfortably full and satisfied, not stuffed.

d.) get right back on track the very next morning.

If you plan these 4 steps a head of time and have the right mindset going into it, you can really enjoy your special meal without sabotaging your progress.

Fed Up With Muesli?

If you're fed up with muesli or just don't like it, try Alara Organic Active. Its truly wonderful - it's gluten free too if that's important to you.

It's a mix of quinoa, amaranth, apple and prebiotic yacon. Fantastic.

I've just been on their site and they've won lots of awards and have great business principles. Do take a look.

I've just noticed you can even make your own muesli by choosing from a list of 60 ingredients and telling them the proportion - bespoke muesli wow!

Stay Positive In The Credit Crunch

Radio, TV and the newspapers inundate you daily with more depressing news about the global economy. It can be difficult to stay positive and focussed and not let all the depressing news get you down.

So if you find yourself more affected than you would like to be, try Alaskan Essence Guardian. Guardian reminds us that protection comes from within us. It protects us from negative energies, by helping us keep strong healthy boundaries, keeping us grounded and connecting us to our inner light so we can project this out instead of absorbing energies that don’t serve us.

Acne Remedy Particularly For Teenage Boys

Have you got a teenager in your household who suffers from acne? Embarrassing, depressing, confidence sapping.

I’ve recommended Zinc Citrate to loads of mums and they almost always tell me that it worked really well.

It’s particularly appropriate for boys with acne – semenal fluid contains a lot of zinc and teenage boys often produce a lot of that, so can be more prone to acne for this reason. You may not want to quite discuss it in these terms with your sons!

Just buy them a pot to try.

Lots of women are short of zinc too – can help with PMS, mood swings and all that stuff.

Help For PMS / PMT

PMS, PMT, premenstrual syndrome whatver you call it it spells misery for many women, their partners and their children.

A study has found that 84% of UK women suffer from premenstrual syndrome (PMS). What a dreadful figure!

Many years ago I suffered very badly from PMS, and it completely dominated my life. Every month was divided up like this:

7 days of PMS – bloating, tiredness, self-hatred, extreme irritability etc.
7 days of remorse for all the horrible things I’d said and done while under the influence of my hormones
7 days of feeling OK
7 days of feeling apprehensive about the time for PMS coming round again

So what can be done about PMS? Read my article on PMS and find out.

Holiday Fat Loss Survival

Here's some well-timed thoughts from Kim Lyons of Fast Track to Fat Loss.

First key point to remember: you can and should enjoy the holidays. You can enjoy being with family and going out with friends. You can go to holiday parties and have fun.

You can enjoy a few "naughty" meals. You can have some cake and a glass
or two of wine. There's no reason why you can't enjoy yourself AND stay healthy, lean and fit through the holidays. All it takes is some planning, goal-setting, a positive mindset, and little dose of good old-fashioned discipline.

Here's the first of 10 ways that you can follow your nutrition plan and stay in great shape over the holidays without turning into a miserable Scrooge. If you follow this advice, you'll be one of the proud few with a New Year's resolution to be the best you've ever been in 2009 - instead of one of the guilt-ridden many who resolve to reclaim what they lost in 2008.

Ready? Here we go...

#1. Expect to stay on your program over the holidays.
"If you fail to plan, you plan to fail" is a time-worn and cliched statement, but it's still some of the best success advice you will ever hear.

Not only do most people fail to plan, they consciously plan to fail over the holidays. Most people expect to "blow" their diet and skip workouts.They expect to eat more, to exercise less and to gain weight. As a result, they don't even make the effort.

Instead of taking control, they resign themselves to "maintenance" at best,or back-sliding at worst. This negative expectancy leads to a self-fulfilling prophecy. By the first week of January, they're in the worst shape they've been in for a year and they frantically make New Year's resolutions to shed the excess fat they've gained.

You can avoid this trap by planning to succeed. Set up a positive expectation. Resolve now that you will not tolerate slipping backwards. Keep your standards up and don't settle! Not only can you plan to "stay in shape"over the holidays, you can plan to improve! All you have to do is make the decision and expect success.

Colorectal Cancer And Meat Eating

Information from www.pcrm.org:

A recent study from the Ontario Family Colorectal Cancer Registry, established by the U.S. National Cancer Institute, compared the diets of people who had been diagnosed with colorectal cancer to the diets of people who did not have cancer. It turned out that those who ate the most red meat had a 67 percent higher risk of colorectal cancer, regardless of any genetic factors they may have had.

However, some people with specific genes had a much higher risk from meat-eating—up to four times the cancer risk—compared to people who avoid meat.

Every year, 160,000 Americans are diagnosed with colorectal cancer. About half of all cases are already incurable when they are found.

Cotterchio M, Boucher BA, Manno M, Gallinger S, Okey AB, Harper PA. Red meat intake, doneness, polymorphisms in genes that encode carcinogen-metabolizing enzymes, and colorectal cancer risk. Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers and Prevention. 2008;17:3098-3107.

A Healthy Energy Boost

One of the most effective supplements for an energy boost is the vitamin B complex. Helps with irritability, mood swings and more. Asthmatics also often benefit from the B complex supplement as do women suffering from premenstrual problems.

We currently have a great price for the 250 tablet size of this important nutritional supplement. Buy a balanced B Complex formula.

Travellers First Aid Kit

Illness and injuries, by their very nature, happen at unpredictable times when it may be difficult or impossible to buy what you need. By travelling with a selection of homeopathic remedies you can be prepared for most eventualities.

Our travel kit contains 36 remedies covering common ailments and injuries along with remedies specifically for the traveller, from travel sickness, fear of flying, bites and stings to holiday tummy upsets and much more.

The kit comes with a comprehensive booklet that introduces you to homeopathy and features an A-Z guide of symptoms that can be treated, along with materia medica section describing the main uses of the remedies contained. Perfect for the frequent and long-distance traveller.

Gelatine Capsules - Alternatives

I'm a long term vegetarian and a member and supporter of the UK Vegetarian Society so I am careful that all the supplements on our Health & Goodness site are suitable for vegetarians and many are also suitable for vegans too.

Ginkgo Biloba works

On our Health & Godness site we sell Ginkgo Biloba and we currently have a buy 2 get 1 free offer going.

I sent a message round an email group I belong to, and a friend Yvonne posted this (completely unprompted by me):

With ref Jane's message.
I started on this fantastic supplement in the Spring at Jane's suggestion as I was experiencing pronounced leg cramp, and poor memory.[generally getting to be an old crock!]
I felt an improvement after about 4-6 weeks, but was uncertain what to attribute it to.... but having left it at home when I went away for a month I have no doubt now that the benefit was down to the Ginkgo & hastily started the daily dose when I got back 2 weeks ago.
I can't recommend it highly enough, it's the single most effective remedy for me.

Immune Boost Special Offer

If you’re dreading winter and the onset of coughs and colds, our advanced multi-strain probiotic and antioxidant blend may be just what you need. Immunox supports the body's resistance to infection and promotes a healthy immune system.



The varied types (strains) of friendly bacteria in Immunox ensure the intestinal lining throughout the gut is well colonised with a healthy coating of friendly bacteria. A strong intestinal lining prevents contaminants and harmful bacteria from entering into the bloodstream. A rich probiotic balance also supports immune cells in the intestinal walls to help limit the growth of pathogenic organisms. The antioxidants in Immunox are a unique and balanced combination of essential antioxidants as well as other potent natural extracts with very powerful regenerating and free radical neutralising properties.



A healthy probiotic balance enhances nutrient and mineral absorption in the intestines, thereby ensuring that the antioxidants are more efficiently absorbed into the bloodstream and can make their way to the cells and organs where they are needed most.



Extracts of Grape Seed, Pine Bark (pycnogenol) and Green Tea in Immunox contain powerful, natural and hypoallergenic free radical scavengers and bioflavonoid complexes that are rapidly absorbed and distributed throughout the body. These antioxidants seek out the free radicals (chemicals produced from the breakdown of foods that can cause cell damage in the body) and neutralise them.



There are many different probiotics but not all are equally effective. Some do not survive the stomach to reach the intestine where they are needed to produce a healthy lactic acid environment that limits survival of harmful bacteria. Our combination of different strains of probiotics have been shown through laboratory tests to survive the harsh environment of the digestive tract and make a positive contribution to health and immunity.



