02 - Exploring Neurofeedback, Brain Health, Magnesium and Natural Supplements with Harrogate Organics

This episode features special guests Olivia Parker and Dan Simpson from Harrogate Organics. Together, they explore the vital role of magnesium and other natural supplements in supporting mental and physical health. Discover how magnesium can aid in neurological stability, muscle relaxation, and heart health, and learn why Harrogate Organics’ magnesium oil stands out as a top choice for supplementation.

Listen in as Dan shares his personal journey battling depression and anxiety, leading to the creation of Harrogate Organics. Olivia highlights their upcoming observational case study in collaboration with The Brain Collective, focusing on insomnia, sleep disorders, and restless leg syndrome.

Join us to uncover how neurofeedback and high-quality natural supplements can transform lives, offering hope and support for those seeking alternative solutions for brain health and overall well-being.

Find out more information at our website

Edited with finesse by Mike at Making Digital Real

Transcript

Maria Walters: 0:04

Welcome to the brain collectives Podcast.

Melanie Adeley: 0:07

I'm Maria and I'm Melanie, were the founders of the brain collective in Harrogate. We've dedicated over 15 years to helping people reregulate their own brains through neurofeedback. Driven by our passion to help our families when traditional medical approaches fell short.

Maria Walters: 0:25

We've trained with world renowned experts and remain committed to staying at the forefront of this field. Hey, everyone, welcome to the second podcast for the brain collective, which delighted you can join us today. We are joined by Olivia and Dan from Harrogate, organics, and Melanie from the brain collective. Today we're going to talk about our journey in discovering the best supplements to support our clients. And I think it's very fair to say both Dan and Olivia and Harris organics, very much follow the same ethics and moral platform that we do as well. Melanie, would you like to say a little bit about how we discovered Harrogate organics and why in particular, magnesium is so important.

Melanie Adeley: 1:18

Yes, I mean, we've, for many, many years now we have appreciated the importance of magnesium for optimal mental health and physical health. So certainly in medical setting, magnesium is used extensively to promote neurological stability and smooth muscle relaxation. So it's a well established treatment in a medical situation. But magnesium is also important to supplement for many for many conditions where they're promoting nervous system stability is beneficial and also stability of the the system within the heart, the conduction system within the heart. So magnesium is a fundamental element that needs we need. And unfortunately, in this day and age, many people are depleting magnesium because of the nutritional content of our soil. And a lot of people out there are also on medications for example, drugs like a map Rizal which actually stopped the absorption of magnesium, but aren't actually taking supplementary magnesium to counteract that. And we have found for many years, as part of our assessment process with many of our clients, one of the things that we will often discuss with them is the importance of potentially taking some supplemental magnesium. Now that can be taken most commonly orally as a tablet, there are lots and lots of different formulations out there. You know, very beneficial, but it can also be taken as a topical oil. Our skin is a massive organ and is can be used to absorb all sorts of different things through it that have can have benefit to our bodies, and it has the advantage of not losing any of the magnesium through the process of digestion. And so we've often recommended magnesium supplementation either orally or or through absorption through the skin. What is different about Harrogate organics is the quality of the supplement and the fact that actually it's probably only magnesium oil. I know that doesn't cause any irritation of the skin. Many of them do cause itchiness and are uncomfortable to wear. But the Harrogate organics one is a beautiful preparation. And so that is the one that we have for quite a few. Quite a while now. been it's been the recommendation that we would make to for our clients who where we think magnesium, additional magnesium will be beneficial.

Maria Walters: 4:03

And I think it's fair to say we're both trying to tackle very similar problems, whether it be Harrogate organics, or the brain collective. And each of it supports each other, which is why I'm so delighted that Hera organics is actually sponsoring this series of podcasts. Yeah,

Dan Simpson: 4:21

we're very happy to be here. Welcome. Thank you very much.

Maria Walters: 4:25

Dan, could you tell us a bit about the development of Harrogate organics?

