DEAR DR. GOTT: I have used several of your home remedies with success. The "drunken raisin" for gout, the soap under the sheets for leg cramps, castor oil for arthritis and more. My husband thought I had finally "gone off the deep end" when I went after him with a handful of banana peels.

We had been using a prescription medication on his psoriasis every day for more than two years. It has had very little effect. I rubbed the inside of the banana peels on the affected patches (his head, neck, face and back) once a day. After three days, the psoriasis had nearly cleared up (about 90 percent was gone). My husband now uses the peels once a week to keep his skin clear.

Thank you, from both of us, for passing along all these helpful hints.

DEAR READER: Other readers have had marvellous success treating their psoriasis with the banana-peel therapy. It is cheap, easy, safe and — apparently — effective. For those unfamiliar with this therapy, all you do is rub the inside of the banana peel on the affected patches of skin once a day. Remember not to waste the banana. It is nutritious and delicious.

The other therapies you mentioned have also had positive results for many of my readers. Aside from the "drunken raisin" (raisins soaked in gin), cherries have proven useful in preventing and treating gout. Purple grape juice and liquid pectin have been equally successful in the treatment of arthritis. I have even had some readers write to me about its usefulness in relieving IBS symptoms.

To give you more information on these conditions and other home remedies, I am sending you copies of my Health Reports "About Gout," "Eczema and Psoriasis," "Understanding Osteoarthritis" and "Dr. Gott's Compelling Home Remedies". Other readers who would like copies should send a self-addressed, stamped No. 10 envelope and $2 (per report) to Newsletter, PO Box 167, Wickliffe, OH 44092. Be sure to mention the title(s).

DEAR DR. GOTT: Help! I literally have plastic grocery bags full of empty prescription bottles with the labels still on them.

The labels have my name, the medication, dosage and much more on them. They are impossible to remove from the bottles, and I am afraid to throw them in the garbage with the rest of my trash because of the information on them. Can another person do anything with this information?

DEAR READER: In theory, yes. Certain drugs are prescribed for certain diseases. To prevent private information from going public, use magic marker to block out the information before discarding the bottles. Another option is to soak the bottles in water (warm/hot works fastest). This will allow the paper to separate from the adhesive for easy removal. It is more time consuming but completely removes the label rather than simply covering it up. These simple solutions should relieve many of your concerns.

Doctor Gott is a retired physician and the author of the book "Dr. Gott's No Flour, No Sugar Diet," available at most chain and independent bookstores, and the recently published "Dr. Gott's No Flour, No Sugar Cookbook."