Q My daughter suffers with hives – red lumps over her body – when she overheats. Her doctor prescribed an antihistamine, which takes out the itch but not the lumps.

A I used to get similar weals from monosodium glutamate, which is often added to Chinese and Thai foods. If she doesn’t suffer from any food sensitivity, pharmacist Shabir Daya advises that she uses Stinging Nettle Extract by Swanson, £14.95 for 120 capsules. Nettles are excellent at detoxifying the bloodstream, inhibit the formation of histamine and have an anti-inflammatory effect, he adds.

SKIN SAVIOUR

Jane Iredale, founder of the eponymous mineral make-up range, tells me she has seen good results on the faces and bodies of acne- and rosacea-prone adults with a course of Skin Accumax. This supplement contains vitamins A, C and E and a nutrient complex found in broccoli.

MY HEALTH: SARAH PARISH, 44, ACTRESS

I never go on the scales: doing the right exercise and eating good food is the key to being in great shape.

I fell in love with barre exercise classes in Vancouver, when my husband [actor James Murray] was filming there in 2011. It was so different from the gym and it worked muscles I didn’t know I had.

I was at the age where everything drops a few inches. The barre exercises are fantastically toning for trouble spots – bingo wings, bottom, waist, tummy and tops of thighs – giving you the lifting and firming you never get on a treadmill.

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Age-related macular degeneration is the gradual loss of central vision in the over-50s. With a combination of minerals and antioxidant vitamins, the research-based supplement Nutrof Total can help maintain healthy eyes. £14.99.

A SUPER-SPICY SOLUTION FOR PMS

When you have PMS symptoms such as tiredness, low mood, headaches and cramping, eating usually involves grabbing the sort of carb- and/or caffeine-laden goodies that give you a fleeting comfort hit but can often make you feel worse.

Food can, however, be an effective way of treating PMS and other everyday ailments, says award-winning chef and nutritionist Gurpareet Bains, whose fans include Goldie Hawn and Gwyneth Paltrow (below). The answer is to use spices and herbs in abundance, as he explains in his book Indian Superspices, which offers recipes to help with PMS, colds, hangovers, allergies and insomnia.

The recipes are described as ‘lab-inspired’ because the beneficial effects of the ingredients have been verified by research. For example, fennel: in a study of girls with severe period pain, 80 per cent of those taking fennel experienced complete pain relief, compared with 73 per cent of those taking non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.

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Spring is peak time for chicken pox (nhs.uk/conditions). Although a mild and common childhood illness, the spots can be very itchy. Pharmacist Shabir Daya recommends PoxClin Cool Mousse (£10.80), which promises fast relief from itching, helps to prevent scars and promotes healing. Or try all-natural multipurpose Kiddy Balm (£4.05), which one mum reports calmed her three-year-old: ‘For the first time in three nights he slept through without scratching and crying.’ Both from Victoria Health, tel: 0800 3898 195, victoriahealth.com.

AND RELAX…

We store tension in our faces, particularly our jaws, which can be painful and ageing. Simply massaging your face and scalp with your fingertips helps relax muscles and dispel tension. Work in circles over your head from hairline to nape. Then stroke some facial oil (such as Argan Organics Regeneration Anti-Ageing Face Serum, £15.99, from Victoria Health, see above) on your face, working upwards, and see your rosy relaxed reflection beam back at you in the mirror.

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The Eye Doctor microwaveable eye mask, filled with natural grains, soothes our dry, red, irritated eyes after a day at the screen. It is an approved medical device for the symptoms of inflammation, styes, cysts and blepharitis. With washable cover, adjustable strap and storage pouch.

IS ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE THE SAME AS DEMENTIA?

Q: My grandma has been diagnosed with dementia but it is not Alzheimer’s disease. I am confused as I thought they were the same?

A: There are several types of dementia (much on our minds because of Mrs Thatcher), including Alzheimer’s disease (AD), vascular dementia, frontal lobe dementia, and dementia with Lewy bodies. Not everyone has all the symptoms of one particular type – some people are diagnosed as having mixed dementia – and they affect individuals to different degrees and progress at different rates. I suggest you ask your grandma’s doctor if there is a specific diagnosis in her case.

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Doctors have often rejected hand sanitisers (advising a scrub with soap and water), partly because they have been so drying that they caused cracks in the skin, posing a significant risk of infection. A new natural product, Renouve Anti-Ageing Hand Sanitizer, overcomes this problem. According to Jo Fairley, my co-author of the Beauty Bible books and website, who spends a lot of time on trains, planes and buses, ‘the serum texture of this gorgeously packaged product is so wonderfully softening and nourishing that I use it diligently. It claims to kill 99 per cent of bugs and I haven’t had so much as a sniffle since it landed in my handbag several months ago.’ Priced £22, from Victoria Health, tel: 0800 3898 195, victoriahealth.com.

MY HEALTH: EMMA FORBES,47, TV PRESENTER AND LIFESTYLE BLOGGER

I was diagnosed with endometriosis in my early 30s when my husband [banker Graham Clempson, left] and I wanted to start a family. A scan revealed a cyst on my right ovary. I had never heard of endometriosis, where the cells that line the womb migrate to other parts of the body and cause pain, inflammation, the formation of scar tissue and sometimes ovarian cysts [further information from endometriosis-uk.org].

Endometriosis affects more than 1.5 million women in the UK but it’s difficult to diagnose because the symptoms mimic IBS, pelvic inflammatory disorder and lower-stomach ache. I had a laparoscopy to remove the cyst but one specialist told me that I may never have children. We were lucky to have Lily, now 17, and Sam, 14, after the adhesions were lasered away enabling me to get pregnant before they grew back.

