Q. I have been avoiding seed oils because of the way they are processed. In my opinion, our bodies are unable to use them in a beneficial way.

I am really interested in avocado oil and would like to know if it is better than seed oils. Is that just hype?

Can you tell me if there is “good” or “bad” avocado oil depending on how it is processed?

A. We ourselves like to use avocado oil for high-heat cooking such as stir-fries. We consulted ConsumerLab.com to find the best choice, which is Chosen Foods. That is a refined oil.

We don’t know if extra virgin avocado oils, such as CalPure, are appropriate for high-heat frying.

Q. I got a painful cramp in my calf one night. Over the years, the discomfort intensified to terribly excruciating pain in both legs several times a night. When it started occurring almost nightly, I knew I had to find a solution, or my mental health would suffer from lack of sleep and dread about going to bed.

Thankfully, I found the solution: potassium, delivered via real food-specifically, a banana and/or a handful of pecans daily.

If I skip a day, no problem. If I skip three, a nighttime cramp is guaranteed.

These were foods I did not like when I was younger, but now I relish them. This has been life-saving for me.

A. There seem to be numerous triggering factors for leg cramps, corresponding to many different preventive tactics.

You are not alone in finding potassium helpful. Other readers have also reported that magnesium can be useful.

In addition, when people experience one of those painful muscle cramps, swallowing a spoonful of yellow mustard usually resolves it within a few minutes. We believe this is working through transient receptor potential (TRP) channels on the nerves that activate muscles.

Q. I’ve been on statins for decades, experiencing side effects with every one I’ve tried.

About a year ago, I stopped taking rosuvastatin and started golden milk powder in milk or water everyday, as I’d heard it could help lower cholesterol.

After six months, my total cholesterol level was still almost 400. Consequently, I went back on rosuvastatin, but I took just half the previous dose.

Also, I took it at night instead of in the morning, and I kept using golden milk.

I was shocked when my recent blood tests showed my total cholesterol level was down to 219 in just four months. Is this amazing result from switching the statin to bedtime? Or did the golden milk finally begin to make a difference?

A. We always appreciate hearing about experiences such as yours. Some evidence suggests that combining curcumin (a key ingredient of the popular Indian remedy golden milk) with rosuvastatin results in significantly increased rosuvastatin concentrations (Xenobiotica, March 2017).

This might have contributed to the results you have gotten.

On its own, curcumin may lower total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol, although the effects are modest (Nutrition Reviews, March 5, 2025).

In theory, rosuvastatin is equally effective regardless of the time of day.

Other statins, particularly lovastatin and simvastatin, are more effective when taken in the evening.

In their column, Joe and Teresa Graedon answer letters from readers. Write to them in care of King Features, 628 Virginia Drive, Orlando, FL 32803, or email them via their website: www.PeoplesPharmacy.com.