Turmeric-root paste banishes warts

February 21, 2008 at 12:00a.m.

Q. My daughter had three stubborn warts on the bottom of her foot that hurt her terribly. We tried salicylic acid tape from the pharmacy. It always burned off all the good skin and left the wart intact.

Duct tape didn’t work, and neither did freezing them off at the doctor’s office.

I made a paste of fresh-scraped turmeric root and taped it on the warts. The warts were completely gone in three applications.

Bright-pink, fresh, smooth skin grew in the black-specked holes left behind after the bandage was removed. After they fell off following the turmeric treatment, the warts never came back.

I bought the turmeric from the health-food store. I taped a little lump the size of a pea on each wart and changed it each night. (I had her wear a sock to bed. Turmeric is neon-yellow and stains bedding.) I have no idea why it works, but someone at work said it worked for him.

A. No one knows much about why any wart remedy works. Warts are caused by a virus, though. Curcumin, a compound found in turmeric, has antiviral activity (Virology online, Jan. 14, 2008), so perhaps that explains your success.

Q. Our grandchild has had a bout with lice, picked up in her first-grade class. Her mother has purchased lice shampoo and all the stuff to spray, but the lice keep returning. That is despite washing all the linens and getting new pillows.

Can you give us any home-remedy advice? She is getting desperate!

A. Although it is important to wash and dry bedding at high heat when treating a child for lice, it should not be necessary to replace the pillows.

Lice have developed resistance to some commonly used lice shampoos. We do have a home remedy to suggest, though. Wet the hair thoroughly with Cetaphil cleanser, then blow it dry. This will form a hard shell on the hair. Leave it on overnight, then wash it out in the morning. The Cetaphil “shrink-wrap” suffocates the lice, and it is easier to remove than Vaseline!

Another trick is to rinse the hair with Listerine (original amber color). Leave the Listerine on for two hours and then use a lice comb.

Q. My husband says that his magnetic bracelet helps his arthritis pain. What do you have to say about that? Would it also help fibromyalgia? Are there side effects?

A. A few randomized studies suggest that magnets may help arthritis pain. Many scientists are still skeptical, but some people who have tried magnets agree with your husband. Magnets are not appropriate for pregnant women, people wearing pacemakers or those using electromagnetic equipment such as insulin pumps or sleep-apnea machines. We’re not aware of other side effects.

We discuss this approach among others in our Guide to Alternatives for Arthritis.

There are no studies to show whether a magnetic bracelet would help fibromyalgia. We think it is unlikely to do harm, though.

X In their column, Joe and Teresa Graedon answer letters from readers. Write to them in care of The Vindicator or e-mail them via their Web site: www.PeoplesPharmacy.com.