Dear Dr. Gott: I don't remember where I read it, but awhile ago, I came across an article stating that dill pickles would relieve nocturnal leg cramps. Let me start by saying it works!

I have suffered from nighttime leg cramps all my life, just like my mother before me. Before the pickles, I had tried just about everything I could find, but the only thing that worked was to jump out of bed once one started, stand on the affected leg and drink lots of water.

Needless to say, it wasn't exactly conducive to sleep, and I often awoke feeling tired and irritable.

Now all I do when I get a cramp is take one or two bites of a dill pickle and go back to bed. It works very quickly.

I hope this helps your other readers as much as it has helped me.

Dear reader: Dill pickles for nocturnal leg cramps is new to me. I have no idea how this would help relieve the pain of the cramps, but if it works for you, stick with it.

Other options include drinking eight ounces of tonic water before bed and the soap-under-the-sheets trick.

I am curious to find out whether others have tried this remedy, so please write to me with your experiences, either good or bad. When I get enough responses, I will follow up with a results column.

To give you related information, I am sending you a copy of my Health Report "Dr. Gott's Compelling Home Remedies." Other readers who would like a copy should send a self-addressed, stamped No. 10 envelope and $2 to Newsletter, PO Box 167, Wickliffe, OH 44092. Be sure to mention the title.

Dear Dr. Gott: During my last visit to my physician, I commented that since taking Lipitor, I have had sleepless nights.

He recommended I start taking it in the morning rather than before bedtime as I had been. I am willing to do this as long as the drug will be as effective if I take it in the morning.

Dear reader: Lipitor will work the same regardless of what time of day it is taken or even whether it is taken with or without food.

In my experience, most physicians recommend some medications be taken in the morning and others at night simply to reduce the number of pills taken simultaneously and to reduce the chance of drug interactions.

If your physician has said you can safely take the Lipitor in the morning, take his advice. If that fails to stop the sleeplessness, perhaps you could be switched to another cholesterol-lowering medication.

You may also choose to try other treatments, such as omega-3, niacin or flaxseed oil. Ask your doctor about this.

To give you related information, I am sending you a copy of my Health Report "Understanding Cholesterol." Other readers who would like a copy should send a self-addressed, stamped No. 10 envelope and $2 to Newsletter, PO Box 167, Wickliffe, OH 44092.

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." Write directly to Dr. Gott c/o United Media, 200 Madison Ave., 4th fl., New York, NY 10016.