Many people take probiotic drinks but these are often high in sugar and may not contain the most resilient bacteria to survive being drunk and digested. Probiotic drinks also tend to be an expensive way to get the probiotics.



Antioxidants and probiotics are great for the body for other reasons than the immune system, so this supplement offers real whole body benefits. Probiotics also help the digestive system to function more effectively and can reduce wind and assist regular bowel movements. Antioxidants also contribute to outer beauty because they can have a positive impact on the signs of ageing such as wrinkles and sagging skin. Some research also suggests that antioxidants have a positive role to play in reducing the chances of you developing cancer.



Dose: 1 capsule per day. 30 capsules in each bottle. Suitable for vegetarians.



To buy a single bottle or to take advantage of our special offer – put 3 in the quantity field - go to



http://www.healthandgoodness.com/acatalog/Immune_Boost.html

Eat Slower To Eat Less

Not a magic pill; just common sense when you think about it. This is soemthing I have been advocating for a long time in the information about weight and shape management on my web site and it's good to see that the scientists back that now:

Wolfing down meals may be enough to nearly double a person's risk of being overweight, Japanese research suggests.
Osaka University scientists looked at the eating habits of 3,000 people and reported their findings in the British Medical Journal.
Problems in signalling systems which tell the body when to stop eating may be partly responsible, said a UK nutrition expert. Read more>>

Meat-free money saving recipes

In light of the UN’s Dr Rajendra Pachauri's recent call for people to eat less meat to help save the environment, and the 22% rise in meat and fish prices, there’s never been a better time to try meat-free meals.
The Vegetarian Society can help you do your bit for the environment and feed four people for less than £5 a meal. With recipes ranging from a simple vegetable soup through to a hearty sausage hotpot and a fast fruity crumble. For more details visit www.vegsoc.org or call 0161 925 2000.

“What we choose to eat is one of the biggest factors in the personal impact we have on the environment and everyone can enjoy tasty, meat-free meals on a budget. Research studies have shown that the single most damaging foodstuff is beef and all non-vegetarian diets required significantly greater amounts of environmental resources, such as land and water. By feeding grain and vegetables directly to people (rather than livestock) we can increase the amount of food available to everyone.” said Caroline Chisholm Head of Communications, the Vegetarian Society.

Hot Dogs In US schools

This came in from the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine. If you're in the US, I hope you'll get signing the petition and let other people know about it too.

On October 9 we took a monumental step forward to protect our kids. The Cancer Project, PCRM's affiliate organization, filed a formal petition with the U.S. Department of Agriculture demanding a halt to the distribution of hot dogs and other processed meats to our nation’s children through the National School Lunch Program.

These products have been shown to increase the risk of cancer in adulthood.The petition sites a report by the American Institute for Cancer Research and the World Cancer Research Fund which reviewed 58 research studies and concluded that “processed meat is a convincing cause of colorectal cancer.”

The petition also includes declarations of support from several prominent nutrition and cancer experts, including Walter Willett, M.D., Dr.P.H., chair of the department of nutrition at the Harvard School of Public Health. Just as tobacco causes lung cancer, processed meats are linked to colon cancer. Serving these products to children is no longer defensible. The federal government should be encouraging schools to serve healthful foods.Join the fight! Keep our kids healthy by signing our petition to Department of Agriculture Secretary Schafer.

Buy 2 Get 1 Free

We have lots of special offers running on our nutritional supplements. We don't compromise on quality, but we do help you on the price.

Check them out here.

Enjoying Food And Weight Loss

Obese people expect to enjoy food more than lean people do, but when they eat, they enjoy it less, a brain study shows. And that's a problem. To make up for the missing enjoyment, obese people eat more high-calorie food. Overeating further dulls food enjoyment and locks people in a vicious circle.

Read more. (this article runs over two pages, be sure to read till the end on the second page.)
Check out our weight management program too.

Nickel Allergy And Mobile/Cell Phones

People who are allergic to nickel may get a rash on their cheek or ear if they spend a lot of time talking on a cell phone containing nickel. They might also get a rash on the fingers if they send lots of text messages, according to The British Association of Dermatologists.

Read more.

Plant-Based Diet Helps Reduce Premature Aging and Disease Risk

Plant-Based Diet Helps Reduce Premature Aging and Disease Risk

In a study released today by The Lancet Oncology, Dean Ornish, M.D., and colleagues found that comprehensive lifestyle changes, including a low-fat vegan diet, increase the body’s ability to fight premature aging, cancer, heart disease, and other chronic diseases. Twenty-four men participating in a prostate cancer study switched to a plant-based diet and added daily exercise and relaxation techniques. Among other beneficial effects that were previously reported, the intervention led to increased levels of telomerase, an enzyme that protects and repairs DNA. Blood levels of telomerase increased by an average of 29 percent during the study.

Ornish D, Lin J, Daubenmier J, et al. Increased telomerase activity and comprehensive lifestyle changes: a pilot study. Lancet Oncol [advance online publication]. September 16, 2008; DOI 10.1016/S1470-2045(08)70234-1.

Sleep, Worry And The Economy

Concern about the economy is keeping about half of people in the UK awake at night, an online poll suggests.

Nearly half of the 1,000 men and women surveyed by NetDoctor said they were sleeping worse now than a year ago.

One-fifth of them are regularly getting fewer than five hours sleep a night and a quarter wake up more than three times a night, the survey suggests.
Stress was cited as a major factor, with two-thirds blaming money and work worries for their insomnia.
read more Try our self-hypnosis Deep Sleep CD.

Bank with a bank that represents your ethical concerns

The UK Co-operative Bank has had a unique Ethical Policy since 1992, which has given their customers a say on what types of businesses they do, and don't, finance. In the last 16 years, over £900 million of their customers' money has been withheld from businesses whose activities conflict with the policy. Issues have ranged from human rights to animal rights, the arms trade to the environment.

Free Travel First Aid Kit

we are curently offering a free travel first aid kit with two of our Probiotic lines:

1. Travla - minimise the chance of a holiday tummy by taking Travla probiotics. This natural health formula is a proven formulation of unique probiotic strains designed to support the traveller’s digestive health and immunity while abroad.

2. DiarSafe - Our product contains extra strength S. boulardii, an internationally acclaimed probiotic to help naturally support bowel health, comfort and function during episodes of diarrhoea. S. boulardii has undergone extensive clinical research proving its ability to flush out pathogenic bacteria such as E. coli and salmonella and its therapeutic benefits against diarrhoea.

What Works In Fitness

Here's part of a newsletter I received from Reema Sarin:

We want to quickly bring you up to speed with ‘What’s in and working well’ in the world of Fitness, which is:

• Intense cardio exercise routines, ideally 20 – 30 minutes, at least 3 times a week, with a combination of strength training exercises for your arms and legs and floor workouts for toning your abdominal muscles for another 20 minutes. The combination of the above is has proven to be very effective and will give you excellent results in just a few weeks!

• Do change your cardio workouts at least twice a week to incorporate Running, Power Walking, Cycling, Swimming, Aerobics and other cardio workouts with Gym machines. Remember; never let your body get used to any one type of work out. For effective weight loss and fitness, you need to keep surprising your muscles with new types of fat burn exercises which have proven to give far greater results in a relatively shorter duration of time. For aerobic workouts, the latest trend is to keep the moves simple and repetitive as opposed to fancy choreography.

• And to get the maximum out of your workouts, choose your 3 or 4 of your favorite songs, with fast beats and good rhythm (at least 120 beats per minute). Fantastic upbeat music is a true energy booster and believe me it will simply do wonders to motivate you and make you workout to your optimum potential. Enjoy yourself and let your music work you out!

• Last but not the least, keep your diet wholesome and healthy – LOTS of water, fruits, vegetables, proteins; LOW in fat, fried foods, deserts and processed foods. And if you really want to drop weight – Cut out Alcohol and reduce your SALT intake considerably.

And watch the phenomenal Results! So folks, enjoy your work-outs with lots of good music; make your workouts interesting and keep the ‘Fitness is Fun’ spirit alive!

