VITAMIN D

There has been much talk in the news over the past few weeks about Vitamin D, the sunshine vitamin.
At Squirrels we have been selling a lot of vitamin D over the past 3 years. I suffered from aching joints, being especially noticeable in January, February time. I also noticed that I would come down with a really bad cold around this time of year. I was hobbling around like an old lady first thing in the morning at the age of 46. Someone in the industry suggested I got my vitamin D levels checked. I asked my doctor to do this but he refused so I started taking 1000 iu of vitamin D3 daily. The difference was quite incredible. The aching joints have gone and I no longer seem to come down with a nasty bug at the beginning of the year.
The reason for this is quite simple. By the time January comes around the body is completely depleted of any stores of vitamin D that it may have gained through the summer months. The sun simply is not strong enough in the winter to absorb vitamin D. Even in the summer months, people in the United Kingdom are D deficient due to the excessive use of sunscreens and staying indoors more than in the past.
Vitamin D deficiency is now being linked to many degenerative diseases in the UK, including certain cancers, osteoporosis, rickets, diabetes, heart disease, MS, fibromyalgia and many more major problems as well as more minor ones like the frequency of the common cold. They have even found a correlation between cot deaths and D deficiency and are now recommending that all pregnant and nursing women take a D supplement as well as all children under 5 years old.
The reason for this deficiency is obviously a lack of sunshine and the fear of skin cancer. Skin cancer, in fact tends to affect people who burn. The important factor here is not to burn. Also food in the UK used to be fortified with vitamin D but in the 1950’s it was decided that this was no longer necessary. In Northern Europe they still tend to fortify food but as we do not do this in the UK supplementation is essential for a vast percentage of the population.
Vitamin D3 supplementation is inexpensive, less than the price of a prescription for 3 month’s supply. Please feel free to talk to us or email us to find out how vitamin D can help improve your health.

Herbal Directive

On 10th February I attended a meeting in London about the new herbal licencing laws that will come in force as of 1st May 2011.  In essence this means that all herbal products will have to have a licence to be sold as a herbal medicine. To obtain this licence the herbs must be deemed to be safe by the MHRA. This process is long and expensive and fails to take into account the amount of years that these herbs have been used for safely and efficiently. Testimonies of thousands, probably millions of people that have used these products safely and efficiently seem to count for nothing.

Many herbal companies are small and have been around for decades but are not cash rich. Their goal is not money, these tend to be ethical companies that only want to improve the health of their customers. Quite simply they cannot afford the expense of these licences that run into tens of thousands of pounds. As such certain, more unpopular herbs will disappear from my shelves as companies simply cannot justify the cost of a licence. Some herbs, such as Black Cohosh, have still not been granted a licence and may well disappear altogether. This I find very hypocritical. I, personally, have not had a bad report on this herb, which to my knowledge has been used safely and effectively for years by women suffering from symptoms of the menopause. However, HRT has been linked to oestrogen based cancers. I, myself, have been told that I should not have it because my mother died of breast cancer. Yet this is handed out readily by the NHS, despite the problems linked to it.

The implications of this new European directive will not be fully felt until the changes start to take place. From the point of view of an independent shop owner, I know certains herbs will disappear from my shelves. I find it very strange that in an interview on Saturday morning by a representative of the pharmaceutical industry that they were worried that this new legislation would justify claims that these products worked. Yet in the next breath, it was explained by a representative of the MHRA that these herbs were dangerous. How can a herb be ineffective and dangerous?

It does not end here as far as the European legislation is concerned. This year the health food sector faces another and possibly more worrying challenge which could threaten the whole industry. Europe wants maximum levels of vitamins and supplements to be reduced to levels stated in the RDA’s. My understanding of RDA’s is that they were based on a north American man, 25 years old and have not been updated for 40 years. We all know that the young are far less likely to use supplements than people of advancing years. The RDA’s are completely out of date and the new research into vitamin D proves this. If European law is passed this year then we will see vitamins set at ridiculously low levels. To give an example, vitamin C could be set at 100mg per day. People often take 1000mg of vitamin C per day so to achieve this they will have to take 10 tablets.

I am passionate about the health food industry, it is the most ethical industry I have worked in and people work in it for personal reasons. Believe me, you don’t get rich in this industry, it is more likely to make you poor. However, the people in this industry are passionate about helping people to manage their own health, which also cuts down queues in doctor’s surgeries and ultimately means less of a burden to the NHS. Are we going to let European legislation put an end to this?

