The Complete Herbal Guide: A Natural Approach to Healing the Body - Heal Your Body Naturally and Maintain Optimal Health Using Alternative Medicine, Herbals, Vitamins, Fruits and Vegetables (17 page)

Symptoms

• Common warts
  usually appear singly or in groups on the hands, although they may grow on any part of the body. They usually are rough, gray-brown, dome-shaped growths.
  
• Plantar warts
  can develop on any part of the foot. Sometimes dark specks are visible beneath the surface of the wart. When pressure from standing or walking pushes a plantar wart beneath the skin's surface, a layer of thick, tough skin similar to a
  callus
  develops over it. As the callus and wart get larger, walking can become painful, much like walking with a pebble in your shoe. Multiple plantar warts can form in a large, flat cluster known as a "mosaic wart."
  
• Flat warts
  are usually found on the face, arms, or legs. They are small (usually smaller than the eraser on the end of a pencil), and there are usually several in one area. They have flat tops and can be pink, light brown or light yellow. Flat warts are often spread by shaving.
  
• Filiform warts
  , a kind of flat wart, can grow around the mouth, nose, and beard area. The surface of this type of wart has many flesh-colored, fingerlike projections.
  
• Periungual warts
  are found under and around the toenails and fingernails. They appear as rough, irregular bumps. They can affect nail growth.
  
• Genital warts
  can be extremely small and difficult to detect. For more information, see the topic
  Genital Warts
  .
  

Causes

A
wart
develops when a
human papillomavirus
infects the outermost layer of skin and causes the skin cells to grow rapidly. The virus can then spread from an existing wart to other areas of the body, causing more warts. Various types of this virus thrive in warm, moist environments such as showers, locker room floors, and swimming pool areas.

You are most likely to develop a wart where you have broken skin, such as a cut, hangnail, closely bitten nail, or scrape. Plantar warts are common to swimmers whose feet are not only moist and softened but are also scratched and broken by rough pool surfaces. Common warts are often seen among those who handle meat, chicken, and fish.

Treatments

Castor Oil

The use of castor oil is one of the most important home remedies for warts. This oil should be applied generously over the affected parts every night. The treatment should be continued for several months.

Figs

The milky juice of fresh figs is another valuable remedy. This juice should be extracted from the fresh, barely-ripe fruits and applied on the warts several times a day. The treatment should be continued for two weeks.

Potato

Raw potatoes are beneficial in the treatment of warts. They should be cut and rubbed on the affected area several times daily, for at least two weeks. This wi1l bring about good results.

Onion

Onions are also valuable in warts. They are irritating to the skin and stimulate the circulation of the blood. Warts sometimes disappear when rubbed with cut onions.

Indian Squill

The herb Indian squill is useful in removing warts. A powder of the bulb of this herb should be applied locally over the affected area for beneficial results.

Dandelion

The herb dandelion is another valuable remedy for warts. The milk from the cut end of dandelion should be applied over the affected area two or three times daily.

Marigold

Marigold is another herb found beneficial in the treatment of warts. The juice of the leaves of this plant can be applied beneficially over warts. The sap from the stem has also been found beneficial in the removal of warts.

Cashew Nut Oil

The oil extracted from the shell of the cashew nut is useful in warts as it is a strong irritant to the skin. It should be applied externally over the affected area in treating this condition.

Certain external applications over the affected parts have also proved beneficial in the treatment of warts. These include juices of papaya and pineapple, and chalk powder mixed with water.

* * * * *

Being underweight means, you fall under the normal weight.  A number of underweight people are fit and well; they simply have a slender constitution. However, for many people being underweight may mean their bones are not as strong as they could be and a woman's periods may be irregular, which can affect fertility. It also means they have fewer 'reserves' if they fall ill.

Symptoms

• Fatigued
  
• Poor physical stamina
  
• Low resistance to infection
  

Causes

Insufficient caloric intake

Thinness due to an inadequate caloric intake is a serious condition, especially in young people. Diseases like tuberculosis, respiratory disorders, pneumonia, and circulatory diseases like heart disorders, cerebral hemorrhage, nephritis, typhoid fever, and cancer are quite common among them.

Not enough nutrition or bad eating habits

Thinness may be due to inadequate nutrition or excessive bodily activity, or both. Emotional factors or bad eating habits such as skipping meals, small meals, habitual fasting, and inadequate exercise can also cause it

Poor digestion, metabolic disturbances and disorders

Other factors include inadequate digestion and absorption of food due to a wrong dietary pattern for a particular metabolism, metabolic disturbances such as an overactive thyroid, and hereditary tendencies. Disorders such as chronic dyspepsia, chronic diarrhea, and presence of intestinal worms, liver disorders, diabetes mellitus, insomnia, constipation, and sexual disorders can also lead to thinness.

