Ger’s June 2017 Update!!

Hi everyone,

We hope you’re all enjoying the start of a great summer. In Only Natural we’re very excited as more opportunities present themselves for us to go in the direction we want to. It’s a new direction and it’s not, in ways we’re just going back to our roots. Over the next few months you’ll see us increase our offering of fresh, local produce, all produced by people who care as passionately as we do about wholefoods and how a diet firmly based on them really is the way to health and vitality.

As well as this we’ll be taking a serious look at sustainability and how we can help you, our customers, to make the most environmentally sound buying choices, whether that’s by buying organic, buying local or just minimizing packaging . Let’s look to the health of the planet as well as our own, after all they do go hand in hand. Yes these are lofty ideals but we can all make a difference, no matter how small, and we’d welcome any suggestions or comments you have so don’t be shy!

This leads nicely to our new supplier of raw milk. We’re now sourcing it locally from Ger Murphy in Duncormick. Ger is a man on a mission. His aim is to restore milk’s reputation as a natural wholefood and what he produces is an alternative to the pasteurized, homogenized and largely denatured alternative that modern production practices have made the norm. We visited Ger’s farm recently and were so impressed by the care taken to ensure that what’s in the bottle is just as nature intended.

From the health perspective the benefits are easy to see. This milk is way more digestible. As Ger puts it ‘the fat is in a form that the body knows how to deal with’ which means it’s easily digested to fuel and repair the body rather than being stored and encouraging weight gain.  Secondly it’s probiotic content is undamaged so it’s hugely beneficial for the digestion, the immune system and, as research now tells us, even mental function. Currently we get fresh milk delivered twice a week but the joy of having Ger just down the road is that this can be increased if demand does.

From an environmental viewpoint Ger’s milk ticks all the boxes, fewer food miles and it comes in glass bottles which you return to us to go back to the farm for reuse. As well as this Ger milks his herd once rather than twice a day, which means he has a more contented herd and we love that too. Right now we’re starting with milk but we hope that other local, unprocessed goodies will follow so watch this space.

Yes we know that dairy isn’t for everyone but if you do drink milk shouldn’t you be drinking the real thing?

Like many complimentary therapists I’ve met, Simon Cullen’s journey was initiated by personal experience, in this case his wife’s serious illness and journey to recovery using craneo sacral therapy. Prior to this he’d had a successful career in the restaurant and later in the wine trade but when experience led him in this direction he knew it was where he wanted to go. Simon is an energy masseur. At his fingertips he has the techniques of sports and deep tissue massage as well as craneo sacral therapy. However in the course of a recent chat with him I discovered that he offers his clients way more than that including nutritional and dietary advice and insights and help with how emotional hurts manifest in the physical body. For those who want it, and where necessary, working with Simon can involve a full lifestyle education service. An initial consultation involves delving into a patient’s nutrition, the physical symptoms such as pain which often bring people to him, emotional attachments to one’s environment, work related stress, self perception and what are our worries and greatest fears. I was struck by how genuinely holistic his approach is. Yet this is balanced by a sensitivity, if any of these areas is something that the client doesn’t want to or isn’t ready to work on, then that’s ok too! Like all the best therapists Simon doesn’t see himself as a ‘fixer’ but rather as an ‘enabler’ to help people to take care of their own life.

Simon’s previous experience has involved 3 years working with renowned herbalist Dr. Dilis Clare and holistic dentist Dr Evelyn Van Anerangen (from whom he learned the importance of working on the temporomandibular joint which links the jaw to the skull) in the Ishsko Centre in Westport as well as running his own clinic in Galway.

As a masseur he routinely deals with bulging disks, poor neck mobility, as well as chronic shoulder and lower back pain. I think that those with most to gain from working with him are people who’re open to the idea that there is a connection between physical illness and emotional issues and would be open to taking on board lifestyle suggestions that, at first glance, mightn’t seem to be connected to the presented problem. I also think he’s a pragmatist so if you just want him to work on your frozen shoulder and leave it at that, that’s also fine!

If you do opt for the ‘full package’ prepare to look at diet. Simon is a firm believer in good diet as the primary source of nutrition and of the importance of approaching cooking and eating in the right way. He says that ‘The energy you bring to eating affects digestion’, a salutary reminder in a world where for many of us it’s increasingly about just how quickly we can get the meal done and move on to the next thing.

In August of this year Simon is bringing international health coach and author of the bestselling book ‘Healthy to 100’  Darrell Wolfe, the ‘Doc of Detox’ to give a series of trainings aimed at laymen and practitioners alike to Murphy’s Barn in Wexford. See here for more details and we’ll be giving you more info in next month’s newsletter.

Simon works from South George’s St. in Wexford but also offers a mobile service and can be contacted at 087 2315162.

To celebrate our extended range of Sukin Skin and Haircare products (all of which are on three for two all through June) check our Facebook page from June 1st to win your choice of any three products from the range!!!!