≡ Curing Genital Warts
In the normal course of events I have to say that genital warts would not be my topic of choice for any particular conversation. Having said that, since I’m not actually going to see anyone’s face as I talk about it, I feel that I can rest easy in the knowledge that my blushes will be spared!
The problem with the topic of genital warts though is that it is most definitely not something that you would want to air in public – literally and figuratively! In fact a great many people probably don’t feel that comfortable talking it over even with their doctor.
That’s right, even in today’s liberated society most people still won’t feel comfortable talking about such an intimate and distressing problem as genital warts.
After all, just think about it. From our very young days we’re taught to cover ourselves up and to keep our private parts covered.
At least that’s what my mother always used to tell me, and since it’s a fact that most mothers tend to think along the same lines, there’s a more than good chance that your mother – or father – taught you the same thing.
So when you couple that with the fact that even the mere mention of the word “warts”, is enough for you to make a face at, it’s no wonder that we don’t talk about such things, be they warts on the genital area or otherwise.
And I don’t know about you but when I hear the word warts mentioned, the first thing that comes to my mind is all those stories of witches you hear about when you’re young and how they all – down to (almost) the last man, woman, and witch of them – had a big wart on their decidedly very long and crooked noses.
That said, genital warts aren’t something that’s laughable for the person who suffers from this problem. In fact for quite a number for people, genital warts can be a very distressing condition they have to deal with.
And that’s really why I’ve written this article, to be able to help at least in some small way, the people who suffer from genital warts and who don’t have anyone whom they can talk to.
Obviously I can’t be on the listening end if you want to talk about it, but hopefully I can provide some answers that will help you.
I should also perhaps mention right at the start that I am not a doctor, an herbalist, a naturopath, or any other type of medical practitioner. I have no license to practice to medicine and I don’t aspire to do so.
What I present with this article is information on genital warts, and various treatments that are available for you to get rid of them.
This in no way, means that I endorse using any of the natural treatments mentioned in this article, or that I endorse any of the medical treatments mentioned in the article either.
It should also be understood right from the outset that in way do I encourage anyone to treat themselves or to avoid seeking proper medical help.
The contents of this article should be taken as a guide to what causes genital warts, how to prevent genital warts and some of the treatments which are available to help get rid of genital warts.
So hopefully you’ll take the article in the spirit in which it was written and find that it is of some help to you in the problem of genital warts.
It’s not everyday that I sit around thinking about genital warts, but I can assure you that on this particular day I was.
And it was while I was pondering about just what it was that someone would want to know about genital warts, when it came to me that it might be a good idea if you, the reader, were to have a background picture of why I came to write about this topic in particular.
Like I said, it’s not something that is readily spoken about, and it’s definitely not something that you would even think about writing in the normal course of events.
Could it have been because I, myself, suffered from this potentially embarrassing and particularly bothersome problem? Or maybe I knew someone who suffered from these unpleasant warts.
Then again there’s always the possibility that I’m an experienced, or even budding, member of the medical profession and just couldn’t keep all this information to myself! However, since I disclaimed anything of the sort in the Forward, that can’t be it.
So without further ado, here it is in all its glory: I used to suffer from genital warts. In fact I was a recurrent sufferer up until very recently. I didn’t find any miracle cure to stop my genital warts, and it wasn’t, at least for me, one particular remedy that worked.
It was instead a combination of a number of methods which I had tried over the years. Obviously not everything worked, but when something did, I made a note of it and used that in conjunction with other treatments.
Finally I was able to get rid of my genital warts, and to this day it’s been two years since I had a recurrence.
So I thought I’d share my knowledge and experience with fellow sufferers. As I know in the battle of genital warts, every little helps. That’s why I’ve included most of the remedies which I’ve tried and a few which I’ve been told work like a charm.
You might be wondering why I would bother to mention any of the remedies which didn’t work for me, after all if they didn’t work for me, why should they work for you?
A funny thing happens though when people try out any type of remedy. Some people find the remedies work for them, others find that it does nothing whatsoever for them, and still others find themselves reacting adversely to them.
So before we go any further I would like to caution you to first do one of two things before you try these remedies. Either,
a) Consult with you doctor beforehand to find out if these remedies are safe for you to try, or if they will in anyway react with any other medication that you might be taking.
and/ or
b) Read any labeling and information carefully, follow directions exactly, and first do a small test to see if you’re allergic to whatever remedy you’re trying out.
After that’s taken care of you should then be able to proceed with whatever cure or remedy you had in mind.
Just remember that it’s also a good idea to keep a small log of the remedies that you’ve tried so that you don’t go through the same ones all over again, and so that just in case you do suffer from an adverse reaction then all of the information needed is at hand.
Doing this will also help you to make sure that you don’t mix ’n’ match any remedies! In fact it was because I kept a log that I was able to get the remedies down into this article at all.
To understand exactly what genital warts are, you must first understand where it all starts. To do this, we need to go back to its origins, better known as the Human Papilloma Virus or HPV for short.
The human papilloma virus is one of the most common viral infections and is the leading cause of wart infections on the body. However, just because you have HPV, it does not mean that you will develop warts.
On the contrary, quite a lot of people who have the HPV infection do not go on to develop visible signs of warts. Genital warts are only the sign and the symptom of genital HPV, it’s not the cause, and it’s not the condition.
It’s a commonly mistaken fact that genital warts are the reason for a person to get HPV, just as it’s a commonly mistaken fact that by removing the warts, you’re cured of the whole infection.
