ELAGEN AT WORK

By Joannah Metcalfe, holistic health practitioner

I have been working in Natural Medicine for 16 years and first came across Elagen 17 years ago whilst suffering from Aplastic Anaemia. I contracted this condition whilst training as a nurse at Guys Hospital and subsequently spent two years in hospital, this time as a patient, after the condition was diagnosed. During this time I was reliant on blood transfusions and I had a variety of strong drug therapy to try and treat the condition. Whilst the transfusions kept me alive, the treatments failed and at the age of 21, running out of options fast, my family and I discovered Natural Medicine. Why is it we so often come to this field as a last resort, rather than a first ‘port of call’?

I was extremely lucky and a combination of traditional Chinese acupuncture, healing and nutritional medicine turned my health, and subsequently my life around. Elagen was one of the supplements I begun to take at this time. From a very low blood count and no bone marrow function, totally reliant on blood transfusions, my blood counts begun to creep up. My immune system and energy levels improved and 6 months later, I began my first level of training in the field.

My whole life changed dramatically - I had found my true vocation and a way of working that made ultimate sense. Now I was concerned with helping people find the ‘root cause’ of their disease, rather than merely alleviating the symptoms. I began helping people to read and increase their understanding of their bodies, teaching them to pick up on the warning signals rather than waiting until the body has to scream its message by expressing serious ill health. Whilst working with those who had reached this place, how encouraging it was for them to see me looking so hale and hearty, having suffered from a supposedly incurable condition myself.

Having written books and worked on radio and TV, I have spent a great deal of time setting up natural health centres, as well as working in clinic myself. I believe that serious ill health occurs when a variety of circumstances come together, therefore, a combination of holistic approaches is often required. It is important for people to access highly qualified practitioners in one place, in order to bring together the right therapies for their individual needs.

Preventative healthcare is the key. As we all work longer hours these days, my most recent project has been to set up a company called Holistic Living. I realised that to get the message of preventative healthcare strategies out to a wider audience, the ideal would be for companies themselves to introduce policies to look after their staff better. Surely they would also save money in the long run, as staff turnover and absenteeism levels would go down? Last year we proved this to be the case. One of our companies spent £15 000 but saved £30 000 by implementing our ‘Health in the Workplace’ seminars, where we talked to all staff members about healthy eating, relaxation and breathing exercises, exercise levels and supplementation regimes. This is where Elagen comes in! We explain to people that if you are going on a long journey, you service your car, and its oil and petrol are topped up in preparation for the extra pressure you will put on the engine. Why do we look after our bodies less well than our cars?

If you are going to put yourself under extra stress, by taking on an extra work-load for instance, or you find pressures increasing at home, you need to prepare your body so that it is able to cope without negative impact. It is so ironic that the normal state of affairs, when we are stressed, is for us to eat less nutritional food, increase caffeine intake and decrease the amount of sleep we get - just when we need more!

When we work with forward thinking companies, they see the sense in reinforcing health in the workplace. Individuals are taught how to prepare for periods of extra pressure and we talk about healthy eating and when supplementation can be useful. Elagen is one of the supplements we promote most highly, for so many reasons. You know you can rely on the quality because it is standardised, this ensures you always get a consistent dosage. Elagen is an ‘adaptogen’, so it helps you adapt to the stresses of everyday life. It can boost the body’s immune response, which is useful as when your body is under pressure or stress your immunity often drops. It can boost stamina levels, which helps maintain levels of energy and performance under pressure. Everyone we recommend Elagen too is staggered by the effects.

One company we currently work very successfully with is Adnams, who are brewers in Southwold, Suffolk. Their wine sales team always experience extra pressure and longer working hours before Christmas. In a recent trial we recommended 3 members of staff to try Elagen before the Yule Tide build up – they noticed a positive difference within the first few weeks of taking it and found the results astonishing. It was such a success that news spread like wildfire and before long most of the office staff were also taking it - good news travels fast! Improvements reported included an increase in energy levels, concentration, mood and most importantly fewer ailments such as cold, flu and viruses.

I take Elagen myself regularly especially when writing books, or when I’m setting up a new project - generally whenever I need that extra boost to my energy levels. It may not surprise you to know that I seem to be taking it most of the year these days…….!

For more information about Holistic Living please visit www.holistic-living.com or telephone 01284 747105.