Dan Simpson: 4:29

Yeah, it's it's it's a very simplistic concept in the sense that it's mainly derived from personal experience. So I'm always very open and transparent when I talk to people. But as a sufferer of depression and anxiety for probably nearly 15 years now. I lived abroad for around 20 years, and I think probably pressures of the job, social environment where we lived Um, I wouldn't say pushed me to it, but certainly contributed to it had a contribution had a contributing effect. And I ended up on like many people on antidepressants, however, move back to the UK in 2018, beginning of 2018. And obviously no handover between doctors between where we were and then back in the UK. So went to see local GP got registered as most people would do. And I was actually mesmerised how quickly, I wasn't just on antidepressants, but then was on beta blockers, Xanax and zolpidem and you know, a lot of very heavy duty prescriptive medications and not not really through my own wanting just, you know, one caused a problem for another that cause a problem for another and that's, that's where I ended up so I would probably say that is the lowest point I got to in my life so far. And just wanted to find another way of living of being you know, it was then it was, I don't, I don't want to sound too cheesy and cliche but the bottom line is, is that you know, if I couldn't keep functioning the way I was functioning on what I was taking, so it pushed me to seek out alternative I wouldn't say solutions but alternative trials of different things that were more naturally based that would help me achieve the same result but without the without the heavy duty prescriptions. And that is when I'd always use magnesium spray and I've used magnesium spray pretty much since I became or had depression I guess and so I recognised that I did get clinically I guess as I will you call it so I use the magnesium spray on the advice of somebody brought some mould from the UK tried it used it helped me sleep it was really really good. So my anxiety mainly peaks at nighttime. So and that's the worst time right because it's rooms pitch black and everything is 10 times worse and then that's when your anxiety peak. So magnesium was great because it helped me get a better night's sleep and that was fundamentally why I'd used it so that was what obviously got me staring back here. So but then I became aware of things like CBD five HTP you know all very naturally derived but you know things like five HTP which is not a natural anti depressive but it is a you know it does help produce the body hip or stimulate the body to produce serotonin and as a byproduct melatonin so it was just very exploratory for me personally and 2018 of finding different things that helped me achieve the same result or close as dammit to as the four main concoctions I guess that I was on. I know those out of interest. Yeah, so I took I was on Superlux, which I didn't really like it was a it was antidepressive then I was on Super election fortunately, gave me almost heightened anxiety. So they gave me propranolol, which was obviously for beta blockers, and then that sort of washed me out but then kept me more alert than I'd ever been before. So and that then I had zolpidem to help me sleep, but then that would would knock me out but would keep me asleep, but then I couldn't get to sleep. So then they gave me a Xanax. So before I was like swimming in this circle, a tablet. So in the end, it was that it was three things that really helped me remove all but one of them. So I still take antidepressants today, I'll tell people if they asked me to. But everything else I've managed to get rid of. And I did that through five HTP, which works really well for me. Magnesium spray, and CBD CBD for me, because I wake up many times for the night, I can find that literally five or six sprays of, so I'd understood myself too much, I'll spray five or six sprays on my chest. And if I need to a couple of drops of CBD, and I'm back to sleep, no problems. So that's what works for me. But when we talk to our customers, I don't say that what works for one is going to be the same for everybody else. Because that's the common question people ask is, well, this didn't work, you know how I thought it would? Or do I need to take more of that or less of that. And if that is I always say like, you know, trying to find your own solution is a journey, not a destination that you've got to go to trial. So it's what prompted us to start with like, well, if it works for me, then it can work for others. So we started off with one or two products and we're like okay, this this is good. You know, we feel like we're helping people here. And then now 130 127 products in you know, it's it's but my premise always was that because I will I won't name them but I use one the bigger the bigger magnesium producers out there, and my great was always the same it was it was really oily. It always stings. No matter no matter which day what time of day I use before a bath after a bath couldn't couldn't seem to Kill that sting, smelled, and literally turned all of our bedlinen yellow, because if it's, you know, consistently using it and then rolling around in it, you know, it's going to it's going to stay embedded in. So we set out to, you know, to construct a product that achieved the same thing, but didn't give me all of those. That's why we went predominantly waterbase. So that's not only the preservative system, we went as natural on the preservative system as we as science would allow us to enable us to, to still be able to give that longevity on the shelf, but at the same time, not create irritation. And have common characteristics built into the ingredient list. So that, you know, people didn't have that stinging sensation or that irritation when they put it on. And it it's it's not a one size fits all because some people do have magnesium intolerances and they do have intolerances to topical applications. But we find that it's it I mean, who's selling 1000s and 1000s per day, per month per year. And it's we haven't probably get one person a week maybe.

Maria Walters: 11:05

I do know you went to great lengths to find the best supplier you possibly can.

