Dr. Gott: Bag Balm effective on chapped hands

Dear Dr. Gott: Recently you commented on the use of Bag Balm and requested feedback from readers who have had experience with the product.

I have, for most of my adult life, suffered from chapped hands to the point that they actually crack and bleed. Over the years, I have used most of the general hand-care products from companies in both America and Europe, to no avail.

Quite a few years ago I read an article on the use of Bag Balm, which is manufactured for the dairy industry as a dressing for cow udders. I purchased and began using the product and have not had any severe problems with chapped hands in quite a few years.

Dear Reader: Your experience mirrors that of other readers. Bag Balm is a good choice for chapped and cracked hands.

Dear Dr. Gott: You had an article about cherries being good for gout, and I can believe that. But there is such a simple cure that I like better.

I read up about gout and found out it is caused by uric-acid crystals, and the simple cure is to take pantothenic acid, which dissolves the crystals, and they go out in our urine – gout gone.

I used to be able to buy these B vitamins from pharmacy shelves, but they are potent little devils, so now I can get them only from a vitamin catalog or store. I weigh only 100 pounds, so I took half a pill per day for two or three days, and the gout was gone.

But I wouldn’t recommend popping them daily like a multivitamin.

I used your cure for arthritis (Certo and grape juice), and it worked like a charm, but it takes a couple of weeks (at one per day). Then my arthritis was gone and never came back again. God bless you.

Dear Reader: None of my research has indicated that pantothenic acid is a consistent cure for gout, but your observation is intriguing. As always, I welcome input from my readers on alternative therapies.

With respect to your stunning success with Certo and grape juice, I question the diagnosis.

Osteoarthritis tends to be permanent. It is a consequence of the aging process, so I wonder whether your single episode was, in fact, arthritis.

Perhaps some other affliction, such as tendon or muscle inflammation, was to blame.

To give you related information, I am sending you a copy of my health report “About Gout.” Other readers who would like a copy should send a long, self-addressed, stamped envelope and $2 to Newsletter, P.O. Box 167, Wickliffe, OH 44092. Be sure to mention the title.