Then there was the reader whose 60-year-old husband is in a great deal of pain from swollen ankles. What could be done for him? Check for hypothyroidism for a start, says one reader, or try cranberry juice or grapefruit juice, a remedy suggested by several readers. Cut down on carbohydrates as well, and try not to mix protein and carbohydrate in the same meal. As we get older our gut needs help, and digestive enzymes and acidophilus could help digest food and help us absorb vital nutrients. A daily brisk walk would also help, a suggestion made by another reader, who also recommends doing ankle rotations every day. And drink 'gallons' of pure, filtered water, which echoes the response of another reader, who suspects chronic dehydration. You should also be eating plenty of raw fruit and vegetables, and cut out gluten, sugar, yeast, dairy and animal products for just a week, and see the difference. One reader suspects that the swollen ankles could be a symptom of an inflammatory problem, possibly involving the liver, gallbladder, digestive tract or stagnation of the lymphatic system, or a weakness in the blood vessels. Try skin brushing, lymphatic drainage or general blood support, such as aesculus tincture, padma 28 herbal supplements or pycnogenol. Best yet, see a qualified nutritionist for changes to the diet. A castor oil remedy that was developed by Edgar Cayce worked for one reader, who had been reduced to walking only with the aid of a cane. You need flannel cloth (made from wool or cotton), a heating pad, two sheets of plastic and lots of castor oil. Put down the sheet of plastic on which the patient lies, and make three or four layers of flannel, which is soaked in castor oil, placed across the abdomen, and then covered with the other plastic sheet, before putting the heating pad on top. Try it for a three hours' stint first time,, and then for one or two hours for the next two days, before resting for two days, and then starting on the three hours session again.