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With time, our bodies tend to run dry—skin, eyes, mouth, you name it. These symptoms usually don’t bother people enough to schedule an appointment. Most often they mention them during visits for other problems. This is what I would tell them…

Dry skin is usually not due to a lack of water, but a lack of oil. While it isn’t earth-shaking, two teaspoons of cod liver oil once a day helps. As well…

If you are a primary care provider and you want to shortcut the questions, tell your patients that small animal vets usually recommend omega-3 supplements when dogs or cats have the same problem.

Besides taking omega-3 oils by mouth, you should find skin moisturizers valuable as well. The effective ones contain, yes, oils.

Use dedicated eye moisturizing drops, not the antihistamines that can make eyes drier. Lubricating ointments at bedtime can reduce symptoms until the next night. But if there’s any eye discomfort at all, give it the full court press—ointment at night and lubricating drops during the day.  Throw away the bottle if it has been open too long or begins to irritate your eyes.

Long ago, people put warm mineral oil in the ear to soften the wax, then rinsed it out at home or the doctor’s office.  In our office, we used a dental water pick turned to low—and kept at it until we could see the ear was clear.  When the earwax was too dry and hard to come out, we asked people to put a few drops of food-grade oil into their ears for a few days and return when the wax was softer. 

For something completely different, you might want to check out a tiny camera on an earwax removal tool, reviewed here.  Your smartphone shows you the picture and, with some practice, you clean your own ear.  You see the results immediately.  It wasn’t as easy for me as they said it would be, but be patient—most people learn. 

People on the Internet will show you at least a dozen ways to clean out your ears.  Just be aware that it’s not real difficult to break an eardrum, so, if you can, check with your doctor. 

Xylitol stimulates the formation of saliva. There are several brands.  Xylimelt tablets adhere to the gums to prevent being swallowed while sleeping.  If a whole tablet produces too much saliva, a half or quarter tablet might be more suitable.  Xylitol, by the way, has an anti-cavity effect.

Older folks don’t get as thirsty as they used to, and they exercise less, and both of those things slow down the bowels.  For older people who want to remain fit, exercise isn’t optional. Drinking water is not optional, either. My favorite method, and this is a recommendation from India, is to heat a mug of plain water to coffee or tea temperature and drink that.  It goes down more easily and hot water is calming.

Also!  This is a relatively safe place to use AI. Go to Claude.ai and ask “Which of my medications are most likely to cause constipation?”  Check with your doctor before you discontinue something vital!   Remember though, that any medication can cause anything—but most often, they don’t.

External irritation? Try aloe vera gel.

We don’t wash our mouths out with soap and we shouldn’t wash our vagina with it either.  Nature designed us to be self-cleaning!

The vagina is lined with a special kind of skin. Like regular skin it can be happier with a little coconut oil on it if it’s irritated.

External irritation?  Try aloe vera gel without fragrances or other additives.

The ovaries make several female hormones, some of which can promote cancer in those who are susceptible.  Your ovaries, especially during pregnancy, also make a protective female hormone called estriol.  Made into a cream, estriol can relieve dryness as well as certain urinary problems.  It’s available by prescription.   

The darkest and coldest time of the year is a tough time for any animal, including us humans.  Our ancestors experienced this time of year as sacred and responded with gratitude and quiet resolution.  When we do the same, the whole world benefits. Especially us.