Reema Sarin (Fitness Consultant & Choreographer, BOLLYFIT Program) http://reemafitness.com/mlm/clink_track.php?cust_id=554&link_id=1

Studies Verify Link between Diet and Type 2 Diabetes

Here's some information from the Physicians Committee For Responsible Medicine:

Studies Verify Link between Diet and Type 2 Diabetes

Three long-term studies published in Archives of Internal Medicine show how food choices lead to type 2 diabetes.

Researchers at Boston University followed 43,960 African American women over 10 years, and found that type 2 diabetes developed more often among those who consumed more sweetened beverages.

Researchers at Addenbrook’s Hospital in Cambridge, England, found that higher plasma vitamin C levels and greater consumption of fruits and vegetables were associated with a lower incidence of type 2 diabetes among 21,831 adults followed over 12 years.

A third article, from Fred Hutchison Cancer Research Center, Seattle, found that among 48,835 Women’s Health Initiative participants, women assigned to a low-fat diet trended toward a reduced disease incidence, which authors attributed to weight loss.

Palmer JR, Boggs DA, Krishnan S, Hu FB, Singer M, Rosenberg L. Sugar-sweetened beverages and incidence of type 2 diabetes mellitus in African American women. Arch Intern Med. 2008;168:1487-1492

Harding AH, Wareham NJ, Bingham SA et al. Plasma vitamin C level, fruit and vegetable consumption, and the risk of new-onset type 2 diabetes mellitus: the European Prospective Investigation of Cancer-Norfolk Prospective Study. Arch Intern Med. 2008;168:1493-1499.

Tinker LF, Bonds DE, Margolis KL et al. Low-fat dietary pattern and risk of treated diabetes mellitus in postmenopausal women: The Women's Health Initiative Randomized Controlled Dietary Modification Trial. Arch Intern Med. 2008;168:1500-1511.For information about nutrition and health,

Visit www.pcrm.org/ for more health and nutritional information.

‘Bach’ And ‘Bach Flower Remedies’ Remain Generic

Today I received this news from Healing Herbs:

‘Bach’ And ‘Bach Flower Remedies’ Remain Generic

Community Trade Mark Office finds Nelson's ‘Bach’ and ‘Bach Flower Remedies’ Registrations INVALID

· We are very pleased to announce that on 11 September 2008, the OHIM (the European Community Office for the registration of Community Trade Marks) decided that the words ‘Bach’ and ‘Bach Flower Remedies’ are generic, that Nelson's Community Trade Marks were invalid and awarded costs in our favour (Euro 1,150).

· In 2000, Healing Herbs won the last round of appeal, in the House of Lords, confirming the decision at trial and in the Court of Appeal: that the UK trade mark registrations Nelsons/Bach Flower Remedies Ltd had obtained for BACH/BACH FLOWER REMEDIES were invalid because they were descriptive or generic terms.

· Nevertheless, Nelsons/Bach Flower Remedies Ltd applied for and obtained Community trade mark registrations for the very same words.

· Healing Herbs Ltd could not oppose their applications then since we had no similar trade marks ourselves.

· Of course, Healing Herbs' position has always been clear – we say that the words are generic and no-one can claim exclusive rights over them.

· What Healing Herbs could do, immediately ‘Bach’ and ‘Bach Flower Remedies’ were registered as Community Trade Marks was to apply to have these registrations cancelled. This we did.

· The OHIM, in a very clear decision, has now made a number of telling findings, including:

§ Healing Herbs had filed "abundant evidence" to show the terms were generic

§ Both the specialised public and the general public considers the terms descriptive and generic

§ Nelsons/BFRL failed to prove that the terms had acquired distinctive character when they filed their applications

§ Showing large sales and advertising expenditure was not good enough

We are very pleased that our proceedings have been successful; justice has again been done. · [Nelsons/BFRL have two months in which to file an appeal.]

We stock some of Healing Herbs Bach Flower cream and Rescue Remedy.

Free UK Postage On Nutritional Supplements

We're currently offering free UK postage on nutritional supplements and all the other great health products on our site. We already have great features:

1. Everything comes with a 60-day money-back guarantee.

2. We have special offers including 3 for the price of 2.

3. All our supplements are suitable for vegetarians and vegans too.

4. We sell high-quality supplements that use the latest research to make sure the dosoage and formulations are correct.

5. Order before noon (Monday to Friday) and we despatch the same day.

5. We give 12% of our profits to charitable causes.

Buy from us with confidence and right now if you live in the UK you get free 1st class postage.

Meat eating and prostate cancer

Eating meat and dairy products may increase the risk of prostate cancer, research by a University of Oxford team suggests. They examined the results of 12 studies, featuring a total of nearly 9,000 men.

Read more

Action On Climate Change

The UK government has enormous power to direct our energy and transport future – but it is torn between the lobby for fossil fuels, and what it knows from scientists to be true: we must cut CO2 emissions by 80 per cent by 2050, or we will not limit climate change to 2°C.We have to help create the political space in which the government can make the right climate choices, and you can help make it happen by demanding strong, fair, joined-up, climate-savvy policies.

Tell Gordon Brown to choose a climate-friendly BritainIn the next few months there is an opportunity. Key decisions that affect our climate future will be made:

• E.ON, one of the world's largest energy companies, is planning to invest in the UK's first coal power station for 30 years at Kingsnorth, Kent. Gordon Brown can stop Kingsnorth from getting the green light.

• In December, the world's governments will gather at the United Nations and try to forge international agreement on tackling climate change. Gordon Brown can be a climate champion at the UN talks.

By raising our voices, we can put pressure on Gordon Brown to choose a clean and climate-friendly Britain. We can avoid a climate catastrophe and stop climate change pushing poor people deeper into poverty.Tell Gordon Brown to lead the way on climate action

Grilled Chicken And Cancer

A new PCRM study in Nutrition and Cancer: An International Journal found that grilled chicken items at leading chain restaurants are birds of a feather when it comes to increasing cancer risk. An analysis of 100 grilled chicken items from McDonald’s, Burger King, Chick-fil-A, Chili’s, Applebee’s, Outback Steakhouse, and T.G.I. Friday’s found that all contained PhIP, the most abundant of a group of carcinogens called heterocyclic amines (HCAs)—and the HCA likely to contribute most to overall cancer risk.
Read more >>

Type 2 Diabetes And Drinking Water

A recent article in the “Journal of the American Medical Association” has linked low-level arsenic exposure, possibly from drinking water, to Type 2 diabetes.

We sell two water filters – one for the home and a portable one for when you’re on the go or on holiday – that will help minimise this problem.

Cheaper than drinking bottled water and better for the environment too.

Childhood Asthma Link

A major international study, involving more than 200,000 children in 31 countries, has found those treated with paracetamol in the first year of life had a 46 per cent increased risk of developing asthma by the age of seven.The risk was up to three times higher among children who were the heaviest users of the drug, indicating a strong dose-dependent link.

Read more about this.

Miscarriages and obesity

Women who have had a miscarriage could be at greater risk of miscarrying again if they are obese, research suggests.
Read more on this story.

Check out our weight loss program too - 60-day money-back guarantee.

Weekend Fat Loss Strategies

It's often easier (at least a bit!) to stay on track with a weight loss regime during the week, but then to blow it over the weekend. Kim Lyons has some weekend fat loss strategies to help you cope. Do have a read.

This made me laugh!

This really made me laugh this morning . It came in on eth ebottom of an email. I don't know who first said it, but enjoy it:

Save the Earth... it's the only planet with chocolate.

Help knit a petition for Oxfam

Oxfam are calling on knitters everywhere to turn their knitting needles into poverty fighting needles by creating a patch for Oxfam's giant baby blanket - a 'visual petition' they're handing in to world leaders in September 2008, demanding that they honour their promises to make sure mums in poor countries get the maternal health care they need.

Click here for more info.

Has the Oympics inspired you?

Has the Olympics inspired you? May be not with any hope of ever being an Olympian, but just to get out there and get fitter?

If you have, but you know you find it difficult to sustain enthusiasm for exercise and fitness, get yourself some support in the shape of our Exercise Motivation self hypnosis CD. This CD helps you to look forward to exercise, to enjoy it, to commit yourself to getting fitter and healthier.

Check it out – we’ve got a sample you can listen to.

