Reader has no relish for mustard

Q. Some time ago I read about a common kitchen condiment that was supposed to be good for severe leg cramps. Now I can't recall what it was. Can you help?
A. The remedy in question involved a teaspoonful of yellow mustard, but we now have second thoughts about recommending such an approach. One reader shared her experience: "I've been plagued with foot and leg cramps for a few years. Last night I woke up with a tremendous cramp, and immediately thought of the mustard remedy I read in your column. First, let me say, at 1 a.m. one does NOT want to eat a teaspoon of yellow mustard. It tasted awful, and I like mustard ... on food, not alone.
"Next, not only did it do nothing to alleviate my cramp, it kept me up the rest of the night with indigestion. I had to get up twice more just to take Tums. My esophagus burned all night long. Terrible remedy!"
Clearly, this remedy does not work for everyone. Others report that drinking tonic water or taking a B-complex vitamin can prevent cramps.
Q. I am convinced that birth control pills have a negative impact on sexual desire. When I asked my pharmacist, she insisted that the levels of hormones are too low to interfere with libido.
Is that true? A friend who has had a similar problem suggested I try DHEA. She said it helped her, but I am reluctant to take anything without knowing much about it. Can you send me any information?
A. According to Irwin Goldstein, M.D., one of the country's leading experts on sexual issues, birth control pills can indeed depress desire.
The dietary supplement DHEA is a precursor to both estrogen and testosterone. Though testosterone can be helpful for improving libido, there is a risk that taking DHEA in combination with oral contraceptives could result in excessive estrogen. Without careful monitoring and medical supervision, it might also lead to testosterone side effects.
We are sending you our Guides to Female Sexuality and Estrogen: Benefits, Risks & amp; Interactions, with more information about testosterone and DHEA. Anyone who would like copies, please send $3 in check or money order with a long (No. 10), stamped (60 cents), self-addressed envelope to: Graedons' People's Pharmacy, No. WZ-492, P.O. Box 52027, Durham, N.C. 27717-2027.
Q. I've read that stinging nettle could be used for allergies. I am completely unfamiliar with this herb. How does one take it? Do you grow it and eat it along with other greens in a salad? Do you brew it into a tea? Do you chop it and stuff it into a capsule? I have no idea.
A. In Europe, the young shoots of stinging nettle are grown for salad. Once the leaves are old enough to develop stinging cells, though, they need to be handled carefully and cooked before they are eaten.
To use stinging nettle to relieve sneezing and stuffy nose from allergies, it is probably easiest to buy capsules of the dried leaves from a health food store. This provides a more standardized dose than making a tea out of homegrown leaves and flowers.
Q. I enjoy the creamy flavor of avocado, but I've been told it will raise my cholesterol. Is this true?
A. Avocados are high in fat, but most is monounsaturated, similar to olive oil. Studies have shown that adding avocados to the diet actually lowers cholesterol.
XIn their column, Joe and Teresa Graedon answer letters from readers. Write to them in care of King Features Syndicate, 888 Seventh Ave., New York, N.Y. 10019, or e-mail them at pharmacy@mindspring.com or via their Web site: www.peoplespharmacy.org.
& copy; 2004, King Features Syndicate Inc.