Sarah's Health Notes: Supplementary benefits
It’s got to be relief all round as we bid an un-fond farewell to the dark days of January, not known as the blues-iest month for nothing. If you’ve got through so far without a cold or flu, that’s wonderful – but at the risk of being a wet blanket, please don’t rest on your laurels.
Jo and I are long-term devotees of herbal remedies and echinacea is a must-have standby in case we do start snuffling and coughing – and all the unsightly other symptoms. Among the various types, Echinacea purpurea aka the purple cone flower, above, is the most researched for cold and flu symptoms.
I usually opt for A.Vogel Echinaforce® Echinacea Drops, which is a licensed traditional herbal remedy to relieve the symptoms of cold and flu viruses by supporting your immune system. Find supplies at Victoria Health here.
Also worth adding in are A.Vogel Echinacea Lozenges, to have on hand for sore throats. But please do note the drops are for age 12+ and neither product is recommended when pregnant or breastfeeding.
If a bug or virus does do its worst, let me recommend 10 Day Get Well, Stay Well, which is simply amazing in its ability to get you back to health. I was literally floored by a demon norovirus in November – not once but twice (insulting!) – and felt as weak as the proverbial kitten. The wonderful Gill Sinclair, co-founder of Victoria Health, said ‘Aha!’ and sent me ‘10 Day’; she remembered that I had found it hugely helpful in the past (as had my husband). And readers, I have to tell you, the combination formula of herbs – including echinacea, astragalus and elderberry - and vitamin C and zinc really truly works. I was beyond grateful.
Now, a new find: Bare Biology Ready & Rested Magnesium Bisglycinate, which has really helped me through a few months of stress on all fronts (now mostly over, thank goodness). I used to take magnesium at night only, then started on a couple of capsules in the morning too, and then some kind PR sent me these, which you take three times a day – just one capsule each time. I really felt a bit calmer, more grounded and balanced. So yes, ‘ready and rested’ is about on the mark.
The point about this formula is that it gives you your vital daily magnesium requirement in a highly absorbable form. Remembering to take them three times a day is a challenge but keeping the container on the kitchen table is a good reminder to take a capsule at breakfast, lunch or tea, and then before bed.
The brand Bare Biology is best known to date for its excellent omega-3 products. I also take their Life & Soul Omega-3 Fish Oil Daily Capsules, which contain high levels of EPA and DHA, the two types of omega-3 you need, particularly as the years roll by. Great for brain, skin, nails, hair and lots else.
And I trust that you are taking vitamin D, aren’t you? Really important to keep levels up during the winter when we can’t get it from sunshine. It’s key to so many functions, which I describe here. I always recommend BetterYou DLux 1000 Spray, partly because it avoids taking another pill – a daily squish in your cheek and you’re done! And it’s amazing value at under £8 for 100 daily doses.
And finally nothing can separate me from HealthAid Sibergin, based on Siberian ginseng (a.k.a. Eleuthero), a powerful adaptogen that works as an energy booster. While it helps the adrenal glands to produce energy, it also nourishes and replenishes them – in contrast to caffeine, which gives you a quick, short-term fix but depletes the adrenal system in the long run.
Do I rattle, you might ask? Well, maybe. But am I healthy in my mid-70s? Yes. Do I look good for my years? I’m told it’s ‘yes’ to that too - and I swear these supplements make a huge contribution…
