Q: I'm dealing with vaginal dryness and occasional bleeding at the tender age of 48! Intercourse is painful and irritating, what can I do to reverse this?

A: It appears there may be 2 concerns going on. First we'll address the dryness. This is generally due to the decline of Estrogen and Progesterone, both naturally lubricating agents for mucus membranes. If you currently use tampons consider switching to organic or stop using tampons altogether. The pesticides used on cotton plants are not only irritating to tender vaginal membranes but are also dehydrating while being potential carcinogens. I prefer my women use natural products vs something like KY Jelly. My favorite mixture is an ayurvedic oil with ghee (clarified butter). Vata oil is specifically for dryness while Pita oil is for burning itching and inflammation. Simply use 2/3 of one of the aforementioned oils blended with 1/3 organic ghee, make a salve and swab in your vagina nightly. Do NOT use this while menstruating as it may slow down your release and reduce natural flow. The burning you experience may be due to your vaginal dryness or by a bacterial or fungal infection. Try taking 3 capsules of garlic to bolster immunity plus a strong probiotic three times a day. Consider three capsules of probiotics dissolved in 1 quart of warm water with six drops of tea tree oil to douche with 1-2 times per week. Lastly start loading essential fatty acids into your diet to stave off further drying from the inside out!

Q: I have very weak teeth and nails, always have. I take two mineral tablets daily and I have for years with little improvement. Any suggestions?

A: Examine your total grams of protein per day. Take your weight, divide by 2 (or 1.5 if you work out 5-6 hours a week) to calculate your specific daily protein gram requirements. Next do a saliva test to ascertain your hormone deficiencies. If your progesterone compared to estrogen ratios are too low your bones, teeth and nails will be weak. Lastly to specifically find out your mineral deficiencies and your toxic element excesses (which may block minerals from being absorbed) do a hair tissue analysis. You may simply need for more than 2 pills a day to fix your deficiencies. Lastly, take essential fatty acids to strengthen bone, teeth and nails. Consume one tablespoon 2-3 times a day with a meal containing protein.

To further assess your nutritional needs, feel free to call Deborah Arneson, Licensed Clinical Nutritionist, Author of Fries, Thighs and Lies at Advanced Nutrition Therapeutics at 312-664-2288.