GRAEDONS | People's Herbal Pharmacy Home remedies relieve the misery of chigger bites

Q. My mother has more than 100 chigger bites, and the itching is driving her crazy. What can she do to get some relief? Is there any way to prevent this from ever happening again?
A. Chiggers are a type of mite. The saliva they inject into bites causes itching. With 100 bites, your mother might need to see a dermatologist, who might prescribe an oral corticosteroid such as prednisone.
Hot water is an effective remedy to stop itching. One reader advises: "I nuke a folded, damp washcloth in the microwave until it is steamy-hot, about 25 seconds, and dab it briefly on the bite. The itch stops immediately for hours. Be very careful not to scald the skin, and handle the hot cloth with a paper towel." Another reader insists that daubing the bites with Listerine Mouthwash eases the itch.
For prevention, flowers of sulfur (sublimed sulfur from a pharmacy) can be sprinkled on socks, shoes and pant legs to deter chiggers. One gentleman keeps a shallow pan of sulfur powder on his back porch and steps into it on his way out to the back yard. Spraying legs and feet with DEET also works.
Q. I am 65 years old and have been migraine-free for a year now, after suffering vicious headaches since high school. I'd struggled with constipation that long, too.
A year ago, a naturopathic practitioner put me on a colon-cleansing program. It began with a fast, just water and juice. Foods were reintroduced gradually.
After a month, my migraines and constipation were gone. I was delighted at how good I felt!
Imagine my outrage to read that you discourage colon cleansing. A healthy colon might not accumulate pounds of waste and toxins, but an unhealthy one does. When I got rid of the waste, I became a new person. You're not only off-base, you're not even in the ballpark!
A. Scientists have found no evidence to support the idea that toxic waste accumulates in the colon to cause illness. Harsh herbal products often used for colon cleansing can be harmful.
For persistent constipation not caused by a medical disorder, increased fluid and fiber are usually recommended. The American diet is generally low in fiber. A bulk-forming product such as psyllium seed (Metamucil) can provide it. Unlike stimulant laxatives, fiber does not cause dependency problems.
We discuss colon cleansing and offer many remedies, including a surefire pumpkin-bran muffin recipe, in our Guide to Constipation. Anyone who would like a copy, please send $2 in check or money order with a long (No. 10), stamped (60 cents), self-addressed envelope to: Graedons' People's Pharmacy, No. GG-30, P.O. Box 52027, Durham, N.C. 27717-2027.
Q. I have read that there are home remedies for warts on the sole of the foot, but I can't find any information on this. What home remedies might work?
A. Thirty to 90 minutes a week of soaking the affected foot in water at 110 degrees F can eliminate plantar warts in about six weeks.
One reader used duct tape on his plantar wart with excellent results. To try it, cut a piece of duct tape the size of the wart. Put it over the wart for a week. Then remove it, soak the wart in warm water, scrape it with an emery board and cover it with new duct tape the following day. This might take a month or two to work.
XIn their column, Joe and Teresa Graedon answer letters from readers. Write to them in care of King Features Syndicate, 888 Seventh Ave., New York, N.Y. 10019, or e-mail them at pharmacy@mindspring.com or via their Web site: www.peoplespharmacy.org.
& copy; 2004 King Features Syndicate, Inc.