I have horrible hand cramps, which can occur at almost any time. Nothing my doctor hasprescribed has helped. Is there a home remedy I can try?

You may laugh at this suggestion. There is absolutely no scientific evidence that it might help. Nevertheless, we have heard from several readers that holding an unwrapped bar of soap in the hand may help with this kind of pain.

One reader told us that her husband complained about cramps in his hands after playing cards. She says she "got a bar of soap and put it in his hand. Within a minute the pain subsided. He held the bar for about 10 minutes and the cramp never came back. Now we keep a bar of soap near where we play cards."

In the next few days, I will be moving into a new house. The current resident tells me roaches are a problem. He offered to "bomb" the place with insecticide, but that will not work for me.

What are the alternatives to toxic approaches? Is there something I could put in place before I move in? What can I use for the long term?

The advice column by Heloise has offered various recipes involving boric acid.

Mix boric acid and flour (half and half) and place this powder on several jar lids. You can also substitute sugar or cornmeal for flour. Then place the lids in the back of the cabinet under your sink, in cupboards and behind the fridge. Keep them away from food, children and pets.

Heloise's Famous Roach Recipe combines 1/4 cup cooking oil or bacon drippings, 1/8 cup sugar, 8 ounces boric acid, 1/2 cup flour and water to form a dough. "Mix all, form small balls of dough and set out in open plastic sandwich bags (to retain moisture longer; when hardened, replace with new dough)."

In their column, Joe and Teresa Graedon answer letters from readers. Write to them in care of this newspaper or e-mail them via their Web site: peoplespharmacy.com.