How Can I Improve My Sex Drive During and After Menopause?

Currently, there are not any good drugs to treat sexual problems in women dealing with menopause. Estrogen replacement may work, but research has yielded conflicting results regarding its effectiveness. Estrogen can, however, make intercourse less painful by treating vaginal dryness.

Doctors are also studying whether a combination of estrogen and the male hormones, called androgens, may be helpful in increasing sex drive in women.

Although sexual problems can be difficult to discuss, talk to your doctor; there are options to consider, such as counseling. Your doctor may refer you and your partner to a health professional who specializes in sexual dysfunction. The therapist may advise sexual counseling on an individual basis, with your partner or in a support group. This type of counseling can be very successful, even when it is done on a short-term basis.

What are the best foods for healthy skin?

Research on the best foods for healthy skin is limited. Still, antioxidant-rich foods seem to have a protective effect for the skin.

Consider these skin-friendly foods:

• Carrots, apricots, and other yellow and orange fruits and vegetables
• Spinach and other green leafy vegetables
• Tomatoes
• Blueberries
• Beans, peas and lentils
• Salmon, mackerel and other fatty fish
• Nuts

On the flip side, some foods seem to be associated with skin damage. For example, some research suggests that a diet high in processed or refined carbohydrates and unhealthy fats promotes skin aging.

Remember, many of the best foods for healthy skin also promote good health overall. Rather than focusing on specific foods for healthy skin, concentrate on a healthy diet in general. Eat plenty of fruits and vegetables. Choose low-fat or fat-free dairy products. Include nuts, seeds and beans in your favorite meals. Opt for whole-grain breads and pasta. Limit sweets. Strive for variety as you're making healthy choices. 

Source : www.mayoclinic.com

5 tips for healthy skin

Good skin care — including sun protection and gentle cleansing — can keep your skin healthy and glowing for years to come.

By Mayo Clinic staff 

Don't have time for intensive skin care? Pamper yourself with the basics. Good skin care and healthy lifestyle choices can help delay the natural aging process and prevent various skin problems. Get started with these five no-nonsense tips.

1. Protect yourself from the sun

One of the most important ways to take care of your skin is to protect it from the sun. A lifetime of sun exposure can cause wrinkles, age spots and other skin problems — as well as increase the risk of skin cancer.

For the most complete sun protection:

• Use sunscreen. Use a broad-spectrum sunscreen with an SPF of at least 15. When you're outdoors, reapply sunscreen every two hours — or more often if you're swimming or perspiring.
• Seek shade. Avoid the sun between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., when the sun's rays are strongest.
• Wear protective clothing. Cover your skin with tightly woven long-sleeved shirts, long pants and wide-brimmed hats. Also consider laundry additives, which give clothing an additional layer of ultraviolet protection for a certain number of washings, or special sun-protective clothing — which is specifically designed to block ultraviolet rays.

Vegetarian cookbooks: pick of the crop

Catherine Phipps takes stock of the current batch of meat-free cookbooks. Do you trust vegetarian recipes written by meat-eaters?

Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall in vegetable garb. Do you trust vegetarian recipes written by meat-eaters?
Photograph: Jay Brooks for the Observer

I love meat but, mainly for economic reasons, I find myself cooking more meals with vegetables at their heart. Eating ethically-reared meat is more and more of a luxury, so almost by default I find myself getting closer to Professor Tim Lang's latest advisory which suggests we eat meat just once a week. More chefs and cookery writers are edging away from meat so there are lots of books around to spice up vegetarian meals.
Of the new releases, the standout is Sally Butcher's Veggiestan which romps through vegetarian dishes from the Middle East. Warm, richly spiced dishes are complemented by cool yoghurt and zing from wonderful preserves such as tomato pickle with nigella seeds. The Paul McCartney-compiled Meat Free Monday Cookbook) has an impressive number of contributing chefs (including Anna Hansen, José Pizarro and Giorgio Locatelli) and gets the balance right between the fresh, healthy and seriously indulgent. However, this is not a book you can follow rigidly unless you have a lot of prep time at your disposal – I would love to be able to whip up a Green Pea Curry or Melon Gazpacho for a Monday afternoon snack, but would never find the time.