When your dogs have an itch, sometimes you don’t know whether it’s a bug bite, a plant sting or what it is. But if you leave it ‘untreated’, the skin can get sore, as your dog keeps scratching the same area.

That’s why I like to use Skinny Cream on myself as well as my dogs!

It’s just such a brilliant healing cream and while I love the coconut smell, it’s definitely true that insects don’t like it. I always use it on my sheep if they ever have an open sore or wound as it keeps the flies and insects away and it is perfect when inserting the sheep ear tags too!  This is important as apart from any infection getting into the wound, the flies irritate the sheep so they tend to bite at any ‘accessible’ sore and make it worse by keeping it ‘open’. 

Skinny Spray help to keeps off any insects such as ticks

It’s ideal when I’m out walking my dogs in tick prone areas. 100% natural, it’s an effective, natural spray for dogs and horses too. It’s just perfect as a ‘back up’ if your dog has no ‘protection’ against ticks (our Billy No Mates! herb mix has been trusted by dog owners for over 15 years and can be used throughout the year – just add it to your dog’s dinner). Before you go out for a walk, simply apply a light spray to your dog’s belly and legs – while not forgetting to ‘protect’ your own legs too. It also works on my dogs’ bedding & sleeping areas. No nasty chemicals and we can say goodbye to the bugs.

Skinny Dip Shampoo gives a shiny coat with no itching

Skinny Dip Shampoo not only smells gorgeous, with its natural oils, it works brilliantly as a gentle, effective, natural shampoo that smells great and leaves a lovely shiny coat. At the same time, I can see it improves my dogs’ skin condition, freshness and general comfort. SLS and parabens free. No more itching and no nasty chemicals either. Happy daze.

If you’re interested in CSJ Skinny range, check out our website here

When you spend a lot of time outdoors, like I do – out on the hills with the dogs and the sheep in all weathers, it’s important to look after your skin. The thought of some summer sunshine is a welcome respite after the winter we’ve had. However sunburn and a rise in the number of mosquitos are the downsides of the hot summer of ’21 that we’re told is on its way.

I really like Natural Elements – natural and effective, these creams and oils work well, go on easily, won’t do you any harm and they’re reasonably priced. I mainly use these to ward off midges, flies and horse flies throughout the summer months.

Here are some of the summer products that I like… and remember you get 5% off just by using the code CSJ when you’re buying on the Natural Elements website.

Mosquitos like to bite at night too

Now one of the times that people get bitten is at night, in bed, so use the oil or cream to keep them well away.  A positive side effect to this is if you have animals that sleep on your bed, having these oils on you stops the bed getting infected with bugs from them…  

Stay safe in the sun with powerfully antioxidant Body Oil  Synergistic Body Oil You can use the synergistic oil on the face. If you want something lighter then use the Hydrating Facial Oil which will provide a high level of antioxidant protection. If you can’t be parted from your sunscreen, then applying it after the oils will help minimise damage.

EVERYDAY INSECT PROTECTION PRODUCTS Active Rescue Cream is designed to soothe skin from everyday ailments, rashes and irritations, ideal for bites or other irritations. Lavender, Tea Tree & Patchouli essential oils are all known for their anti-bacterial, anti-inflammatory and insect repellent properties. This cream is also ideal for post vaccine skin reactions. Active Rescue Oil  is Loaded with insect repelling Lavender, Tea Tree and Patchouli Oils can be used as a gentle but effective repellent for long summer nights. As well as preventing bites and other irritations, this oil also has healing, anti-bacterial, anti-inflammatory and anti-viral properties. A must have for your summer first aid kit.

FOR THE FACE –  An ideal facial insect repellent has to be Balancing Facial Oil, rich in Tea Tree, Grapefruit and Lavender will also calm and balancing the skin reducing breakouts and irritations.    The perfect summer shower shower gel which balances refreshing and insect repelling vital plant oils is Invigorating Shower Gel. An enlivening mix of Peppermint, Tree Tree and Cucumber.