This is just not the case as you will learn. You might be able to successfully remove the warts, but the infection will live on in you until your body can fight it back. There is no cure for HPV.
That’s why there’s such a high recurrence rate of genital warts, and that’s why some people will suffer throughout their lifetimes.
When you’re removing the warts, you’re not curing the infection, you’re only removing the visible signs of it.
However, as I can attest, there are many things that you can do to prevent genital warts from occurring, or reoccurring as the case may be, and in some instances a lifestyle change can to an eradication of the virus from your system altogether.
That unfortunately takes time, effort and dedication to living a healthy lifestyle, and not the fast lane, fast food, instant gratification life that we’re used to living.
Taking it down a notch, and taking the time to smell the roses can in fact work wonders for you, it’s not just a myth told to you by your mother. Good clean living, a healthy diet and a relaxed outlook on life can do what no wonder-drug ever could.
That said, since I know just how difficult it is to achieve this goal, or to even come close enough to look it in the eye, there are other treatment methods which are available to you if just don’t have the time, energy or the inclination to stop and smell the roses.
To put it plainly and simply, genital HPV is a sexually transmitted disease. And although it’s not transmitted by the exchange of bodily fluids during sexual intercourse, it is transmitted through skin to skin contact.
And when the warts are in or on your genital area, there’s only a very few ways that it can be transmitted. Hence the reason for it being classified asexually transmitted disease.
There’s also the little fact that the more contact you have with different sexual partners, the more likely it is that you will get genital HPV.
In fact, studies conducted over the years have shown that approximately 18-20% of the population suffers from genital warts and that number is growing yearly. Of this twenty percent of people though, only about 4% receive treatment.
This is because, that for the most part, people aren’t even aware that they have HPV since they might have no visible signs or symptoms of it.
It could also be because some people might feel embarrassed to admit they have genital warts and won’t seek any medical attention. Then there’s the case where people will treat themselves using natural home remedies and herbal cures.
If you have genital warts and are looking to cure yourselves, the one thing that I can tell you before you go any further is if you’re thinking about using any of the readily available over-the-counter treatments, then don’t.
These are good for the other types of warts caused by the HPV infection, but for genital warts it’s a strong and resolute no-no.
The skin around your genital area is very sensitive and these methods of curing genital warts can be harsh. They can sting and burn, and they can irritate you unbearably. The one thing they won’t do however is to cure and rid you of your warts.
Other remedies, like some of the home remedies mentioned in this article should also be used with care, and if in doubt as to whether it will be what you need you should consult with your physician beforehand.
So exactly how many different varieties of warts are there? Well, there’s about four major different types of warts, which can be broken up into,
• Common Warts
• Plantar Warts
• Genital Warts
• Acrochordons
These warts are caused by approximately one hundred different strains of HPV. Of these 100, about 30 are the HPV strains which cause genital warts.
And since 30 strains of HPV, which can in turn lead to genital warts, is quite a large percentage it can to some extent explain why it’s so easy for anyone who is sexually active, within a non-monogamous relationship, to get genital warts.
The definition of non-monogamous here being, if either you or your partner have multiple sexual partners.
It’s also true that if you have multiple sexual partners throughout your lifetime, you’re more liable to contract any one of the genital HPV strains than if you had a lifelong monogamous relationship.
In fact the higher the number of sexual partners you have within your lifetime, the higher the risk of your going on to develop genital HPV.
And of these 30 or so strains of HPV which do cause genital warts, they can also be separated into two categories, that of the high risk HPV strains and that of the low risk HPV strains.
The low risk HPV strains will be the ones which give rise to genital warts. The high risk HPV strains are the ones that can lead to cancer of any of the effected areas.
That’s why especially with recurring genital warts, it’s necessary to be extra vigilant as the HPV infection you have could be of the high risk variety.
Like I said earlier, although genital warts can be treated or surgically removed, they are only the physical manifestation of the HPV strain.
The actual human papilloma virus itself, cannot be cured as there is no cure for it. What is cured then is the wart, and not the virus which will need to be fought off by your immune system.
In the normal course of events an HPV infection can linger in a person for a few months or even 1-2 years, it all depends on how string and resilient your immune system is.
That’s why you need to keep your immune system in tip-top shape, to be able to help fight off things as the human papilloma virus.
And that’s also why some of the treatments (both medical and natural) work on that premise and are geared to shore up flagging immune systems.
This is also the reason why people with medical conditions where their immune system is compromised, pregnant women, or people who have been taking immune suppressing drugs are more susceptible towards the virus and why the HPV will also manifest itself in the form of genital warts more readily on these people.
This isn’t to say that just because you’re pregnant you’ll get genital warts, or just because you have a medical condition with a compromised immune system that you will get genital warts.
It just means that you are more susceptible to developing genital warts than people whose immune systems are stronger and more able to ward off an attack.
If you are found to have genital warts, or carry the HPV virus, you might be referred to either a skin clinic or a sexually transmitted diseases center.
Your physician might feel that you will get the necessary treatment at either of these centers as they deal with these types of infections on a daily basis.
In fact, for some treatment methods you might have to be referred to one of these centers.
This can happen mainly if you need surgical methods to remove your warts instead of topical creams and solutions.
Muna wa Wanjiru is a web administrator and Has Been Researching and Reporting on Curing Genital Warts for Years. For More Information on Genital Warts, Visit His Site at Genital WartsPost Your Views About Genital Warts On My Blog Here Genital Warts
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