Caused by viruses which invade the skin and cause the cells to multiply rapidly, forming raised lumps, unable to kill the viruses, the body walls them off. In susceptible individuals, warts are contagious: touching warts can quite easily transfer viruses to new sites, and new warts develop (see Vulval and Penile Warts, Vaginal and Vulval Problems, Penis Problems).
Common warts are small, horns, and flesh-coloured or whitish, and most commonly occur on hands, on soles of feet, where they are called veruccas, constant pressure causes them to harden and burrow inwards making walking quite painful. Two other types of wart, most common in children, are plane warts (which usually occur in groups, and look like tiny, brownish fleshy blisters) and Molluscum Contagiosum. Persistent warts are conventionally treated with wart paint, or they can be burnt or frozen off; or dug out.
Warts which form after the age of 45, particularly seborrhoeic marts, which look like large, rough-surfaced moles, should be shown to your medical doctor as soon as possible; they may be completely innocuous, or they may be malignant (cancer of the skin, see Cancer).
Homeopathic medicine offers a number of specific remedies for warts, but if home treatment does not produce improvement within a month or so, consult your homeopath. Long-term constitutional treatment may be necessary to tackle the underlying problem.
Specific remedies to be given every 12 hours for up to 3 weeks
- Soft, fleshy, cauliflower-like warts - chiefly on back of head - which ooze and bleed easily Thuja 6c
- Many warts, chiefly on face, eyelids, and fingertips, also painful verrucas Causticum 6c
- Cauliflower-like warts which itch and sting, and sometimes ooze and bleed, or become large and jagged-edged, upper lip most affected Nitric ac. 6c
- Many small, horny warts which itch, sting, weep, and bleed Calcarea 6c
- Horny warts associated with a callus Antimonium 6c
- Hard, smooth, fleshy warts, chiefly on back of hands Dulcamara 6c
- Warts on hands Kali mur. 6c
- Weeping, ulcerated warts on tips of toes Natrum carb. 6c
- Warts on palms of hands, tendency to sweaty palms Natrum mur. 6c
- Large black warts with hairs in them Sepia 6c
- Hard warts which burn and throb Sulphur 6s
Self-help: Apply Thuja mother tincture twice daily and cover with a plaster. Over-the-counter wart preparations can also be used, but never on facial warts; apply them to the wart only, not to the surrounding skin, and be careful not to get them in your eves. Avoid verrucas by never going barefoot in communal changing rooms and showers. |
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