‘Warnings issued after commonly used and prescribed emollient cream kills 83 year old woman’

Recovery Oil for Dry and Mature skin is reducing their pigmentation John and Karen are hearing from customers that this oil is one of the most potent mixes of natural antioxidants. It’s working to fade age spots, pigmentation and melasma – all without causing damage through deep exfoliation and laser treatments. Find out more

What is Pigmentation and how do you treat it?  Co-Founder John answers all your questions about Pigmentation on the latest Natural Elements blog post. See blog post about pigmentation

Keep your cool with refreshing, healing summer products Here’s a section of products to help refresh and soothe this summer. See Natural Elements products

Why people need to rethink the use of toxic sunscreens With the latest research from the US FDA showing toxic chemicals from conventional sunscreens accumulate in the body at dangerously high levels, we discuss why we need to re-think our use of chemical sunscreens, here’s what John and Karen think…

Any questions – please reach out to John and Karen at Natural Elements:

John & Karen Hamilton, Founders of Natural Elements Skincare
phone: 01299 253994 
email: [email protected] 

Remember – CSJ gives you 5% off all Essentially Yours products

Follow this link to go through to the Essentially Yours website

When you make your purchase, use the code – CSJ:

5% discount code: CSJ

1. SINGLES
2. National Championships and Qualifying Trials for International

COURSE (see plan)

Gathering (5 sheep, Welsh) – 400 yds.  In outrun dog may be directed on either side.  Straight fetch from lift to Shepherd.  No obstacle. (2) Driving away – from pole where shepherd will stand 300 yds in triangular direction through two gates.  Failure to negotiate the gates will involve a loss of points in the Judges’ discretion, according to circumstances, and a second attempt at either gate will not be allowed.  Drive ends when sheep are through or past second gate. (3) Shedding – Two unmarked sheep within ring 20 yards in diameter.  Dog must be in full control of these sheep otherwise the shed will not be deemed satisfactory.  Shedding includes dog’s work bringing sheep from end of drive to shedding ring. (4) Penning – square pen, 6 feet, with gate.  On completion of shedding, Competitors must proceed to pen leaving dog to bring sheep to pen.  Competitors are forbidden to assist dog to drive sheep into pen.  A Competitor who leaves the gate end before being ordered to do so by the Judges, through the Course Director, will lose points in the Judges’ discretion. (5) Single Sheep – Competitor to proceed to shedding ring leaving the dog to bring lot from pen to ring.  One of two marked sheep to be shed off within the ring, and thereafter worn (in or outside the ring) to the Judges’ satisfaction.  Competitors are forbidden to assist the dog by driving off the single any distance or to press it on the dog.

CALE OF POINTS – Gathering 20 (Outrun 5, Lifting 5, Bringing 10); Driving 10; Shedding 5; Penning 5; Single 5; Style 5.  Total 50.  Aggregate (2 Judges) 100.  TIME LIMIT – 15 minutes.  No extension.

1. DOUBLES

COURSE (see plan)

Gathering (6 Sheep, Welsh).  Sheep to be placed 400 yds from Shepherd.  Both dogs to start at same time, one going on left hand side and the other on the right had, crossing at head permitted.  Dogs to bring sheep through centre gate 150 yards from Shepherd.  Failure to negotiate gate to be penalized by a loss of points in the Judges’ discretion.  No re-try.  Each dog to keep its own side till fetch is finished.  Crossing in fetch to be penalized in Judges’ discretion except at head.  (2) Driving – 6 sheep with two dogs, 300 yards in triangular direction through two gate obstacle back to shepherd.  Failure to negotiate the gates to be penalised by a loss of points in the Judges’ discretion.  No re-try at either gate.  Each dog to keep its own side till drive is finished. Crossing to be penalized in Judges’ discretion. (3) Shedding – Lot of six to be divided into two lots of three each. (4) Penning – One lot to be penned with either dog in V-shaped pen with four feet entrance and no gate on the right.   Dog to be left in charge while other lot are penned by other dog in similar pen 50 yards apart on the left.

