Health Tips & Advice

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Warts are an unsightly skin defects which, other than being a nuisance, are mostly harmless and disappear on their own.  At some point in our lives we probably all have had a wart somewhere on our bodies.  However, some warts do persist and multiply. That’s when you get alarmed enough to take stronger action.

Warts are skin infections caused by viruses of the human papillomavirus (HPV) family. They often affect kids more than adults. They can affect any area of the body but are most attracted to warm, moist places, like small cuts or scratches on the hands, fingers, and feet.  Adults may also get them on their genitals and needless to say, that must be some doubly embarrassing situation for the poor sufferer.

Warts are contagious; kids can get them from touching towels or any object used or handled by someone with a wart. Kids who pick at hangnails or bite their fingernails tend to get warts more often than kids who don’t because they can expose less-protected skin and create open areas for a virus to enter and cause the wart.  Genital warts on adults may be transmitted sexually.

Preventing Warts

Although there’s no sure-fire way to prevent warts, good hygiene is your strongest defense against them. Encourage your kids to wash their hands and skin regularly and well. If your child has a cut or scratch, use soap and water to clean the area because open wounds are more susceptible to warts and other infections.

Be sure to wear waterproof sandals or flip-flops in public showers, locker rooms, and around public pools. This can help protect against plantar warts and other skin infections, like athlete’s foot.

Removing Warts

Warts may go away on their own without any treatment, anywhere from 6 months to 2 years. If they look too ugly and embarrassing, or are painful, you may opt to have them removed.

• Over-the-counter medications: this is the least-invasive procedure and may be done at home. Use solutions or gels containing tretinoin, salicylic acid or other medications containing skin-exfoliating agents.
• Excision with Scissors/Scalpel:  Dermatologists like to use this option for large warts. The warts are excised or cut off from the skin at the base.
• Cauterization/Electro-Surgery: the warts are burned off using a light electrical current
• Cryosurgery: Tweezers or forceps are used to hold and secure the warts, and then liquid nitrogen is applied to the handling tool to freeze off the warts
• Laser Surgery: This procedure is done for recalcitrant warts and is the most expensive but most comprehensive way to remove warts.

Additional resources on warts:

• http://www.medicinenet.com/warts_common_warts/article.htm
• http://familydoctor.org/online/famdocen/home/common/skin/disorders/209.html
• http://www.webmd.com/skin-problems-and-treatments/tc/warts-and-plantar-warts-topic-overview

Image by kat m research via Flickr

Candida albicans (sometimes referred to as monilia) is a fungus that is usually present on the skin and in mucous membranes such as the mouth, vagina, or rectum. The fungus also can travel through the blood stream and affect the throat, intestines, and even the heart valves. It becomes an infectious agent when there is some change in the body environment that allows it to grow out of control. The resulting condition is known as candidiasis moniliasis, or a “yeast” infection.

Candidiasis moniliasis:
•    is called thrush when it grows in the mouth, especially in infants
•    causes vaginalitis moniliasis, commonly known as a yeast infection, in the vagina
•    causes candidal onchomycosis in the nails or paronychia next to the nails
•    shows up on skin as a red, inflamed, and sometimes scaly rash, such as diaper rash
•    can also affect the esophagus and the digestive tract

Candidal infection of the penis is more common among uncircumcised than circumcised men and may result from sexual intercourse with an infected partner.

Treatment of Candida Albicans

Most candida infections can be treated at home with OTC or prescription medication. These include topical administration of antifungal drugs such as miconazole (Monistat Vaginal, Monistat-Derm), clotrimazole (Gyne-Lotrimin, Femizole-7), tioconazole, nystatin, or oral administration of drugs such as amphotericin B and fluconazole (Diflucan). Many women prefer a single, oral dose of fluconazole for vaginal candidiasis, rather than topical creams. More serious infections may need IV medications given at the hospital.

