While my impression tells me that this may make some folks uncomfortable, it really is the best tip working for us at this moment and I wanted to share it.
For whatever reason, both Vikings and I have had plantar warts in the last year. After having mine treated 3 times at my doctor's office, she mentioned that the freezing didn't appear to be working and asked if I was willing to try a possible low-tech alternative. Being all about the frugal and more natural treatments, I said sure!
Duct tape.
Yea, I know. I have had more rolled eyes at this than most of my other parenting decisions. "There's no proof...It's an old wives' tale...There's no scientific correlation between duct tape and healing warts...It's a virus that will go away on its own so why treat it." Blah blah blah. There's also conflicting research for and against it. Even the Mayo Clinic is on the fence but says to give it a try
All I know is that I wasn't ready to subject either Vikings to the pain of having them frozen off and I never had any success myself with OTC meds like Compound W.
So what did I have to lose?
The theory is that the virus that causes plantar warts (a strain of papillomavirus but NOT the one that contributes to cervical cancer) is so relatively mild to our system that the body just doesn't consider it a threat. The duct tape supposedly irritates the skin enough to tell the immune system "hey, something's goin' on over here" and the body takes over from there.
It started last year with Flicka's foot. Then, two on my heel. So far, we have a three-for-three success rate. Currently, we're treating one on Pojke's finger and one on his heel. And, just in the last week, both have significantly decreased in size.
After every bath, I put a nickle-sized piece of duct tape on Pojke's finger and heel. Then, cover it with "skin tape" or a Band-aid. It could take a few weeks but I figure it's WAY better than a trip to the doctor's and any other treatment currently offered...and it cost me nothing to try.
For other TTJ tips, stop by Blogmommas today!
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
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2 comments:
I will tuck this away in my file for if we ever have this problem.
:)
Becki@BlogMommas
Wow, another use for the great duct tape!
I had these in college and drinking green tea every day did the trick for me. But I'm sure if I had needed it, the duct tape trick would have worked too. Since duct tape wallets were all the rage back then, we had plenty of it laying around the dorms!
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