All posts by Mark Lester

Detoxification

Acne breakouts prevention during detoxing

Acne breakouts or other skin eruptions after Christmas?

With the Christmas tree taken down, the last mince pie eaten, and New Years Eve just a slightly ‘blurry’ memory, January is often the time of year when people turn their attention to their health and wellbeing, and contemplate a post-xmas detox. Let’s face it, the typical ‘festive fayre’ can often be rather hard on our digestive systems, not to mention our liver and blood sugar levels, as we nibble our way through one moreish treat after another, and quaff perhaps just one teensy glass or two too many of celebratory ‘bubbly’.

With all of that in mind a January detox sounds like a brilliant idea, and who knows by the end of it our livers may even just be ‘speaking’ to us again, but something that concerns a lot of people when they embark on a cleanse is the likelihood of suffering some form of skin ‘breakout’ or another as a result of the detoxification process. So, firstly what causes these skin breakouts, how likely is it to occur and is there anything that can be done to minimise the risk?

What causes acne during a detox?

Our skin is one of our major organs of elimination, and because of this it is often one of the first things to suffer during any cleansing programme. Any toxins that are released and processed via the liver during the cleanse need to have a route out of the body, and the skin is one of these ‘exit routes’. Skin health can in some cases get noticeably worse, before it then hopefully improves during a cleanse.

Just how likely am I to experience such a skin ‘breakout’ during my detox?

Not everyone suffers with acne during a cleanse, but along with increased gas and bloating it is one of the most common adverse side-effects. One reason that some people are affected whilst others are not can be down to the individuals bowel transit time. If the bowels are sluggish, and faecal matter remains in the colon for longer than it should, then the toxins that the body is trying to rid itself of, can be reabsorbed through the intestinal wall. Once they are back in the blood stream and general circulation, they can cause inflammation and negatively affect skin health. Whilst this symptom does not usually last long, it can be an off-putting prospect for anyone considering a detox.

How to minimise the risk?

The first thing to consider here is the health of the main organs of elimination. In order for a detox to be successful the body’s eliminatory channels need to be functioning well. After all there is no point in mobilising toxins from the colon, liver or body fat stores if the bodies capacity to safely eliminate them is not up to scratch.

If a person is constipated, or not having at least 1-2 bowel movements every day, then it may be wise to delay the start of a cleanse or detox until they have tackled the constipation. One of the most natural ways to reduce constipation is to take a probiotic supplement that is specifically formulated to target this symptom.

Different probiotic strains have different actions in the body. Some strains may be effective for alleviating IBS for example, whereas other strains are better at alleviating constipation. One of the most clinically trialled strains of probiotic with regards to constipation is Bifidobacterium lactis BB-12®, which can be found in OptiBac Probiotics ‘Bifidobacteria & fibre’.

A 2004 trial by Nishida et al1, studied 29 women between the ages of 20-35. The women were split in to two groups, and each group was given 100g daily of either probiotic yoghurt containing the strain Bifidobcterium lactis BB-12®, or a placebo (non-probiotic) yoghurt. The yoghurts were administered for a period of 14 days, after which a rest period of 21 days was observed, and then the groups were swapped over and given the other yoghurt for a further 14 day period. The results of the trial showed a significant increase in stool frequency in the women that were identified as constipated, making this strain of bacteria my strain of choice for alleviating constipation .

For additional information regarding natural remedies for constipation, the following article may be of interest: http://www.constipationexperts.co.uk/remedies/natural-remedies.html

By shortening transit time, any toxins released by the detoxification process have a speedier exit out of the body, and are therefore less likely to be reabsorbed and re-circulated.

Even if constipation is not a particular issue, probiotics could still help reduce skin breakouts during a cleanse.  In a review of clinical studies into probiotics and acne by Bowe and Logan2, published in 2011 various clinical trials were looked at and it was found that probiotics and prebiotics appear to reduce systemic markers of inflammation and oxidative stress. Additionally it was found that probiotics are able to regulate the release of inflammatory cytokines within the skin, and in particular reducing interleukin-1 alpha (IL-1-α), a protein linked to acne when found in abnormal amounts.

The specific strains of probiotic bacteria that are best at reducing these skin inflammatory markers are not yet fully known, so I would recommend taking a high strength, multi-strain probiotic containing bacteria from both the Lactobacillus and Bifidobacteria genuses, both in the run up to, and then throughout the detox process.

Outside of probiotics there are other natural approaches that can be utilised to minimise the likelihood of acne during a detox. The following strategies can be used to improve elimination both prior to, and during a cleanse.

The following recommendations may help to improve elimination:

  • Increase water intake – to help with kidney function. A minimum of 2 litres of filtered or natural spring water should be drunk throughout the day.
  • Increase dietary fibre or take a prebiotic supplement – to improve bowel ‘transit time’. Fibre adds bulk to faecal matter and makes the stool easier to pass. Research has shown that the body needs 30-50g of fibre a day to remain healthy, but most Western diets only contain approximately 12g.
  • Consider specific supplements to help support the liver, such as milk thistle, MSM, N-acetyl cysteine or dandelion root
  • Try different relaxation techniques, such as yoga or meditation – stress and tension are well known to affect the digestive system and can contribute to poor elimination
In summary:

By ensuring optimum liver, kidney and bowel health we can improve the efficacy of any detox or cleanse that we do. These organs need to be functioning well to be able to deal with any toxins that might be released from body tissues during the detox process. Supporting them in the above mentioned ways enables us to speed up the elimination of any ‘liberated’ toxins, and reduce the likelihood of us suffering any skin eruptions or other side effects from the cleanse. Employing these methods should enable us to gain the maximum results from our efforts, whilst minimising any discomfort or side-effects.

