Q. My 12-year-old son will be going back to camp this summer. He came home last year with chigger bites all over his legs. A year later, you can still see where the bites were.

Is there something he can put on his legs to deter these nasty pests? A friend recommended sulfur, but the pharmacist said this was not a good idea because sulfur can burn. Can you help?

A. Chiggers are the bane of campers, gardeners and berry pickers. These critters are also known as red bugs or harvest mites. They crawl over shoes to ankles, where they often pause for a blood snack, and then work their way up the leg.

Once chiggers are done feasting, they drop off. But their saliva remains, with enzymes that are highly allergenic. That is why some people develop red spots so itchy that they can blister and eventually scar.

Your son should take along insect repellent with DEET. If he sprays his shoes and socks every morning, the chiggers are less likely to start their climb. Gardeners have told us that you can achieve a similar result by sprinkling the outsides of shoes and socks with "flowers of sulfur." As long as it doesn't get on skin, it shouldn't burn.

A steroid cream will help if he gets a bite. A dab should calm the allergic reaction before it gets severe. His pediatrician can prescribe the appropriate product.

Q. My husband gets gout in his big toe and his knee. Because he's a surveyor, he has to walk a lot, and gout makes this painful. He's only 29, and that's a long way from retirement and being able to stay off his feet for long stretches of time.

Any suggestions on what to do for it? Are there any foods or vitamins that might help to prevent a reoccurrence?

A. Gout is caused by excessive amounts of uric acid in the blood. When the crystals of this compound precipitate in joints like the big toe, the pain can be excruciating.

There are effective medicines, such as allopurinol or colchicine, that lower uric acid levels. Fluid intake of roughly three liters daily is important to prevent dehydration.

We have also heard that eating eight to 10 sour cherries daily can be helpful. One reader offered the following: "I used tart cherries to cure a gout attack. Pain from osteoarthritis of the hip joint also diminished."

One herb expert gets good relief from celery seed. Dr. James Duke takes two to four tablets of celery seed extract daily to prevent gout attacks.

Q. One of my greatest pleasures is gardening. But this year my arthritis is worse than ever, and I'm having trouble digging, weeding and pruning. My fingers, elbow and shoulder are all affected.

Ibuprofen gives me a bad bellyache. I cannot afford Vioxx or Celebrex. Are there any herbs or home remedies that might help?

A. Herbs with anti-inflammatory properties include ginger, boswellia and curcumin. Stinging nettle and bromelain from pineapple have also helped some people. Others find that glucosamine and chondroitin relieve pain.

Home remedies for arthritis include gin-soaked raisins, plant pectin and grape juice, or a combination of cider vinegar with apple juice and grape juice.