Dan Simpson: 11:09

Yeah, we did. And it's I know it, it kills me to say it but we which we producing in the UK, because we are very pro, I don't just say it for saying sake. And our ethos at the beginning was we wanted to be pro UK pro UK economy. And, and in particular, small business, we wanted sport versus Lakers. We're a small business. So we wanted to be as a supporter of small business, but unfortunately, the the reality is coming out of Brexit. It is it's unsustainable to to, it's not possible to continue the same or guarantee the same level of quality. At the same price. When the inconsistency of supply that we get from for example, he gets extensive magnesium, which is widely regarded is probably the best place to get it on the planet due to its deep sea mining and its its lack of impurities. But we just couldn't get a consistent supply. And we can't mess around with a formulation. So which is why we now produce and arguably one of the best places in the world. It's Switzerland, just purely because of access to a much bigger market. Their reputation as skincare producers is probably second to none, anywhere anywhere around the world. And we've continued to not only just start with what we had, but also continue to improve and improve. So we're trying to go with our name is Harrogate organics, and we get asked a lot are we 100% organic? And the answer is no. But wherever we can we try to either include certified organic ingredients, non certified organic ingredients. I'm definitely ethical. So we talk more about what we don't put in ingredients more than what we do. We don't add we don't deal with parabens, no GMOs no sulphates. No nasty chemicals. So. So yeah, it's more about like I say what we don't put it in. But going back to your question, yeah, we produce mainly in Switzerland now because we just want to be able to offer people and I'm also mindful of prices going up everywhere. And the prices that we were being quoted, you know, the price increases because we're now buying into an international market where I couldn't pass that on to the in a right mind. I couldn't pass this on to a customer. Because again, I don't want to sound I don't want to sound corny in any way, shape, or form. But our customers are of far ranging variety of people and I don't want to be a company that says, Well, you know, I'm lucky you know, prices are going up. So you want to say the family, don't we? Yeah, very much. It's this is the best job in the world as far as I'm Yeah.

Maria Walters: 13:41

And I think we're all affected. I have a husband who was on and that Rizal has been on it for 30 years. His skin was dropping off. He wasn't sleeping. Melanie bottomed amazing book called The miracle of magnesium at the Christmas didn't a bottle of magnesium. It was the cutest president ever. And it was the president that really changed his life, essentially. And he's a doctor. Wow. And he didn't know. Wow. And I think there's a lot to be learned from sharing. Damn. Yeah. I and I think that sort of brings me on to our next idea. And that's why we've got Olivia here to talk about that as well. So we're both trying to choose the same thing, but just in slightly different ways.

Olivia Parker: 14:29

Yeah, absolutely. And I think it's a lovely serendipitous meet, isn't it? The fact that we're both in this lovely spa town of Harrogate. And we're both setting out to help people with a, you know, different problems. Some of the bigger ones you're obviously helping with and some of the smaller ones and likewise, but yeah, essentially, I'm really excited to be partnering with you guys. And we've got an observational case study, which is set to start in the end of June we think. So six months long. We're looking for people who are struggling with insomnia or sleep disorders, and restless leg syndrome, which is much more popular or common than I think a lot of people realise. And it can be absolutely brutal. For a lot of people. It's not hugely talked about as an ailment, but we see it time and time again, at Harrogate, organic. So for us where we can work with an establishment such as yours, which is doing incredible work. For people who have had car accidents, people who have had, you know, rugby injuries, we are honoured to be here, and to be to be partnering with you guys. So essentially, we'll be setting out to look for six candidates who will haven't who haven't used magnesium before. And essentially, we will be tracking them with your incredible machinery and equipment on an observational trial really over the next sort of six months. So we're really looking for those those candidates and they don't have to be in Yorkshire, do they? They can be up and down the country. But really, just to see the benefits that magnesium can provide when taken on a regular basis.

Dan Simpson: 16:18

Yeah, I would like to echo that. Because I think, you know, when you get people, like you're talking about your husband, you get people actually ring the store, and to talk to talk and I'll obviously answer the phone as much as everybody. And it's, it's profound when somebody says, You know what, it's like, you know, when someone says, You changed my life, and it's, it's the best, there's nothing better.

Maria Walters: 16:43

It's the best the best thing. Payment. Yeah.

Dan Simpson: 16:49

And we get we get a reasonable amount of it, you know, people will actually go out of their way. You know, I had a I had somebody, a lady, this is now about three weeks ago, who I wouldn't say was in tears, probably close to on the phone, just saying, you know, she bought some magnesium spray on the recommendation from a friend. For her. I think he was 1515 year old autistic son who'd never slept through the night ever. And the first night of using it slept from seven till six. I mean, she was like, like, she just discovered, you know, the best thing ever. And it wasn't that, you know, I'm happy that she likes us. But I'm more happy for her because now she's got a little bit more of a normal life back. I don't have jumped the gun. But, you know, even if you take it once a week, it's an improvement over what what people have been going through?