It is worth mentioning here though, that whilst most detox’s are generally very safe I would not recommend them for people with serious or chronic health concerns, or those taking prescription medications without first consulting their GP. Equally women should be extra cautious during pregnancy and when breastfeeding as many detox regimes do not provide enough calories or the correct balance of nutrients for these times, when a high demand is placed on the mother.

For anyone else, a detox can often be a great way to kick start a new healthy eating and healthy living regime, with all of the benefits that that can bring for our general wellbeing.

By Kathy Wheedon, BA hons and DipION

Nishida, S. et al. (2004) Effect of Yoghurt Containing Bifidobacterium lactis BB-12® on Improvement of Defecation and Fecal Microflora of Healthy Female Adults. Milk Science; 53(2): pp. 71-80

Bowe WP, Logan AC (2011) Acne vulgaris, probiotics and the gut-brain-skin axis – back to the future? 2011 Jan 31;3(1):1. doi: 10.1186/1757-4749-3-1

Fighting colds and flu

Vitamin C and overall life span

Vitamin C
Vitamin C

Over 20 years ago, 1992 to be precise, the medical Journal “Epidemiology” published a paper by James Enstron Phd and his colleagues entitled “Vitamin C intake and mortality among a sample of the United States population”. The paper suggested that individuals who regularly supplement their diet with vitamin C have a statistically significant increase in life expectancy over those who consume lower amounts of vitamin C. But this wasn’t really anything that new. Hundreds, in fact probably thousands of books and papers were published before 1992 and many more have been published since then demonstrating the clear and indisputable benefits for immunity, anti-aging, longevity, infection control and countless other benefits again, and again, and yet again of Vitamin C. Amazingly some (though gradually less and less) sceptics still debate whether it is beneficial to supplement with vitamin C at all – on any dosage! I find this “debate” so dated, and ridiculous that I find it astonishing, that anyone would wish to take up such a position, when it is so clearly wrong. This is an argument which they have so demonstrably lost, it really is as silly as when the tobacco companies claimed up to the 1950’s that smoking was good for you, on the basis that it was relaxing.

The discovery of Vitamin C

Around 200 years ago, it was first observed that ‘limeys’ – people who consumed limes, lemons or other citrus on long sea voyages didn’t get scurvy. This is the disease caused by gross Vitamin C deficiency, eventually resulting in death. Although it soon became well known that scurvy could be prevented by consuming limes or any other citrus fruits, the specific compound responsible was not discovered until 1930. That’s when Albert Szent-Györgyi, Professor of Medicinal Chemistry at the University of Szeged in Hungary discovered vitamin C, which he orginally called hexuronic acid. Later on it became known as ascorbic acid, although today there are many ‘ascorbates’ used in food supplements which are all acceptable forms of vitamin C. In 1937 Professor Szent-Györgyi was awarded a Nobel prize for his research, apparently much to the annoyance of other academics who were doing similar research on Vitamin C at the time. One of the first important experiments was with guinea pigs who are similar to humans in that their body’s cannot produce Vitamin C and therefore must get it from diet or supplementation. Cutting a long story short, he found that guinea pigs fed a diet which was enriched with vitamin C flourished. The guinea pigs who were completely deprived of vitamin C developed scurvy-like symptoms. Then they died. 

Linus Pauling and the Vitamin C megadose

By the 1970’s Nobel Prize winning chemist Linus Pauling was the most famous (of many) scientists taking up the mantle of vitamin C. In his books “Vitamin C and the Common Cold” and “How to Live Longer and Feel Better”,  he claimed that the common cold could be almost entirely prevented by taking large dosages of Vitamin C on a daily basis. We’re talking here about dosages far higher than the feeble RDA (Recommended Daily Allowance), which is the amount described as “the level of necessary intake” – which is effectively the amount you need to take to avoid dropping dead. Of course the conventional medical profession sneered and tried to discredit him, whilst they happily slapped one another on the back. He took huge dosages himself, lived into his mid nineties, and worked until two weeks before his passing. I wonder whether the “experts” who sneered lived as long or as healthily as him? The RDA (recommended daily allowance) for Vitamin C is 60mg a day, which is enough to prevent scurvy. It’s also roughly the amount found in a medium sized orange. Unfortunately though, the amount found in an orange where weeks have gone by from being picked, to being transported to the supermarket, and from the from supermarket the shelves to your stomach typically is much lower than this. However 60mg even from a fresh orange does not provide what most nutritionists consider to be a therapeutic dosage. Linus Pauling himself started on 3000mg (3g) per day, but gradually took more and more until he was taking 18,000mg (18g), of Vitamin C per day!  Pauling believed that supplementing with megadoses of Vitamin C led to an improved resistance against essentially all diseases, and he suggested it increased life-span by up to 25 years. True he beleived in supplementing with a number of other nutrients too, but Vitamin C was very much the core nutrient. For more information, read Linus Pauling’s lovely article My Love Affair With Vitamin C (but finish reading this newsletter first!).

A few more functions of Vitamin C

(This list is not by any means comprehensive)

Anti Aging 

Vitamin C is an important antioxidant. All antioxidants, by opposing free radical damage, which is considered to be the cause of aging (though I doubt this is the only cause), also oppose aging. Vitamin C is also anti-aging both internally and cosmetically because it also…

Aids collagen synthesis

One of the best known roles of vitamin C is in the formation of collagen. Collagen is the most abundant protein in the body, and is the ‘glue’ that gives integrity to connective tissue, muscles, tendons cartilage, skin, blood vessels, bone and teeth. Obviously Vitamin C is important for all of these tissues to stay in good health. The devastating symptoms of scurvy, which eventually leads to death are mostly due to impaired collagen synthesis. Aging of the skin is in essence a deterioration of the collagen in the skin.

The brain

Vitamin C is involved with dopamine and serotonin production, so it is little wonder that deficiency can be linked to anxiety, an unhealthy response to stress, fatigue, and depression.

