Health & Herbal News Magazine

Spring (Volume 19 - Issue 4)

Editorial...

Hey, here we are again, at the end of another year. There’s lots of articles in this issue about stress, appropriate considering the year some people have had I guess, but it’s time to shake it off – say yes to life, say yes to things looking rosy for 2010, say yes to taking control of your health and your happiness.

One key feature of this year has been an enhanced sense of awareness of the need for quality assurance from product manufacturers. This of course applies to dietary supplements too. What strikes me is that there is a lack of understanding about what constitutes quality. Many New Zealanders have heard about GMP (good manufacturing practice) standards by now. These most certainly set a great and internationally recognised level of “manufacturing” quality – procedures, product handling, storage, hygiene, etc. But, they do not guarantee premium quality, efficacious products. A company adhering to the strictest GMP standards is still free to use poor quality or low bioavailability raw materials to make their products. It will be a “clean” well manufactured product, but that isn’t what makes it biologically beneficial to you and your health.

Some customers have asked about products from China. Well, yes, some companies in China have given the rest a bad reputation. But one bad egg shouldn’t mean that the very high end companies that adhere to very strict regulations, manufacturing and product quality controls should be shunned just because they reside on Chinese soil. Besides, you should know that the majority of products available in New Zealand, Australia, and most of the world for that matter, contain some level of ingredients sourced from China. What really matters is whether the product manufacturer cares enough about your health and wellbeing to put market share and profit second to sourcing the finest, most efficacious raw materials – no matter where they come from.

In this issue we would like to welcome Lynda Wharton, a well respected natural health practitioner who has her own thriving clinic, a successful book and also writes for several popular mainstream magazines.

Take a few minutes, sit back, relax and enjoy a good read through this issue of Health & Herbal News.

In this issue...

Sleep – how to do it properly

Are you bamboozled as to why you can’t sleep? Tried everything and still lying awake throwing the covers around? Read »

Breast Health – your life is in your hands

One in nine New Zealand women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime.  Every year 2,300 women face the shock of this diagnosis, and 650 die from their illness annually. Read »

Little Miss & Master Sunshine

Here comes the sun with its warm rays, beach days and letting the kids loose outdoors. Read »

Christmas Lifesavers

Sometimes during the Xmas party season you just wish someone would toss you a life-ring as the good times just go on and on! This time of year can be a fun time but it all takes its toll on your body. The bubbles are flowing, the nibbles keep coming around and you’re feeling festive so why say no?! Read »

Mood – The Art of Less Stress

The sun is shining, you’re outside with your mates, there’s a cool breeze and life is all great…
well, almost all great. Read »  

Keeping the mood up by keeping the weight off

So what can we do when it’s just too depressing to jump on the scales even after we’ve adopted a healthy diet, exercise and relaxation routine? Read »

Birth, Babies & Beneficial Bugs

Pregnant women are now being made aware of the effects their choices may have on the life developing within them. Rightly so – more and more studies are showing that parents’ choices have a long lasting effect on their offspring’s health. It’s no different with probiotics. Read »

Perika™– Scientifically Tested St John’s Wort

The use of St John’s wort dates back over two thousand years.  Swiss physician Paracelsus in the 16th century described it as “Arnica for the nerves”, descriptively explaining its balancing and calming effect. Read »

Mind – What’s DHA got to do with it?

If you took a lump of fat, continuously added sugar and sent multiple electrical shocks per second through it what would you get? No, it’s not another Christmas cracker joke, but more or less a simplified description of that blob in your head. Yes, your brain! Read »

Be Body Beautiful This Summer

When you are at the right weight for you then you have more energy and exude a certain confidence that comes with great health! Summertime in particular seems to inspire the most lethargic of us to get out, move our bodies and shed the winter padding.  Read »

Be Fizzzzz-C

For most of us, vitamin C is a synonym for fighting off winter lurgies. But vitamin C is so much more than just an immune booster. It’s crucial for healthy glowing skin, it helps make red blood cells, acts as a potent antioxidant, has a crucial role in eye health and it has anti-ageing properties too… Read »

Did You Know – A New Gold Standard for Optimal Manuka Honey Bioactivity

Consumers buying manuka honey for its medicinal purposes will soon find it easier to identify the best products. Read »

Beauty from the inside out

Our skin often gives loud and clear messages about what’s going on inside the body. Even artful use of cosmetics can’t hide dry, split hair and nails and dull, flaccid skin. Our natural beauty really does come from within and we need to supply our body with ample nutrients… Read »

bod is all about you

Now that the sunshine has smiled upon us, it’s as important as ever to keep up that fab facial routine. Bod summer-licious facial products can help you leave long-lasting summer glow impressions. Read »

Jump Off the Sugar Wagon!

Christmas has many associations for all of us. The thick scent of pine needles from the decorated tree, coupled with the smoky aroma of the BBQ fired up for Christmas lunch. Now, more often than not, a big Christmas lunch is the main event of the day. Read »