In hindsight, I can see I was struggling with Perimenopause for a number of years, until my periods finally stopped for good (I think!) about a year and a half ago. It’s a little early to go though the menopause, which caused me some anxiety at first, but now I have worked out how to stabilise the hot flashes, reduce my anxiety and have raised my energy levels, the relief is huge. Continue reading →

Join us online for a lively Q&A all about ‘A Natural Approach to Period Health & Wellbeing’. Our guest experts will fill you in on herbal remedies and sustainable period products. Ask anything you'd love to know about having an easier period, the natural way. To get your invitation to register, make sure you’re subscribed to our newsletter (details below).  Continue reading →

Discover the natural ways to ease your menopause symptoms with herbal remedies. Join us for a free one-hour webinar when Hannah and Rachel chat with guest experts Eileen Durward and Sarah Hyland. Make sure you’re subscribed to our newsletter to get your invitation to register (details below).  Continue reading →

Recently one of my team members mentioned to me that her gingivitis (bleeding gums) had vastly improved when taking a CoenzymeQ10 supplement. This caught my attention, as I’ve recently been seeing blood when brushing my teeth and although we have been selling CoQ10 since the 90s, I had not realised it was so effective for gum health. I decided to investigate further! Continue reading →

Now that the kids are back in school and we’re heading into winter, their little immune systems have much more work to do fending off bugs, colds, and plain ol’ annoying sniffles. But they don’t have to go it alone. Here are 5 simple ways you can support your little one’s health, strength, and happiness all winter long. Continue reading →

[caption id="attachment_4863" align="alignleft" width="300"] Splat Charcoal Toothpaste[/caption] We all know good oral hygiene is very important, and yet it is so often the last thing that we think of until just before we have to go to the Dentist. When we were children we always went to a Dentist in Clonakilty, so it was a day out, and for some unknown reason, although we were generally only allowed sugar once a week, we would always be taken for apple pie afterwards. Perhaps as a result of that pie, I don’t have any fear of visiting the Dentist - but it’s still an experience I try to limit as much as possible. So this month I decided to explore some of the new - and some of the the traditional - natural approaches to oral hygiene, including charcoal toothpaste, oil pulling and sweets and chewing gum that is actually good for your teeth!! Continue reading →

Hello everyone - I hope you had a magical Christmas and are feeling well rested and ready for the New Year! This time of year is a great time to start a new routine of self-care, for showing your body and mind a bit of love and getting into some good healthy habits. There are a lot of colds and flus around so it can be a good idea to pay attention to immune boosting nutrients, plus your digestive system might need a bit of TLC after the excesses of Christmas. And finally if you are feeling a little low - which happens to us all! - there are a few safe and natural things you can do to boost your mood. Continue reading →

These days, more than ever, we place great emphasis on the word “natural”. I think that is because we all suspect that chemical compounds while amazing don’t belong in our food chain, on our skin or even in our home environments. I believe we need to THINK about what we consume, why we consume it and take determined steps to live more in tune with nature and what is natural. Personally, I feel that if we really want to achieve a natural lifestyle and optimum health and well-being, we need to take a more holistic approach to life – eating local and organic foods but also cooking from scratch, and using natural and organic products throughout our entire home, from the kitchen to the bathroom, and from the make-up bag to the medicine cabinet. Continue reading →

[caption id="attachment_4783" align="alignleft" width="300"] Spring grasses give off pollen[/caption] Summer is certainly coming! Great news for most of us as we welcome the lengthening of the days, unfortunately for others this means the start of the dreaded hay fever season. Personally I have never suffered from this condition, but I have some family members who do and I know it can be really miserable. Hay fever is caused by an allergic reaction to pollen causing the release of histamine, which causes inflammation around the nose and eyes. Characteristic symptoms include red, itchy eyes, and a runny or congested nose, and can include a cough and an inflamed throat. Continue reading →

Shakespeare is known for saying our eyes are the windows to our soul. I was squinting recently to watch an escaped helium balloon disappear into the blue sky when it struck me just how precious my vision is. It’s a cliche but our vision is one of the things we can easily take for granted until it starts to desert us, and at the same time it is something that many of us simply assume will degenerate as we get older. But if you do some reading you realise that much of what happens to our eye health is under our control, despite what we have been led to believe. When I was first prescribed glasses I was told to wear them as little as possible. My Optician was also very reluctant to give in to my pleas for contact lenses, only prescribing them when I promised to wear them for only the occasional wedding or festival, when I wanted more freedom. He explained that where I might take off my glasses and give my eyes a break, with contacts this wasn’t possible and my eye muscles would weaken through lack of use if I wore contacts constantly. I think this is pretty sound advice, and now 20+ years on my vision has actually improved slightly (my prescription has decreased). While researching this article I have been reminded of another eye specialist from the 1860’s called Dr Bates who routinely smashed his patient’s eyeglasses and instead taught various exercises to strengthen eye muscles which he claimed would make glasses unnecessary. His methods made him hugely unpopular - perhaps because he challenged a large industry - but his methods are still being practiced today and while I’m not advising you throw away your driving glasses it certainly seems to makes sense to try some exercises out - especially if it costs nothing and causes no harm. Read More...