Vitamin C and healthy iron levels

Folic acid is activated by vitamin C. Iron works together with Folic acid.  It’s uptake from the gut and its utilization in the body is also dependent on vitamin C. Vitamin C deficiency impairs the effectiveness of these important nutrients.

Reduces inflammation

This is the reason high dosages can be very useful for allergy sufferers.

Blood pressure

As little as 0.5g of vitamin C taken every day lowers your blood pressure and reduces the risk of stroke. It’s especially effective in people already diagnosed with high blood pressure, or hypertension. (Source: American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 2012; 95: 1079-88).

Helps with candida die-off

This is not a benefit which is seen in the medical literature, but I have seen that Vitamin C helps those going through a candida die-off phase. It’s not our core product for this problem (that would be Wild Endive Formula), but it does help.

Which Vitamin C products do I recommend?

Actually I recommend any vitamin C product as being beneficial. However our top selling one, and the one I take myself is Tapioca Vitamin C. My second favourite (which I have also taken on and off) is the extremely pleasant tasting Mixed Ascorbates. For children the most popular one is Fizzy C, although my personal view is that Mixed Ascorbates is equally acceptable for kids.  However as we sell around 30 different Vitamin C products, and they all have some unique selling point or other, it’s probably useful for anyone who isn’t sure which one to take to view them all.

Dosage of Vitamin C

Despite some of the sillier press reports that I have occasionally seen, I don’t really think you can harm yourself on any dosage. However there is a maximum beyond which there would be no additional benefit. However it should also be noted that very high dosages of most forms of vitamin C cause loose bowels in some individuals. (Calcium Ascorbate is the most notable exception, and does not seem to cause loose bowels on any dosage – even if you consumed an entire bottle in one go – not that I’d especially recommend anyone to do that).

Studies have shown as little as 500mg per day to be highly beneficial for a range of health issues. However I regard 1g per day, as a basic therapeutic dosage and as much as 15-20g spread out over the day to be useful for acute infections or wherever the immune system may be impaired. 

In regarding 1 gram a day as the starting dosage which is sufficient to benefit most people, I have been particularly influenced by the results of two double blind studies. The first in teenage school children which showed a drop of 61% in absenteeism when the pupils were given 1g of vitamin C per day compared to a placebo group, and 64% fewer symptoms in those that did get ill during the trial period. The second with Canadian soldiers, where 68% less sick days were reported compared with a placebo group, also with 1g taken per day. Would these figures be better still if the dosage had been higher?

I do not take the 18g per day suggested by Linus Pauling, but I do take Vitamin C daily and I very rarely get colds or flu’s any more. I used to get just as many as everyone else – in fact probably more for often than most people. When I do get them, which is now very rare, they seem to be very short lived and are vastly less severe (I also up my dosage of Vitamin C to ‘Linus Pauling’ type quantities at that point, and take 2-3 x the label dosage of Oxylift or Oxygen Elements Max). Here is my daily regimen, which I advocate to everyone not just for preventing colds, but for the prevention of all illness, which I take on an ongoing basis.

1) I take Vitamin C the whole year, specifically 1g of Tapioca Vitamin C. Then I get about another gram by taking 2 capsules twice a day of Antioxidant Supreme, which I think is a wonderful wide spectrum antioxidant for immunity and slowing the aging process.

2) I take two capsules a day of Vitamin D 5000iu,

3) Oxylift or the very similar Oxygen Elements Max on the label dosage,* 

* Note: ideally, any Oxgen supplement should be taken an hour or more away from taking Vitamin C.

View all Vitamin C products here…and be well over Christmas

Written by Mark Lester, Director, The Finchley Clinic Ltd www.thefinchleyclinic.com

 

General Health & Nutrition

How’s your thyroid doing? Thyroid and candida. Thyroid and Energy.

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Click here to see the new and remaining items in our Autumn Sale – Up to 75% off!

Now, my amazing Thyroid and Candida article (I would say that admittedly, since I am writing it)

In the seminal article “Conquerig Candida”, Sherridan L. Stock stated his opinion / observation that 90% of candida victims have low thyroid function, and many thyroid deficiency symptoms, are also typical candida overgrowth symptoms. Candida in fact binds thyroxine (the main thyroid hormone) and thus renders it ineffective. So there is the obvious connection between candida and thyroid problems.

The thyroid is a small but very critical gland found roughly in the centre of the throat. It has a number of functions, the most important of which is that it is responsible for regulating metabolism and energy levels in the body. 

Poor thyroid function is known as hypothyroidism is an extremely common condition. (The opposite condition, hyperthyroidism, is much rarer, and a separate subject altogether). Apart from potentially causing the most well known symptoms of fatigue, weight gain, (though 40% of hypothyroid subjects are underweight), constipation, hair loss, and sensitivity to the cold, it ensures that almost every system in the body is at a low ebb.

A more complete list of possible thyroid deficiency symptoms:

More common in females than males, the list of possible symptoms include (but are not limited to) weight gain, heat and / or cold intolerance, headaches and migraines, dry skin, dry hair, brittle hair, lifeless hair, lacklustre hair, coarse hair, slow growing hair, hair loss, loss of curl, premature greyness, excessive hair fall (especially in Autumn), sparse eyebrows (especially outer third), low motivation and ambition, irritability, anxiety and panic attacks, depression, fluid retention, decreased memory and concentration, unhealthy nails, brittle nails, low sex drive, insomnia, hives, asthma, allergies, slow healing, acne, or carpal tunnel syndrome, female problems (fibroids, ovarian cysts, endometriosis, PMS, cramps, dysmenorrhea, amenorrhea, spontaneous abortion, cyclic seizures, dry vagina and infertility), weight problems (usually high, sometimes low), gallbladder disease (six times higher in women with excess estrogen or on birth control pills or E RT), low blood sugar, attention deficit disorder (ADD), adrenal exhaustion from excess secretion of adrenaline, and osteoporosis (from excess estrogen leading to excess adrenaline and then to excess cortisol). Intestinal symptoms include poor appetite; irritable bowel syndrome, dysphagia; poor digestion (low acid and pancreatic enzymes, decreased gall bladder motility); nutrient malabsorption; gas and wind; colic; decreased peristalsis; constipation; pancreatitis (from hypothermia). In his superb book “The Great Thyroid Scandal”, Dr Barry Durrant-Peatfield claims about about one third of all cases of depression are simply undiagnosed thyroid problems or adrenal gland problems which are causing thyroid problems, as well as a huge proportion of chronic fatigue cases. 

