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News from the UK’s most prestigious trade show showcasing this year’s best natural products
Brighton in March: high winds, exorbitantly high cost of living but high excitement too at the 2008 Natural Products Trade Show and lecture series. The buzz in Brighton’s exhibition centre was high energy and compelling for anyone interested in better health the natural way. Two days of seminars in three venues; aisles of exhibitors with products both simple and exotic; the chance to catch up with new innovations in the natural health world. Unmissable!
First stop for me always: Dr Cass Ingram – founder of North American Herb & Spice (NAH&S) – and his seminar on his latest book Eat Right 4 Your Metabolic Type. I’ll be covering this theory/advice in a future column plus his new candida protocol. Several new NAH&S products on the Tigon stand included organic Omega 3/6 oil from vegetarian sources, a power-packed liquid berry formula and SinuOrega multi-spice nasal wash in a useful portable plastic spray bottle. Tigon are partnering a French company, Laboratoires Sicobel, so now have a range of organic toiletries, BcomBio, plus specialist products, Arubix, for skin disorders – all on mail-order (www.bcombio.co.uk; Tel: 0044 1664 485001).
Then I met old friends at Quest Vitamins, a brand I always stocked in UK. Their new offering is Lactobacillus Plantarum 299v specially formulated for IBS sufferers, (www.lp299v.co.uk); a specialist Pre-Natal Formula – more at a later date – and Green Coffee extract, the latest aid to weight loss. The extract inhibits an enzyme involved in the normal conversion of glycogen into glucose which appears to trick the body into using up its fat reserves. Quest products are now available mail-order direct from them, on line at www.questvitamins.co.uk.
CoffeeSlender, a new Norwegian coffee drink using Svetol from green coffee, works on similar principles. A number of research studies this decade conclude that Svetol-assisted calorie-controlled food-intake may be twice as effective for weight loss than a calorie-controlled diet alone. CoffeeSlender were generous and I have some samples for readers to try: e-mail me! Or go to www.coffeeslender.co.uk/NonUKPurchases.htm to purchase direct.
I had my BMI analysed (shock, horror!) at the Natural Health Practice stand and discovered Dr Marilyn Glenville’s product range – new to me. She was lecturing but her assistants urged me to purchase Marion’s book Fat Around the Middle (I resisted!) and check out the supplements for women (www.naturalhealthpractice.com). Another new range comes from Powerfruits with three supplements – Montmorency cherry, wild blueberry and pomegranate – a veritable powerhouse of berries packed in softgel capsules. I’m trying to persuade them to add Cyprus to their mail-order proforma on their website www.powerfruits.co.uk because the cherry in particular will be brilliant for all our gout-suffering drinkers here.
From gout to arthritis, not such a great leap. Cortaflex is not new but the latest formula with hyaluronic acid is really gaining favour with UK athletes. It doesn’t derive from shellfish, like many arthritis supplements, and has been proven effective even when glucosamine and chondroitin are ineffectual. Order on line from www.cortaflex.co.uk. I brought some home for my neighbour and she’s already more pain-free/mobile. I have some leaflets: e-mail me!
Finally: not functional quite yet, but a new website www.supplementscompared.com is planning an overview of UK supplements. Watch this space!
Nikki can be contacted on 99 170406, but e-mail preferred [email protected]
YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED
How can I avoid picking things up on planes?
I recently read about poor air hygiene in planes and toxic by-products leaking into the cabins via the air-con systems. I habitually get flu-like symptoms after flying: any advice?
Mrs D F Limassol
This letter caught me only days after my return from the UK on a plane jam-packed with sneezers, snorers and snufflers – and that was just row 12! I too had read recent conflicting reports both about planes downed because the pilots were affected by fumes and airline statements that air quality on flights is improving.
Never leave it to chance is my advice. While the average passenger is powerless against organophosphate contamination, you can ensure your immune system is well-bolstered and your stress levels minimal.
Sterilise everything you come into contact with airside. I never travel without Germaclenz, an anti-microbial edible spice oil spray to use on crockery, cutlery, the foldaway table, armrests and even the air around your travel-space. Someone coughs – I spray Germaclenz direct into my mouth; I clean my hands with it rather than touch taps. People may think I have compulsive obsessive disorder, but fine – I don’t catch their cold or the airline’s tummy bug. Tigon’s new SinuOrega (see main article) would also be very useful.
Dosing with garlic capsules or oil of garlic (Garlex) for a few days before each flight is also sensible, as garlic thins the blood against DVT (not for travellers on anticoagulants) and is a wonderful anti-bacterial cleanser. I take a probiotic daily to ensure top levels of good gut flora to take out any bad guys coming my way. My favourite is HealthBac because it’s from vegetarian sources, is resistant to stomach acid and needs no refrigeration.
You’ll find Germaclenz spray at Green Choice in Limassol (25 591949) and they might order the other products as they are all from the same source, Tigon (0044 1664 485001). Or order on line from www.oliveleaf.co.uk. Mail-order usually takes five working days. Bon voyage!
Nikki’s column appears every four weeks. Please address your questions to [email protected] PO Box 21144, Nicosia. Tel: 22 818585
