Natural supplements to boost your health in summer

Summer brings the promise of warm weather, holiday travel and the freedom of wearing fewer clothes and loving the sunny season. But what if you have varicose veins? Or suffer holiday tummy? Perhaps you are self-conscious about your bloated belly, or you are one of those people prone to mozzie bites? Take heart, help is at hand from a variety of natural supplements.

Varicose Veins/Heavy Legs

Warm weather can aggravate ‘heavy’ legs, varicose veins, oedema, cramp and CVI (Chronic Venous Insufficiency) that is caused by reduced blood flow through the veins. Three herbs help to restore thread veins, renovate the valves in the veins, improve elasticity and flexibility of the veins and strengthen blood capillaries.

Butcher’s Broom boosts circulation and gives elasticity to the vein walls; Horse Chestnut inhibits inflammation in the body’s cells, helps maintain the collagen structure of the vein wall, improves blood flow and reduces swelling and Vine Leaf slows down oxidation within the veins – oxidation is understood to be a key contributory factor to CVI. 40 soft gel capsules cost £10.05 at revital.com.

Also try V-Nal Cream that has Butcher’s Broom, Horse Chestnut, Witch Hazel and Jojoba. It immediately relaxes and cools the legs and works directly on the veins to stimulate circulation and thus prevent varicose veins and banish the ‘heavy legs’ sensation. A 75ml tube costs £8.05 from Revital.com.

Holiday Tummy

‘Holiday’ or traveller’s tummy afflicts up to 50% of holidaymakers each year. More often than not, it’s due to the bugs that thrive in the food and water abroad. You can help prevent or lessen the worst effects of these bad bugs by charging your gut with good bacteria before leaving home and keeping up a high count of these health-promoting organisms while you’re away. Choose a powerful pro-biotic with at least 70 billion total bacterial count per capsule. Good bacteria work by gathering on the intestinal wall and blocking bad bacteria; stopping the bad bugs from getting into the body’s system; stimulating the intestinal immune system to offset the effects of bad bacteria and producing chemicals that kill off the bad bacteria.

The UK’s most powerful pro-biotic is the multi strain CP-1. It has five superior strains of pro-biotic micro organisms and laboratory tests verify around 70 billion total bacterial count per capsule. It is stable even in high temperatures, so is ideal to take abroad. 90 capsules cost £34.99 from gutdoctor.co.uk.

Beat the Bloat

A bloated tummy doesn’t only affect the way you look but the way you feel too. It’s an outward sign of digestive unrest and makes you feel sluggish and uncomfortable. Not what you want at any time but especially in the summer or when travelling! vitalSHAPE combines digestive enzymes to ensure food is thoroughly digested, even when you’re “on the go” and three effective probiotic strains to promote a healthy internal environment.

Together they prevent indigestion, constipation and bloating and boost your immune system, improve skin health and aid fat loss around the middle. vitalSHAPE comprises Aspergillus derived digestive enzymes (protease, amylase, lipase, lactase, etc.), the only enzymes that function at peak levels at body temperature and the three proven, high quality probiotic strains: L. Acidophilus DDS-1, L. Bulgaricus DDS-14 and Bifidobacterium Bifidum. 30 vitalSHAPE capsules cost £7.99 from Simplyvital.com.

Beat biting bugs

The Don’t Bite Me! Patch is a brand new way to bust biting bugs. It harnesses the powerful effect of Vitamin B1 to put off biting insects that can’t stand the smell. Luckily for humans, the scent of Vitamin B1 is barely noticeable and not unpleasant. One patch works for up to 36 hours to help keep mosquitoes, ticks, chiggers, sand fleas and all manner of pesky, biting insects at bay.

Don’t Bite Me! Patch delivers a thiamine (Vitamin B1) based formula into the blood stream through transdermal delivery. This then circulates around the body and is released through the skin’s pores creating a ‘barrier’ of Vitamin B1 that shields the user from mosquitoes and other biting insects. In addition, Don’t Bite Me! Patch delivers aloe vera into the bloodstream. This speeds the absorption of the Vitamin B1 and acts as an anti-inflammatory in the rare event of a bite and helps reduce any reaction. Five patches cost £5.99; 10 patches cost £9.99 from dontbiteme.co.uk.