Answers For YOUR Health

The Dreaded Wart

Common warts can be found anywhere on the body. These warts are often found in places that are continually exposed to friction, trauma, or abrasion. They can also occur on the larynx and produce hoarseness.

This type of wart can be flat or raised, moist or dry. The color will usually be the same as the surrounding skin or slightly darker and the surface will be rough and pitted. Warts can be as small as a pin head or as large as a kidney bean.

Common warts usually do not cause pain or itching. Improving your own immune system will usually get rid of them within a year. Yes, I know, you don't want to wait that long. Read on -

Plantar Warts are especially common in the summer when so many people go barefoot. You thought you were wearing water shoes to avoid fungus.

Plantar Warts can have little pieces break off and just lay there until you step on them.

Warts are highly contagious, the virus that causes common warts is picked up through broken skin. Warts on the face can be spread by shaving. Warts can be spread if they are picked, trimmed, bitten, or touched.

If you feel like you have a rock in your shoe when you walk, you most likely have a plantar wart. If you have a diabetic condition, you must see your physician. For the rest of you here are a few possible remedies.

Remember, you current body health has a great deal to do with what type of remedy will work for you.

Plantar warts generally do not spread to other parts of the body - they will confine themselves to the bottom of your feet and toes. They are bumpy white growths that look like calluses but are tender to the touch and usually have a hard center.

Do not cut or dig or trim on the wart - you will only spread it. That is how I picked them up from my dear husband. Why do men think the only way to fix warts is to cut them out? Guys - this will work and without the pain of digging in your feet. Increase your daily intake of Vitamin C.

Cut down on the sugars and saturated fats. Give your body some help in fighting off this virus. A body that does not have to work at processing "junk" is better able to fight off viruses.

My favorite - castor oil - make a paste of castor oil and baking soda. Apply to the wart area and cover with a band aid. I find this works best if the area is pre-treated with apple cider vinegar. Put some vinegar on a cotton ball and hold in place for a few minutes. This will work for most people in about 3 week. Use this treatment at bedtime.

Genital warts are soft, moist growths found in and around the vagina, anus, penis, groin, and/or scrotum. In men, they can grow in the urethra as well. They are usually pink or red in color and resemble tiny heads of cauliflower. Genital warts most often occur in clusters, but they can appear singly as well.

They are sexually transmitted and highly contagious; because the warts do not usually appear until 3 months or more after an individual becomes infected with the HPV that causes them, the virus can be spread before the carrier is even aware that he or she has it.

Two of the strains of the HPV that cause genital warts have been associated with cancer of the cervix; five strains of HPV are seen in nearly all surface cancers of the cervix, vagina, vulva, anus, penis, and perianal area. An infant can contract warts by being exposed to genital warts during the birth process.

Women -it is very important to see a doctor if you have genital warts because of their association with cancer. Time for a Pap.

Fighting back against warts

L-cysteine 500 mg twice daily on empty stomach taken with water only. Take along with the B and C for better absorption. This supplies sulfur which is important in the treatment of warts.

Vitamin A -this is a little risky - 100,000 IU daily for 1 month, then 50,000 IU daily for 1 month, then 25,000 IU daily for 1 month or until warts disappear. If you are pregnant do not exceed 10,000 daily. Please note high dosages of Vitamin A can be very dangerous and cause nasty side effects. Talk to your doctor if you want to try the vitamin A cure.

Zinc 50-80 mg daily - do not exceed a total if 100 mg daily. Daily doses of Zinc enhance the immune system, but over 100 mg, it depresses the immune system. Also you should take your supplement Zinc in a different session than your supplement iron as they can interfere with each other. (Side note, drinking hard water can upset Zinc levels.) Increases immunity against viruses.

Shitake mushrooms have antiviral properties. (A good source of Zinc)

Old home remedy -

Crush a garlic clove and apply the garlic directly on the wart. cover it with a bandage and leave it in place for 24 hours. blisters will form and the wart should fall off in about a week.

Apply a paste of castor oil and baking soda to the wart each morning and night. apply a bandage. 3-6 weeks for wart to fall off.

Add asparagus, garlic and onions to your daily diet. Cut back on the sugar.

If you suspect you may have genital warts see your doctor. this is especially important for women, because genital warts have been linked to cervical cancer. Keep genital warts dry. After bathing, use a hair dryer on a low setting to dry the area. Do not rub or irritate it. Wear only cotton underwear. Do not have sexual intercourse until the warts are completely gone.

People who have suppressed immune systems are more prone to develop warts. Most common warts will eventually go away within a year even without treatment. Surgical removal of a wart does not allow the body to build up an immunity to warts. That is why the painful treatment administered by your doctor does not keep the warts from returning. Now you can buy a do-it-yourself-at-home kit to freeze off your own warts. Same thing, quick fix of symptoms, not a cure of the cause.

Your doctor will have some other treatments. Treatments for genital warts all have side effects. These treatments fall into 3 categories - prescription topical preparations that destroy wart tissue, surgical, and biological approaches that target the virus.

Laser has proved more effective than chemicals or conventional surgery and usually prevents spreading.

Interferon alfa directly injections into warts was showing a 36% success rate in an article I read, however it is also very uncomfortable and expensive.

Viruses are all around us all the time, always trying to attack the immune system. You can't see them and for the most part you never know they are with us. Until -- you get sick. Keep your immune system functioning at full power.