Ordering From Natural Dispensary – Phone, Online or Via Me

Now I’m no longer racing to the post office every day, I’ve got a bit more time to help you with your ordering! You can continue to call or order online as usual but, if you prefer, you can now call, email or text me with what you need and I will order from Natural Dispensary for you.

I simply give them your name, numbers and order details and they then call you for payment and to arrange delivery. This is the system I already use for the Heels remedies and it works well. Hopefully, it should save you some time in your busy lives and you should get what you need swiftly!

I’ve also clarified some other ordering tips with them for you.

1. Not everything is on the website yet so it’s best to call them or go through me. If it’s not an item they have been asked for before, they will get it in asap, put it on the website and have some spares so next time it should be in ready for you. That’s the beauty of using a bespoke company…
2. Sometimes, products change or get discontinued. In this instance, they will inform me and I advise which product I want you to have instead. This is vital because not all products are the same, despite being called the same things on the label! Please don’t guess.
3. If you are ordering online and can’t see something, need something else you’ve forgotten, or simply have a query, you can add a note in the special instructions to merchant box at the end. They will then call you to advise/arrange delivery and payment. Alternatively, you can always email michael.hill@naturaldispensary.co.uk and he will sort you out. Or contact me, of course.
4. Some orders went walkabout recently which is the result of the post office action. However, if you haven’t received your order within 3 days of ordering, simply call Natural Dispensary and they will resend it for you. If the original parcel turns up, they will send you a return bag.

Hope all that helps. If in doubt, contact me or Michael Hill. Thanks.

Arsenic in Rice Milk – Is This True?

Thank you to those of you who pointed out the recent media story about arsenic being in rice milk. It seems the Food Standards Agency has issued a new guideline that babies and toddlers under four years old shouldn’t be given rice milk as it contains too much arsenic. Shocked, I have looked into it for you. First, a quick summary and then I have included the press release from the FSA, and finally a response from the makers of Rice Dream. Hope it helps.

 

My summary: It seems a lot of foods contain a natural level of arsenic and rice has an ability to store it slightly more from what I read. Most experts are saying there is no real danger as it is endemic in our environment and foods, but that because babies and toddlers tend to drink a lot of it per body weight, the possibility of having too much should be recognised. The  best approach seems to be to not to have too much and to vary different milks around ie. not be too reliant on rice generally at that age. Another example of saying what’s wrong with something, but not really much help to those little ones who can’t drink cow’s milk (or soya)! Don’t forget too that the body is very efficient at getting rid of metals like this as it is a normal part of our environment. That said, it should be limited and we always need to ensure the right vitamins and minerals are in place to achieve the detox process in the body. It’s just a problem when a little one has to have a lot of it. Perhaps we need to think of alternatives such as oat and a little soya milk if little ones can’t have cow’s milk and are too young for nut milk, and always buy organic rice products.

 

From the FSA Press Release: The Agency has today published results from two studies: arsenic levels in rice drinks and one on cooking methods to reduce arsenic levels in rice. As a result of the rice drink study, the Agency recommends that toddlers and young children should not have rice drinks, often known as rice milk, as a replacement for cows’ milk, breast milk or infant formula.The rice drink study followed concerns about results from a study published last year that measured arsenic levels in these types of drinks. The research published today examined 60 samples of rice drinks and found low levels of arsenic in all of them (see The science behind the story section below).

The level of total arsenic ranged from 0.010 – 0.034 milligram/kilogram and the levels of inorganic – the more harmful – form of arsenic ranged from 0.005 – 0.020 milligram/kilogram. The proportion of inorganic arsenic in the rice drink samples ranged from 48 – 63%. None of the results were over the current legal limit (but see the Current regulations section below).

In the second study, researchers looked at the effect of cooking methods on arsenic content of rice. The Agency is not advising anyone to change the way they cook rice as a result of this study as the impact on the overall dietary intake of arsenic from different cooking methods is minimal.

What the Agency advises

As a precaution, toddlers and young children between 1 and 4.5 years old should not have rice drinks as a replacement for cows’ milk, breast milk, or infant formula. This is because they will then drink a relatively large amount of it, and their intake of arsenic will be greater than that of older children and adults relative to their bodyweight. This is both on nutritional grounds and because such substitution can increase their intake of inorganic arsenic, which should be kept as low as possible. A daily half pint or 280 millilitres of rice drink could double the amount of the more harmful form of arsenic they consume each day.

