Q: I have headaches every few weeks and my doctor says they are cluster headaches. What can I do about them?

A: Cluster headaches are one sided, often centred behind the eye and occur in several episodes over the course of a few days. Well done for getting it checked out – anyone with recurring headaches should do the same.

For a few weeks keep a diary of what you eat, what you do and your moods – you may spot a link or trigger for these headaches. Alcohol, cheese, coffee, citrus fruits and chocolate may all cause them. So may missing meals or not drinking enough water. Try to keep your back, neck and shoulders relaxed as bad posture can be a cause; you may also want to consider learning Alexander Technique.

When the headache strikes you should try applying lavender essential oil on the temples or forehead. The homeopathic remedy Pulsatilla can help and the herb feverfew has been shown to prevent migraine type headaches when taken on a daily basis.’

Q: How can I stay away from sweets when I have a really big sweet tooth? I’m finding it really hard.

A: The reason you have a sugar addiction in the first place is because you eat too much sugar. When you eat sugar your body tends to overproduce insulin. This excess insulin causes your blood sugar to drop. Your body then craves more sugar in order to raise your blood sugar level back to normal. You find yourself caught in a vicious circle.

The only way out of this never-ending sugar addiction roller coaster is to break the cycle – that means eliminating sugar from your diet, or at least cutting down on it dramatically. The less you eat, the less you will crave.

Now as you said, it’s not all that easy. The first steps are to eliminate foods containing sugar from your diet, anything with an –ose on the end of the word is a sugar e.g. sucrose, dextrose, maltose, so read the ingredient list carefully. There can be sugar in savoury foods such as tomato ketchup and baked beans.

At the same time, make sure that you eat little and often, not leaving more than three hours without eating as this will stop the roller coaster of blood sugar and reduce the cravings. In order to help your body while you get your blood sugar under control add in a chromium supplement as this mineral is needed for the metabolism of sugar. Avoid chromium in the form of picolinate as this is a synthetic form of chromium and has been linked to DNA damage, liver dysfunction, skin blisters and anaemia (see my book ‘Fat around the Middle’). Chromium polynicotinate is fine.

Q: I keep getting dry, itchy and sore skin on my face, around my lips and on my hands. What can I do?

A: You need to rehydrate your skin and keep it that way. Use moisturisers containing cocoa or shea butter which are great for use on the hands and elbows. Always use a lip balm containing soothing aloe vera, apply calendula cream to painful areas and keep yourself hydrated with six large glasses of water a day.

You might be reacting to something you are eating so keep a diary to see if there is a food trigger. You can also do a mini detox over two weeks by avoiding wheat, dairy, alcohol, sugar and caffeine and adding in the herb milk thistle to improve liver function. Adding in a good Omega 3 oil supplement like fish oil, not cod liver oil, could be really helpful as the dryness could be an indication of an essential fatty acid deficiency.