Diagnosis.

Conventional diagnsis normally comes from blood tests. But according to experts such as Dr Barry Durrant-Peatfield, blood tests are notoriously poor at picking up hypothyroidism, and it is recommended that the Barnes Temperature Test be used wherever there is a possible thyroid concern. You can ‘google’ this test for yourself separately after reading this newsletter. Dr Durrant-Peatfield is also a fan of differential diagnosis (diagnosis based on signs and symptoms) where all roads seem to point in the same direction, regardless of the outcome of testing. We cannot ‘recommend’ or advise against this ourselves as this would be practising medicine without a licence. But the law does allow us to mention that this is what some health care professionals do.

Treatment

Conventional treatment involves giving patients the hormone thyroxine, which is an effective but not terribly natural approach, which does not restore thyroid function.

Kelp Formula for thyroid maintenance

Right now, we have an amazing deal on our core botanical product for thyroid health – Kelp Formula. This is a a polyherbal product containing 7 herbs that help maintain thyroid functuion. (Under EU law we cannot use terms such as “heal or improve” as these would be illegal health claims, but we know that it’s a great product).

Our suppliers last batch was accidentally formulated with one herb within the formula with a short expiry date (02/16) meaning that legally the entire product has to be be given the expiry date of 02/16. Result: they are selling them to us at half price, when it wasnt an especially expensive product to begin with.At the time of writing we have around 25 bottles in stock but we can get quite a lot more if our stocks do run out – probably enough for whatever demand we get after this newsletter.

Usual price £13.99
Current price £6.99 – while stocks last

And as always there are volume discount on more than one bottle, and reward points on every sale, making it an even better deal. This is a unique and probably one-off opportunity to give your thyroid a hand incredibly inexpensively until stocks run out.

How good is the product?

Obviously there is no product on the planet that works for all the people, all of the time. But we’ve been selling it for a long time, and although it’s never been a top seller for us, we think its an excellant product. We have to be careful here, as we almost everything we want to say boarders potentially being construed as an illegal health claim, but we have had what doctors call ‘anecdotal’ reports of significant improvements in energy, vitality, weight loss, improved sense of general well-being and all typical symptoms associated with a possible thyroid concern within anything from around 2-12 weeks (sorry to annoy you, but people do not all respond at the same speed).

Can it ever be harmful?

Not to the best of our knowledge (or experience) based on the label dosage. However theoretically it could be if you are unlucky enough to be allergic to one of the ingredients, which could theoretically occur with any ingredient in any food or food supplement if you happen to be allergic to that ingredient / herb / nutrient / substance etc.  Also, please see the legal note below.

What else can help?

Kelp Formula works very nicely all by itself. But in fairness, the results can often be further improved by combining it with Thyroid Suppot Formula or TH207. These products supply the core nutrients that the body needs for ideal thyroid function, whilst Kelp Formula provides what we believe are the most beneficial herbs legally available. There is more detailed information, full list of ingredients etc on Kelp Formula on the main product page.

Other things that might help

(These subjects have been covered in previous newsletters in the past, and will be again in the future).

Legal note:

As far as we are aware, these products can be used alongside conventional medications – at least we have never had any bad reports from any customers who have done this – and there have been quite a few. But do not stop or reduce any conventional medications such as thyroxine or any other thyroid medicines if you are already being treated medically for low thyroid without discussion and the approval of your doctor. Also, do not take these products if you have an over active thyroid (which is a much rarer condition) without discussion and the approval of your doctor. Do not take these (or for that matter any other) products if there is any doubt for any other reason whether you should take them without discussion with your doctor. We are able to give naturopathic and nutritional advice, but we are not allowed legally to give medical advice, and you need to consult with your doctor for this.

Well, that’s it for now but remember we alsio have up to 75% off a number of products in our ongoing Autumn Sale!

Mark G. Lester
Company Director

Threelac and Fivelac

Threelac capsules with 25% off: Flash Sale

Use the special code caps-max when you checkout your order to benefit from the 25% off offer.

Suffering from candida?

Do many of these symptoms sound like you?

From the article “Conquering Candida” – Candida overgrowth causes many symptoms, the most common of which in our experience are fatigue, bloating (gas), food allergies, carbohydrate craving, vaginitis (thrush), anxiety/depression, impaired memory, poor concentration, a “foggy” brain with feelings of unreality, and general malaise.  Additionally, numerous other symptoms may less commonly be exhibited.  Of these, those we see most frequently include cystitis/urethritis, menstrual irregularities, loss of libido, stiff and painful joints, muscle pain, indigestion, diarrhoea/constipation, inhalant allergies, chemical sensitivities, catarrh, hay fever, sinusitis, persistent cough, cardiac arrhythmia, discoloured nails, acne and other skin eruptions, earaches, headaches, and dizziness.  Candida may also contribute significantly to the causation of a number of medical conditions as diverse as premenstrual tension, irritable bowel syndrome, asthma, eczema, psoriasis, urticaria, epilepsy, schizophrenia, multiple sclerosis, hypoadrenia, hypothyroidism, hypoglycaemia, ileocaecal valve dysfunction, and childhood hyperactivity. 

Threelac capsules
Threelac capsules

Threelac capsules for candida – Get 25% off whilst stocks last. Read on to find out how.

