An Update from Jo

Here we are in the second last month of the year.....already! End of year assemblies were held last week for those sitting exams this month. This can be a stressful time of year for some. Chat to us if your teen needs some support with products to help with fatique, anxiety and overwhelm.

Have you heard about the Peoples Health Alliance? PHA Bay of Plenty is part of a global initiative. They are are an organic, people-led grassroots alternative integrated healthcare model that aims to educate, support and empower people to take responsibility for their own health. Locally there are monthly meetings held at the Mount and Athenree and you can see any of the practitioners there for KOHA. I have included details about the Mount group at the bottom of this newsletter and you can click on the graphic to be linked to their facebook group where you can find more information including details about the Athenree group.

I mentioned last month that the full moon workshops are on hold for now but instead I have recorded some meditations that will still assist with learning more about the chakras and the homeopathic gem, colour and sound remedies we have available to purchase instore. These are now available on Insight Timer if you have the app, or you can find them on my clinic website here. They were initially recorded to be used for releasing at the time of the Full Moon though of course can be listened to at anytime. 

Have a great month everyone, and don't forgot to get your Pukka Tea Advent Calendar in time for December 1st! They also make a great gift for anyone having a birthday this month. We look forward to seeing you in-store again soon.

Our Vision

At Bethlehem Health Shop, we support ethical suppliers and sell quality, researched products. We offer sincere advice from our team of caring, trained staff.

Thank you so much for supporting your locally owned Community Health Store.

• Spend $50 or more on Living Nature and get a FREE Advanced Renewal Night Serum valued at $49
• Spend $59 on Herb Farm products and receive a FREE Smoothing Kiwifruit Exfoliator valued at $34.90 
• Buy any two Giovanni Products and get a FREE Scalp Massager 
• Buy any two Harker Herbals Products and get a FREE Childrens Immune Build 150ml
• Buy 2 or more Lifestream Products and get a FREE Glass Smoothie Tumbler
• Buy a Gutsi Gut Digest 30's - get a bottle of 12 capsules free
• Natroceutics Range - 10% off 
• Now Supplement Range - 10% off
• Weleda Body Care Range (excludes skin food and mother & baby) - 20% off 
• Therapure My Immune Support 120 caps - was $45.80 now 30% off at $32
• Therapure Cold & Flu Support 60 caps - was $36.60 now 30% off at $25.60

All of the above specials and offers are only valid while stocks last.

• Source Naturals Wellness Oil of Oregano 30's
• Natroceutics Opti Via 60's - this multi nutrient complex provides 24-hour polyphenol protection, equating to the nutritional impact of consuming five servings of fresh fruits and vegetables daily.
• Natroceutics NMN capsules 30's
• Mitchells Beef, Liver and Spleen Capsules 150's
• Eagle Tresos Natal 90 tabs, Pathoclear 60's, Vegie Digest Aid 90's, Haemo-Red Plus 30's (these are "practitioner only products" so you need to speak with us before purchasing)
• Herb Farm Menopause Support Night Cream and Meno Support Cooling Mist
• Be Pure Kids Multi Gummies 60's
• Biovea Vitamin E 400is 60's
• Biovea L-Lysine 500mg 100's
• Biovea Oil of Oregano 15mg 90's
• Harney Tea - Chai 20 sachet tin
• Myregyna 90 caps and 50ml cream
• Burts Bees Lip Balm - Pink Grapefruit and Kiwi Melon
• Karen Murrell Magic Tint Night Moves - goes on black and changes to your own unique shade of pink based on the PH level of your skin
• Rootstock Organic Beetroot Powder 226g
• Freemans Natural Skincare watermelon hydrating cream mask and hyaluronic acid hydrating gel mask
• Soap Plus soaps (from Whitianga) fragrances include Kopakawa and Geranium, Deep Obsession, Spellbound, Queen of the Nile, Cleopatra's Cream, Queen Bee, Purple Rain, Blue Moon, Patchouli Mint, White Sage & Hemp

Note: New products will be added to our website as soon as we can. If you want to purchase these online before we get a chance to do this, please call us to order over the phone instead on 07 576 9442

With Tauranga Council having made their decree, Fluoride has been added to the Municipal supply. We have had a lot of concerned people asking about water filters and what else can be done. This is a massive topic and is too big to cover here, so we  recommend investigating the below info further yourself. We are certainly not experts in this area and after asking a number of companies and knowledgeable practitioner's this is what we can currently share with you.  