And remember everything in our health products shop comes with a 60-day money-back guarantee, so if you don’t like it you can return it and get your money back (less the carriage charge).

Go for it, enjoy yourself, get fit.

Free Web site healing experience

I received this email from a colleague Andrew Kemp:

I have now finished converting the principles I use in my kinesiology practice into a free website healing experience, with specially composed music running alongside. I have put it into a new website, along with free access to the latest version of my book 'Quantum K'. The website is http://www.quantumk.co.uk/ My goal is to provide some support to those who are interested in subtle healing but cannot afford to see a therapist regularly. It is also designed to support those who do see a therapist but need additional support in between sessions.

Air Pollution

The Olympics in China has reminded us about the problems of air pollution. Athletes have been concerned about how the pollution levels will affect both their health and their performance. Images from China show far from crystal clear air so the concerns seem justified.

It is easy to view the quality of Chinese air as a remote problem. After all, our air doesn’t look like that, does it? But there are problems with air quality in many countries, even where we cannot see any obvious cause for concern. Read On >>

herbs and spices for good health

there's an interesting study of the benefits of herbs and spices. The article in particualr focuses on the benefis of cinnamon for diabetics, but includes other herbs and spices too.

The conculsion is that we should all be using a lot more herbs and spices to increase the health value of our food.

It's easy to grow a few herbs in pots on a window sill at least in summer, and it's great to have some health advice that tells you to do something rather than things not to do!

My Child Is Being Bullied

with the return of children to school after a long break many children and parents are feeling apprehensive. Saddly for some children school is not a great place to be but is a place of torment. Bullying is a real part of many children's lives and can have lasting effects on their confidence and ability to make friends and forge relationships even later in life.

The Indigo essences - specially formulated for children - can be a great help, so I've written a piece on bullying and the Indigo essences in time for the new school year.

Herbal Mouthwash

Gingivitis, gum disease, bleeding and painful gums are a real problem for a lot of people, and they've been linked to heart disease. Diabetics often need less insulin if they get their gums under control.

A new product Perigum - lauched recently in the UK after being very successfully sold in the USA - is a great product to help gingivitis.

It's a natural product based on cayenne and other good stuff. Try it if you've got problems with your gums.

Rememeber everything we sell comes with a 60-day money-back guarantee.

Constipation Solutions

Constipation can be a real problem so we're pleased to stock Regulate, a natural problem to help sort out constipation. It's a non-drug approach based on getting your gut working and helping it to be more healthy.

Psyllium husk, FOS and probiotics work together to get you moving and smelling sweet - all in one of the best constipation herbal formula.

At the moment we are running a spevcial offer on this product - buy 2 pots and save 20%. Give it a go and help yourself go :-)

Best probiotics

in my last post I told you about a special offer we have running on some of our probiotic supplements.

A piece in the UK Sunday Mail national newspaper recommended this range from this manufacturer.

Do take a look at our acidophilus probiotics - we have probiotics for babies and children, for travellers, for when you have diarrhoea, and more.

Special offer on probiotic acidophilus

Special offer on probiotic acidophilus

Probiotic acidophilus are proving to be important for people’s health in all sorts of ways. They help repopulate your gut with the good bacteria that are important for health.

Probiotic supplements can help people with digestive problems, such as diarrhoea, and now research is also showing they are great for baby eczema, for hay fever and for helping the immune system.

But it’s important to choose the right strains. Some strains just do not survive the acid environment of the stomach – they get broken down before they get to the intestine where they do their work. Different strains are more effective for different problems.

If it all sounds confusing, we’ve done the hard work for you by picking supplement combinations that do specific things: for babies and pregnant women, for travellers, for immune support, etc. There’s even a diarrhoea combination that works as well as Imodium, and helps your digestive system get healthier.

We are currently running a special offer on two probiotic formulae: the Travel formula and the Diarrhoea formula. Buy one of these and get a travel first aid kit free.

Probiotic drinks are often expensive, full of sugar and don’t always contain the right strains to do the job.

Check out our full range of probiotic supplements.

And remember we offer a 60-day money-back guarantee on everything on our site.

Gap Year Travels And Health

If you've got a teenager exciedly planning a gap year, you might want o buy a homeopathic travel kit to give them to take with them.

They are compact and come with an explanatory booklet that allows them to find the right remedy for the right situation.

Pesticide Contamination Of Wine

A study by the European Pesticide Action Network (PAN) of forty bottles of wine from France, Germany, Austria, Italy, Portugal, South Africa, Australia and Chile found 100% of conventional wines contained pesticides, with one bottle containing ten different types, the average being four. In all, 24 different contaminants were found, including five classified as being carcinogenic, mutagenic, reprotoxic or endocrine disrupting by the European Union. See www.vintageroots.co.uk for a link to the full report

Breast Feeding Advice

Most mums want to do their best for their new babies and know that breast is best, but sadly many encounter problems and don't know what to do.

Here's a great site for breast feeding advice.

Pharmacy Influence On Medical Journals

Here's an abstract of an interesting article:

Does pharmaceutical advertising affect journal publication about dietary supplements? by Kathi J Kemper and Kaylene L Hood
BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine 2008, 8:11doi:10.1186/1472-6882-8-11
Published: 9 April 2008

Background
Advertising affects consumer and prescriber behaviors. The relationship between pharmaceutical advertising and journals' publication of articles regarding dietary supplements (DS) is unknown.

Methods
We reviewed one year of the issues of 11 major medical journals for advertising and content about DS. Advertising was categorized as pharmaceutical versus other. Articles about DS were included if they discussed vitamins, minerals, herbs or similar products. Articles were classified as major (e.g., clinical trials, cohort studies, editorials and reviews) or other (e.g., case reports, letters, news, and others). Articles' conclusions regarding safety and effectiveness were coded as negative (unsafe or ineffective) or other (safe, effective, unstated, unclear or mixed).

Results
Journals' total pages per issue ranged from 56 to 217 while advertising pages ranged from 4 to 88; pharmaceutical advertisements (pharmads) accounted for 1.5% to 76% of ad pages. Journals with the most pharmads published significantly fewer major articles about DS per issue than journals with the fewest pharmads (P < 0.01). Journals with the most pharmads published no clinical trials or cohort studies about DS. The percentage of major articles concluding that DS were unsafe was 4% in journals with fewest and 67% among those with the most pharmads (P = 0.02). The percentage of articles concluding that DS were ineffective was 50% higher among journals with more than among those with fewer pharmads (P = 0.4).

Conclusion
These data are consistent with the hypothesis that increased pharmaceutical advertising is associated with publishing fewer articles about DS and publishing more articles with conclusions that DS are unsafe. Additional research is needed to test alternative hypotheses for these findings in a larger sample of more diverse journals.

Full abstract and author contact info

Drug Free Hay Fever Help

A recent study in the journal Clinical and Experimental Allergy gave one group of volunteers probiotics, and took blood samples from each volunteer before, during, and after grass pollen season, checking for antibody levels of immunoglobulin E (IgE). Those who took the probiotics had significantly lower levels of IgE specific for grass pollens and other allergy-related immune substances at peak season and afterward. (www.medicinenet.com)

Check out all our natural drug-free hay fever products.

help Wildlife

Here's some nice ideas for helping wildlife:

http://www.ravensbeard.org/Ravensbeard-Wildlife-Center-Simple-Things-to-help-Wildlife.htm

Vegetarian And Vegan Frozen Food

I was recently at a trade show in London and got to try some great vegetarian and vegan frozen food from Great Nineveh. It's handmade with local cheese and vegetables and tastes amazing. You could wow anyone with these dishes.

I loved the Malaysian split pea curry and the beans in Nigerian peanut sauce.

Frozen food doesn't get much better than this.

Preventing Prostate Cancer

Vitamin D can really help prolong life in several different ways. Here's some more research on its importance:

By inducing a specific gene to increase expression of a key enzyme, vitamin D protects healthy prostate cells from the damage and injuries that can lead to cancer, University of Rochester Medical Center researchers report.

Buy good quality vitamin D supplement.

Tips For Being Green - Or More Green!

A lot of people want to be more green but see it as being expensive and difficult. If you're on eof these people, I've just posted some quick things you can do on Health & Goodness.

