People’s Pharmacy column

Q:Do you know about the "wet pajama" treatment for childhood eczema? Wet a pair of cotton pajamas and wring them out. Put them on the child, then layer a pair of dry fleece pajamas over the top. Leave both on overnight. Body heat creates a layer of high humidity that hydrates the skin. As a physician, I treat older patients, but this approach cleared our son's severe eczema in three days.

Answer: Thanks for sharing this unusual treatment. We did discover some caveats. The pajamas must be well wrung out and not too wet. Some people put moisturizer on before slipping on the pajamas. Make sure the youngster does not have an infection, and don't allow him or her to get chilled.

Q:I cannot tolerate statin drugs to lower cholesterol. They make my muscles ache so I cannot exercise. Can you tell me about foods that are heart-healthy?

Answer: Some people can lower cholesterol with diet, emphasizing certain foods. One reader shared his wife's experience. Her doctor was concerned about her high cholesterol. She read about the benefits of walnuts and began to eat a half-cup daily. Within a few months, her cholesterol was much better. The doctor was baffled until she told him about the walnuts.

Q:I must share a remedy I have used for years for nighttime leg cramps.

Just pinch the bridge of the nose (pretty hard) for five to 10 seconds. You can feel the cramp dissolve. I hope you won't discount this treatment as "silly." Leg and foot cramps can be seriously painful, and this technique really works.

Answer: This is a variant on another technique readers have shared. Here is one account: "For about 15 years, I suffered agonizing leg cramps, usually at night. I couldn't sleep and would almost panic at the thought of having one.

"Taking quinine helped, but it caused ringing in my ears. One day I read an article about Frank Broyles. When he was coaching at Arkansas, he told players with leg cramps to pinch the upper lip right beneath the nose and hold it until the cramps eased. I thought this sounded odd, but I tried it.

"When the cramps started, I pinched my upper lip, and the cramps gradually went away. I don't how or why it works, I just know it did for me."

In their column, Joe and Teresa Graedon answer letters from readers. You can e-mail them via their Web site: http://www.PeoplesPharmacy.com.