Melanie Adeley: 17:38

Yeah, I think one of the beauties of the spray the topical spray particularly is some it's a much easier thing to habit Bumble. So I think when you're taking it's very easy if you're taking a supplement to start off with good intentions, but then to to drip off but but actually, you know if you have it bundled, putting your magnesium on with brushing your teeth, yeah, something as simple as that. Yeah, it means because magnesium is a an intracellular iron so it does take time. It's an unusual, it's unusual to get an immediate effect because it does take time to cue accumulate so consistency with magnesium is really really important. And with the spray it's easy to habit Bumble. Yeah. Brush your teeth put your magnesium on

Dan Simpson: 18:27

Yeah, exactly. There's actually a you raise a point that people talk about quite a lot actually. Which is like how long does it take to work and it's how long is a piece of string you know for me personally I think like two or three days in when I remember back way back when I was like brilliant thought I discovered you know light but but but but for some people it's different it also depends on on the expectancy of what you're wanting it to fix.

Maria Walters: 18:52

Yeah, and am I right in thinking man it's notoriously difficult to test for

Melanie Adeley: 18:57

where you can get a plasma level but that's not a true representation of your actual you need red blood cell magnesium to give you a true representation that's not that's not a regular test to do. So you get a plasma magnesium which is what most mostly used to guide you but even with a normal plasma magnesium you may still work still well bead plate.

Maria Walters: 19:20

And working together with Dan and Olivia were able to do something called quantitative electroencephalogram, which is an assessment of a have someone's brains electrical activity as a benchmark at the beginning, and again at the end of the trial that we're hoping will give us some good data to be able to share because it is notoriously difficult to measure. Yeah. We will also be some symptom tracking each of the candidates electronically. And so there's going to be quite a lot of monitoring To focus on how people are doing.

Dan Simpson: 20:06

Yeah, I think it's I mean for us, like, like Olivia alluded to on my when she mentioned earlier, we're exceptionally happy to be part of this because recognise what amazing work you're doing. I'm not just saying that lightly, then I was I've been here on the days when you've had people coming in going, wow. And that's where we talk about synergies at the beginning. That's where that's kind of where we are, you know, we're looking for, to work for a part with a partner with you guys, you know, to be able to actually assess somebody's journey or record it as best as that we can, like it we've been talking about now is really important, because it's for us, the number one question is, well, how do I know it's gonna work? And will it work for me, and I've got this problem and this problem, which is natural questions, people to ask. But the only real feedback that we can give is when we're quite careful not to promise the moon and under deliver. So the only real feedback we can give, and fortunately, we've got a lot of it now is customer usage feedback, which is, you know, so we do poll customers fairly frequently as in, communicate with them, talk to them, ask them to, to complete very short surveys on how it's helped. And when we're finding like, I think, generally, we find efficacy in certainly over 90% of people that use the product. But we want to understand more about it and gather as much information as we can, which is obviously why we're, we're sat here to see how we can do that.

Maria Walters: 21:29

Yeah, I'm really excited for it. I know. Everybody in the room is really excited for it. Olivia, do you want to just mention to the audience how to get in touch again, just in case they are interested? Yeah, absolutely.

Olivia Parker: 21:44

So you can get in touch with me via email. So that's Olivia, at Harrogate organics dot code at UK. And if you just say that you're interested in being considered, and then we can go through the process just to ascertain as to whether you are a prime candidate for us, because there are some, some prerequisites that we have. But yeah, it's you know, we want to hear from you. We want to help you, you know, I think we're living in a very strange world. And I think people are so sceptical now, of all of the different products out there. There's the you know, the markets are very, very jammed with different brands. And I think it's harder and harder to get through the noise. And what we have here is an incredible product. And, you know, we are so lucky that we can work with you guys to help hopefully shine a light on its efficacy, and also promote you guys in what you're doing. It's just a marriage made in heaven.

Maria Walters: 22:43

I cannot thank you both enough for joining us today and for and offering to sponsor our podcast series.

Dan Simpson: 22:51

Thank you for having us really enjoyed it.

Unknown: 22:55

Thanks for tuning into the brain collective podcast. If you're curious about how Neurofeedback and neuro modulation can help you or your loved ones live a more balanced fulfilling life. Visitors at the brain collective.co.uk See you in the next episode.