B VITAMINS & ALZHEIMERS

A recent study has shown that certain B vitamins can help delay the onset of Alzheimer’s disease by slowing down shrinkage of the brain. Further trials will need to be done but this is, indeed, promising news for all those worried about memory problems, from mild to more serious.

The way in which these 3 B vitamins work is by lowering homocysteine levels. Homocysteine is an amino acid which is made from protein in the diet. In a healthy individual, the body converts it into harmless compounds but in an unhealthy or badly nourished individual this conversion may not take place as they are lacking the nutrients needed to do it. This can lead to damaging levels of high homocysteine in their blood which are associated with cardiovascular disease, increased risk of heart attacks and strokes, deep vein thrombosis, pulmonary embolism and alzheimer’s disease.

Fortunately the defence against homocysteine is simple and inexpensive and this is where B6, B12 and Folic acid can help. All 3 of these vitamins help to lower homocysteine levels, hence the basis of the recent study.

At Squirrels Health Food shop in Burnham we aim to keep abreast of any recent findings. We obviously believe prevention is better than cure and are passionate about helping individuals understand and look after their health. If you’re one such individual please feel free to email us to find out more!

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Home Brew

The price of alcohol is due to rise. In their forthcoming budget, the government has indicated that they will impose a new minimum unit price on alcohol.

Home Brew has come back into fashion! It is possible to brew a pint of beer for as little as 30p and a bottle of wine for £1.00 and the results are outstanding!

Squirrels introduced home brew in November of last year and its popularity is gaining momentum. Our customers are constantly commenting on the quality of the beers, real ales, wines etc they are brewing. Gone are the days when bottles exploded and brewing took forever. In just one week it is possible to brew some mouth watering bitters, lagers and wines to mention a few. Real ales will take a little longer but the wait is worth it.

Squirrels stocks a wide range of home brew beer and wine kits alongwith all the accessories needed to start your own micro brewery. It is cheap, fun and the results are superb!

The beer kits currently stocked are Youngs Harvest, Geordie, John Bull, Tom Caxton, Brewferm, Coopers, Woodfordes and Milestone. From these kits you will be able to brew bitter, lager, mild, pilsner, stout, barley wine, yorkshire bitter, cider, real ale to name but a few.

We also have in stock various wine kits including Youngs Definitive, California Connoisseur and Cellar 7. From these you will be able to brew wines such as Shiraz, Merlot, Barolo, Pinot Grigio, Chardonnay, Riesling plus a long list of fruit wines such as blackberry, elderberry, peach etc. The list is endless and if we don’t have it in stock we will endeavour to source it for you.

Start now and enjoy this new experience of home brew.

Weight loss

Today let’s touch on 5 effective ways to lose weight.
1) Solgar Whey to Go protein powder.
Traditionally protein powder has been associated with ‘body building’. However, more and more people are learning how whey protein can benefit their health, whatever their walk of life and how high quality whey protein can help to not only lose weight but maintain lean body mass and reduce body fat. These delicious meal replacement smoothies will not only provide you with all the nutrients you need on a daily basis but will also assist you on your weight loss programme by losing weight sensibly and therefore ultimately keeping the weight off!
2) Green Tea.
As the years pass, fat gathers around the middle and the dreaded ‘middle age spread’ is the dangerous fat.
The body carries two kinds of fat, brown fat which sits against the skeleton which is good fat and yellow fat which collects around our fatty areas which is the bad fat. Green tea is thought to increase the metabolic activity of brown fat which in turn can help it to burn off yellow fat more quickly.
Green tea is also high in polyphenols with potent antioxidant properties. Another healthy and sensible approach to weight loss.
3) Tonalin
Tonalin is the highest quality form of CLA on the market. CLA or conjugated linoleic acid is a natural, polyunsaturated fatty acid that is produced in cows that eat natural grass. Due to a reduced dietary intake and modern farming methods our intake of CLA has been drastically reduced. In recent years CLA has gained popularity as a dietary supplement due to the plethora of research that suggests it has a role in the regulation of body composition. So for healthy weight and less body fat try adding CLA into your weight loss programmes.
4) Lemon Detox
At Squirrels we have had great success with this product. Many celebrities have tried this regime and put their name behind it, most recently Naomi Campbell.
The full detox can seem a bit daunting as it is designed for 5 days. However, feedback gained from out customers is that the first 2 days can be difficult but after that the feeling of well being, increased energy levels, weight loss and healthier skin and hair makes it relatively easy to finish the detox.
The Madal Bal natural tree syrup mixed with lemon juice water and some cayenne pepper or ginger will give your body all the essential nutrients it needs to complete the detox safely.
The results we have seen have been outstanding and feedback is very positive. More inportantly after the detox our clients do not go back to their old ways. Habits are broken and a new healthier, lighter way of life begins.
Be brave, take 5 days out of your life to change your life.
5) Hypno Band
This is a new method of hypnotherapy that helps with weight loss where clients are approaching obese. We have all heard of the gastric band but the hypno band will suggest to clients that they get fuller quicker and works in the same way but without the invasive surgery.
It is a new and exciting programme that is being practiced to help people whose weight has spiralled out of control. Steve Bishop is one such local hypnotherapist that has taken this new method on board.

