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What causes a charley horse? It can be the result of sore muscles, a mineral deficiency or hormonal imbalance or even a process known as calcification, in which blood gets trapped in a muscle and hardens.

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Take vitamin E and see. For frequent nighttime charley horses, a vitamin supplement may prevent recurrences. "If you get a charley horse at night, usually while you're lying in bed, then it may be a circulatory problem, which can be cured by taking a vitamin E supplement," says Dr. Subotnick. "If you're a woman going through menopause, taking 1,200 international units of vitamin E every day for two weeks will probably end the problem." Prolonged high dosages of vitamin E are not recommended, says Dr. Subotnick. After 14 days, he advises, reduce your vitamin E intake to 400 international units daily. And he says those not going through menopause should start with 600 international units and decrease to 400 international units after two weeks.

Or take more magnesium. If vitamin E doesn't bring relief, then perhaps you need to compensate for a mineral deficiency or hormonal imbalance. "If you get a steady kind of pain, then you probably need more magnesium in your diet, " says Dr. Subotnick. Good sources of magnesium include many kinds of fish (halibut and mackerel are tops), rice bran, tofu and spinach. And next time you have the munchies, try some dried pumpkin seeds: You get a lot of magnesium in a few quick bites.