Acupuncture, diet and supplements helped, as did staying on the pill as it limits the production of oestrogen, which encourages endometriosis to grow. And 12 years ago, I had my right ovary removed and haven’t suffered since.

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1. SilvaFresh Antibacterial Toothpaste
   With pure homeopathic antibacterial silver, this soothing mild mint toothpaste, which is SLS-free, has been shown to help eliminate bacteria responsible for tooth decay, gum disease, tartar build-up and bad breath. Brush at least twice daily. £8.95 for 3oz.
2. Silver Sense Healing Bedclothes
   Silver is calming and naturally anti-microbial for eczema and other itchy skin conditions. This range (suitable from birth to eight years) offers pyjamas, sleepsuits and bedding made from knitted cotton yarn blended with silver fibres. Our tester found them especially useful when her eight-year-old had eczema and chickenpox: ‘The loose-fitting PJs soothed the itching from both.’ Pyjamas, from £39, from silversense.co.uk.
3. Elastoplast Aqua Protect Silver Healing
   I swear by this range of plasters, which have a wound pad containing antiseptic silver designed to prevent infection. I find they help wounds to heal faster too. £2.55 for ten waterproof strips, from boots.com.

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Q: My 13-year-old granddaughter suffers badly from travel sickness when flying. What can be done to prevent it?

A: About two thirds of us suffer nausea, vomiting and dizziness, even cold sweats, at some point when travelling. The symptoms are probably caused by conflicting messages to your brain from your inner ear, which senses movement, while your eyes report you are sitting still.

There are several practical things you can do:

Choose a window seat near the front of the plane or beside a wing. There is less motion in these areas and she can focus on the horizon when there is light.

She should not read but listen to music or an audiobook with her eyes closed (a thick mask helps, eg, Bucky Sleep Mask, £16.95, from amazon.co.uk).

Focus the fan above the seat on her face to increase the airflow around her.

Avoid fatty, rich, salty, spicy or acidic foods. Choose plain yoghurt, cereal, crackers and bread. Eat a few hours before takeoff and have frequent snacks in flight. Sip lots of water or
herbal tea, eg, camomile or peppermint.

Nasa astronauts used to take ginger into space. Pharmacist Shabir Daya recommends Lamberts Ginger Capsules (£9.14 for 60, from victoriahealth.com): take one on the day of the flight. She can also suck ginger sweets or sip ginger ale.

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I have thrush quite often and also tend to get wind and a bloated stomach. My dietician says I should go on a Fodmap regime. Can you explain what it is, how it works and if there are any alternatives?

The Fodmap diet originated in Australia and involves restricting certain foods (see below) that are highly fermentable in the large intestine. ‘This is supposed to reduce digestive symptoms that are common with IBS (irritable bowel syndrome) including bloating, flatulence, cramping and diarrhoea,’ explains nutritionist Marilyn Glenville.

But the Fodmap diet does not restrict sugar or aspartame (artificial sweetener). Many nutritional experts advise patients with your symptoms to avoid sugar in any form until they recover.

Your symptoms suggest that the problem is caused by candida, a yeast that occurs naturally on the skin, in the mouth, vagina and digestive system. In a healthy body, candida in the digestive system is kept under control by the levels of good bacteria and the immune system. But if the good ‘bugs’ are reduced by antibiotics, the contraceptive pill, HRT or stress, the single-celled yeast can grow roots, which can pierce the walls of the gut and invade the bloodstream, causing a yeast infection known as candidiasis.

Symptoms of candidiasis include persistent vaginal thrush, bloating and flatulence, craving for sugar and bread, getting tipsy on a little alcohol, brain fog, athlete’s foot and fungal toe as well as food sensitivities. You can test for candida by doing a candida antibody test (£140.40, from naturalhealthpractice.com).

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A reader writes to say that her partner, a kitchen fitter, is grateful for the barrier hand cream Gloves in a Bottle (£10.50 for 250ml, victoriahealth.com). ‘He told me that grouting makes his hands dry and uncomfortable. When he used Gloves in a Bottle, they were so much better.’

Dump The Bumps

My column on molluscum contagiosum (MC), a viral skin infection common in children causing tiny itchy bumps, triggered lots of readers’ tips. Most said GPs had been unable to help, merely stating that it would eventually go away. These natural remedies proved successful anecdotally…

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My recent column on vaginal dryness attracted helpful advice from a reader… ‘My husband and I stopped lovemaking after years of unsuccessful treatment with vaginal creams containing low-dose oestrogen. My GP refused to refer me to a gynaecologist and knew nothing of any natural treatment. I read an article in Menopause Matters magazine on sea buckthorn oil [Omega 7 by Pharma Nord, from Victoria Health, see below left] and its action on mucous membrane, including “intimate dryness”. I was delighted to find intercourse was comfortable and enjoyable again in under three weeks.’

Pharmacist Shabir Daya comments that sea buckthorn extracts have helped numerous women with dryness associated with the atrophy of the cells lining the vagina. Omega 7 essential fatty acid helps maintain healthy lipid levels in skin cells and also restores elasticity. He recommends a supplement called Omega 7 Sea Buckthorn Cellular Support by Sibu (£25.48 for 60, from Victoria Health as before), which contains essential fatty acids, plus micro-minerals that work to ensure optimal cell function.

Good Skin Science

Thirty years ago, when I first started writing about health and beauty, the human genome was being mapped for our DNA code, the basis of the science of genetics, and the bright white hope was gene therapy. That is being slow to fulfil its promise, but meanwhile scientists are increasingly absorbed in the field of epigenetics, which literally means beyond (‘epi’) genetics. Fascinatingly, this could, among other things, help us look younger.

Epigenetics refers to the impact of environmental influences on how your genes function. DNA code defines who and what you are in every way, from colour of hair to personality. But how your genes express themselves can change according to your environment and the events in your life.

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