SCALE OF POINTS – Gathering 20 (Outrun 5, Lifting 5, Bringing 10); Driving 10; Shedding 5; Penning (2 lots) 10; Single 5; Style 5.  Total 50.  Aggregate (2 Judges) 100.  TIME LIMIT – 20 minutes.  No extension.

Gathering (6 Sheep, Welsh).  Sheep to be placed 400 yds from Shepherd.  Both dogs to start at same time, one going on left hand side and the other on the right had, crossing at head permitted.  Dogs to bring sheep through centre gate 150 yards from Shepherd.  Failure to negotiate gate to be penalised by a loss of points in the Judges’ discretion.  No re-try.  Each dog to keep its own side till fetch is finished.  Crossing in fetch to be penalised in Judges’ discretion except at head.  (2) Driving – 6 sheep with two dogs, 300 yards in triangular direction through two gate obstacle back to shepherd.  Failure to negotiate the gates to be penalised by a loss of points in the Judges’ discretion.  No re-try at either gate.  Each dog to keep its own side till drive is finished. Crossing to be penalised in Judges’ discretion. (3) Shedding – Lot of six to be divided into two lots of three each. (4) Penning – One lot to be penned with either dog in V-shaped pen with four feet entrance and no gate on the right.   Dog to be left in charge while other lot are penned by other dog in similar pen 50 yards apart on the left.

SCALE OF POINTS – Gathering 20 (Outrun 5, Lifting 5, Bringing 10); Driving 10; Shedding 5; Penning (2 lots) 10; Single 5; Style 5.  Total 50.  Aggregate (2 Judges) 100.  TIME LIMIT – 20 minutes.  No extension.

Alfred Morgan was one of the first men in this country to possess a guide dog, and he has done more than any other to demonstrate the practical possibilities of the blind-man-and-guide-dog partnership.  This article speaks of the war years, and the words convey the confidence and accomplishment of one for whom difficulties exist only to be surmounted.

“It is about eleven years since I started on my adventures with my Alsatian guide dog ‘Mowden Bella’.  I think “adventurous” is the right word to use, for it is surely adventurous for a totally blind man to go gallivanting the length and breadth of the country.  London, Brighton, York, Skipton, and North Wales coast – these were but a few of the dozens of places we visited in a partnership extending over seven years, in which we travelled well over 40,000 miles.  Yes!  I can substantiate those figures!  And what adventures they were, and how pleasant!

When Bella died it seemed as though the bottom had dropped out of my world.  I was blind again, until I was fixed up with another guide dog, a Border Collie named ‘Fly’.

I called her my “war dog,” because I brought ‘Fly’ home on September 2^nd 1939, the day before was declared, and because the many war-time difficulties have had a large share in her development.  Two days after we came home she began her active career as a guide dog, taking me to town by train and just as ‘Bella’ used to do.  The first day, of course, I had to give her directions: right, left and forward, until we reached our destination.  But the next day she was fairly sure of herself, and in two or three days, she knew as much about the route as I did myself.

Soon the war began to interfere with us.  Our little suburban rail service was considerably restricted, so I decided to use a more popular electric train service.  This meant using different stations and a new route through the town, a more difficult route that took me along the Dock Road, with its heavily dockside traffic.  This road is crossed at frequent intervals by railway line connecting the dock sidings – the trains crossing the road like ordinary traffic.  It is just impossible to think of a blind man tapping his way about unaided in such a region.  Yet within a week ‘Fly’ and I had the situation well in hand.  But then I had to reckon with war-time black-out as the days grew shorter, and trains, trams and buses were besieged by people clamouring to get home.

To meet this situation I decided to move nearer to my work so that I could walk to and fro without having to depend on transport.  This meant a third change of route within two months, but ‘Fly’ soon made light work of it.  But it wasn’t the finish of her education.  Oh dear, no!  I have friends in all sorts of places and she had to learn to take me to them, but it was not long before she could take me anywhere in the district.  We have even been to our favourite playground, North Wales, and travelled and got about there without difficulty.

