Can you tell me the causes of dry and itchy skin?

Many people suffer from dry skin. Lower legs, elbows, forearms and buttocks are the normally affected parts of the body. It is a big problem to many as it can spoil the quality of one’s life. The irritants can attack very easily on dry skin as there is no protective layer of natural lipids. The result is itching. Scratching gives pleasure for few seconds, but the after effects, bloody scratches and infections, can give further problems. If your skin is very dry and itchy your sleep can be affected. Another reason for dry skin may be some diseases such as diabetes and kidney diseases. Many medicines make itching worse. Therefore, it is advisable to consult with your doctor to find out the reason for this dry and itchy skin. If untreated, dry skin may lead to dermatitis which is inflammation of the skin with swelling and infection. Fortunately most of the causes are external.

There are many causes for dry and itchy skin and they include:

• Dry air – It is the most common cause. Winter, indoor air whether with heating or with air conditioners can make dry skin. You have to use a moisturizer. Do not heat the rooms in winter too hot. It is advisable to use humidifier in the rooms. Water in an open vessel can help. If you go outside in winter close your skin very carefully with hats, scarves, gloves and long socks.

• Exposure to water – prolonged exposure to hot water can remove the natural fats that protect your skin. The morning or evening shower can be few minutes with cold or lukewarm water and it is better to skip the hot water. Gently pat and dry your body with a towel. Immediately apply the moisturizer. Avoid hot and long baths.

• Soap - it is the number 1 enemy if you have dry skin. It removes the skin protective layer very quickly. Average persons need soap for the face, hands, feet, underarms and groin. The other parts of the body do not need soap and water is enough to keep them hygiene. Of course, playing children or workers need a mild soap for the whole body. Washing the hands and faces often must be avoided. Buy fragrance free soaps always. Treat your skin gently so that the fats remain there. Sponges or brushes or napkins are not necessary to scrub your skin.

• Clothes that itch – avoid clothes that brings you itching or that makes your itching more. If the irritant comes from your clothing then it is a continuous exposure. To wash your clothes use detergents without perfumes or other additives. Never use a cloth that brings or increases itching.

• Medicines and drugs - Many medicines and drugs have itching as side effects. Read carefully about the side effects. If you get dry skin or itching after taking the medicine for the first time contact your doctor immediately. He may prescribe another medicine with equal effect.

• Diseases – Diabetes, kidney problems, thyroid problems, particularly hypothyroidism, psoriasis, eczema, neurodermitis and other skin diseases can cause dry skin and itching. Approach your doctor for treatment.

• Old age - Getting older can bring dry skin and especially more women suffer from this. The levels of estrogens and menopause play a role here. The majority of old people above 65 suffer from dry skin.

• Malnutrition – it can be a good reason. Consult with your doctor or dietician to have diet with all necessary nutrients to your body. Eating disorders can also cause dry skin.

• Hereditary – your genes may be the culprit for dry skin and this is irrespective of your age.

Consult with your doctor. It may be mostly only a problem of skin care that could be rectified easily. Other diseases must be well diagnosed and treated properly.

Is there any connection between menopause and joint pain?

There are 360 joints in our body. With increasing age women and men have problems with their joints. There is a connection between menopause and joint pain. But, the exact mechanism is not yet known. Joint pain is a symptom of menopause. Typically a woman approaches menopause between the ages of 45 and 55. The drastic hormonal fluctuations can affect her in many ways. We know well that hormones play a major role in woman’s bone and joint health. With hormonal imbalance during menopause she can get and experience joint pain.

Joint pain often occurs in the knees, hips and back. Many women feel the joints in their hands become stiffer which gives more pain. The age plays a role also here. Joint pain can give many problems and can make simple tasks and movements almost unbearable. The common symptoms of joint pain related to menopause include:

• Pain
• Stiffness, may be also a limited morning stiffness
• Swelling
• Warm joints
• Pain with physical activity
• Pain relief while resting

Estrogen, the female sex hormone has influence on joints. It keeps the joint inflammation low. Inflammation is the major cause for joint pain. As the estrogen levels begin to decrease during perimenopause which normally takes 5 to 10 years leading to menopause the problem starts slowly. The joints get less and less estrogen to control the inflammation and the result is mostly joint pain.

Osteoporosis is also another symptom of menopause which can cause joint pain. It is because of the decrease of bone mineral density due to calcium metabolism.

At the same time, we should think about the other conditions which can also cause joint pain and they include: excess weight, lack of exercise, injury, muscle loss, inflammation of the joints, bone diseases and wear and tear with age. Stress and tumor or cancer can cause joint pain. Heredity can also play a role here.

The first important step is you must consult your doctor. Thus it can be treated in the early stages and cannot become a big health problem. The guidelines to go to your doctor include: the joint pain lasts more than 3 days, joint pain and weight loss or fever and joint pain.