Threelac has long been our most popular product for intestinal candida overgrowth. Some 10 years or so after the original sachets hit the market, Threelac was launched almost unnoticed in vegetarian capsules a couple of years ago. In order to raise awareness of the availability of the capsules, for the next two weeks we have this special offer on. Therapeutically we are not aware of any difference between the the capsules or sachets, so we think the choice of which one you purchase just comes down to personal preference. 

This offer is available on Threelac Capsules only (not the sachets).

Please note, we only have a limited number of Threelac capsules available for this promotion, and if our stock runs out before the promotion ends, then we will end the promotion early.

Remember to use the special code caps-max when you checkout your order to benefit from this offer.

*** Offer ends on Saturday 31st October, so get your order in by midnight on the 30th to benefit ***

For best results, we recommend combining Threelac capsules with Oxygen Elements Max and Active Digestive Enzymes and potentially any of the products found here. With regard to the Oxygen Elements Max, please remember to use as directed on the label. We often find that people who claim it “didn’t work” dabbled with, took it when they could be bothered or if they remembered. This does not produce results and is really a waste of time and money. Used consistently and persistently, most people are delighted with the results. Candida thrives in a sluggish, basically crappy (sorry to put it so bluntly), de-oxygenated environment, and adding a liquid oxygen product to your regimen at the same time as taking Threelac will enhance results.

PS, Here are the five most recent customer reviews of Threelac. You will get 500 reward points by writing your own review on the web site for Threelac or any other product.

Amanda: This product seems to have a miraculous effect on my (super sensitive) digestive system; I’m not sure if I actually have low-level Candida but the symptoms are similar. I usually take one sachet per day before a meal but sometimes increase it to 2 or even 3 times per day if I’m likely to be eating food that’s normally a bit too rich for me to digest. I always plenty on holiday with me and have also found it can calm an upset stomach.

Karen: Through the use of Threelac and various other supplements, I was able to get my long standing candida problem under control. I was taking at one stage 5 packets a day, but you need to work up to this gradually. Now I find if my diet has been poor, I take a packet from time to time to keep everything maintained. It seems to be working and I no longer have an issue with my candida.

Renate: I have been using this product for years and it’s the only thing that helped when I first started using it for my candida. I used to have awful symptoms with terrible inflamed boils on my skin, especially around my neck, and within weeks this had cleared. Really recommend it..you won’t get it cheaper anywhere else either

Marie: Threelac is the best thing ever! It has helped me greatly with my candida overgrowth symtoms of chronic fatigue. I began to improve a few weeks after I started using it, stopped using it when I no longer needed it, but now I am back for more, as I am in a bit of trouble again.

Jenny: I was always a little sceptical about trying products for candida especially as they can be expensive. I have tried so many over the years and none have worked. I reached a point in my life where I was just so poorly, I was bloated, I looked pregnant, my joints hurt, I was lethargic and felt very low. I decided to give Threelac a try and wow, what a difference. I did make the ultimate mistake though, I finished the course, started feeling better so decided to discontinue using it (mainly because of the cost). Within a few weeks things started to go down hill. My tummy was bloated again, I was tired, no energy and just wanted to sleep all the time. Once I re-purchased it the symptoms again disappeared. The product makes such a difference to me that even family members notice the difference. I cannot recommend this product enough, it genuinely gave me my life back.

 

 Best wishes

 Mark G. Lester – Company Director

www.thefinchleyclinic.com

My picture to the left for those who were wondering what the company director looks like. This was taken on holiday in August 2015 – somewhere in the Mediterranean.

The EU

Company Statement On The EU

1 Comment

The following is a statement written in response to being asked to comment on how the EU has affected the natural health industry on a Facebook page supporting a political party in Essex. I am re-publishing it on this blog for those who may be interested.

My name is Mark Lester, and I am a UKIP member in Margaret Thatcher’s constituency of Finchley where I run a company called The Finchley Clinic Ltd.

I’d like to make a few comments concerning how our membership of the EU has wrought enormous damage to my industry – natural health. In my area of business and expertise, unfortunately it is not possible to be a serious supporter of the natural natural medicine industry AND a supporter of EU membership. To claim otherwise is nonsense, and it is little surprise that there is overwhelming support from those involved in my industry to leave the EU. Now I will explain why in brief (though I could, and perhaps one day will, write an entire book on the subject).

One by one, various EU directives, covering every aspect of the natural medicine / food supplement industry has come under regulation. Supposedly designed “to protect consumers”, but sadly merely Orwellian doublespeak – a thinly veiled smokescreen meaning “protect corporate interests, take away freedom of choice, and suppress expression of legitimate opinion”, these regulations have, with one slow insidious directive after another, done enormous damage to the entire industry. One by one, these directives have tied us up in regulatory knots, put more than one company I know of out of business altogether, have put several on the brink, and in the case of my extremely ethical company who did nothing wrong, and paid lots of taxes, reduced us from a rapidly expanding and very profitable small company, to one which is now just about managing to trade profitably.

This is a huge subject. But a SHORT summary of how the EU has affected public health, removed consumer choice, hugely damaged a thriving UK industry, caused trade to simply haemorrhage into the arms of non EU countries at our own expense, and caused a general dumbing down in the quality of the products still available is summarised in the articles I wrote here  and here,

The basic problem with the Lib Dems is that none of them are business people, and none of them have ever had ANY real responsibility. It’s all very well for academics to pontificate, but Vince Cable and his Liberal buddies wouldn’t last five minutes if they actually had to run an SME – the supposed life-blood of the economy. If he had, and had come up against the amount of petty, business damaging, red tape that my industry has had to put up with from the EU, and then to add insult to injury was forced without his democratic consent to contribute financially to this nonsense with his own hard earned tax payers money, I suspect he wouldn’t be such a committed Europhile.