Then I had a chance to try out ‘Fly’ on ground that was absolutely new to both of us, for I received an invitation from Capt. Liakoff to visit the new training school of the Guide Dog for the Blind Association at Leamington Spa.  One fine morning in July, ‘Fly’ and I left home, quite along, as always on these occasions, and made our way to the landing stage, crossed the river to Birkenhead by ferry, took a train which took us, after a change at Birmingham, to Leamington Spa.

As I handed in my ticket I asked the porter to get me a taxi, and we were soon at the training school.  It had been a comfortable and uneventful journey.  The thing to remember is that I am a total blind man, and although I could have done the journey without a dog – for I did quite a lot of long-distance travel even in the days when I was without a guide dog – I should have depended on getting assistance from people at the ferry, the railway station, etc.  That was quite unnecessary now.  ‘Fly’ saw to that.  And so it was on the new “hunting ground,” and the roads of Leamington Spa were not long unfamiliar to us.

I have called ‘Fly’ my “war dog” and she deserves that description for the ways in which she enabled me to meet the consequences of “enemy action.”  I am not giving away any secrets when I say that in those “blitz” days we had our share, and more, of that enemy action, with my place of employment right in the target area.  After a raid the difficulties were often many, and not light ones either.  Many times I left the house in the morning, not knowing which way to turn, for even in my my own neighbourhood, a purely residential one, many streets would be barred to traffic, and things got worse as we proceeded.  Readers in “target areas” will understand what we were up against. 

They were very real difficulties, quite bad enough for sighted people, but almost insuperable for a blind person.  But ‘Fly’ did so well that I was able to get through some nine months of regular blitzes, getting to and from my work without the loss of a single hour.  For some time after that blitz period tehe aftermath pursued me, for the work of demolition, reconstruction and repair went on for a long time, and time and again there was some new obstacle on my way to my work.

The number and variety of these obstacles was amazing, but more amazing still was the versatility with which ‘Fly’ tackled them.  In most cases she knew just what to do and did it without hesitation.  Now and again she came up against a tougher problem and had to put on her “considerable cap”.  I am convinced – although I know that the subject is one of argument – that careful training can develop “reasoning powers” in these animals to a limited extent.  Here is one instance that I can quote. 

In our last big blitz, a large corner building on a particularly busy street – one which I have to negotiate – received a direct hit and was practically demolished.  It was made safe for the time being, pending final demolition.  A boarding was put round it, extending right to the edge of the pavement; this was particularly awkward as at this point the trams branch off the main road round the corner, and, since the road is rather narrow, come to within a few inches of the pavement.  I therefore gave up using this corner and made “two sides of a square” to get to my objective.  This made no difference to me, for ‘Fly’ was a quick and accurate worker.  Then, however, the “repairers” arrived to do up the building, and as usual blocked up the pavements, so that I simply had to take a road on both corners.

This would not have matter much in ordinary circumstances, but on the first morning, while a tram was crawling round the awkward corner, a stupid and impatient motorist tried to slip through on the off-side, was caught by the back of the tram, which swung the car round and jammed it against a stationary vehicle.  ‘Fly’ and I were crossing the road toward this very spot, which was our legitimate right of way.  Mind you, we were in no danger.  ‘Fly’ was too cute for that.  When the jam occurred she stopped, weighed up the position at the blocked corners and the now blocked roadway, turned on her tail and walked back a few vehicles were there was a small space, and so gained the pavement.  The pavement was still blocked in front of us, so, after hesitating a second, she deliberately went down a small side street and then along another at right angles and rejoined our usual route about 200 yards further down. 

I vaguely remembered these streets, but had never been along them, and I did not check her.  Some of the people who had watched this performance were not slow in voicing their amazement.  One man put it rather tritely, if a little bluntly, when he said: “ She made a —- sight better job of it than most of us would have done.”  And I quite agree.  It was not question of routine.  But ‘Fly’ dealt with the situation, without fuss and bother.  And that is just one example of the job of work that my war dog has done.”