Cyling Again As An Adult

Today's Times has a headline 'Claims For Hybrid Cars Dismissed As Gimmickry' and has an article about how so called green cars often emit more CO2 than their manufacturers claim.

So, there's a timely article on Health & Goodness about cycling for beginners or for those getting back on the bike as an adult. It's got lots of cycling tips.

Help With Exams

If your child has exams coming up and is anxious and nervous, try giving them Indigo essence Confidence.

For tips on how to study well read this article on exam help.

If you child gets hay fever which can really affect their exam results, try a homeopathic hay fever treatment.

Help Burma - Donate To Shelterbox

Here's the latest news from the charity Shelterbox:

May 9th - Myanmar (Burma): ShelterBox can confirm we have successful delivered over £300,000 worth of survival aid - however much more is needed. ShelterBox plans to charter an airplane to get a further 1000 boxes to the desperate people of Burma in the worst hit areas and much more as the donations come in. As one of the first Aid Organisations into the country who also obtained visas and a clear and helpful path from the Embassy ShelterBox is in an ideal position help.

Travel Health

If you're about to go off travelling, do read this article, which gives you practical advice on enjoying good health while travelling naturally.

hay fever remedies

we've now added Quercetin to our site just in time for the hay fever season. Quercetin is a biofalvinoid and works to limit histamine production and reduce the absolute misery that hay fever can bring.

London’s First Vegan Footwear and Accessory Shop Opens

It's a pity I live down in Penzance, otherwise I'd be at this new shop as soon as it opens. I love the stylish shoes this company sells online, but being able to try them on in the shop would be just heaven.

Bourgeois Boheme, one of the UK’s most well-known online and animal-friendly fashion companies is opening London’s very first animal-friendly footwear and accessories retail outlet.

On May 17th 2008, just a couple of days ahead of UK National Vegetarian Week, Bourgeois Boheme will celebrate the official opening with an open day at the shop in Richmond, London.

Known for its quality and stylish vegan footwear and accessories, Bourgeois Boheme is responding to customer requests for a physical retail location. Bourgeois Boheme founder and Director, Alicia Lai and has found that 90% of returns from online sales relate to shoe-fitting issues.

Alicia says, “Unless you shop online, vegetarian footwear is difficult to find: it’s a dismal choice of either low-quality, cheap and environmentally-challenging shoes or Stella McCartney – gorgeous fashion no doubt, but very much beyond the pocket of many a style-conscious vegetarian/vegan.”

Its an environment that has served online sales well and, having already built up a dedicated and growing following of online and mail order customers, Bourgeois Boheme is giving shoppers what New York and other fashion capitals around the world gave their consumers years ago – a stylish home for animal-friendly fashion.

Bruce Friedrich, Vice President at People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) says, “All of us at PETA welcome the news of a Bourgeois Boheme storefront. We enjoy ordering from BoBo online, but we’ll be even more delighted to have a place where we can try on the shoes, examine the bags, and have a compassionate shopping experience.”

Visitors will be able to buy Bourgeois-Boheme’s exclusive labelled styles as well as ethically sourced products from other companies; not only footwear, but also bags, wallets and belts for women and men, and cosmetics.

Alicia says, “Our shop is an extension within our office premises, it’s a humble start but it’s a first step towards our greater dream of having lush and exclusive Bourgeois Boheme boutiques in the world’s fashion capitals”

Now customers can find a perfect fit in every sense- true to their size, philosophy, style and ethics.

Address: Hydrex House, Garden Road, Richmond TW9 4NR
Shop hours: Mon-Fri 9am - 5pm; Sat 10am - 2pm; by appointment.

Bourgeois Boheme’s range is available to buy online at http://www.bboheme.com/.

Takeaway Coffee cups

I'm Not a Paper Cup
Just over a third of what we chuck away every year is paper and cardboard – needing a forest the size of Wales to sustain. So if you are addicted to takeaway coffee, which you get in a paper cup, break the habit by taking your very own 'I am Not a Paper Cup' thermal mug (with re-sealable lid) to your favourite coffee shop. Your coffee will taste as great but without wasting all that paper.

The Natural and Organic Awards 2008

I really like the skin care range from Beyond Organics, so it was great to see the quality of their products recognised in the Awards this year.

They are runner up in the Best Organic Facial Skincare Product category for The Natural and Organic Awards 2008. The award was for their Detoxifying Cleanser & Regenerating Night Cream.
Check out their products on their web site.

Australian Bush Essence Workshops In London

If you're into flower essences and remedies, then this could be of real interest to you:

“Empower Yourself” Saturday 24th and Sunday 25th May in Regent’s College, London
A weekend seminar by Australian Ian White, will be held by Universal Essences on Saturday 24th and Sunday 25th May in Regent’s College, London.

This inspiring seminar offers new insights into nature, the plant kingdom and oneself. Participants will discover tools to meet life’s challenges, learning how to powerfully, yet gently change negative patterns and improve the quality of life.

Ian will also be holding 2 one-day workshops on the following themes:

Women’s Wellbeing: 3rd May, Kew Gardens, London
In this seminar Ian will discuss the spiritual and metaphysical aspects of femininity and the female energy system, which gives a clear recognition of the profound interconnection between the physical, emotional and spiritual bodies. This perspective grants a knowledge-based sense of self-empowerment in dealing with women's business, including: Menstruation, Menopause and related problems, Enhancing relationships, Sexuality, Infertility and conception, Pregnancy, Healthful birthing, Nurturing the spirit in the child.

Numerology : 4th May , Kew Gardens, London
Numerology is a very old system of analysis which provides a simple method for quickly and accurately gaining an understanding of an individual's personality and abilities. It reveals a person's strengths as well as identifying areas of potential difficulties. Numerology is a very useful tool for helping to select the appropriate Australian Bush Flower Essences, even indicating some that might not have been obvious.

Ian White grew up in the Australian bush with his grandmother (a herbalist whose mother had also been a herbalist). Ian White has been practising naturopathy and homeopathy for over twenty years. Using the healing properties of flowers essences is an ancient art, spanning many cultures. Ian White has taken this age-old study and applied it to the flowering plants of the Australian Bush.

Today Australian Bush Flower Essence remedies are used and prescribed by healers, families, naturopaths and medical doctors. They are sold in pharmacies and health-food shops all over Australia and increasingly throughout the world.

“Ian White is an absolute inspiration. Flower Remedies have helped transform my life. Thank You!” - Caroline Driscoll, UK.

“Intensive, Enthralling, Brilliant!” - Carole Gimson, UK

“Ian has mastered all the secrets of great teaching, with his use of humour, storytelling, magic energy clearing, meditation and song! Just fantastic!” - Christine Cooper, Helensburgh

For more info: Contact Belinda at Universal Essences on 0870 0620 206 or see http://www.universalessences.com/

The Australian Aboriginals have always used flowers to heal the emotions, as did the Ancient Egyptians. This healing method was rediscovered by Dr. Edward Bach in the 1920s through the use of English flowering plants. More recently Ian White has developed the Australian Bush Flower Essences. Australia has the world's oldest and highest number of flowering plants exhibiting tremendous beauty and strength. Australia is relatively unpolluted and metaphysically has a very wise, old energy.

Ian grew up in the Australian bush. As a young boy his grandmother, like her mother before her, specialised in using Australian plants and would often take him bush walking. From her deep understanding she would point out the many healing plants and flowers. He learned a profound respect for nature through her and went on to become a practitioner and a pioneer working with and researching the rare remedial qualities of Australian native plants.

The Bush Remedies not only help to give clarity to one's life but also the courage, strength and commitment to follow and pursue one's goals and dreams. They help to develop a higher level of intuition, self esteem, spirituality, creativity and fun.

Probiotic Acidophilus

I'm really excited about a range of probiotic acidophilus I've added to our online health shop. What is particularly good about them is that there are different formulas for different problems. There's one for stomach bloating, another one for diarrhoea, and another one to take before you go on an exotic holiday.

There's also one for babies and children. Reserahc has shown that many small children don't have the right gut flora, particularly children with eczema. This vanilla flavoured sachet is easy for them to take and is very effective. Check out the full range of probiotic acidophilus here.

Downshifting

Tomorrow is the start of international downshifting week. Check out their top ten suggestions: http://www.downshiftingweek.com/top10tipsforsuccess.html

I CAn Only Handle One Diet Change Right Now - What Should I do?

