Soak away tension in a rich anti-cellulite bath with lemon and lavender aromas. Guam Seaweed Algae Bath Salts are a rich concentration of powdered seaweed extracts. The extract is produced from young plants - the same ones found in Guam Seaweed Mud and used by over 1 million Italian women.
The salinated algae are enriched with lavender and lemon essential oils which work together in synergy, and once dissolved in a hot bath, release natural essences. The osmotic effect of the algae re-mineralises the skin whilst drawing out toxins. Your skin begins to tighten, freshen and become velvet-like to the touch, and regains its softness and elasticity after just one bath.
To use, just dissolve 5-6 spoonfuls of salts in your bath water at a comfortable temperature, then lie back and relax for 15 minutes.
Guam Seaweed Algae Bath Salts are not tested on animals.
Available at Aqua Viva Health priced at £14.95 for 1KG. UK P&P £2.50.
The most useful rescue balm you will ever buy - it's called Wonder-Full Balm because you will find a million different ways to use it.
Nine natural oils in a beeswax base form a solid oil that melts in contact with your skin and provides rich, intense moisture.
The best lip balm ever, a fantastic cuticle cream, the end to dry elbows and runaway rough heels. It helps heal small burns and has even helped a lot of eczema sufferers. You'll find yourself pulling it out of your bag five times daily and you will never travel without it!
How to use
Apply a tiny seed pearl size dollop to lips, cuticles, elephant elbows, hard-as-nails heels, scuffy knees, seriously dry hands, little cuts, bumps, burns, dry patches - pretty much anywhere that moisture is needed!
Available at Aqua Viva Health priced at £19 for 30ml. UK P&P £1.50.
Did you know? A typical woman uses 10,000 sanitary towels and tampons in her life. As well as the health risks associated with tampons, the contribution to landfill is enormous. Aqua Viva Health thinks there's a better alternative!
A Mooncup is a re-usable menstrual cup that is made from medical grade non-allergic soft silicone rubber. It is worn internally like a tampon but collects rather than absorbs menstrual fluid. It can safely be used overnight and is great for all sports, swimming and travelling.
Unlike tampons and sanitary towels, a Mooncup contains no bleaches, deodorisers or absorbency gels, doesn't interfere with your vaginal environment, and is not associated with toxic shock syndrome. It's suitable whether you have normal or sensitive skin, thrush, eczema, allergies or any other condition made worse by tampons. AND because its reusable, you don't need to carry bulky spares.
For less than £20 delivered to your door, it's certainly worth trying!
Unless you've been stuck in a cave recently, you'll no doubt have seen the passing trend in shoes. First of all the Croc (practical, virtually indestructable, colourful but not the sleekest shoe around*), then MBTs (Massai Barefoot Technology, these shoes were the first "physiological footwear" and retail at around £130) and now we have the FitFlop.
The FitFlop certainly looks the nicest when compared with MBTs and crocs, but is a summer sandal rather than suitable winter footwear. A range of colours is available along with limited edition variants, and they cost only a little bit more than Crocs (between £35-45 depending on which particular shoe you go for).
Manufacturers of the FitFlop state on their website "It's like the flip flop with the gym built in" which is quite a big claim. The curve in the sole is supposed to force a different walking position - a front to back rolling motion, and it is this that helps tone thighs, calves and gluts and activate the slow-twitch muscle fibres which lead to leaner-looking legs.
The inners are made of EVA, which is a type of odour-free (and non-absorbent) foam and the shoes should last for more than a million flexes, so even wearing them everyday won't wear them out too quickly.
Several people I know have bought them, and all claim they feel it in the backs of their thighs and calves for the first few days, but then don't notice after that. The manufacturers do warn on their website thought that the FitFlop be used progressively more to avoid excess muscle soreness.
Different people do find different shoes more beneficial - some people find high heels comfortable to wear whilst others shun the mere thought. Shoes such as the FitFlop may help people with flatter arches, but then again, may be uncomfortable for those with higher arches - best to try a pair on and see how they feel.
Sally, our foot health specialist, also suggests that wearing the same pair of shoes too regularly (more than one day in a row) is bad for your feet and legs, as they will get used to walking in that particular way and not all muscles are exercised fully.
Conclusion?
Hype or not, any shoe that promises to improve an aspect of your health whilst being fashionable is bound to be popular.
The Yorktest Foodscan food intolerance test has been reviewed in a previous post, and to complement this, I took the plunge into the world of online video making.
There are several food intolerance tests in the marketplace, and generally, Yorktest is considered the best. However, it does come with a heftier price tag. This two-part review investigates the Yorktest FoodScan 113 in more detail.
introduction
At Aqua Viva Health, we perform food intolerance testing and use a 59-food test, which costs £89. Results are obtained within an hour of taking the blood sample and I sit with the client immediately afterwards and discuss the implications of the results. We also offer the Yorktest FoodScan tests, but send the results off for analysis, requiring the client to come back for a second visit.
A simple way to have the Yorktest FoodScan intolerance test is to order it directly on the Internet, and do it as a home test kit - it costs the same and you get the consultation and advice over the telephone direct from Yorktest.
When advising clients which test to have, if they have a good idea what their food intolerance is, it's on the 59-food test, and they just want confirmation, I suggest the £89 kit. However, if they are unsure what is causing their symptoms, I suggest the Yorktest kit instead.
which foods are tested in each test?
