Q: I was always in good health until I hit menopause. Over the next few years, I gained weight, my blood pressure rose, and so did my cholesterol.

The blood pressure is under control on atenolol, but the cholesterol didn’t drop with diet and exercise. My doctor wanted to prescribe a statin cholesterol drug, but I dreaded the side effects.

Quite by accident, I discovered that the psyllium hull powder I started taking for irritable bowel problems had really brought my cholesterol down. In two months the total cholesterol dropped from 220 to 180, and my LDL went from 160 to 102. My doctor isn’t impressed with the “Metamucil effect,” but my husband has also lowered his cholesterol with Metamucil.

A: Not everyone achieves the impressive results you have managed, but psyllium has been proved effective at lowering cholesterol 10 percent to 15 percent. This soluble fiber derived from ispaghula seeds is found not only in Metamucil but also in many other bulk-fiber products sold to control constipation.

From another reader: “I tried the remedy of pectin and grape juice for arthritis. My joints still ache, but my cholesterol plummeted from over 200 to 170, and my good HDL increased.” Pectin is a different soluble fiber often used in making jams and jellies.

Q: How can fennel seed be used to relieve flatulence? How much do you take, and how do you crush the seeds?

A: A teaspoon of fennel seeds makes a cup of tea. The seeds need not be crushed, just bruised a little with the back of a spoon.