There is no immediate risk to children who have been consuming rice drinks and it is unlikely that there would have been any long-term harmful effects but to reduce further exposure to arsenic parents should stop giving these drinks to toddlers and young children. If your child is allergic to cows’ milk, you are strongly advised to seek advice from your health professional or dietitian on suitable replacements. Other groups of people do not need to change their diet because their exposure to inorganic arsenic from rice drinks is lower relative to their bodyweight. Children under a year old should drink breast milk or infant formula milk. Cows’ milk or alternatives are not suitable as a drink until an infant is 12 months old.

The research published today does not affect the Agency’s advice on any other weaning foods. Advice from a survey in 2007, which included baby rice and other rice products, concluded that these foods did not have levels of inorganic arsenic that caused concern.

Further information:

For further information on this survey, please contact: arsenic_enquiries@foodstandards.gsi.gov.uk.

The science behind the story

Arsenic is widely distributed in the environment. It occurs in soil, water – both sea and fresh – and in almost all plants and animal tissues. As a result, arsenic occurs naturally at very low levels in many foods and it is not possible to avoid it completely. How harmful the arsenic is depends on the chemical form in which it is present. The organic form is less harmful than the inorganic form which can cause cancer by harming our genetic material (DNA). Rice and rice products have higher levels of the inorganic form of arsenic compared with other food. The Committee on Toxicity of Chemicals in Food, Consumer Products and the Environment (COT) (an independent scientific committee that provides advice to the Food Standards Agency) has concluded that people should consume as little of this form of arsenic as reasonably practicable.

Related links

Survey of metals in weaning foods and formulae for infants Read the Food Survey Information Sheet

Survey of total and inorganic arsenic in rice drinks Food Survey Information Sheet 02/09

See more background at http://www.food.gov.uk/multimedia/pdfs/fsis0209arsenicinrice.pdf

 

Rice Dream response:

“All Rice Dream and Lima products are significantly below the legal maximum limit for levels of arsenic in food products….They pose no risk to customers and this has been confirmed by tests conducted by the FSA and an independent laboratory.”

I shall keep you updated if anything else comes to light.

Oy! Green People Launch New Teen Skincare

No, I’m not being rude. The new skin range for teenagers is called Organic Young , or Oy! for short! There are six products, all organic with ‘no gunk’ or artificial perfumes, fair trade ingredients and not tested on animals – and, of course, no toxic chemicals. Decent prices, there is an easy 3-in-1 cleanser, make up remover and moisturiser for those who’ve got better things to do, a foaming anti bacterial face wash, cover and clear-it spot concealer, peel off-face mask to draw out grime, self-glow gradual tan and a moisturiser with F15 sun screen. You can get these from Nutricentre or The Natural Dispensary as usual. If you’d like a copy of the free brochure about it, please ask.

Online Home Study Weight Loss Course

Many of you have asked me in the past to set up a weekly weight management meeting (like Weight watchers etc), so you can have weekly support and motivation. But now I’ve gone one better! I will shortly launch a modular home study weight loss course online so you can do it wherever you are and with my support as and when you need it.

 

The course will have several modules that you read through at your own pace. It is packed with information I’ve gleaned over the last 20 years in natural medicine and is based on the successful Stop Dieting & Lose Weight course I designed and taught a few years ago (and haven’t had time to do again since with the clinic!) Each module ends with a set of tasks to complete which will mean you start to implement a weight management plan customized for you as you go along. It’s as if I were sitting next to you guiding you through, but this way, you can do it as quickly or slowly as you like. Each module stands on its own but added together will lead you through the whys and wherefores of managing your weight.

 

I haven’t yet finished the whole thing, but I know some of you are raring to go with your weight loss plans this new year and that’s why I’m telling you about it now. The first 3 modules, each about 20 pages, are available: Why Diets Don’t Work, Hunger, Insulin & Body Fat and Are You Intolerant?

 

You can read all about the course and individual modules shortly on the website (as soon as I have time to get it on!) Each module costs £10 and includes email support for questions and motivation as you need it (a darn sight cheaper than a £47 consultation fee to see me, although I’m here for that too, of course!)

 

I’m telling you about this now so you know what is there to help if you’re thinking of managing your weight better this new year! I should have it finished by the end of Jan.

New AMB SkinCare for Sensitive or Combination Skin

The Annemarie Borlind LL Regeneration Anti-Ageing skincare range is by far our best skincare seller so recently I decided to try their other skincare ranges for sensitive and combination skins. I have had great fun trying them all and thought they were just as good as Regeneration so I now have them in stock.