Aqua Viva Health in-house test
Cereals - corn, durum wheat, gluten, oats, rice, rye, wheat
Nuts and beans - almond, brazil nut, cashew, cocoa bean, olive, peanut, soya bean, walnut
Meats - beef, chicken, lamb, pork
Fish - freshwater fish mix (salmon, trout), shellfish mix (shrimp, prawn, crab, lobster, mussel), tuna, white fish mix (haddock, cod, plaice)
Other - carob, cocoa bean, coffee, cola nut, hops, sunflower seed, tea, yeast (brewers and bakers)
receiving the Yorktest pack
After placing the order, my foodSCAN pack arrived really quickly from Yorktest through the Royal Mail. The contents were:
Introductory letter giving an overview of the entire procedure.
Customer Details form pre-filled with my details:
These needed checking for accuracy, and a few more boxes filling in e.g. date of birth, symptoms, and ensuring that I'm not on any unsuitable medication that could stop the test from working.
Signature, date and marketing opt-out required.
Yorktest marker pen - I'm not quite sure why this was sent, but free pens are always a bonus!
Test kit:
Sleeve with a few testimonials and a list of what you get with the test results:
Lab analysis test results
Support pack including guidebook, food diary and recipes
1 year free membership to Allergy UK
Two free telephone memberships with a qualified nutritionist
Re-tests at discounted prices
Green plastic case:
Instruction leaflet
Blood collection kit:
antiseptic wipe
single-use lancet
absorbent wand and container
plaster
Prepaid return envelope for the sample.
first impressions of the Yorktest pack
I felt it was a well organised pack without complicated instructions. The green plastic case was difficult to get into though - one clip came undone easily, I nearly broke a nail on the other (and yes that is a very girly thing to say!).
I was impressed that the telephone number provided (if you needed further help) was a freephone number - a lot of companies give you a national rate number to call, especially after they've taken your money!
Instructions were clear, although I had doubts as to the relevancy of a plaster as further instructions stated to take the sample from a finger or thumb tip - an awkward place to put a plaster if you've ever tried.
I also wondered what would happen if the lancet was misused, didn't work, or not enough blood was collected the first time. They are single use devices, whereby the needle retracts so it cannot physically be used again. Perhaps two lancets in the kit would be better.
The instructions also stated to return all parts of the test kit - both the used lancet and sample so that everything could be disposed of in the right way, which was a nice feature. It prevents a small child or pet getting hold of anything they shouldn't do.
the test itself
Admittedly, I am a bit of a wimp, so wasn't looking forward to the finger prick blood test. I firstly ensure the form was filled out correctly, then laid everything out for the test itself and had a quick read of the instruction sheet. It was very straightforward and the test itself only took a few minutes - rinse hands in warm water (to ensure the blood is flowing properly!), then clean the finger with the sterile wipe provided. The sterile wipe wasn't the nicest smelling thing in the world, but washing my hands afterwards soon sorted that out.
Twist the cap off the lancet then hold it firmly against the finger tip and press the plunger. I also realised that unscrewing the lid of the container with the absorbable wand in first, would be easier than when I had blood on my finger.
I chose the middle of the pad on my middle finger, and perhaps this was slightly more painful than if I had gone more to the side. It was a very slight pinprick in the end though - the anticipation was much worse than the actual event! By squeezing the finger, a small drop of blood had formed, and I started 'mopping up' with the wand. It was a very easy method - much easier than using a capillary tube, and by squeezing/massaging the finger, the wand was filled really quickly.
When putting the wand back in the container I noticed that on the instruction leaflet, the container had a name written on, but there was no mention of labelling it with your name in the instructions - I guess that's where the free marker pen comes in.
I put the used lancet and sample in the green plastic case and put it in the return envelope with my customer details form and dropped it in the letter box.
Let's see how long I have to wait until the results come back...
Part two of this Yorktest FoodScan113 review will be posted on the blog shortly. (Why not subscribe by RSS reader or e-mail so you don't miss it?)
There's two ways that a colonic can be done - either mechanised or by gravity and as far as colon hydrotherapists go, it really comes down to cost and preference. As far as the receiver of the colonic is concerned, they might have something different to say!
Therapists using either system should use a full disposable kit, and filter the water supply (UV, particle and carbon three-stage filtering) to ensure your safety.
At Aqua Viva Health, we don't charge extra for the disposable kit and we use a machine-led therapy - ask to see testimonials from happy clients!
The gravity-fed system is a far older method than any mechanised system - indeed colonics have been traced back thousands of years when only much more primitive systems were possible. The equipment setup costs involved with a gravity-fed system are much lower than with a mechanised counterpart.
How does a gravity-fed colonic work? The basic mechanism of the gravity-fed system are as it sounds - it uses gravity to introduce water at a pressure of about 2 PSI (pounds per square inch) to clear out the bowel. A tank of water at a set height on the wall is heated to a pre-set temperature. Water flows from this into the water inlet pipe, which in turn allows the water into your body. The colon hydrotherapist controls fills and the rate of elimination of water and wastes by manually applying pressure to the waste outlet pipe.
The mechanised colon hydrotherapy system is obviously a far newer technology and incurs much higher setup costs. This cost reflects the extra safety mechanisms and safe plumbing into the waste and water supply to meet legal requirements. Therapists that perform colonics with the mechanised system feel there is much greater control over temperature and pressure.
How does a machine-led colonic work? Water is heated to a defined temperature and flows from the machine into the water inlet pipe, which in turn allows the water into your body. The colon hydrotherapist controls fills and the rate of elimination of water and wastes by turning the pressure gauge up and down (normally between 0.8 to 1.5 PSI) according to client needs.
Conclusion? In the hands of an experienced therapist, both systems (gravity and machine) will produce a good result for the client, and in any colonic, the entire process should be client-led not therapist-dictated. Generally speaking however, gentler treatments can be obtained from a machine-based colonic.
Did you know..? ...A normal bowel movement can build pressure of up to about 1.5 PSI just by itself? ...A standard hospital enema starts at about 2PSI?
... or "Intense moisture for parched places"
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