Squirrels Health Food

Squirrels Health Food Shop in Burnham High Street is one of the few indepedent health food shops left in the area. Burnham is a pituresque village situated between Slough and Maidenhead and literally on the border of Buckinghamshire  and Berkshire.

It has been trading for over 25 years but came under new ownership in March 2008. Caron Wallace, the new owner, used to be a regular customer of Squirrels back in the eighties and preventative health has always been her passion due to personal experience as to how the right diet, nutrition and supplementation can greatly help to tackle major diesease.

Caron’s mother was diagnosed with breast cancer when she was 14 and as soon as she was old enough to understand she looked at ways of building up her mother’s immune system to tackle the disease.

A visit to a Bristol Cancer Clinic in 1985 confirmed her beliefs that the right nutrition and a positive attitude can greatly help in the fight against disease. Her mother was living proof of how effective this could be. Wide range of health products

Caron bought the shop to follow her passion and to help others realise that they can help themselves.

Squirrels’ motto ‘here to help’ is one that they are proud of and live up to.

With access to over 20,000 products in the health sector Squirrels prides itself with being able to source a wide variety of products in addition to what they hold in stock.

Squirrels has a wide range of products stocked at the shop which include brand names such as Solgar, Quest, Nature’s Aid, Eskimo, Nutrasea, Comvita, Bio Health, Vogel or Biocare, Nelsons, Bach Flower remedies, Cherry Active, Lemon Detox, Allicin, Floradix, Higher Nature, Udos Oils, Absolute Aromas, Alva, Bional, Hopes Relief, Australian Tea Tree, Allergenics, Weleda, Dead Sea Magik, Green People, Tom’s, Sambucol, Natracare, Nanny Care Goat’s milk, Youngs Home Brew, Faith in Nature and Ecover to mention but a few.

They also stock Ecover refills so that customers can re-use their containers.

Solgar supplements
Caron believes in quality and stocks a wide range of Solgar supplements which is well known to be a high quality supplement with extensive scientific back up and technical support. Solgar is renowned to be innovative in the independent market. Where Solgar leads, others tend to follow. Squirrels also stocks a range of special offers as and when they are offered to the shop and often have products such as Glucosamine, Cod Liver oil and Evening Primrose oil at half price. Squirrels prides itself with being totally independent. Whereas many chains have to stock their own branded products, Caron can cherry pick amongs a vast array of suppliers and choose only the products she believes are effective. She is interested only in results. If a product is ineffective it will not appear on Squirrels’ shelves.

Home brew
Squirrels has recently introduced Home Brew to the shop. Caron is keen to get Squirrels back to a true independant health food shop and traditionally health food shops always used to stock home brew. Due to various factors such as the recession and the decline in pub culture, home brew has become extremely popular and trendy over the past couple of years. The result can be outstanding and the rewards of making something yourself from start to finish can be very satisfying.

Home Brew has moved on since the 70’s and now available to brew are many real ales, lagers, ciders, bitters etc., alongwith wines such as Chardonnay, Shiraz, Merlot, Barolo, Pinot Grigio etc etc. The list is endless and the results are outstanding. A pint of beer can be brewed from as little as 30p and a bottle of wine from £1.00!

Quirky gifts
Squirrels also offers a quirky gift section with gifts such as Bamboo socks, towels and baby products, Elephant poo notebooks etc and beautiful magnetic bracelets and Chakra jewellery.

Squirrels also offers in house allergy/food intolerance testing.

There is free parking behind the shop so pop in and see if they live up to their motto!

Opening times are: Monday to Friday 9.00 am to 5.30pm, Saturday 9.00am to 5pm.

Squirrels Health Food Shop,
65 High Street,
Burnham,
Bucks
SL1 7JX
Phone: 01628 666122
Email: caronmwallace@yahoo.co.uk

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