Q I am a very fit lady in my mid-seventies and I have no health complaints except that my hair is thinning. Can you help?

A This is a very common problem and one that is most distressing for women of any age. After the menopause the normal female sex hormones diminish and it is quite normal for the hair to thin as your collection of birthdays grows.

For some woman this goes a little bit faster than others and may be purely genetically determined.

However, occasionally it is a result of other diseases such as thyroid disorders or diabetes so a trip to the GP is worthwhile for some simple tests to rule these out.

I have seen hair thinning in women who have dieted a lot and I think this is to do with poor vitamin and mineral intake.

Particularly important for hair growth are vitamins A, B complex, particularly pantothenic acid, and C and the minerals calcium, magnesium, zinc, iron, iodine and silica.

A healthy diet rich in fruit and veg is important. Supplementation won't do any harm but can be expensive. I would recommend a colloidal multivitamin and mineral supplement.

A medication exists which helps some people with thinning hair and your GP could prescribe Minoxidil for you. Also effective are herbal treatments: Rosemary is a well known hair tonic and can be drunk as an infusion or massaged into the scalp in oil.

Also used as scalp massages are nettles, parsley, ginger, thyme and cloves.

Good luck.