Here's some great advice from Helen Tite:

I Can Only Handle One Diet Change Right Now. What Should I Do?

1. Add just one fruit or veggie serving daily. Get comfortable with that, then add an extra serving until you reach 8 to 10 a day.

2. Eat at least two servings of a fruit or veggie at every meal.

3. Resolve never to supersize your food portions- unless you want to supersize your clothes.

4. Make eating purposeful, not mindless. Whenever you put food in your mouth, peel it, unwrap it, plate it, and sit. Engage all of the senses in the pleasure of nourishing your body.

5. Start eating a big breakfast. It helps you eat fewer total calories throughout the day.

6. Make sure your plate is half veggies and/or fruit at both lunch and dinner.

Copyright 2008 Helen Tite ww.thecore.uk.net

Hay Fever Treatment

that miserable hay fever feeling may be strating for some of you. I used to feel like I was getting flu - all summer long - holidays ruined, couldn't enjoy sunshine, sat in darkened room, but a homeopathic natural hay fever treatment relieved all the symptoms, and I don't have hay fever - now 15 or more years later I don't worry about feeling ill in summer.

We sell the treatment I used on our secure online shop - do give it a go - it comes with a 60-day money-back guarantee (except for carriage) even if you've taken the whole course. We ship quickly too, usualyy within 24 hours.

Be like me - enjoy summer without needing medication for hay fever - a lot of which often didn't work.

Dietary Supplements And Medical Journals

Here's an abstract of an interesting article in BMC Complementary And Alternative Medicine on the incidence of phramaceutical advertsing and articles about nutritional supplements.

Background
Advertising affects consumer and prescriber behaviors. The relationship between pharmaceutical advertising and journals' publication of articles regarding dietary supplements (DS) is unknown.

Methods
We reviewed one year of the issues of 11 major medical journals for advertising and content about DS. Advertising was categorized as pharmaceutical versus other. Articles about DS were included if they discussed vitamins, minerals, herbs or similar products. Articles were classified as major (e.g., clinical trials, cohort studies, editorials and reviews) or other (e.g., case reports, letters, news, and others). Articlesa conclusions regarding safety and effectiveness were coded as negative (unsafe or ineffective) or other (safe, effective, unstated, unclear or mixed).
Results
Journals total pages per issue ranged from 56 to 217 while advertising pages ranged from 4 to 88; pharmaceutical advertisements (pharmads) accounted for 1.5% to 76% of ad pages. Journals with the most pharmads published significantly fewer major articles about DS per issue than journals with the fewest pharmads (P<0.01). Journals with the most pharmads published no clinical trials or cohort studies about DS. The percentage of major articles concluding that DS were unsafe was 4% in journals with fewest and 67% among those with the most pharmads (P=0.02). The percentage of articles concluding that DS were ineffective was 50% higher among journals with more than among those with fewer pharmads (p=0.4).

Conclusions
These data are consistent with the hypothesis that increased pharmaceutical advertising is associated with publishing fewer articles about DS and publishing more articles with conclusions that DS are unsafe. Additional research is needed to test alternative hypotheses for these findings in a larger sample of more diverse journals.

Read the full article.

Free Range Chicken Petition

If you'r ein the UK, please sign the free range chicken petition at http://www.chickenout.tv/

92% of the chickens bought in the UK are intensively farmed. Sign the petition and help change that.

Homeopathy Under Attack

I had some email correspondence with a homeopathic doctor in India about the current situation with homeopathy in the UK and this is what he emailed me back:

one good thing was that Mr.Richard Branson of Virgin group has supported Homeopathy and according to the news he is opening 6 centers in UK. But this anti Homeopathy is due to the strong lobbying by the Pharma world thats what we were told from our sources. In India also they tried but it totally back fired as lot of patients came out in support of Homeopathy. But one thing is there Homeopathy is here to stay no matter what. It's a wonderful system of medicine.

Great to hear that the attack on homeopathy in India has been repulsed.

Homeopathy: Medicine Of The Future

Here's an interesting article on homeopathy by Jim Pretin:


You may have heard of "homeopathy" but you are not sure what it is. Simply put, it is a system of medicine that treats a condition with highly diluted natural substances that mimic the symptoms of the condition being treated. This concept seems paradoxical to most.

Homeopathy is a difficult concept to grasp. How do you cure someone of an illness by giving them a tiny concentration of something that can actually cause the disease? One would think that this would simply make the person even more sick.

But, according to proponents of the science, homeopathy not only works, but is much more effective than conventional medicine.
They claim that conventional medicine only suppresses the immune system and prolongs the illness.

There are actually quite a few homeopathic products in your local pharmacy. The FDA requires that homeopathic products indicate what kind of product it is somewhere on the packaging. The easiest way to tell what kind of product you are buying is by examining the list of ingredients on the back or the on the side of the packaging.

With homeopathy, all of the ingredients are diluted, so each ingredient in such a product has the letter "X" after it. So, if one of the ingredients is "Zinc 20X", that means the product contains Zinc that has been diluted 20 times. One of the most popular cold medicines on the market, "Zicam," is actually a homeopathic remedy that consists of diluted zinc in the form of a nasal gel.

There are homeopathic remedies available for almost every condition. Cold, flu, allergy, even bedwetting; there is a homeopathic remedy available for almost every condition.

Homeopathy is universally recognized as being safe, as the ingredients used are natural substances diluted many times over.
Because there is such a small concentration of the ingredients, many opponents of the science, including the drug companies that make conventional medicines and are afraid of the growing popularity of natural medicine, claim that any relief an ill person receives after using a natural product is the result of the placebo effect.

Since the FDA does not require most natural products to undergo clinical testing before being sold to the public, the detractors feel that it does not actually work. So, who is telling the truth? Does homeopathy really work or is it a bunch of nonsense?

In my opinion, it works. There have been several clinical trials done over the years to test the efficacy of homeopathic products. Liddell Laboratories makes a product called Vital HGH.
Vital HGH is designed to treat the symptoms of aging and/or a rundown condition.

In a small clinical trial performed years ago, a group of test subjects who were deficient in human growth hormone, ranging in age from 45 years and up, were given the Vital HGH formulation.
The results speak for themselves. During the five month clinical trial, the levels of HGH in the blood increased in every test subject, and more than doubled the average level of HGH.

Homeopathy does work. I speak from personal experience. I used such a remedy to deal with the allergy attacks I was having, and the medicine not only stopped the attacks faster than the Claritin I had been taking previously, but it also prevented subsequent allergy attacks.

So, why is there a controversy? Well, there is a public perception that homeopathy is the same thing as holistic healing or faith-based medicine. This is simply not accurate.

Homepathy and natural medicine in general make big drug manufacturers worry that such products might be more effective for treating common illnesses as opposed to the more expensive prescription versions that make the pharmaceutical companies rich. Most natural products are incredibly cheap. A prescribed conventional medicine costs a lot more.

If the public began demanding natural remedies to treat their ailments, drug companies would have to make these kinds of products to stay in business, and then their profits would shrink. Imagine if Pfizer had to stop manufacturing Viagra, which they sell at $20-$30 per pill, and instead make a homeopathic product that would retail for only $20 for a one month supply.

This is why drug companies often spend significant amounts of money to debunk claims that homeopathy works, using a wide variety of misinformation tactics to instill a belief in the public that natural medicine is is not effective for treating common ailments.

I am not saying that you should discontinue the use of conventional medicines. But, next time you go to the pharmacy, take a look at some of the natural brands on the shelf and give them a try. For common ailments that are not life threatening, a homeopathic product is probably a cheaper and more effective alternative.

About the author: Jim Pretin is the owner of http://www.forms4free.com,
a service that helps programmers make an HTML form.

Dowsing And Earth Energies

I received this email from colleague Guilia Boden and I thought I'd pass it on:

I have introduced a NEW one day course - Dowsing and earth Energies.

This will be great fun, considerable outdoor fieldwork and a more experiential course for people wanting the practice. It is also an opportunity for practitioners to get together, get a taster for something new, and really PLAY! Serious play of course, but when do we get that opportunity?