 

First, the ZZ Sensitive range for sensitive skin. This comes in a cleansing milk, toner and day cream with no colourants, preservatives or fragrance. It has a special triple complex to help calm skin and help build a barrier against environmental allergens.

 

Next, the Combination Skin range which contains ingredients to nourish skin, but balance sebum production at the same time. It comes in a cleansing wash-off gel, balancing toner and day cream. All are designed to lessen pore size and give a matte finish to skin but without stripping or drying it.

 

For those of you who don’t want a range of products, how about Pura Soft CoQ10 Anti-Wrinkle 24 Hour Moisturiser? This is lovely and light, but I found it moisturized much more intensively than I expected. I used the new Exfoliating Peel Face Scrub to give my face a really fresh look, and then used this cream on top and it felt lovely and velvety soft. Talking about Velvety, don’t forget the Velvet Touch Tinted Moisturisers if you want a light moisturiser with a hint of colour.

 

All of these are now on the e-shop and samples of each product are available so just ask if you want to try some. I also spent a whole weekend (!) putting the new makeup range on. It looks truly lovely. I have a huge stand now with all of them on and play with it every day (because I am sad…).  

 

You’ll note that the LL Regeneration and AMB Body Lind ranges are on offer on the site – if you want to buy a Sensitive or Combination Christmas package for someone – or yourself! – let me know with your order and I’m sure I can work out a discount for you on those too – I just haven’t had a chance to crunch the numbers yet!

AMB Sun Range is Back!

As well as reformulating all the make-up, AMB have been busy rejigging the sun range too. They all contain UVA and UVB protection, kombu algae which acts as a natural sun protector, sea buckthorn as an anti-ageing fatty acid and vitamin E. They also now come in squeezable tubes and are all water-resistant. They had to be reformulated to comply with strict EU rules. Apparently, manufacturers now have to include a much stronger and higher concentration of UVA filters then before. AMB have said that they refused to compromise the quality and effectiveness by choosing cheaper ingredients so prices have had to go up. I suspect many manufacturers will take the easy route here and we may get lower quality products than before appearing because  the UVA filters used are a lot more money – we’ll see!

 

The new range consists of

• Anti-ageing Cream Factors 15 and 30 – the one to use for a rich moisturising touch. 75ml size, £13.30 and £16.80
• Sun Milk Factors 10 and 30 suitable for everyone, but especially for those who tend to get sun sensitivity like prickly heat and for children. 125ml size £12.50 and £16.80
• Sun Lotion F10 is an oil-free lotion for those who suffer from oily skin problems and break out in spots in the sun and with other lotions. 125ml £13.60
• The ever-popular Sun Lip Balm F20 (thank goodness; I was down to my last one!) This is just the best lip salve I’ve ever come across. 5g £5.00
• After Sun, cooling and effective with aloe vera. 125ml £9.95
• Sunless Bronze – self tanning lotion. I tend to use this for a subtle colour and for the face, and Green people Self Tan for the rest of my body or a deeper colour. 75ml £9.95

 

 Note that the Green People F22 we stock is very similar to the old AMB formulation and is £15.99 for 200ml. We will continue to stock this. 

AMB Make-up Updated – And 20% OFF Previous Range!

Hot on the heels of the new Lip glosses, chunky lip pencils and nail colours I launched last month (which many of you love already – I thank you!), is the new make-up range from Annemarie Borlind. 

 

Many of you, like me, are addicted to the Annemarie Borlind make-up which incidentally was used by professional make-up artists to beautify all the Miss Germany 2008 contestants this year! The mascara, lipsticks and foundations especially are simply brilliant. You will be pleased to know they have just updated the range and I will shortly receive stock of the new colours. The packaging has been updated into sleek white pump bottles, the colours are great and the eye shadows now come in singles rather than duos. The eye pencils now have a smudgy bit on the end for you, the eye brow crayons have a cute little comb and the lip pencils have a brush.

 

The prices have gone up slightly too – don’t they always when they’ve been updated and reformulated? – but they are still great value and are every bit as good as leading brands, but of course cheaper and without the toxic chemicals. They contain minerals for colour and are free from animal products, petroleum derivatives, parabens, silicone and carmine and are tested only on human volunteers. If anyone would like a free colour chart – and I hope – free samples (I’m working on it!), please let me know and I’ll include one with your next order.

 

In the meantime, to make way for the new, I am offering 20% off the stock I have left of the previous range, so get in quick to see if I have what you like left and on offer!