Q: My hair and nails are dry and brittle and snap easily. My skin also looks dull and creased. Are there any foods I can eat to make me look healthier and younger?

A: You don’t mention your age in your letter but, whatever age you are, the condition of your hair and nails is a good indication of your health in general. So it seems to me that your diet, life style and stress levels could do with some attention.

 

First of all I want to advise you to visit your doctor to make sure you are not suffering from an underlying hormone imbalance, such as thyroid disorder or polycystic ovary syndrome, which can result in dry skin and hair. In the interim, boost your intake of fatty acids, found in oily fish, nuts, seeds and legumes, as they play an important part in keeping your hair and nails strong. Snacking on nuts and seeds will also boost levels of fatty acids, as well as zinc and protein – also important for healthy hair and skin. Keep your iron levels up by eating plenty of dark green leafy vegetables and pulses and dried fruit. And as brittle nails can be a sign of vitamin A or calcium deficiency be sure to eat at least five portions of fruit and vegetables a day.

 

As far as your skin is concerned, eating the following food regularly will arm your skin cells with the necessary tools to help preserve and keep your skin looking young: 

 

• Water (Boosts moisture): Dehydrated skin looks ashen and grey and hangs off the face. Water is the best dull-skin reviver. Hydrated skin looks moist and plump, which makes existing wrinkles less obvious. To see results, you need to make sure you are drinking enough each day – around six to eight glasses – more if you work out.
• Ripe Tomato (Keeps skin elastic): This skin-sensational food packs high levels of the antioxidant vitamins A and C as well as skin cancer-fighting chemicals. Antioxidants help keep skin firm by protecting the skin’s collagen and elastic tissue from oxidants or “free radicals” (unstable oxygen molecules) that attack it. 
• Berries (Fight wrinkles): Berries are a great source of polyphenols, antioxidants that are currently being studied for their anti-aging capabilities. Recent studies revealed that blueberries are packed with three times the antioxidants compared to an orange. A hefty handful of berries have all the antioxidant vitamin C your body requires each day to reconstruct your collagen, the scaffolding that keeps skin from drooping.
• Sardines (Calm inflammation): This fatty fish is teeming with face-friendly omega-3 fatty acids, which do everything from attack arid areas to help deflate inflamed spots. Also found in mackerel, salmon etc, Omega 3 essential fatty acids battle collagen-damaging free radicals and help smooth out fine lines. I would recommend eating fish three times a week. If you can’t eat seafood, a fish-oil supplement can offer the same benefits (see Omega 3 Plus on the Resources Page). Or try adding flaxseed oil or nuts to your diet. Fatty fish and nuts also contain zinc, which helps quell acne flare-ups and increase cell growth
• Dark-green, leafy vegetables (Anti-ageing): Foods such as cabbage and kale are full of anti ageing antioxidants. Plus, they’re a great source of iron when eaten with vitamin C rich foods. (Women who don’t get enough iron are especially prone to dark circles under their eyes.) Greens also contain zinc.

Finally, I strongly advise you to take a daily multivitamin and mineral every day as an insurance policy against nutrient deficiencies which can be ageing and cause out-of-condition hair and nails. A vitamin B supplement may also be helpful.

Q: Since the menopause started every time I sneeze, cough, laugh or run I can’t stop leaking a little urine. Are there any natural ways to stop this happening?

A: About half of women experience ‘stress incontinence’ in the menopause because levels of the hormone oestrogen –which keeps the muscles at the base of the bladder tight and strong – decrease. Performing pelvic floor workouts or Kegel exercises to help strengthen your pelvic muscles can help combat the problem. To find out which muscles you need to use, stop urinating midstream by contacting your muscles; these are your pelvic floor muscles. Use these muscles to perform a Kegel; contract and hold for a count of five and then relax. Repeat 10 times at least five times a day and you should notice a big improvement. You can also practise stopping the flow of urine when you go to the toilet. There are some really good pelvic toners on the market now that help with stress incontinence and are very easy to use. There are two that I would particularly recommend, so for more information on these go to www.naturalhealthpractice.com or call 0845 8800915. 

 

Retraining your bladder may also help. Begin by allowing yourself one trip to the toilet every hour for a week and then the following week extend the time between trips by half an hour. Continue until you can hold your urine for three hours at a time. This exercise teaches your bladder to hold more urine and become less sensitive when full.

 

Don’t be tempted to drink less if you are prone to incontinence. Restricting your fluid intake won’t stop leaks. In fact it can make things worse by producing highly concentrated urine that irritates the bladder. Drink lots of water instead. You’ll know when you are hydrated if your urine appears clear to pale yellow. If it’s dark yellow you aren’t drinking enough. And finally, as your symptoms are linked to lowering levels of oestrogen be sure to eat plenty of phytoestrogens (plant oestrogens) found in soya, legumes and nuts and seeds.

Q: In the last few months I’ve noticed that my vagina feels dry and sex is increasingly painful. I’m approaching the menopause and wondered if there are any natural remedies that you can recommend?

A: During and after the menopause the walls of the vagina can become thinner and less elastic. You may find that you take longer to lubricate and that intercourse can be painful. Thinning and drying of pelvic tissue can occur but women who maintain a healthy weight and eat a healthy diet generally experience few problems with vaginal/bladder weakness in the menopausal years. There are also a number of natural therapies that may help:

 

Make sure you eat a healthy diet rich in hormone balancing phytoestrogens, found in soya, legumes, nuts and seeds, and drink plenty of water. Try cranberry juice (unsweetened of course, or a powdered cranberry, see the Resources Page) especially if you are prone to cystitis.

 

Exercise can help keep your vagina supple and lubricated. Regular sex and masturbation can too. The saying if you don’t use, you lose it doesn’t just apply to your brain and bones it apples to sex too. Regular sex can keep your vagina healthy and happy. Although vaginal dryness is common during the menopause some women do still lubricate rapidly when aroused and the most likely reason for this is that these women continue to have sex once or twice a week.  There are also some really excellent natural vaginal lubricants – one I recommend to my patients is called Yes – see the Resources Page.

 

Kegel exercises can help strengthen your pelvic muscles and combat incontinence and make sex more enjoyable. To find out which muscles you need to use the next time you go to the toilet stop urinating in midstream by contracting your muscles; these are your pelvic floor muscles. Use these muscles to perform the Kegel exercises, contract them and hold for a count of five and then relax. Repeat these ten times and do at least five times a day. If Kegel exercises alone aren’t sufficient studies show that training with pelvic toners that provide resistance produce significantly better pelvic floor muscle strength than did exercise without them.  (Go to the Resources Page for information on two types of pelvic toners.)

 

Avoid douches, talcum powder, perfumed toilet papers, bubble baths and foams as they can irritate the vagina. Avoid washing the inside of your labia with soap too as it will dry out the skin. Spend longer on foreplay as it will help you to lubricate.

 

Motherwort tincture used orally may increase vaginal lubrication and vaginal wall thickness within a month of use. Vitamin E in daily oral doses of 300-400ius for 4-6 weeks has been found to increase vaginal lubrication. Acidophilus inserted vaginally can help prevent yeast infections and create more lubrication. You can get acidophilus in pessaries (called Intrafresh – see the Resources Page) which is a convenient way to get acidophilus into the vagina.  Also you can take a probiotic (like BioKult) orally to help maintain healthy intestinal flora and vaginal balance.