Guest guest Posted October 12, 2003 Report Share Posted October 12, 2003 Thank you for this response. As my son is 5 years old, I am hoping to find an alternate treatment to poisonous substances that kill the living tissue as well as the wart. Obviously he is not consuming alcohol, nor are the warts in the genital region. A helpful response that includes herbal remedies would be appreciated. Thank you in advance N George JoAnn Guest [angelprincessjo] Sunday, 12 October 2003 4:54 PM Warts Warts are a common skin condition caused by one of many types of human papilloma virus, which infects the outer layer of skin. Common warts (verruca vulgaris) can appear on any part of the body but are more common on the fingers, hands, and arms. They are most common in people 30 years old or younger, but can occur at any age and are almost universal in the population. Other types of warts also exist, including flat warts, genital warts, laryngeal papillomas and others. Checklist for Warts Nutritional Supplements Herbs Greater celandine What are the symptoms of warts? Appearance and size of warts depend on the location and the amount of irritation and trauma. Common warts are sharply demarcated, rough-surfaced, round or irregular in shape, firm, and either light gray, yellow, brown, or gray-black in color. They are small nodules ranging in size from 2– 10 mm in diameter. Plantar warts (on the bottoms of the feet) are flattened and may be exquisitely tender. Flat warts, more common in children and young adults, are smooth, flat-topped yellow-brown elevations, most often seen on the face and along scratch marks. Genital warts (also called condyloma acuminata or venereal warts) are soft, moist, small pink or gray polyps that enlarge and are usually found in clusters on the anus and the warmer, moister areas of the female and male genitalia. Genital warts caused by HPV are considered a major cause of cervical dysplasia and cervical cancer. All warts are contagious. How is it treated? Conventional treatment of common warts includes over-the-counter or prescription-strength compounds such as salicylic acid and lactic acid, which are typically applied topically on a daily basis to treat the warts. A protective pad may be worn to relieve the pain of plantar warts. In some cases, doctors may recommend removal of the wart using various procedures such as freezing with liquid nitrogen (cryotherapy), conventional surgery, laser surgery, or applying an electrical current to dry the wart (electrodesiccation with curettage). Dietary changes that may be helpful: A preliminary study reported that the weekly consumption of two to four alcoholic drinks nearly doubled the risk of developing genital warts.1 Those who consumed more than five alcoholic drinks had a more than doubled risk of developing genital warts. A case report of a 19-year-old with a urinary-tract wart found that abstinence from a high intake of pork led to a regression of the wart.2 Herbs that may be helpful: Little published research has evaluated botanical treatments for warts. Herbalists have sometimes recommended the use of greater celandine (Chelidonium majus) for the topical treatment of warts.4 The milky juice from the fresh plant is typically applied to the wart once daily and allowed to dry. A controlled study found that the application of 122ºF heat from a heat pad for 30 seconds led to regression in 25 warts.6 After 15 weeks, none of the regressed warts had regrown. --- ----------- References: 1. Bairati I, Sherman KJ, McKnight B, et al. Diet and genital warts: a case-control study. Sex Transm Dis 1994;21:149–54. 2. Schneider A, Morabia A, Papendick U, Kirchmayr R. Pork intake and human papillomavirus-related disease. Nutr Cancer 1990;13:209–11. 3. Feldman JG, Chirgwin K, Dehovitz JA, Minkoff H. The association of smoking and risk of condyloma acuminatum in women. Ostet Gynecol 1997;89:346–50. 4. Weiss RF. Herbal Medicine. Gothenberg, Sweden: Ab Arcanum, 1988, 337. 5. Harkness EF, Abbot NC, Ernst E. A randomized trial of distant healing for skin warts. Am J Med 2000;108:448–52. 6. Stern P, Levine N. Controlled localized heat therapy in cutaneous warts. Archives of Dermatology 1992;128:945–8. 7. Spanes NP, Williams V, Gwynn MI. Effects of hypnotic, placebo, and salicylic acid treatments on wart progression. Psychosom Med 1990;52:109–14. http://www.mothernature.com/Library/Ency/index.cfm?id=1289005 --- ----------- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You are posting as a guest. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.