GRAEDONS | The People's Pharmacy Mixing cleaners can pose serious risks

Q. I did something recently that could have killed me. I mixed Clorox with something else to clean a carpet. For two weeks after that, I felt like I was dying.
I thought I was pretty smart, but I should have believed the label. I bet a lot of people don't pay attention to warnings. We tend to think that nothing we buy in the store could really hurt us.
A. The maker of Clorox cautions that it can react with some other household cleaners to "release hazardous, irritating gases." Exposure could irritate the nose, throat and lungs. Warnings, whether on household products or medications, must be taken seriously.
Q. You recently wrote that people can't catch anything serious from a toilet seat, but you were mistaken. My husband and I work out at a local gym. Somehow, he picked up a herpes infection on his bottom by sitting on a toilet seat there.
Before we realized what had caused his rash, I too had caught the virus from him. We are senior citizens and don't mess around. Our doctor diagnosed the rash as herpes and confirmed that this is how we caught it. Please tell your readers to be careful with toilet seats.
A. Conventional medical wisdom maintains that with intact skin and a dry toilet seat, it is hard to catch an infection. Your experience suggests that such transmission is possible, though dermatologists insist it is rare.
Some people carry disposable toilet-seat covers for such situations. The covers are sold in many pharmacies.
Q. I try to drink eight glasses of water a day. Is it better to drink spring water or distilled water?
A. Spring water contains more minerals, but spring water, distilled water and tap water are all fine. Do you really need eight glasses daily, though?
Recent recommendations from the National Academy of Sciences call for drinking when thirsty rather than aiming for a specific number of glasses daily. In rare cases, drinking too much water can actually make you sick.
New research suggests that pushing children to drink more fluids than usual when they have fevers could also be dangerous. It might upset their balance of minerals.
Q. I'd like to add to your library of success stories with Vicks VapoRub. My husband had a toenail he called his "eagle claw."
I told him what I had read about Vicks VapoRub. He used it religiously, once a day, for about three months. He was then able to clip this "eagle claw" toenail away.
That very hard nail softened with the use of Vicks and grew out normally. On his behalf, thank you!
A. Fungus-infected nails can be thick, yellow and hard to cut. Others have had success applying Vicks around the nails twice daily. The herbal extracts in Vicks VapoRub might discourage the growth of nail fungus. For those who don't get relief from Vicks, there are other techniques, including dissolving away the infected nail. This is done under medical supervision with prescription-strength 40 percent urea paste (Carmol 40, Gordon's or Vanamide).
We discuss these approaches in our guides to nail care and unique uses for Vicks so that people can learn more about such treatments. Anyone who would like copies, please send $3 in check or money order with a long (No. 10), stamped (60 cents), self-addressed envelope to: Graedons' People's Pharmacy, No. HV-376, P.O. Box 52027, Durham, N.C. 27717-2027.
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.