Alternative medicine is also a good option for menopausal joint pain.

What are the treatments for this serious problem? They include:

• Lifestyle changes
• The right food and food or herbal supplements, if necessary
• Regular physical therapy
• Regular walking
• Regular stretching
• Drugs and surgery
• Acupuncture

It is in your hands to do many things properly and then you have the best chance to be healthy irrespective of your age or in the menopause.

Menopause – Symptoms and Treatments...

Menopause occurs when the ovaries naturally decreases the production of the sex hormones estrogens and progesterone. If there are no menstrual periods for 12 consecutive months without any other biological or physiological cause then the woman is in menopause. Menopause is the end of the childbearing years. The 12 months without periods are important to note, otherwise there is still a chance to become pregnant.

A woman can feel the changes in her body if she is approaching menopause. In this period of menopause transition or perimenopause her menstrual periods start changing. The changes begin several years before the menopause. This is because of the fluctuation of the production of the sexual hormones by the aging ovaries. Irregularity in the length of the period, the time between periods and the level of flow can be seen in the irregular periods. A sudden warm feeling with blushing, the hot flashes can also accompany the irregular periods.

The changes associated with the menopause include:

• Hot flashes
• Irregular bleeding
• Night sweats
• Mood swings
• Forgetfulness
• Problems in sleeping
• Tiredness
• Irritability
• Memory problems
• Depression
• Fluctuation in sexual desire
• Vaginal dryness, itching or irritation
• Increased risk of urinary tract infection or urinary incontinence, leakage of urine
• Weight gain
• Changes in skin texture including wrinkles
• May have some hair growth on the chin, upper lip, chest or abdomen
• Can worsen adult acne

Woman’s race, height, number of children or use of oral contraceptives has no influence on the age at menopause. The age of menopause is variable. It is 40 to 60 years normally. For most of the women it is between 45 to 55 years.

Menopause is not a disease that needs to be cured and it is a natural life-stage transition. However, treatment of associated symptoms is possible if these become substantial or severe. But, the protective effect of estrogen against osteoporosis and atherosclerosis is lost. The risks of fracture and coronary heart disease increase.

The possible treatments include:

• Hormone therapy or hormone replacement therapy or postmenopausal hormone therapy with estrogen and progesterone
• Oral contraceptive pills
• Vaginal hormone and non-hormone treatments

Combination of estrogen and progesterone increases the risk for heart attack, stroke and breast cancer compared with women without hormone therapy. Estrogen therapy increases the risk for stroke and endometrial cancer, cancer of the lining of the uterus. You must consult with your doctor and he must consider your entire medical records as well as hereditary risk factors before deciding hormone therapy.

The alternative therapy uses food and herbs and they include:

• Phytoestrogens from soy bean, chick peas and lentils. Do not use the concentrated pills, but foods containing these must be eaten regularly
• Vitamin E also helps to reduce hot flashes
• Black Cohosh herbal preparations
• Green tea and pomegranate
• Dried roots and rhizomes of Licorice
• Roots of Dong quai
• Wild yam
• Dried fruit of Chaste tree
• Dried leaves of Damiana
• Leaves, roots and tops of Dandelion
• Dried roots and rhizomes of False unicorn root
• Leaves of Ginkgo
• Roots of Ginseng, avoid if you have high blood pressure
• Dried Liferoot plant
• Fresh or dried leaves and fruit of Raspberry
• Red clover, dried flower heads and fresh plant
• Fresh or dried leaves of Sage
• St. John’s Wort, fresh or dried flowering plant

There are not many scientific studies about the alternative therapies. Much more research is still needed.

There is a direct relationship between the lack of estrogen after menopause and the development of osteoporosis. Eat healthy food with enough calcium and vitamin D. Ask your doctor whether calcium and vitamin D must be supplemented or for other treatments. A good lifestyle and enough physical activity are very important.

I have hair loss problem. Can you give me information about it?

Hair loss or baldness is not usually caused by a disease, but related to aging, heredity and testosterone, the male sexual hormone.

In addition to the common male and female patterns, the other possible hair loss, especially if in an unusual pattern includes:

• Bald patches which develop on the scalp, beard and possibly eyebrows. Eyelashes may fall out as well.
• Auto immune diseases like lupus
• Burns
• Syphilis, a sexually transmitted disease
• Chemotherapy in cancer
• Emotional or physical stress
• Excessive shampooing or blow-drying
• Fever
• Hormonal changes, such as in thyroid disease, childbirth or use of oral contraceptives (birth control pills)
• Nervous habits like continual hair pulling or scalp rubbing
• Radiation therapy in cancer
• Ringworm of the scalp
• Tumour of the ovary or adrenal glands

Hair loss from menopause or childbirth often returns to normal 6 months to 2 years.
For hair loss caused by sickness such as fever, chemotherapy or radiation therapy, no treatment is necessary and the hair will normally grow back when the sickness has ended or the therapy is over.

