Welcome to your Monday moment of pause...

Hello again Monday morning.  Another week that's flown by.  How are you?  I hope this week brings you more of what you need and less of what you don't want. 

I'm feeling inspired today by some fab friends pushing themselves to the limits of what feels possible for causes they care about.   I am in awe of these amazing women and when I commented to my friend Terri that I wouldn't have the mental strength, let alone the physical endurance to do what she is doing she admitted ''''the mental side is the hardest, so many times you want to throw the towel in but my stubbornness really helps''.  Aren't human beings truly remarkable - this is what love does!

Walking, running and dancing for great causes

Funds for Breakthrough T1D - My good friend Shelley had life turned firmly upside down and inside out last summer when her daughter became gravely ill, was hospitalised and Type 1 Diabetes was found to be the cause.  Shelley's daughter has taken it all her stride as kids tend to and they've found the support of the charity Breakthrough T1D invaluable.  This Saturday the whole family will take part in One Walk Bristol to raise awareness and funds for this fab charity. 

Shelley's Just Giving page is here

Funds for Charlies - Jo, founder of Charlies Cancer Support and Therapy Centre in Gloucester and Terri who I met through Sue Ryder are running the Cotswold Way Ultra challenge .  They will start in Wotton under Edge 47km (that's nearly 30 miles) later finish in Cirencester.  Jo predicts it will be lots of 'walking up up up and down down down with some levelling out where we can hopefully run'' says Jo.  Charlies is very dear to my heart as Jo was so supportive when Mum died in 2018 and for 1.5 years I was one of Jo's volunteer complementary therapists offering free treatments to people affected by cancer.

Jo and Terri's Just Giving page is here. 

Funds for Chelmsford pop up food store - Another dear friend Ruth completed a 100km ultra challenge this weekend to raise awareness and funds for the pop up food bank she manages in Essex.  Ruth walked day and night and day to complete the challenge in the Lake District (you can imagine how gruelling the  terrain and being awake and moving for 24 hours was).  St Francis Community Projects help families who are struggling with the rising cost of living and help them in affordable and dignified ways to feed their families. 

Ruth's Just Giving page is here

Funds for Parkinsons UK - my brilliant dance fit teacher Jen held a 3 hour dance-athon yesterday.  I wasn't able to attend but have done previously and it's always so much fun. Jen always always assures people ''It's not 3 hours of dance, more like 2 with some chatting and eating cake''.  So far Jen has raised nearly £1300 which is just brilliant. 

Jen's fundraising page is here

Cytoplan - supplements you can trust

"The food you eat can be either the safest and most powerful form of medicine or the slowest form of poison." - Ann Wigmore

Sometimes I'm asked for advice about diet and supplements.  I have a huge interest in nutrition and think there's a lot of truth in the saying ''you are what you eat''.  As I am not qualified to offer nutritional advice I often refer people to Cytoplan who have qualified Nutritional Therapists offering tailored advice to anyone who needs it.  You can call the Helpline on 01684 310099 or email nutrition@cytoplan.co.uk.  If you have more complex needs you can complete a free health questionnaire and receive advice on lifestyle, diet and supplements (with no obligation to then buy any supplements).  

Cytoplan, like Weleda, are a not for profit company and it matters to me that I'm sourcing products ethically and can feel confident that my purchases contain quality ingredients. Cytoplan's formulas are Bio-Effective meaning they are optimally absorbed and recognised by the body, to be used exactly where they are needed most to deliver lasting health benefits.  Their ingredients are clean and without unnecessary additives (you can read more here).

Cytoplan is owned by a charitable foundation and their mission is to help people optimise their health ahead of profits.  They are a certified B-Corp company which means they meet the highest standards of social and environmental impact.  Buying from a B-Corp company gives you the reassurance that you are part of a community that priorities people and planet over profit.  