Treatment

Muskmelon

Muskmelon is one of the most effective home remedies for thinness. If the melon cure is properly carried out, a rapid gain in weight can usually be achieved. In this mode of treatment, only muskmelons are taken three times during the day for forty days or more. In the beginning, only three kilograms of melons are taken daily for three days. Then the quantity is increased by one kilogram daily until it is sufficient to appease the hunger. Only the sweet and fresh fruits of the best variety are used in the treatment.

Mango-Milk Cure

The mango-milk cure is also an ideal treatment for thinness. For this mode of treatment, ripe and sweet mangoes should always be selected. They should be taken thrice a day-morning, afternoon, and evening. Two medium sized mangoes should be taken first and then followed by a glass of milk. Mango is rich in sugar but deficient in protein. On the other hand, milk is rich in protein but deficient in sugar. The deficiency of one is made up by the other. Mango thus combines very well with milk and an exclusive mango-milk diet taken for at least one month, will lead to improvement in health and vigor and gain in weight

Milk Cure

Some nature cure practitioners have advocated an exclusive milk diet for rapid gain of weight. At the beginning of this mode of treatment, the patient should fast for three days on warm water and lime juice to cleanse the system. Thereafter, he should have a glass of milk every two hours from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on the first day, a glass every hour and half the next day, and a glass every hour the third day. Then the quantity of milk should be gradually increased to a glass every half an hour from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., if such a quantity can be tolerated comfortably

Figs

Figs are an excellent remedy for increasing weight in case of thinness. The high percentages of the rapidly assailable sugar in this fruit make it a strengthening and fattening food. Three dried figs soaked in water should be taken twice daily

Raisins

Raisins are a good food for those who wish to gain weight. Thirty grams a day may be taken for this purpose

Nutrients

Nutrients which help to keep the nerves relaxed are of utmost importance as nervousness causes all the muscles to become tense, and the energy which goes into the tensing wastefully uses up a great deal of food. Although all vitamins and minerals are required for relaxation, the most important once are vitamin D and B6, calcium, and magnesium. The richest sources of vitamin D are milk, cod-liver oil, and rays of the sun. Calcium is supplied by milk and yogurt. Magnesium can be obtained from green leafy vegetables such as spinach, parsley, turnip, radish, and beet tops. These vegetables should, preferably, be taken in salad form or should be lightly cooked.

* * * * *

Whooping cough (pertussis) is a highly contagious bacterial infection of the upper
respiratory system
—specifically, the area where the nasal passages meet the back of the throat (nasopharynx). The infection causes irritation in breathing passages, resulting in severe coughing spells. The illness has three distinct stages and can last months.

Complications like
pneumonia
can result from whooping cough. These kinds of problems can be very serious in young children, especially babies who are born early or who have not been
immunized
. Older adults are also more likely than other people to develop complications from whooping cough.

Symptoms

Symptoms of
whooping cough
typically last 6 to 10 weeks (but may last longer), and they occur in three stages.

First stage

Cold like symptoms begin and last for several days to 2 weeks. Symptoms usually include sneezing, a runny nose, mild coughing, watery eyes, and sometimes a mild fever. An infected person is most contagious during this stage.

Second stage

The most serious symptoms develop during this phase and last about 2 to 4 weeks or longer. As cold like symptoms fade, the cough gets worse. A dry, hacking cough intensifies into bursts of uncontrollable, often violent coughing that may make it temporarily impossible to breathe. The person may quickly inhale when trying to take a breath through airways narrowed by inflammation, which sometimes creates a whooping noise.

Symptoms and results
of coughing spells in babies:


        
This may be triggered by very slight stimulation, such as taking in food or milk, sucking, exposure to a sudden sound or light, or stretching.


        
The symptoms that could occur are the following: flushed cheeks, pale or bluish complexion caused from a lack of oxygen, and bulging or watery eyes. A baby may also stick out his or her tongue, push the chest forward, or flail arms and legs in distress.


        
This may be frightening to watch, although most babies recover and regain control of their breathing on their own. Babies generally feel well between coughing spells but may become exhausted from the physical effort of coughing.


        
This may lead to hospitalization, especially if the baby is younger than 4 months of age. Hospitalization allows health professionals to monitor the baby's condition and evaluate how well he or she tolerates and recovers from coughing episodes.

Third stage

The final stage, lasting for a few weeks or months, is a gradual recovery period. Although the person gains strength and begins to feel better, the cough may become louder and sound worse. Coughing spells become less frequent but may flare up again if a cold or other upper respiratory illness develops. This final stage may last longer in people who were not given the
whooping cough (pertussis) vaccine
.

Complications
, such as
pneumonia
or exertion-related injuries from coughing, such as a
hernia
, can develop from whooping cough. These types of health problems pose the most serious risk to children younger than 4 months and adults age 60 and older.

Treatment

Garlic

Garlic is one of the most effective remedies for whooping cough. The syrup of garlic should be given in doses of five drops to a teaspoon, two or three times a day, for treating this condition. It should be given more often if the coughing spells are frequent and violent.