Some things to be aware of: 

Research indicates that boiling water does not remove fluoride but instead increases its concentration relative to the water volume.  Boiling food in fluoride-containing water highly increases fluoride content in food. As does soaking foods prior to cooking eg rice. This underlines the importance of using filtered water in the kitchen particularly for food preparation, cooking and drinking. 

Ref: www.livingwhole.com.au/what-happens-when-you-boil-fluoride

www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0304389422019562 

What can be done to reduce fluoride in the water: 

Water Filters 

We have been told it is hard to completely remove fluoride from water.  There are only a few companies that say their filters can completely remove fluoride, others reduce the amount of fluoride in the water and there are some filters that do not remove it at all. Pricing also varies a lot between companies in the initial cost and it is important to factor in the cost of ongoing filter replacement. You also need to check how the various options will work with your homes water pressure.  

Whilst we are not promoting any company or product, contacting Betta Water filters in Tauranga seems a good option as they stock a wide range of different types of filters including Reverse Osmosis, whole house systems, water distillers, and Waters BioPots. They should be able to answer any questions you may have regarding the different filters and what might suit you best. 

A couple of notes: 

Reverse Osmosis filters – we believe this is effective but does take out the trace minerals which will need to be replaced in your diet. There is also water wastage in this process, so thoughtful utilisation of this by water is a point to consider eg - you could use to wash your car.   

Waters BioPots (like on our back bench in the shop) and Ace BioJug filters take out fluoride. After the initial outlay filter replacements seem relatively cost effective. We don't stock these but you can order online or we can order them in for you, see here for details

If you already have an underbench water filter for drinking water you can have an extra fluoride filter added to this by your preferred plumber. 

Bottled Water 

Not all bottled water is fluoride free so do read the label.  

Two brands that are fluoride free are: 

·         Pure Dew is the only bottled water in NZ that is 100% guaranteed free from fluoride, chlorine, nitrates, heavy metals, bacteria, sodium and other impurities. Because of the process used to make it 100% free it also is stripped of minerals so remineralising is recommended. You can talk to us in store aobut this.

·         Tongariro Water is spring water direct from the aquifer, Tongariro Water remains intact and pure – from the bore to the bottle. Moreover, that pureness is untouched by the human hand because the system has been entirely sealed from human interference. 

Where can you get your water tested? 

Hills Labs in Hamilton do Fluoride testing of water (detection limit 0.05ppm) sufficient for most general water samples. 

Hills labs said they need a sample of nominal size “100ml”. Best to use a pump bottle as they regard them as clean.  Samples need to be in plastic – definitely not glass. Contact them first so they know you are sending a sample and so they have your email address. Then send the sample via courier. The address to send samples: 28 Duke Street, Frankton, Private Bag 3205, Hamilton 3240. Ph 0508 HILL LAB 44 555 22 

Supplements to consider 

From our discussions with suppliers and practitioners the following supplements are ones we would recommend to research further that may lessen the effects of taking in Fluoride when for whatever reason it can't be avoided.

Bio Iodine (natural form) or Kelp, Magnesium Bisglycinate, Magnesium Chloride, Boron, Glutathione and Curcumin.   

One practitioner commented: “Everyone is different (biochemical individuality) so no one thing is the best to keep people safe from fluoride. "     

Below is a very complex and indepth article about Iodine/fluoride research article in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. If you scroll about 1/3 of the way down to "5.Conclusion", it will give you an overview.