2nd - 4th May Three day Geopathic Stress Course (CPD) - Southampton

5th May One day course - Dowsing and Earth Energies - Southampton

21st-23rd June Three Day Geopathic Stress (CPD) - Solihull, Midlands EARLY BIRD 12TH MAY

5th - 7th July Three day Geopathic Stress Course (CPD) - Weatherby EARLY BIRD 4TH APRIL

12th -14th Sept Three Day Geopathic Stress Course (CPD)- Jersey, Channel Islands EARLY BIRD 1ST AUGUST

Have you ever wanted to

• Dowse with rods and a pendulum?
• Activate your curiosity about the landscape?
• Use fieldwork to unblock or enhance aspects you find in the environment?

“ …intriguing, interactive and informative, coupled with Giulia’s enthusiasm for the subject, makes for a wonderful opportunity”

Contact Guilia for more information.

Choosing The Right Type Of exercise

The BBC web site has some good stuff on choosing the right type of exercise for you.

The information covers different types of exercise - walking, cycling, football, dance, etc. and looks at who they suit best and gives contact info to find out more.

Check out the web site - may be it will inspire you.

Rheumatoid Arthritis And The Vegan Diet

Here's some interesting research on the benefits of a vegan diet for people with Rheumatoid Arthritis published in the journal Arthritis Research And Therapy:

Introduction
The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of vegan diet in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) on blood lipids oxidized low-density lipoprotein (oxLDL) and natural atheroprotective antibodies against phosphorylcholine (anti-PCs).

Methods
Sixty-six patients with active RA were randomly assigned to either a vegan diet free of gluten (38 patients) or a well-balanced non-vegan diet (28 patients) for 1 year. Thirty patients in the vegan group completed more than 3 months on the diet regimen. Blood lipids were analyzed by routine methods, and oxLDL and anti-PCs were analyzed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Data and serum samples were obtained at baseline and after 3 and 12 months.

Results
Mean ages were 50.0 years for the vegan group and 50.8 years for controls. Gluten-free vegan diet induced lower body mass index (BMI) and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and higher anti-PC IgM than control diet (p <0.005). In the vegan group, BMI, LDL, and cholesterol decreased after both 3 and 12 months (p <0.01) and oxLDL after 3 months (p = 0.021) and trendwise after 12 months (p = 0.090). Triglycerides and high-density lipoprotein did not change. IgA anti-PC levels increased after 3 months (p = 0.027) and IgM anti-PC levels increased trendwise after 12 months (p = 0.057). There was no difference in IgG anti-PC levels. In the control diet group, IgM anti-PC levels decreased both after 3 and 12 months (p <0.01). When separating vegan patients into clinical responders and non-responders at 12 months, the effects on oxLDL and anti-PC IgA were seen only in responders (p <0.05).

Conclusion
A gluten-free vegan diet in RA induces changes that are potentially atheroprotective and anti-inflammatory, including decreased LDL and oxLDL levels and raised anti-PC IgM and IgA levels.

Read the full article.

nausea/ pregnancy please help all 9 months

I received this email this mroning:

I was wondering if you had any advice or some sort of a consulation available. I was sick all nine months of my first pregnancy and now I am on my second and am sick again, I have been doing EFT and eliminating offending foods, but I am still very sick.

and this was my reply:

sorry to hear about your problem. It's always difficult to advise and, of course, what I am about to write does not replace the advice of properly qualified health and medical professionals, but some people find that vitamin B complex really helps. Also it might be a good idea to consult a homeopath - they seem to do well with this sort of problem.

We have lots of good products to help with other aspects of pregnancy - a self-hynosis pregnancy CD, a TENS machine for childbirth and a homeopathic kit for labour.

Recycle Your Mobile Phone

If you're in the UK you can recycle your old mobile phone and help WaterAid raise money for its much needed work. Each phone is worth about £5.00 to them.

Remove the SIM card
Put it in a sturdy enevelope and send to:

WaterAid, Freepost LON16281, London WC1N 3BR

Don't include the charger.

40% of the world's population do not have a safe, clean or private place to go to the toilet.

Flower & Gem Essences

I've added a new section to our online shop for therapists - we've started to sell flower and gem essences and sprays.

So far we've got:

• Australian Bush Essences
• Alaskan Flower Essences and Sprays
• Bailey Acupuncture Essences
• My own Earth Energies
• Healing Herbs Flower Remedies And Creams - based on the work of Dr Edward Bach
• Indigo Essences

I haven't got much in the way of descriptions yet, but I hope over the next few weeks to add more detailed descriptions and extend the range, but don't let that stop you buying right now!

Adventure Cycling Holidays

Last year I went on a cycling holiday in Kenya and Tanzania with a great company called Escape Adventures, who are based in New Zealand but who do fantastic cycling holidays in Africa, Tibet, South America, New Zealand, etc. I cannot recommend this company too highly - well organised, great routes, great support. Check out their new web site and may be you'll be tempted to do one of their adventure cycling holidays too.

Holiday in Romania and help a children's charity

The White Cross Mission, to aid Romania's abandoned children and orphans, can now offer top-quality holidays in a brand new guest house in the Carpathian Mountains.

All profits go directly to the charity to help the children. Independent travellers are welcome, or you can attend one of the courses on wildlife, art, relaxation etc. For more details see www.casadelureni.com (the 'house in the hills').

They tell me:

Fantastic scenery and food in relaxing company awaits you. Spaces are still available on all the courses.

Coconut Cures

I received this email from Hannah Shine, so i thought I'd pass it on:

Hi Jane.....

just wanted to share with you a book called "Coconut Cures" by Bruce Fife. Coconut oil is absolutely amazing as it is an antibiotic, antiseptic, anti viral and anti fungal. Since finding the book, I have incorporated virgin coconut oil into my diet; I have recommended it to patients to apply to eczema, psoriasis, bites, stings, itches, etc. with great results....... Other books are the Coconut Oil Miracle.

I have now made a salve with coconut oil, Rescue Remedy, Vitamin E capsules and this is an allround healing balm. Vit. E is great taken orally as it dissolves scar tissue (one a day - 400 ius - will make even the worst scar tons better in 10 - 12 weeks. Hope this is helpful to share
Best wishes Hannah

Fragrance, Perfumes And Health

Quite a long time ago I published an article entitled fragrance - is it natural? on my Health web site. At the time I received this email from Peter Drew (Connecticut, USA). It disappeared in my Inbox (sometimes it's like a black hole!), but I've now located it again and thought I'd like to share what he says with you:

Thank you for publishing your article on fragrances,highlighting the fact that most of them are man-made chemicals.

From my understanding of the situation, it's not even so much the artificial scents that are the real culprits in perfumes. It's the volatile organic compounds used to waft the fragrance into the air and make it stick to virtually everything with which it makes contact. Things like benzene, xylene,formaldehyde, toluene -- lots of "enes" that cause cancer and neurological problems.

I spoke with a pyschopharmacologist regarding this topic and, as an expert in brain toxins, he said that if it were up to him, fragranced products, especially perfumes and colognes would be banned from the work place. He cited studies that indicate perfume in the office reduces productivity by about 10 percent,lung capacity in normal people by 15 percent, and in people with compromised lungs, e.g. asthma, it can reduce lung capacity by up to 50 percent. The doct old me these scents are designed to affect a person's brain and not in a productive way.

Recently, I also discovered that the chemists are creating molecular "hooks" in fragrances, so they stick to everything. The idea is to make perfume or cologne long-lasting, so that it doesn't need to be re-applied during the day or evening. Old-style,perfumes, nothing but essential oils and alcohol, used to wear off after a couple of hours and would need to be re-applied. Now people can apply it once and it lasts for hour upon hour, and, worst of all, it sticks to everything, including food, chairs, drinking containers, etc. There's nothing like ordering a beverage, only to smell and taste someone's stinky perfume coming from the container or glass. Mmmm-mmm!

Oh, and don't get me started on scented candles!

Sorry for the rant. Just wanted to pass along a few things I've learned about the onslaught of fragrances in Western countries. As my wife said this past week,"When did artificial become the new natural?"

Anti depressants and Placebos

A lot of the criticism of alternative and complementary medicine is of the kind it works as a placebo - people get well because they think they will.

This view seems to be held very rarely about main stream medicine. This new article in PLOS on the effectiveness of the new generation oif anti-depressants is therefore a timely reminder that placebos are at work in main stream 'scientific' medicine too.