It has been claimed that the industry was unregulated before the EU wastes of tax payers money decided to interfere. This contention however is erroneous. The industry was regulated by The Drugs Act 1968 and other UK laws and dangerous products were banned. Personally I didn’t notice too many dead bodies lining the streets before the EU decided to butt in. Did any of you? Then it was claimed it was about “harmonisation”. Well, assuming we needed to be “harmonised” in the first place, which we didn’t, this “harmonisation” was once again a smokescreen. It was Orwellian doublespeak for what was actually occurring, meaning “dumbing down, pharmaceuticalisation, and reduction of availability”

I must add it was never my intention to become a member of a political party. However in the end I felt I had no choice as I witnessed the breathtakingly unethical and unfair destruction of an industry by entirely unelected officials, who clearly didn’t know the first thing about the industry they were presuming to have the authority to regulate.

Colon cleansing

Colon cleansers after holiday indulgence

If you’ve over indulged on holiday, now is the time to clean out the gunk. 

Colon cleansers
Colon cleansers

Constipation has met it’s match – view / purchase our Oxygen Colon Cleansers here

Colonic hydrotherapy practitioners often maintain that the average adult is walking around with anywhere from six to twelve pounds of undigested material fermenting in their large intestine (the colon). Perhaps this is an exaggeration, but there is little doubt that our Western diets (and Western drinking habits) contribute to a less than perfect intestinal environment for most of us. Result? An environment in which candida, parasites, microbes and other toxins thrive. And we tend to let whatever discipline we do have when we go off on our summer holidays slip.

It is unimaginable to think of going one week without the use of a toothbrush or toilet tissue. Yet, when was the last time you thought about cleaning the twenty feet in between? Do you think it’s any cleaner? It’s a simple fact, people rarely clean where they cannot see and that is where problems begin.

How often do you poop?

Constipation is commonly defined as not pooping 3 or more times per week. We disagree with this definition, and follow the view of most naturopathic practitioners, which is that as a minimum we should to go the toilet every day and without straining. Better still, we should go to the toilet once for every meal we eat. Our colon cleanse products oxygenate the colon, but also open the bowels in a dosage dependent manner, meaning the more you take the stronger the laxation effect. You can take a low dosage for a gentle stool softening effect, and a high dosage for a deep clean out. I take 2 capsules a day on an ongoing basis, but you can and should use your own intuition and common sense.

Why use an Oxygen based colon cleanser?

This is explained by John Taggart, the owner of the company that manufactures colosan as such.

Digestion is a process of oxidation. That is why we give off heat, carbon dioxide and sulfur dioxide. Just like a car engine when there is improper oxidation some of the fuel gets left behind as a residue. In the digestive tract, there is a similar build up of partially digested gunk. In an automobile when you add oxygen to the fuel mixture the built up materials are burned off or oxidized. You can do the same for your body. As these materials accumulate and subsequently begin to rot, your body wraps them in mucous to keep them from poisoning you. Colosan turns the accumulation and the mucous into carbon dioxide and water that are gently eliminated. By using Colosan to oxidize and eliminate this impacted material, you are  gently eradicating the home base to some of the largest assailants to your health and giving them nowhere to hide.

By comparison laxatives tend to work as somewhat aggressive cathartics or purgatives. Amphetamines used as diuretics, are addictive and cause the body to dump its’ valuable water. Herbal laxatives such as senna work by employing micro toxins, or irritants, to produce the same effect, again of purging valuable water in order to flush the digestive tract. These two methods drain the body of necessary fluids in their attempt to wash out the system and are not ideal for long-term use. Another school of thought is leeching of material from colon walls using carbon and clay. This is not harmful, but it does not oxygenate the digestive system. Similarly, fibre type laxatives like psyllium can be useful, but a lot of people do not tolerate them well, find them bloating (me – the writer of this newsletter and company director, being one of them), and again psyllium and other fibre products do not have the benefit of oxygenating the gut.

Candida and the Oxygen Colon Cleansers

Many candida sufferers revere Colosan saying that it is the only thing that restores sanity and brings them calming relief from bouts of severe yeast overgrowth. Colosan dissolves the crud that the yeast is growing in, and creates an aerobic environment where beneficial flora can thrive and keep candida in check.

Don’t take our word for it!

View what customers say about colosan here and here.
View what customers say about oxy-powder here
View what customers say about Mag 07 here

Which is the best colon cleanser, Oxy-Powder or Colosan or Mag 07?

We get asked this question every day. Unfortunately we refuse to say that one is better than the other as we have had just as many people prefer one as another one. They are all great products – that’s all we can say. Occasionally people report to us that they have used one for a while and it worked great at the beginning, but gradually worked less and less effectively. Where this occurs, we usually find that rotating the products, even though they are theoretically very similar seems to do the trick.

Clean your colon now, and as the cold season approaches, you will be stronger and healthier for having done so.

Are the Oxygen Colon Cleansers compatible with colon hydrotherapy treatment / colonic irrigation?

Yes (we wish all the questions we got asked were as simply to answer as this relatively common one)

View / Purchase Oxygen Products here

Legal note. This newsletter reflects the personal opinions of the author and should not be construed as making medical or health representations, or offering or replacing medical advice. Medical concerns should always be discussed with your doctor or health care practitioner.

Colon cleansing

Mag 07 vs Oxy-Powder vs Colosan

Mag 07

As well as Mag 07, many of you are aware of the fact that we sell two other very well known, and similar magnesium-oxygen based colon cleansers namely Oxy-Powder and Colosan. The question, Mag 07 vs Oxy-Powder vs Colosan – which one do I buy? – is not always easy to answer.