Healthy food is very important for hair health. Wrong food brings problems. This I have seen in several women.

There are topical medicines available for hair loss due to heredity, age and hormone disturbances. Consult your doctor.

Hair transplant done by a specialist is a surgical approach by transferring growing hair from one part of the head to another, it is somewhat painful and expensive, but usually permanent.

I am happy with my baldness and I have no complex.

I am 41 year old woman. What are the risks for heart disease?

Heart disease is the leading cause of death in women over 40 years old. After menopause this risk increases dramatically..

In recent years there many heart attacks in younger women over 30 years are also reported. Early menopause is a risk factor in young women.

The common risk factors include:

• Early menopause
• Diabetes
• High LDL-cholesterol
• High blood pressure
• Smoking
• Excess alcohol
• Obesity
• Family history of heart disease
• Less or no physical activity

Several things are in your hands to change. Healthy food and enough physical activity can do a lot for your heart health.

Q&A Series 1: Woman, 47 years old, vegetarian – Problems: hair loss, fatigue, iron supplementation, arthrities…

Thank you. You are the first person who sends a question. With the limited available information I would like to comment your health problems.

Whether you are in your twenty's or forty's your food intake is very important. Healthy food does not always mean healthy to you. Here your doctor or dietician could help you to find the correct food.

For hair loss no supplement will help. The right food will help you. Too much of protein will have the negative effect here. Olive oil oil is good to stop hair loss.

It seems you are taking iron supplementation for a long time. It is not correct. Iron supplement could be taken 14 days to 3 months and not more. The excess iron that you absorb will not be converted into haemoglobin. It is deposited in your heart and other muscles. Our body temperature and the water present can rust the iron and with Fenton’s reaction iron produces too many dangerous hydroxyl free radicals. Iron concentration, thus the haemoglobin must be increased through food only.

The reason for your fatigue may be the low iron and thus the low haemoglobin levels. The oxygen supply to your cells are not optimum. This is the reason why you need 10 to 12 hours sleep. After your long sleep you may become tired after few hours.

You can be a vegetarian. Are you eating enough legumes, pulses, beans, nuts and seeds? At least 400 g vegetables and 400 g fruits must be eaten every day, in 3 to 4 servings. Tofu and soja milk are healthy, but rich in protein. With curd you have a milk product also. Here, the protein intake is too high. This has two disadvantages. Protein makes the body acidic and this makes more calcium to excrete from your body. Excess intake of protein increases the uric acid values in your blood. So what you have may not be arthritis but may be gout. Here consult your doctor.

At first you have to change your food and this will help you surely. If you have the right food and health you need not worry about your coming menopause.

Drink 4 to 6 litres of fluids per day and 70% must be pure drinking water. Avoid cola drinks.

These are the comments what I could make from the information that I got your letter. It is great that you have written but the information is still too little to say many concrete things. Here a metabolism based individual diet plan will be the right one for you.

I am waiting still from our members the filled analysis form and the 14 days food and fluid intake information. After that I wanted to select 5 persons to write their metabolism based individual diet plan free of cost. I don’t know whether you are doing that.

Are drumsticks and leaves good for postmenopausal women?

Drumsticks and their leaves are good because they are rich in calcium, magnesium and other elements which are important to prevent osteoporosis. Apart from other vitamins, enough amount of vitamin A is also present. It is a good food for menopausal women.

Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)

Premenstrual syndrome includes a number of symptoms connected to the menstrual cycle and these can occur a week or two before your menses. These will disappear after your period starts. It can affect menstruating women in all ages and is different for each woman. For some, it is only a monthly botheration and for others these are very severe days. Menopause brings the end of PMS.

The causes of PMS are not clearly known and they are connected to the changing hormones during the menstrual cycle. Tension and emotional problems do not play a role in PMS, but they can make it worse.

The symptoms of PMS include:

• Breast swelling and tenderness
• Anxiety and depression
• Tiredness
• Sleeping problems
• Acne, pimples or spots flare-up
• Stomach upset
• Diarrhoea or constipation
• Headache
• Back pain
• Loss of appetite or food cravings
• Muscle or joint pain
• Memory disturbances
• Trouble in concentration
• Tension
• Irritability
• Mood changes or crying spells

Note all your symptoms for some months and inform your doctor about them for possible treatment.

What are the discomforts experienced during menstrual periods?

They include:

• Heavy bleeding
• Bleeding during two periods
• Depression
• Headaches
• Mood changes or irritability
• Cramps
• Swelling in the breasts or sores
• Bloating

Drink lot of water, 3 to 5 litres per day. Eat always healthy food and it helps to reduce the problems.

For some women it is only a small botheration and for others these are the severe days in a month.

If necessary go to your gynaecologist.