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Grab a Bar of Soap to Quell Cramps in Fingers

Q. I suffer cramps in my fingers. Do you have any remedies for this painful problem?

A. Try holding a bar of soap. As strange as it sounds, some readers report this is very helpful for hand and finger cramps: “Soap has helped with hand cramps when playing cards. I’ve started carrying one of the small soaps from motels in my purse and it has certainly come in handy.”

Here is another testimonial:

“Several years ago, my Mother, who was 84 years young, shared with me this ‘cure’ for nighttime leg cramps.  I respectfully asked, ‘And just what kind of scientific principle do we have working here?’  She just said, ‘Go ahead and laugh, it works!’

“I’m a type II diabetic and have long suffered from occasional cramps that were excruciatingly painful; especially one that affects the front of the shin that literally brings tears to my eyes.

“Arriving back home, almost two months went by and it suddenly dawned on me that I hadn’t had a cramp for a long time. I mentioned it to my wife who smiled and asked, ‘Was it about the time when we came back from your Mom’s and I put the soap under the bottom sheet?’

“Sure enough, she had placed a sliver of ‘used’ soap under the sheet and viola, no cramps. That was six years ago and the only cramps I’ve had are when the soap dries out and I replace it doggone fast!

“Nothing had changed in my diet, lifestyle or bedroom, except the soap.  To you skeptics, it may not work for you, so don’t do it. There is no need to rain on someone else’s parade unless you’re just plain mean-spirited.”

TJ

Soap is certainly cheap and easy, but if it does not appeal to you, there are many other remedies for leg or finger cramps in our Guide to Leg Pain.

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About the Author
Terry Graedon, PhD, is a medical anthropologist and co-host of The People’s Pharmacy radio show, co-author of The People’s Pharmacy syndicated newspaper columns and numerous books, and co-founder of The People’s Pharmacy website. Terry taught in the Duke University School of Nursing and was an adjunct assistant professor in the Department of Anthropology. She is a Fellow of the Society of Applied Anthropology. Terry is one of the country's leading authorities on the science behind folk remedies..
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