We are not saying that Mag 07 is better or worse than the other two. In fact we are not saying that any of them are any better than any of the others. Our experience, fairly consistently, is that some people get on better with one and some people get on better with another one, despite their similarities. However we will mention that of the different products we provide within this genre, Mag 07 is the least expensive (at least in the capsule form). In fact we are ludicrously underselling this product, and will almost certainly have to increase the price when our current stock sells through. So if you’re not sure which one to try, we tend to recommend trying Mag 07.

90 capsules only £19.99 here
180 capsules only £29.99 here

Ingredients:
Magnesium oxide*
Citric Acid
Rice Flour
Vegan Capsule (Cellulose)
* Has been through a special ozonation process

Colon cleansing

Mag 07 Colon Cleanser

Mag 07 Colon Cleanser

Mag 07 Colon Cleanser
Mag 07 Colon Cleanser

Looking to reduce the belly bloat now that summer is approaching? Not so much a weight reduction but a waist reduction product, Mag 07 Colon Cleanser is an all-natural gentle colon cleanser that can help you get rid of that belly bloat – and aim for a flatter tummy. It works by oxidising the many pounds of waste matter many of us accumulate in our colons as a result of a sedentary lifestyle, stress, lack of suitable fluids and anything else which causes you to poop less than you should, and store unwanted material as a result. More than that, unlike fibre based products, Mag 07 being oxygen based, may help deter candida yeast problems and many report it giving them a big energy boost. It’s safe to take both short term and long and compatible with all medications we know of, though as always we recommend consulting with your doctor in the event of any doubt. The suggested dosage is 3 capsules per day for an initial cleanse – taken on an empty stomach first thing in the morning or last thing at night – though this can be adjusted for a stronger or more mild effect.

Available from only £19.99 here

The EU

THE EU AND THE DAMAGE TO YOUR HEALTH AND FREEDOM. PART II.

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The EU and Public Health

Last week we sent all our customers a newsletter on how the EU is hugely damaging your right to take natural medicines of your choice, and how your access to information and opinion on how they might help you had been restricted, also by our membership of the EU. Today we discuss how EU directives interfere with conventional medicine, and the provision of the NHS. Most of this newsletter is adapted from, and in many parts copied word for word from a speech given by Professor Angus Dalglish, an oncology doctor working in the NHS. The full speech, which contains further information can be viewed here

The EU Clinical Trials Directive

20 years ahead the NHS will not be viable in any shape or form unless we address these issues….The currrent NHS structure cannot cope….All improvements to improve patient care are thwarted by regulatory burdens. They want us to improve everything at the coalface and then shackle us and straightjacket us with this. The main problem is the blind acceptance of European Union Directives without thinking through the consequences – the law of unintended consequences.

What got me here, was my frustration with the EU Clinical Trials Directive. It was meant to be brought in to harmonise research, but it has ended up destroying academic medicine in this country –  a field in which we were world leaders. This has resulted in several reports from the professional bodies [opposing this directive]. One of them, from the Academy of Medical Sciences (of which I am a fellow), have done a lovely document to the government pointing out the problems, leaving no stone unturned and we still haven’t had any kind of response to it.

Before this came in I could do all sorts of trials with simple cheap drugs vaccines etc that might improve outcomes and we could do it in academic centres. It was easy getting this done. When the EU Clinical Trials Directive was pointed out to me, I said to the government, the MHRA, the Presidents of the College of Physicisans and pathologists etc that this could be a disaster. They patted me on my head, virtually, and said “don’t worry, it won’t happen, it’s just sort of a tidying up exercise”. Then what happened when it came in? I get told I can’t do this, I can’t do that. I went to see these guys and tell them you agreed, you promised, but they’ve all gone. They’ve all retired. They’ve brought in new people who say “well, these are the rules”.

So to do a trial now, and this is no word of exaggeration, because I just tried to cost one up, it’s coming in at £2m to do a study, that previously cost about £50,000! How can you possibly justify that if you’re not a big pharmaceutical company? The label on the tin was to harmonise clinical research and protect the patient. But in reality it increasingly looks like a cartel to protect big pharma and to keep competition from generics and academics out. The result is that much clinical research is being done elsewhere, and the patients lose out. This was the thing that really got to me.

I had to go to an All Party Parliamentary Committee on Cancer care, and I said It’s absolutely pointless addressing any of these things [which I had gone to talk about] unless you get rid of The EU Clinical Trials Directive, and the patients are losing out. We used to have a world class lead on this, but now unless its the drugs companies behind it, we can’t do anything.

EU Working Time Directive and the NHS

If you think that’s bad enough, there are other European Directives that are just destroying the NHS. Until we get rid of them, we just cannot get the NHS the way we want it. Take the Working Time Directive. It limits the amount of hours that people are allowed to work in a week. But it’s impossible to do that with a health care system. But our government have said “this is how it is”. To do this, you need to plan for about 20 years, and employ three times the number of doctors we currently have overnight! Because of this directive, people aren’t being trained properly. I don’t know any surgeon now who would want to be operated on by one of their young colleagues. Someone phoned me when they heard I was giving this speech, and said “It’s even worse than you think. We’ve just appointed a consultant colo-rectal surgeon who has only done four colectomy (removal of the colon) operations in his life”. We did this before we (even) became registrars!  It has inflicted utter chaos on the health care system.

The EU freedom of movement directive, and your health.

The freedom to move from one country to another is a great ideal. If you’ve got a set amount of doctors, nurses etc how can you then deliver the service for a demand which goes up exponentially? In reality when one country provides everything free at the point of service, including treatments which are unavailable altogether in about a third of EU countries, how can you blame people from coming here from abroad to get treatment? Of course people from outside will want to access this if they can. Merion Thomas, an NHS surgeon recently wrote about the flagrant abuse of the NHS by those who are not entitled to it and the massive savings that would be made if this was stopped. The obvious solution is that the NHS should only be free at the point of service to those that have paid into it. Others will have to take out insurance or pay. What we are heading towards is a situation where EU Freedom of Movement directives, and the resultant health tourism cause so much pressure on the NHS that no amount of money put into it would maintain the service.

