Purehealth News
This week: a baby newsletter, the seed oils controversy, new herbals and essential oils and a quick And Finally!
If you prefer, you can always read this newsletter on the blog too. See the full archive here and don’t forget there is a search button so you can find what you need.
A mini newsletter?
Thanks for those of you who sent feedback on whether you prefer a Purehealth weekly newsletter or separate, more frequent posts. As per, about half and half, lol! So, here’s a compromise - a mini newsletter!
Subscriber question: Seed oils - should we use them or not?
This is a perennial question. See what I did there - a planty type of question with a planty type of pun. I thank you. As in: it crops up a lot. Oh heck, just done another pun. I’ll stop now, I promise.
Essentially, people worry about seed oils for various reasons. Personally, I don’t use them much and I favour olive oil overall. There are two main concerns: that they contain a lot of pro-inflammatory Omega 6 rather than the anti-inflammatory Omega 3, and that they oxidise with heat creating free radicals that are bad for us.
Both of those have some truth to them but it’s not that simple, as per.
Omega 6 is actually really important in the body and I find people are scared of having too much of it nowadays. So, actually, on test results I am more often finding Omega 3 is high and there’s not enough omega 6. It’s all about the balance, really. Both are important. If a test result shows you need more of one or the other fine. If not and you want to ensure a correct level of both - indeed all of the essential fatty acids - then take a balanced supplement or eat plenty of both, but get it from fresh food and cold-pressed oils.
Which brings me onto the second issue - the free radicals. This IS a problem in my view. If you heat certain oils - mostly the nut and seed ones - they can oxidise too readily and we don’t want those ageing, inflammatory, disease-causing nasties in our bodies. Mainly because many of us don’t have enough antioxidant nutrients (Vitamin C, E etc) to counter them.
I don’t think it’s as huge an issue as some people make out myself, but I choose to err on the side of caution. If you are eating processed foods with them in, yes I’d be concerned. If you are cooking at home using a seed oil, I’d not be that concerned as long as it was in moderation and your oils are fresh and not heat-treated beforehand.
And, for goodness sake, please don’t use oil for cooking more than once; you’re just piling on the free radicals there! I always used to worry about this eating out or having a bag of chips from the chippy. The odd time here or there, fine, but you’re asking for trouble if you do this regularly.
Of course, we have to think of epigenetics in this, too, and personalised nutrition. Some people may have genetic differences in how they process and use fatty acids in the body, why they be more inflamed by omega 6 etc than others etc.
It’s generally better to get your omega 6 from fresh food. I get my omegas from nuts and seeds - also prone to oxidation, of course, so choose non heat-treated and as fresh as poss. And I cook with olive oil. I know some of that can oxidise, but overall, I think it is a better choice.
That’s how I think of it anyway. As usual, don’t just take my word for it. Here are some other articles and views I found that might elucidate more. Ooh, good word for a Thursday afternoon.
Are seed oils bad for you? - Zoe
What Are Seed Oils and Are They Unhealthy? A Science-Based Analysis - Rupa Health
Chris Kresser usually has a lot to say on this subject. He has a useful chart on oils here - I agree with the heat points - see olive oil, told ya. I don’t necessarily agree with eat some of those like lard and tallow etc liberally. And some interesting articles, which tend to focus on the omega 6 issue: Are heart healthy oils a myth? and How industrial seed oils are making us sick.
OK, hope that helps J, who asked this week’s subscriber question, thank you.
Clinic News: New herbals and essential oils on the shop
I was hoping to be able to get back to making herbal balms and essential oil mixes etc for you again, as I did used to love doing them. But, I seem to react to pretty much anything now, sadly, so - determined as usual - I set out to find stuff that is as pure and as therapeutic-level as I would make instead. I’m fussy, as you know. Much on the market is not as good as it could be, lets just say that!
So, this week, I have set up a new Supplements & Supplies area on the shop and have added a section on Herbals and another on Essential Oils.
I promise you: these are definitely NOT your average products! A bit like Inlight Beauty in the Pure Skincare section, these are special, and they work! Sure, they seem more costly, but they are huge value because you need much less of these kind of things to get the job done. A case in point: I was looking for a St John’s Wort oil for nerve pain for someone recently and pretty much every one - even from big, well-known and well-regarded brands - were 20% strength. The one I have suggested for you is double that. But you wouldn’t know that, so it makes me mad that people buy some pretty expensive stuff and think it doesn’t work - because it is not therapeutic level or made properly to preserve the active ingredients. Don’t even get me started. (Former Free From Skincare Judge hat on here!).
Anyway. Take a look. I’ve tried to set up a way you can order them without me having to be at the post office all day. It might be a bit clunky, but we’ll see how it goes. You can order stuff direct, of course, but I’m hoping you’ll order through me so I can get a bit of commission, which helps me keep Purehealth services afloat. In return, I will try to get discounts and sale items for you whenever I can. I have offered 5-10% basic on most items so you have an incentive to buy through me. Anyway, let’s see how it goes. If not, it’s off to the post office a lot for me! I do quite fancy playing with pretty tissue paper etc ;)
Herbals - one supplier so far and possibly all we’ll need. Fabulous stuff. Just use the code phc when ordering direct, or use this affiliate link, thank you for your support.
Essential Oils - two suppliers here that I use all the time. Nothing compares to them - I call one the ‘fine wines’ of the essential oils world, and the other has THE BEST ready-made blends, some of which I use daily. I’ve detailed my faves for you. Plus, I’ve done a section on my favourite books so you can learn how to use them and have tons of really good recipes to make your own toiletries etc. I’ve got another supplier of very unusual oils to add yet - a US one - but I’ve not worked out how to do that for UK peeps yet.
I’d like to have made them for you, had a little range of Purehealth goodies, and this is what I would have used to make them. To order, use the Product Request Form I’ve invented for you. I then go off, find what prices I can get, send you a payment link, then place the order for you. It arrives in the post straight from the companies in a couple of days. No post office trips or packaging up for me, yay!
I hope you find them useful and enjoy using them. No crap here, thank you!
And finally…I’m currently reading this, watching this, although I think he may be overdoing the angry man vibe a bit, and just bought this. I know it’s silk and I would normally go at least for eco-silk, but it has to be very, very light, no pressure on my head, pure, chemical-free, no elastic and I couldn’t find another one as light without elastic. I’m hoping I don’t react to it and I sleep better, wish me luck!
How’s that for a fast And Finally bit?!
OK, that’s it for this issue, peeps. Please ❤️ and restack/share/tell me if you liked it - it makes me feel valued and loved, which is a bit sad, admittedly, but true x
For more witterings from me, don’t forget to catch up on my more frequent little Notes here. I’ve been doing quite a few there so I don’t disturb your inboxes.
Practicals: If buying supplements mentioned in this article through Natural Dispensary, please use Micki Rose during registration when prompted. If using Amrita, use this code to register for access to advanced products, no need to do it again then: 4Y2AE7. Any questions, feel free to contact me and see Support options here. Tests are here.
June 2025
Yes I did like! Not had a chance to have a proper nosey yet but very promising. You never quite know what you are buying, and it's good you are recommending good brands. 👍
What about omega 9? I like avocado oil, it's got a high smoke point, so less chance of oxidation, and a good mix of omega 3 6 and 9.
Also, people in the Mediterranean have been cooking with olive oil for centuries! And the Mediterranean diet is supposed to be one of the healthiest, so there can't be much wrong with cooking that way.
And I also get concerned about reused oil in cafés and restaurants. Not just for free radicals but all the contamination too. I also think it's a gross thing to do, just to save money!