Do you have any advice for alleviating menopausal night sweats?

Night sweats and hot flushes during menopause are not fully understood, but erratic hormone fluctuations are thought to disturb the temperature control mechanism of the hypothalamus gland in the brain. Low vitamin E levels, diets high in sugars and refined carbohydrates, anxiety and tension make symptoms worse. Fermented soya foods, such as tofu, miso and tempeh, and herbs such as Mexican yam and dong quai, can act to stabilise hormone fluctuations. An effective combination of herbs for a wide range of menopausal symptoms is Meno-herbs (by Victoria Health, 020-8905 6931). If night sweats are the only menopausal symptoms you suffer from, however, they may be due solely to a progesterone deficiency, so send an SAE to the Natural Progesterone Information Service, PO Box 24, Buxton SK17 9FB for advice.

I need advice about localised dry facial skin. It started 10 years ago, and is confined to the area around my cheekbones, where the skin is dry and rough compared with the rest of my face. Aloe vera gel makes a tiny difference, but nothing lasting. I am 46, have a healthy, mainly vegetarian diet, and am on the cusp of the menopause. Also, recently my nails started splitting regularly.

Skin problems are usually linked to the inability to absorb nutrients and eliminate the break-down products of digestion normally. The system is weakened by stress, so the problem is exacerbated. In oriental medicine, the stomach, gall bladder, and small and large intestine meridians (or energy lines) are on the face; the small intestine meridian, where most nutrients are absorbed into the bloodstream, ends close to the cheek bones, so an imbalance here might be the reason for your dry skin. Your body's requirements for certain foods change at the start of the menopause. When nails become brittle, it is a sign of a lack of minerals and often protein - perhaps your diet is not providing you with enough. I recommend visiting a good nutritionist for mineral level analysis and advice on diet, supplements and improving digestion and elimination. Contact the Institute of Optimum Nutrition (020-8877 9993) for a local therapist.

I am 60, and do a great deal of reading and work on my PC. For five years, the rims of my eyelids have been prone to tiny blisters, which the optician says are blocked ducts. They feel like grains of sand and are filled with a waxy material. My GPtold me to clean them with Lid Care, which is quite effective and rids me of the unpleasant grainy sensation. However, I am now developing almost monthly small styes. Is there anything I can do?

The meibomian glands, which produce oil for the eyelashes, can get blocked by inflammation and skin flakes. Warm compresses and regular cleaning helps. Evening primrose oil is an anti-inflammatory, and reduces dry skin and flaking. If an infection arises in the gland, a stye will form, skin tissues become further inflamed and swellings occur. Frequent styes can be due to vitamin A deficiency, so take 15,000ius daily, reducing to 10,000ius, and eat lots of broccoli, cabbage, carrots, sunflower seeds and watercress. Prepare raspberry leaf tea and apply as an eyewash to alleviate styes.

Emma Mitchell is a natural health therapist. Her recommendations are to be followed in conjunction with advice from your own healthcare provider. Send your questions to Wellbeing, Guardian Weekend, 119 Farringdon Road, London EC1R 3ER. Email: ask.emma@theguardian.com.