Megan Sheppard: Dealing naturally with dandruff

My husband has a problem with dandruff. It is not excessive, but it is persistent.

The anti-dandruff shampoo products in the supermarket and chemist don’t seem to help, nor do the natural ones from the health shop. Is there an alternative approach?

This simple flaking scalp issue, while common and non-harmful, can be both embarrassing and very difficult to find the perfect solution for. Dandruff is thought to affect more than 50% of the population at some stage of their lives, which is why there are so many treatment options available on the market.

Natural health practitioners tend to look at a problem like this as a symptom of any one of a number of underlying health complaints — from something as obvious as a reaction to a topical product through to a seemingly unrelated issue such as stress.

If your husband was to visit a naturopath, acupuncturist, or ayurvedic practitioner, then his entire health history and current lifestyle factors will all be taken into account.

Getting plenty of healthy fats and oils in your diet is important with any skin complaint. Taking an essential fatty acid supplement, eating oily fish, or getting your EFAs from nuts, seeds, and fatty fruits are all great options.

While you have tried so many products already, I wonder if you and your husband have come across the Morrocco Method product range.

Anthony Morrocco has developed a holistic system of hair and scalp rejuvenation which not only has had great success in treating scalp conditions such as dandruff, it has also been shown to help with thinning hair in both men and women. I love this range — it really does bring out the best in your hair and scalp — and best of all, the long list of ingredients is 100% natural.

The closest stockist of therange is Absolutely Pure ( www.absolutelypure.com ) in London, where the 5 Elements shampoo range is priced from £5.95. www.morroccomethod.com

I have recently been gifted a mini trampoline, and am really enjoying using it. Do you know of any specific exercises rather than just bouncing on it daily?

Mini trampolines, or rebounders, are fantastic for getting your lymph moving. Since the lymphatic system is important in maintaining healthy immune function and removing cellular debris, keeping the lymphatic fluid flowing supports general wellbeing.

One of my favourite rebounders is the Bellicon — while this is at the more expensive end of the range, it is wonderfully gentle and I found it particularly useful when recovering from a broken leg and subsequent surgeries over the course of 13 years.

I’m not suggesting that you trade up from your gift to a Bellicon, however, the exercise routine videos posted online from their Toronto store are useful no matter which mini trampoline you are using (http://torontorebounder.com/ exer-videos/).

Thinning of the bone, also known as osteopenia, is considered to be a pre-cursor to osteoporosis. The daily bouncing you are doing on your mini trampoline will go a long way towards improving your bone density.

We tend to think of bones as being solid and lifeless, but they are in fact living tissue affected by diet and exercise.

Cells called osteoclasts are continually breaking down old bone tissue, while osteoblasts stimulate the growth of new bone tissue.

Just 10 minutes daily on your trampoline helps to strengthen and tone muscles throughout your body, reduces body fat, improves flexibility, helps with joint health, assists with balance and coordination, can relieve constipation, and increases your pelvic floor tone. It’s the gift that keeps on giving.