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6466022   

Bentonite Clay 

We have done some reading on Calcium Bentonite and spoken to one of our suppliers regarding its use. Whilst our supplier was unable to supply any supporting research, he felt Bentonite Clay would have some degree of reducing fluoride in the water and this could be also be added to bath water.

Myregyna® Postmenopausal Support System 

The "silent epidemic". 

It's about time we started talking about the effects of menopause and postmenopause on women's lives - and sex lives. 

The hormonal drop during menopause and postmenopause leads to a cluster of symptoms collectively known as Genitourinary Syndrome of Menopause (GSM) or Vaginal Atrophy affecting the lives of up to 84%* of postmenopausal women around the world. Yet because the symptoms are often very personal, too often women don’t speak up and continue to suffer in silence. That’s why GSM is called a “silent epidemic”. 

The drop in hormone levels in menopause and postmenopause doesn’t just change things “down under.”  Because it affects your body’s whole cellular system, you’ll probably also notice weaker, thinner hair and nails too. That’s why a holistic approach is needed to for postmenopausal health, combining both targeted and systemic methods. 

Myregyna (pronounced “mirra-gyna”) means simply Myrecil for gynaecology. That’s because it uses a specially formulated version of Myrecil, Myrecil® Biome, for gynaecological use.  The active ingredients are botanical ferment of Deproteinated Pollen, Cocos nucifera (coconut) water and oil, Nothofagus fusca (honeydew) honey, Propolis, Lactobacillus reuteri, Lactobacillus acidophilus, Bifidobacterium bifidum, Lactobacillus rhamnosus (in a cream base or capsule)

Plants can turn on different biochemical pathways in response to environmental factors such as UV light or toxins. Dr Weir learned how to activate signaling pathways that turn a damaged, mature leaf cell back into an embryonic leaf cell. This breakthrough evolved into Weir Science’s proprietary ingredient Myrecil® – plant stem cell pathways are activated to produce compounds that can then support the same type of cell renewal and regeneration in humans. Myrecil® supports this natural process which in turn supports your body’s in-built hyaluronic acid and collagen production. 

Myregyna combines a Hydrating Cream and Dietary Supplement for an "outside-in" and "inside-out" approach to the challenging urogenital issues women often encounter following menopause. Scientifically researched, internationally patented, and powered by two successful clinical trials, Dr Iona Weir invented Myregyna to: 

• Support healthy genital skin, which can be prone to dryness, cracking, thinning and tearing following menopause 
• Support the natural lubrication and resilience of the genital area 
• Support healthy function and sensation during sexual intercourse 
• Provide the 4 essential probiotics to support a healthy urogenital microbiome 
• Support urinary tract health and comfort 
• Support healthy and strong skin, hair and nails, which can become weaker after menopause 
• Be 100% hormone-free, so can be safely and effectively used with HRT (Hormone Replacement Therapy).  

If you're a woman who's been through menopause and is now on the other side, you've probably found yourself with some or all of these issues. You'll know they're not much fun! And you're not alone - research shows more than half of all women over 50 suffer from these symptoms. Yet there have been few effective and affordable choices out there to help us - until now! 

Congratulations to Lizette van Beek who is last months winner of the Nuzest Vibrant Insides.

Shaved Asparagus and Mint Salad

Directions 

Using a vegetable peeler, shave the asparagus lengthwise to create strips (from the stem end to the head). Toss with the hazelnuts and mint. 

Whisk together lemon juice, vinegar, honey, and olive oil. Pour over asparagus and mix with salt and pepper to taste. Shave parmesan or pecorino on top. 

Chef's notes: It also makes fantastic leftovers the next morning, just put a little on top of a buttered, toasted piece of nice bread or brioche and top with a poached or fried egg and a little more of the vinaigrette. Also you can include the aspargus heads in the salad so they are not wasted and it looks pretty!

www.food52.com/recipes/11674-shaved-asparagus-and-mint-salad