Tranquillity is now available in a soft drink. Delicately named anti-Red Bull, this mixture of the herbs valerian and rose hips together with the hormone melatonin can take the edge off your stressful existence and smooth your recession woes. The trouble is, it might bliss you out just a little too much. The herb melatonin antagonises the action of the hormone cortisol, which is designed to get you out of bed in the morning. Taking anti-Red Bull to start your day might put you into reverse gear before your foot even touches the accelerator peddle. While melatonin is a powerful antioxidant it can also suppress the immune system, making it more difficult to deal with nagging germs that might be gaining a foothold. Valerian might ease your troubled mind but it also slows down the liver making it more difficult to metabolise and eliminate drugs like Mevacor, which lower cholesterol. For those wishing to function with greater equanimity practising regular meditation might be less fizzy but comes without the bitter aftertaste that might linger after ‘Drank’ (anti-Red Bull’s commercial name) has been consumed.

Andrew Levy has chronicled the torturous sufferings of those who have to regularly endure migraines in ‘A brain wider than the sky.’ It documents his debilitating encounters with this malady as well as those of other famous “migraineurs” like Charles Darwin and Elvis Presley. While there is no guaranteed cure for this disorder natural remedies like magnesium, vitamin B2, coenzyme Q10 and the herbs feverfew and butterbur might help to prevent frequent episodes while for women the hormones estrogen and progesterone might bring relief.

Question & Answer Segment ------ your queries answered

Question: My body seems to have an abnormally strong aversion to cold weather. When it's cold my energy levels decrease dramatically. However on hot days I have much more energy. I suffer from cold hands and feet, and even though I eat a lot of food and eat every 3-4 hours during the day. I can never put on weight and am quite underweight. I thought I might have a problem with my thyroid gland but conventional medical tests showed my thyroid as normal. Even when I took my morning temperatures over the course of a week to test for a hidden thyroid condition, they were within normal levels.

Answer: It is still possible you have a thyroid condition and your adrenal glands might also be malfunctioning. Even temperature monitoring and conventional medical testing can miss a thyroid condition. You would need to have a comprehensive evaluation including tests, which measure TSH, T3, T4 and reverse T3 as well as thyroid antibodies and a 24-hour urine test, which evaluates cortisol levels.

Question: Have there been any new developments in treating Alopecia Areata as my adult son has a severe case and is now losing his eyelashes and eyebrows?

Answer: There is some evidence that topically applying lavender oil in combination with the essential oils from thyme, rosemary, and cedarwood improves hair growth after 7 months of treatment. Although there is preliminary evidence that suggests zinc in combination with biotin might be helpful for alopecia areata, most studies indicate that zinc is not effective for alopecia areata

Question: I am a 33 year-old woman and have excessive hair loss (for 20 years) and have all the symptoms of peri-menopause for 3 years. My endocrinologist/gynaecologist put me on Aldactone and the contraceptive pill and have been told by many doctors that my blood tests for my hormone levels are in the "normal" range.

Answer:You need to have your hormone levels including thyroid hormones, testosterone, insulin, estrogen and progesterone evaluated appropriately by a practitioner who understands how these can interact with your health. A comprehensive assessment of your nutrient status would also be helpful.

Question: I am 38 years old and have severe arthritis in my right knee. I am too young for joint replacement and I am concerned about how to manage this going forward. I am well versed in the conventional drug, exercise and surgical treatments, but we all know they don't do much.

Answer: There are a number of natural remedies for managing arthritis including glucosamine, fish oil, rose hip and others. A fellow practitioner in the USA, Dr Roby Mitchell, www.drfitt.com also has some interesting ideas about treating arthritis. Injections of growth hormone are cutting edge and are not freely available, unfortunately

Question: I am suffering menopause migraines, sore muscles, daily fatigue, irritability and flabbiness, but I’m a personal trainer and cannot take it any more. For two years sex feels different and lacking sensation.

Answer: A hormone evaluation needs to assess cortisol, testosterone, thyroid hormones, estrogen and growth hormone levels. Nutrients including the B vitamins, magnesium and zinc also need to be looked at.