The editor of the journal summaries the findings in this way:

"These findings suggest that, compared with placebo, the new-generation antidepressants do not produce clinically significant improvements in depression in patients who initially have moderate or even very severe depression, but show significant effects only in the most severely depressed patients. The findings also show that the effect for these patients seems to be due to decreased responsiveness to placebo, rather than increased responsiveness to medication. Given these results, the researchers conclude that there is little reason to prescribe new-generation antidepressant medications to any but the most severely depressed patients unless alternative treatments have been ineffective."

Read the editor's summary Read the full article

Mandy's Magic Muesli Cake

Last year I went on an amazing cycle ride through Kenya and Tanzania with Escape Adventures, a New Zealand based company. The trip was fantastic and the food was unbelievable. The muesli cake was particularly good to sustain us while we were riding, so it's great that Mandy wants to share the recipe. Here it is:

• In a large mixing bowl place the following dry ingredients (or adapt to suit what you have available): 2c sesame seeds, 1c coconut, 1c sunflower seeds, 1c sultanas, 1c chopped dried fruit, 1c nuts, 1c pumpkin kernels, 3c cornflakes, 1½c rolled oats.
• In a saucepan melt 250g butter, 1½ c honey, and 1½ c tahini (in Africa I use peanut butter). Simmer stirring often until golden brown (for about 10 minutes).
• Pour contents into dry ingredients, mix well and then press into a greased tray. (On the road - I was using the tupperware containers which worked fine). Chill in the fridge and cut when set.
• Keep in the fridge - but take with you on your favourite rides to help you up those hills!

By the way this year's trips have had to be adapted because of the unsettled political situation in Kenya, but I'm sure the trip will still be great, as I know how much thought and care Mandy and John give to planning everything.

They also do other cycle trips in New Zealand and elsewhere, so do check out their cycling holidays web site.

Adverse Drug Effects

CCHR (London) are campaigning to make it mandatory that Pharmaceutical Companies issue black box type warnings of adverse side effects.

This means that adverse side effects would be listed on the outside of drugs, and include information about the official body that collects information on adverse reactions.

The UK Health Minister has now told CCHR (London) that the Medicines & Healthcare products Regulatory Authority (MHRA) are working on the wording which is to be included by the Pharmaceutical companies on their Patient Information Leaflets (PILs). These are the leaflets that are inserted inside the packaging.

CCHR(London) say:

"This is certainly a progressive step. However, we now need to keep the actions going until "black box" warnings are included on the exterior of the packaging similar to those found on cigarette packets. We are now taking our Petition to the Prime Minister and have duplicated it on the Downing Street website.

We have set a target of 25,000 signatures by January 27th 2009 and to achieve this will require everybody's help!

The steps are simple:

• Read the Petiton

• Sign it
• Forward to family and friends - it concerns them too!

You can go directly to the Petition here.

Once you've signed the petition you get an email with a link that you need to click to confirm that you have genuinely signed the online petition, so look out for that and complete the last step.

Skipping Back Up Soon - I Hope

I have had a dreadful few weeks with my web sites. The web site hosting company was taken over by another company, and they wanted to move the sites to a new server. They promised a smooth transition with no down time, but it didn’t work out like that.

Health & Goodness in particular was affected and was off-line for most of last week.Even this week we are still being affected as traffic is less than half what it usually is. Presumably because Google and the other search engine spiders couldn’t find many of the pages last week – at one point there were over 500 faulty internal links.

One of our most popular information pages on skipping which usually gets over 1000 visitors a month, because it was at the top for organic searches for skipping tips etc. is now no where to be seen.It’s all very frustrating, but hopefully now that the site is back up and the internal links are working, the search engines will look kindly on the site again and put it back where it belongs – on the first page for many organic searches.

The Complete Natural Health Experience 2008

The Bakewell Therapy Rooms are organising The Complete Natural Health Experience 2008, taking place at The Devonshire Dome, Buxton (UK) on Saturday 26th April 2008.

The event is organised in conjunction with Bakewell based entrepreneur and BBC TV's Dragons' Den star Rachel Elnaugh and Derby University, who are the hosts at The Dome in Buxton on the Devonshire Campus. It will host more than 40 natural health professionals giving advice on health related topics and offering taster treatments and seminars.

Email Victoria Pountney for more information.

Non-Addictive Painkillers

Today’s UK Observer newspaper has a front page headline about how many people are becoming addicted to painkillers. The report by the all-party parliamentary group on drug misuse says that some GPs give repeat prescriptions without seeing the patient.

This is such a sad piece. The addictive nature of a lot of pain killers has been known for a long time, so why use pain killers as the first solution when there are so many effective alternatives?

Cold and dark treatment for migraine, glucosamine for arthritis pain, natural creams for all sorts of injuries and accidents work – not for everyone – but then what does? So these should be given a try first.

Some Great Love Quotes

With Valentine's Day nearly upon us, I thought I'd look out some quotes about love and relationships. I hope you enjoy them:

"A man can be short and dumpy and getting bald but if he has fire, women will like him." Mae West

"Age does not protect you from love, but love to some extent protects you from age." Jeanne Moreau

"An archaeologist is the best husband a woman can have. The older she gets, the more interested he is in her." Agatha Christie

"During my piano recital, I was on a stage and I was scared. I looked at all the people watching me and saw my daddy waving and smiling. He was the only one doing that. I wasn't scared anymore." Cindy - age 8

"I like men to behave like men--strong and childish." Francoise Sagan

"I think one of the great things you can do if you want to be a seducer is make her laugh." Michael Caine

"Love conquers all things except poverty and toothache." Mae West

"Love is when you kiss all the time. Then when you get tired of kissing, you still want to be together and you talk more. My Mommy and Daddy are like that. They look gross when they kiss" Emily - age 8

"Love one another, but make not a bond of love: Let it rather be a moving sea between the shores of your souls." Kahil Gibran 'The Prophet'

"Men make love more intensely at 20, but make love better, however, at 30." Catherine II of Russia

5 Tips to Finally Get Rid of Cellulite

Here's more great information from Lynn VanDyke - how to banish cellulite:

I was a bit surprised at the many misconceptions surrounding cellulite. A lot of women asked if such-and-such cream would work, if they should stop eating cottage cheese or if surgery was their only option.

What exactly is cellulite and what is the best way to get rid of it?

Cellulite is nothing more than additional fat cells stored in your body. We all have connective tissue that separates fat cells into little compartments. Women have honey-combed shaped compartments and men have a crisscross pattern. The honey-combed shape compartments are the reason some women have dimply thighs, or cottage cheese looking arms.

Getting rid of cellulite is simple, but not necessarily easy. The only way cellulite can be reduced is to reduce overall body fat. You cannot spot reduce or rub a cream on it. You cannot starve yourself either. The only way to rid yourself of cellulite is to follow these 5 highly effective, simple, and to-the-point tips.

1) Eat 5-6 small meals throughout the day. Each meal should be 2-3 hours apart. Each meal should contain one protein and one carb. The first meal should be eaten within an hour after waking.

2) Drink a cup of water at each meal.

3) Rest properly. This means taking at least 48 hours between strength training the same muscles, and it also means getting at least 7-8 hours of sleep per night. Lastly, it means taking 1-2 days off from exercising per week.

4) Cardio should be done at different intensity levels and different session lengths. Consider doing a low intensity/long session, a high intensity/short session and a few medium intensity/medium length sessions per week.

5) Strength train each muscle 1-3 times per week. You should lift a proper weight and perform the proper amount of sets/reps for your strength training method. If you need more guidance or exercise ideas you can head over http://www.strength-training-woman.com

All of the above things combined will result in cellulite reduction. There are no miracle creams or secrets. It’s all about good old fashioned working out. Having said that, workout smarter and not harder! Get on a great program that is tailored to your body and your goals. Everyone is different, but following these 5 tips practically guarantees your cellulite will vanish.
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Lynn VanDyke is the head trainer at http://www.TrainerLynn.com . She will create a custom fitness and nutrition program for you. Get dramatic results with a professionally designed workout routine and menu. Work with a master trainer and fitness nutritionist 1-on-1 and finally achieve your weight loss goals! Simple and extremely effective.