Did you know that letting the sun be on your face and hands for just 15mins is all you need to get the best Vitamin D that your body can fully absorb? We’re working with Birmingham University to show that with our oil on the skin, Vitamin D is more quickly absorbed. Read more about the Covid-19 and Vitamin D news 

If you’re spending less time outside, you may not be getting enough sunshine on your skin, Vitamin D deficiency is a real issue for us in the UK,  especially if you use an SPF which completely stops you absorbing this most important of vitamins. You can read more about this and why we need to re-think our use of SPFs  in the Essentially Yours blog about Sun Protection

Next week is forecast to get some nice weather, so get the oils on and get in the sun…

Some frequently asked questions for John Hamilton

Q1. Does using the oil get me a nice tan…
A1. YES absolutely

Q2. Do I need to use a SPF?
A2. No, if you’re careful, the main source of ageing and skin cancer is UVA which bypasses many SPF’s anyway but is neutralised with powerful antioxidant oils as we have. Be careful not to be in direct sunlight for long periods of time otherwise, you will get a surface to burn from UVB, but you need a little UVB for vitamin D

Q3. Does wearing a hat, clothes or being under an umbrella protect me..?
A.3 NO. Wearing a hat or in shade only stop UVB i.e. surface burn not UVA damage so put the oils on even in the shade 

If you have any other questions about the sun and skincare, please email [email protected]

Find out more about Essentially Yours sun oils

Remember – CSJ gives you 5% off all Essentially Yours products

Follow this link to go through to the Essentially Yours website

When you make your purchase, use the code – CSJ:

5% discount code: CSJ

This message from John Hamilton resonated with me this week, when I was out with the dogs in the sunshine…

‘It’s easy to forget with all that’s going on around us of another health issue which affects millions… With so many people at home and in the garden, skin cancer could be the next nightmare…

Someone asked me today about mineral sunscreen, which jolted my thoughts away from the virus for a moment and made me think ‘OMG the sun’s out’ and we’re heading into summer.

How safe do you think mineral sunscreens are?…

So here’s my reply… ‘OK, I’m not sure what you mean by mineral UVA blocks because mineral to me means made from petroleum (carbon molecules) and is toxic to human cells, so why would you want to put them on your skin?

It’s no secret that antioxidants stop cell damage happening, that’s why it’s recommended that you eat fruit and vegetables, full of antioxidants in their oils. So, extracting these oils and applying them to the skin makes good scientific sense.

An experiment with olive oil and baby oil

I usually demonstrate the effects on the skin by presenting two bowls, one with mineral baby oil (zero antioxidants) and the other with extra virgin olive oil (antioxidants) and some nice bread to dip in them.

Naturally, people are happy to dip into the olive oil but not the baby oil for some reason !! When asked – why is that? They reply “Isn’t it a poison to the body”.  “Well yes”, I reply, “it is”, and they have a look on their face that says… “well I’m right then, not to dip bread in and eat it…” “Yes, you are I say, but then why are you covering your body in it, especially when 60% of it will go into your body, via your largest organ”. For me, this little exercise sums it up .. but that’s not all.

The main damage to new developing cells is caused by UVA rays

A hat or umbrella offers zero protection from UVA damage, as the light rays penetrate straight through them, even clothes, windows etc. It increases the ‘Free Radical’ chain reaction which in turn destroys and mutates the cells – one of the main causes of skin cancer.

If you want to know more, there’s a green science paper which I can send if you email me, which touches on something really important: the two chemicals it refers to, which increase Free Radicals – are found in 99% of sunscreen and yes,  you guessed it, they are carbon molecules.

So what do we recommend, well, visit our website to read this article

Or see below for the oils we recommend, if you’re out in the sun.’