EU freedom of movement and free movement of doctors

This again is a great idea in theory. But this was not meant to be a loophole for foreign doctors with dubious degrees from other EU countries who are unable to communicate in English to come and work here.  Now the GMC has decreed that doctors must pass an English competency test before working here?  Why was this not done before? How many people had to die before this was done?

I have been asked to review a document which I thought was a joke. It was on the “shared competencies” on the EU and the NHS. I won’t go into the details, but in my final statement, I stated that in this document “the government thanked the EU for helping rearrange the deck chairs on the NHS Titanic, whilst politely ignoring the fact that they had directed the NHS to set a course straight into the nearest iceberg.” But it’s even worse than this, because we would actually implement it (EU directives). I don’t need to go into all the details, but there is nothing in existence that is so bad, so incompetently run, so hopelessly inept, that a new EU directive cannot come along and make even worse.

TTIP, Big Pharma, and the EU (this part of the newsletter is not taken from Professor Dalglish’s speech)

The transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership is something almost nobody – even in the health industry has heard of (yet) – and most people will only do so when it is too late. Interestingly, the highly unlikely alliance of Friends of the Earth and the UK Indepedence Party are strongly opposing this deal although the three mainstream parties support it. TTIP is supposed to be a free trade agreement between the European Union (EU) and the United States (USA), which all sounds rather nice in theory. But the reality is less nice.

Firstly it will be a disaster for our NHS as it will allow back door privitisation, and favour the interests of the pharmaceutical companies over and above the public good and public health. Secondly, and even more ominously it will restrict, and possibly end entirely the controls we have over genetically modifed (GM) food in our fields and shops.

Regarding the first point, as stated on one web site “The analysis of the 5 most worrying proposals of the pharmaceutical industry’s wish list for the EU-US trade agreement reveals a real threat to European public health systems and democracy. A report by the Commons Network and civil society partners shows that the pharmaceutical industry’s wish list for the TTIP is detrimental for public health, will increase the cost of medicines and undermines democratic processes.”

This agreement is being negotiated by the EU (supposedly on our behalf) and we will be forced to abide by what they agree. That’s without any consultation with, or accountablility to the British people.  We believe this is unethical and unconscionable. 

Conclusion

We are not here to tell you how to vote. However it our our job as a health company to talk about health, as we see it. In this newsletter we have explained our view that the UK’s membership of the EU is doing enormous damage to the quality of health provision you are likely to get if you need to see someone on the NHS. Other problems, such as the disastrously unsuccessful PFI contracts brought in by Labour, and the equally catastrophic re-structuring of the service away from clinicians and towards management brought in by the current government need addressing too.

However as Professor Dalglish concluded in his speech on the future of the NHS, based on his experience as an NHS clinician “First we must address the negative effects of the EU directives, leave the EU or completely renegotiate. This is not the elephant in the room but the dinosaur in the kitchen!”. As a Professor of Medicine, I think he knows what he is talking about, and my vote will be influenced by this situation, as well as by the incredible damage I am seeing done to the natural health industry discussed in our last newsletter.

If your health and freedom is important to you (and let’s face it, your state of health and personal liberties are pretty fundamental to your quality of life) we advise you to carefully consider all of the above in your voting decisions next month. 
General Health & Nutrition

PMT and PMS – Do you really need to suffer?

A woman I dated some years ago was completely cured of PMT symptoms which drove her nuts, very simply and easily, by taking one capsule per day of Evening Primrose Oil (recommended, I hasten to add by me). As I recall, the first month after taking it she was a bit better, by the second month a lot better, and by the third month, she was symptom free.

Mega GLA - helps PMS
Mega GLA – helps PMS

Although Evening Primrose Oil worked well for the lady described above, Mega GLA, which comes from Borage oil is a lot more effective. This is because it provides approximately four times more of the active ingredient –  GLA or Gamma linolenic acid –  as Evening Primrose Oil, delivering approximately 161mg of GLA per capsule.

So why isn’t it flying off the shelves? Well, as usual it comes down to the EU and the dreadful Nutrition and Health Claims Regulation, which makes it more or less illegal for us to provide any useful information for you on the web site. Great for big pharma – not so great for suffering women, who aren’t interested in politics, or the completely unelected EU officicials suspiciously cosy relationship with the big corporations, and simply want to get better. So now, because we can’t advertise it properly (though I would like to think that an honest description of one person’s experience in a newsletter sent to our own customers is still vaguely legal if there is any true concept of free speech) we are in the position of having to sell off some excess stock at cost price. This is great for you in the short run, not so good in the long run, if the pharmaceutical companies succeed in putting small ethical companies like ours out of business – which is obviously what everyone in the natural health industry knows is what is really behind all this nonsense.

Anyway, enough of the ranting – if you’re suffering, why not take advantage of these great offers….

Mega GLA Complex – 180 Capsules – Best Before End 06/2015.
Regular Price £32.95, Sale Price £21.41. You Save 35%

Mega GLA Complex – 90 Capsules – Best Before End 06/2015.
Regular Price £19.50, Sale Price £12.67. You Save 35%

Mega GLA Complex – 60 Capsules – Best Before End 09/2015.
Regular Price £13.95, Sale Price £10.45. You Save 25%

These special offers can all be found on our sales page, along with a number of final sale items with up to 50% off found here. If by the time you get to the page and Mega GLA is not there, it means someone else had already snapped up the sale price items. However you will still be able to purchase at the regular price (with our usual free UK delivery, reward points and volume discounts) simply by typing in “Mega GLA” into our search bar.

PS Other products that can be used for these types of problems with considerable success include Evening Primrose Oil, Rosa Mosqueta a Capsules (both of which also contain GLA), and Damiana Formula.

PPS, Our last newsletter, on how EU regulations are affecting your health is now found on our blog here.