Outside, the leaves have fallen, the chill of winter is in the air, the wind is whipping and inside your offices and homes the dry heat is ablazing. It's no wonder no matter how much moisturizer you apply to your face, your legs, your hands–everywhere, your precious skin is dry, flaky, ashy and cracking.

Lovely!

In Oriental Medicine, skin is an external manifestation of internal health. Dry, cracking skin means the insides of your body (the organs, cells and tissues that comprise you) are pleading for some much needed moisture. Here are some easy, winter-time tips to keep your insides and outsides radiant and nourished:

* Hydrate! No, not with Diet Coke or a Vitamin Water! Drink water. Plain ol' bottled or filtered water. Add some lemon or cucumber slices if you're bored. How much water one should drink varies from person to person, but a quick rule of thumb is: drink half your body weight in ounces of water per day. For example, if you weigh 135 pounds, you should be drinking about 60 ounces or 2 liters of water per day.

* Oh-Mega, Oh-Baby! Spoil yourself silly by eating foods rich in Omega-3 fatty acids like nuts, avocados, flax seeds, organic olive oil, organic eggs and meat, organic coconut oil, ghee, organic butter and fish (like salmon). Or to be sure your getting your much needed daily supply of Omega-3's, do what I do and take a cod liver oil supplement rich in Omega -3’s, vitamin A and D. Reliable and mercury-free brands that I like are: Nordic Naturals, Garden of Life and Green Pastures. Swallow down 2000mg per day, in capsule form (unless you're brave enough to choke down the oil) your skin will glow and I promise you wont smell like a fish!

* Get Greasy! Get yourself some organic almond oil, organic olive oil or organic coconut oil and massage it into your dry skin twice a day. “Oil on my face will make me break out” I hear you say. Nope. Not the case. Putting oil on your face will actually balance your skin and nourish it from the outside. Just be sure to apply it to a clean, dry face and let it soak in. It feels amazing!

* Get the Yolk! In a small bowl put one organic egg yolk, a tablespoon of brown sugar and a teaspoon of organic olive oil. Mix and apply with a cotton ball to a recently washed, clean face. Let it soak on your skin for 10 minutes and then wash off with warm water. Voila, you'll have shiny, happy and, dare I say, enviable skin!

Stay tuned each week for simple and hip healthcare tips and lifestlye suggestions on how to Chill Out and Get Healthy from alternative medicine expert, author and licensed acupuncturist and herbalist, Aimee E. Raupp.