Other remedies you can consider

One of the best ways of helping to treat candida naturally is by following a sugar and yeast free diet. By doing this you are actually preventing the candida from having access to the basic ingredients which help it to grow. The quickest approach is often following a candida diet while taking medication. In this way the candida infection is “starved” while the medication works within the body.

Acupuncture is sometimes used in treating candida as it is believed to help stimulate the immune system which can then help fight off the effects of the Candida infection.

Another way for treating candida is known as immunotherapy. This treatment uses anti-genic extracts to help combat the illness caused by the yeast infection. As with acupuncture, these types of candida treatments are much more specialized and are likely to be a little more expensive than the conventional ways of treating this type of infection.

Another option for you to consider when looking to treat your candida problem is to adopt a homeopathic approach. The homeopathic approach to candida treatments focus on cleansing the body and specifically the intestinal tract and digestive system where the candida yeast likes to live.

Prevention of candida albicans

Keeping your skin clean, dry, and free from abrasions or cuts can help prevent skin candida infections. For sexually transmitted candida, reinfection may recur so treatment of both partners is sometimes necessary.

If possible, use of antibiotics should be discontinued during a candida infection. For diaper rashes, use barrier creams and change the diapers frequently.

Image by Getty Images via @daylife

While doctors don’t know why excessive sweating (hyperhidrosis) starts, the most likely cause is a genetic one. It most commonly occurs in the underarms, the groin, hands, and feet. Regulation of temperature is the reason why these body parts tend to become sweatier than the rest of the body during physical activity. However, people suffering from hyperhidrosis do sweat far more compared to other people, and sometimes with no apparent reason at all.

Medical scientists have linked this condition to an overactive sympathetic nervous system. In cases of plantar hyperhidrosis (foot sweating) the responsible sympathetic ganglia that receive the wrong signal are located within a section of the lumbar sympathetic chain. In cases of palmar hyperhidrosis (hand sweating) the responsible sympathetic ganglia that receive the wrong signal for that abnormal activity are located within the upper part of the chest cavity.

Extreme sweating can impede many social activities that include physical contact. Some excessive sweating sufferers feel they have to avoid situations like going to the doctor, job interviews or working with computers.

Regardless of where it occurs, excessive sweating presents an incredible problem to those living with the condition. When the act of shaking hands presents a problem, business and day-to-day life can become very uncomfortable. Many patients report that they are even embarrassed to hold the hands of those they love and those they are closest to. Some patients report that the sweat prevents them from being as sociable as they would like to be, as they are forced to hide in the shadow of hyperhidrosis.

Other problems occur such as smeared ink when writing or an inability to use electronic devices such as keyboards and computers. Needless to say, smelly feet and underarms are the among the most undesirable effect of this condition. Truly, hyperhidrosis can extremely affect people socially and functionally in their everyday lives.Thankfully, there is a permanent surgical solution for the condition.

Here are a few proven steps to control sweating:

Aluminum chloride: Aluminum chloride is used in common deodorants and antiperspirants but to stop excessive sweating the concentration needs to be very high. With a solution of 15% aluminum chloride it usually takes a week of nightly use to stop the sweating. Drysol, Hypercare, and Maxim are some brands of this type of antiperspirant. Beware though with the use of these chemicals as there is always the risk of skin irritation.

Botox: Botulinum toxin A: Botox can be used to disable the sweat glands through injection. The effect can last anything from 4-9 months. This method is carried out under local anesthesia. As the botox wears off you will need another round of treatment as the condition is almost always sure to return.

Acupuncture: Acupuncture has been tested with some success and compared to invasive and risky medical procedures it might be worth a try.

Hypnosis: Anxiety about sweating tends to make the problem even worse and hypnosis has been tested but unfortunately with limited success.

Surgery: When doing surgery to cure excessive sweating the most common method is to cut or burn the nerve ganglia destroying their ability to transmit impulses. Surgery is often seen as the last resort if no other method helps. It is a permanent and generally safe solution.