Remember – 5% off all Essentially Yours products

Just use this link to go through to the Essentially Yours website with the code – CSJ:

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NATURAL ELEMENTS

No 7 Synergistic UVA Protection Sun Body Oil 300ML

£23.99

Buy Now

NATURAL ELEMENTS

Soothing Body Lotion 300ml – Organic Aftersun Alternative

£17.99

Buy Now

NATURAL ELEMENTS

Hydrating Facial Oil Ideal for Sensitive dehydrated UVA protection on face Skin 50ml

£20.99

Buy Now

“Well, we’ve managed to stay open during this difficult time to send out your orders. No matter what the ‘anti-natural products’ brigade say, Essentially Yours products do benefit health…

I’ve had one official say ‘the links I put to scientific papers on how essential oils impacted on viruses were not valid’ because… wait for it.. ‘the report was on another strain of coronavirus, not the current one…’ Really!!

It seems no matter what goes on in the natural naturopathic world eg: cure things or prevent things, it’s always shot down by officialdom. So what do you do when you’re surrounded by virologist, cell decay research scientists and biochemists, who all say “we need to turn to natural formulations to solve the future health problems” who do we believe as the expert ?

So what are we talking about?

Well, one of the things is ‘why some people are more susceptible to things like viruses, besides underlying health issues and being older’. Most people pay little attention to what effects the immune system has or know anything about what wears your DNA telomere or mitochondria cells out.

The main reason we are more vulnerable to ageing ailments and illness, once we are exposed, is that our bodies are not able to cope with a pandemic attack, the likes of which we are seeing.

Free Radical damage weakens your immune system

The greatest problem is Free Radical damage which destroys our cells, up to 80%. Free Radical Damage is the main reason why you age and the main cause of cell decay, but it’s also responsible for you having a weaker immune system.
.
When you use products full of synthetic chemicals like shower gels, shampoos, skincare and deodorants you speed up this process and in turn damage and weaken your immune system.

Therapeutic plant extracts and oils helps boost your body’s’ ability to stay safe

When you use natural products without synthetic chemicals you’re not damaging the cells. Using therapeutic unadulterated plant extracts and oils helps boost the body’s ability to stay safe… In plants, vegetables and fruit etc. good things are contained in the oils within them, these natural oils provide vitamins and health benefiting compounds, which in turn neutralise free radical damage providing greater resistance to pathogens when they come along.

That’s why we say “apply our oils to the face and body” because all that is good for you is in there. So if you don’t want to absorb all the bad chemicals, try replacing them with the good ones.

Here’s hoping we can get the funding needed in the near future to prove this, as these wonderful benefits are in our products.

Latest from WDDTY (What Doctors Don’t Tell You)….

I also want to bring you things that being said in the science world this arrive in my in box today from WDDTY (What Doctors Don’t Tell You). Antimalarial drugs have been touted as an answer to COVID-19 infection, and President Trump has even described them as ‘a game-changer’—but they can cause life-threatening heart problems.

A new study into chloroquine was stopped suddenly after two patients died from an irregular heart rate, known as ventricular tachycardia. Researchers from Brazil had planned on a major trial involving 440 people infected with COVID-19, but started to see very worrying reactions to high doses of the drug among the first 81 patients who were being tested.

Within a few days of starting, many given the high doses—600 mg twice a day for 10 days— started suffering heart rhythm problems, and two died. Writing in a research database, the researchers warn that chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine, another antimalarial, are not safe or effective therapies against COVID-19. A COVID-19 patient in a hospital in France also died after developing irregular heart rhythms.

Aside from heart problems, the anti-malarials also cause a host of other life-threatening reactions, warn researchers at the Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre in Toronto. These include hypoglycaemia, a sudden drop in blood sugar, confusion, hallucinations and paranoia.

There’s very little evidence that suggests the drugs can treat COVID-19 infection

In fact, the antimalarials may even make symptoms more severe, despite ‘optimism, and even enthusiasm’ that they are the solution, says Dr David Juurlink.” And they have the cheek to criticise natural oils last time I looked –  nobody dies from them.”

John Hamilton

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Good luck!