DEAR READER: The soap-under-the-sheets remedy is very simple. Place an unwrapped bar of soap under the bottom bedsheet nearest to the affected area. Some readers have had success using wrapped soap, as well. It was originally recommended for nighttime leg cramps but has also been found to be beneficial for other nighttime aches and pains in other areas, such as the shoulders, feet, back and neck. The soap may need to be replaced once in a while, say every three to six months, but it still retains its cleaning ability so it does not need to be thrown away. I suggest your wife try it since she has nothing to lose other than her pain.

DEAR READER: There are several remedies that might help your granddaughter. One herbal recommendation is hawthorn berry available in most health-food stores. Nutritional supplements include supplemental vitamin E in the diet, calcium, magnesium and folic acid. Home remedies include an unwrapped bar of soap under the bottom sheet of her bed placed in the area of the lower legs. Smaller hotel bars of soap are ideal because of their size, but the large ones work equally well. Still another possible solution is an over-the-counter topical liniment containing cooling menthol rubbed onto the lower legs and feet before going to sleep.