As a Weleda Advocate I have a practitioner account with Cytoplan and can extend the discount I get to you if you would like to get in touch.  You can then receive 35% off your first order and an automatic and ongoing discount of 10% for any subsequent orders. 

Homeopathic heroes this week

This colourful collection of remedies have all been used this week in the Moorey house and I couldn't be more grateful for the gentle healing effect homeopathy offers.  From left to right these pairs of tablets and sprays aided us with:

Nic's achy hip - disturbing my sleep and causing difficult walking up the stairs I've had a true insight into what it might feel like to be elderly!  I was experiencing a lot of pain in my hip placing weight on my right foot when climbing the stairs and it reminded me of the pelvic girdle pain of pregnancy when the physio pointed out stair climbing is basically bearing all your weight through one side of your body.  It's been painful for a while and didn't seem to be improving so I threw joint relief (rhus tox - the 'rusty gate' remedy to ease strain to joints, tendons and ligaments) and also took muscular pain relief oral spray which also contains rhus tox plus ruta graveolens.  I've been trying not to side lie on my right side but have the added problem of the waking in the night with a throbbing right ear.  So I sometimes have to weigh up what I can handle best - the hip pain or lack of sleep.  I'm focusing on eliminating the movements and postures that aggravate the pain and incorporating more gentle stretches into my day to relieve tight tendons.  Massaging the tissue is helping but I think what I have is Greater Trochanteric pain syndrome so patience and time need to be my ultimate friends.  Thankfully once I'm up and moving in the morning the discomfort eases and I only notice it again when I forget I can't run up the stairs!  

Euan's itchy skin - #1 son had a rash on his arms that became infected after he scratched it.  Dry Skin and Eczema relief spray is always a helpful remedy (containing Graphites) to reach for when the skin is dry, itchy and aggravated.  Paired with Sulfur these remedies really helped to reduce the itching and the heat in Euan's skin allowing the broken skin to dry out and heal.  I did also get an anti-bacterial cream from the pharmacy because teenagers can't be relied upon to remember to take things without Mum whispering in their ear.  Homeopathy can be taken every 2 hours in the early stages of dis-ease in the body but Euan is away from home from 7.30am-4.30pm at school.  I'm glad to say his arms are looking much better now combining complementary therapies alongside conventional medicines.

Luca's studded leg - poor old Luca was accidentally kicked in the leg by a studded boot at football last week.  I could see the visible bump (at the top of his Tibia under the knee) even though there wasn't much of a bruise to show for it.  Arnica came to the rescue for him just as it had for Julie's toe last week.  Luca sprayed the arnica bumps and bruises on himself and is always relieved it doesn't involve touching the skin.  It was very tender for a few days but fine again by Saturday when he was on the pitch again. 

All of these remedies are available through my Weleda webshop and you can receive 10% off this month using code JUNE10.  If you have any questions at all about how complementary medicines can support you with your symptoms please get in touch.

This week's heart smile 

I'm loving all the flowering plants we see out and about on our walks.  The boys and I literally stopped to smell the roses on a Sunday afternoon walk around the block yesterday.  This gorgeous pink kisses plant is bringing me a lot of joy from my kitchen window now.  It was gifted to me by my lovely 87 year old friend after our trip to B&Q on Tuesday.  She hadn't been to B&W for years and we took an early evening drive out together so she could get some colourful plants for her little patio.  Such a simple act of support when walking is no longer as easy brought such joy for her.  She's such fine company too that it was no trouble at all. 

Much love to your for the coming week x

Welcome to your Monday moment of pause...

Did you have a lovely half term break (or end of the month if your life is not dictated to by school holidays).  I can't believe we're now into the last term of the academic year.  The final year of primary school awaits Luca in September and the it will be the start of year 10 (first year of GCSEs) for Euan.  How did we get here so fast!

I've had lots of friends with 15 year olds sitting GCSEs.  It's a tense time for the whole family.  Today's newsletter includes a few tips for keeping cool, mentally and physicall when tensions and temperatures rise.