The Quickest Way to Remove Plantar Warts
Filed Under assorted viruses, is it contagious? | Comments Off
My daughter had an ugly wart on the bottom of her foot which she showed to her general physician while there for a routine visit. Who knows how long it had been there, apparently for a while, but it had become bothersome, so she decided to mention it. Her doctor said it looked like a Plantar Wart and gave her a referral to the dermatologist for medication (love those HMOs).
What is a plantar wart? Also referred to as verruca, a plantar wart is caused by the human papiloma virus and its appearance resembles a head of cauliflower, sometimes with black specks. How do you get plantar warts? In this particular case, it was probably picked up during lacrosse season from walking around the locker room floor in bare feet, or from the showers. Spread by contact, in most cases by public showers, swimming pool areas and sharing shoes or socks. The warts can appear anywhere on the body, but most often show up on the soles of feet and palm of the hand.
Instead of waiting another month for an appointment with the dermatologist, I decided to check the internet and ask other friends/family about what they may have used to get rid of warts. We received some crazy responses that I thought I would share, before telling you what worked for us.
One recommended method was to tape a piece of banana skin to the wart before bed at night – it would be gone in about a month. Sounds buggy. No thanks!
Another home remedy was to use duct tape. Sounds like a solution my husband would use – duct tape for everything! It involves filing the wart down with a pumice stone and applying duct tape over the wart for a week at a time. If the tape starts to fall off, replace it. This treatment is supposed to work in about 2 to 3 weeks. Sounds like fun!
Yet another method is to apply clear nail polish to the wart over a period of 2 weeks. Somehow that doesn’t sound effective.
Finally, a recipe of two parts castor oil to one part baking soda, mix into a paste, apply to wart and cover with band-aid. Remember to clean foot and file with pumice before applying paste. Sounds messy.
We decided to go the over-the-counter route in hopes of finding a quicker solution. Many brands use adhesive pads treated with salicylic acid, which is placed on the ward after rubbing the wart with a pumice stone or file. There is another over-the-counter product that uses silver nitrate. Like home remedies and prescription treatments, multiple applications are usually necessary, however to what extent is subject to the severity of the wart and its reaction to the medication.
The first product we bought did not make any noticeable difference after two days, so we decided to check with a local pharmacist to see what he recommended. This Trans Ver Sal Plantar Patch Removal Kit worked in just a few days! He had it behind the counter instead of on the shelf with all of the other wart removal products, I am not sure why. So if you are looking for a quick an effective remedy for plantar warts, here you go….
Technorati Tags: Plantar Wart, get rid of warts, home remedy, over-the-counter
Nasal Flu ‘Vaccine’ and Children
Filed Under influenza, prevention | Comments Off
When you hear the word “Vaccine” visions of screaming/crying children usually come to mind and just hearing that word can bring back horrible childhood memories of our own vaccination experiences. This is why I have a hard time with the word vaccine being used in the same sentence with the new nasal spray that is being promoted and targeted towards children especially. With all the medical salespeople out there, you would think they would have come out with a more appealing term for the “FluMist vaccine.”
Children seem to have a high success rate with this nasal spray, when used annually in lieu of the traditional flu ’shot.’ Kids tend to get the flu twice as often as adults, through their exposure at school and day care programs, and because of this, they are often the cause of infection throughout the family, which includes the fragile elderly and babies.
Nasal spray flu prevention could have a significant effect on the public’s ability to deal with flu season. Having a trained medical professional to administer injections, would not be necessary, therefore the product could then become more accessible to the public. There would be a greater possibility of having the ‘vaccine’ administered at schools in mass, along with other public facilities.
Just think -no more kicking and screaming, just a quick squirt in the nose and it’s over before your little bugger knows what happened. I feel better already!
Technorati Tags: children, nasal spray, FluMist vaccine
Chickenpox Parties
Filed Under assorted viruses, is it contagious?, prevention | Comments Off
Thanks for the invite, but I think I’ll pass. As a mother, I have spent an enormous amount of time and effort trying to protect my children against the multitude of germs, viruses and infections, which is not always an easy task. In light of this, I cannot, for the life of me, understand this resurfacing trend, which can result with an infection that will not only cause fever, blistered and itchy skin, but may also subject them to serious physical risk. So, I will ask the question -
What parent in their right mind would deliberately expose their kids to other children infected with chickenpox? I have heard excuses such as wanting all the kids in the house to have it at the same time, thus making life easier for the parents, or to get it over-with. It sounds like an episode of The Simpsons and I believe it was on Southpark, a while back – but real life chickenpox parties?
It is not a new concept, but at this day and age, believe it or not, chicken pox parties are still going on in neighborhoods across the United States. There are even groups on the internet, along with pox bulletin boards and blogs. Many of these “info-mills” spread rumors that the chickenpox vaccine is somehow unsafe or ineffective. Worried parents join email rings and when one of these parents’ children gets the chickenpox, they host a “party” for others in the community.
This is completely idiotic! Maybe their memories are a little out of focus, or they had a light and “easy” case as a child, but chickenpox is hardly a walk in the park. There are perfectly healthy children who have had severe cases and unexpected reactions to the disease. Why in the world, when there is a safe and effective vaccination available, would any parent expose their kid to any potential risk? Imagine how you would feel if something tragic happened, just because you were stupid enough to take your child to a pox party.
To those parents thinking about intentionally giving your child the chicken pox, think about a few things first. From personal experience – just because you may have had chickenpox as a child, it is no guarantee that you won’t contract it again later in life, or that you will not get shingles. I have also seen kids get terrible, scarring skin infections and pneumonia as a result of a severe case of chicken pox.
Now, just as having a case of chickenpox is no guarantee that it won’t happen again, having the vaccine is also no guarantee. There is about a 1 to 2 percent chance of still getting a mild case after having the vaccination. Boosters may also be required, as with other vaccines.There are approximately 4 million cases of chickenpox a year according to the CDC. Of those numbers, between 5,000 and 9,000 require hospitalizations and there are approximately 100 deaths from complications. As with any vaccine, although fairly minimal, there are risks associated with the chickenpox vaccine. A responsible parent should research all options before making a decision, as it is you, who are responsible for the decisions you make regarding your child.
Technorati Tags: chickenpox parties, shingles, chickenpox vaccine
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