Branch of thuja with buds in spring close against a background of bright blue sky
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Warts, everyone agrees, are extremely difficult to treat. There are different types of warts, the most common being plantar, filiform, plane, mosaic, genital and common warts. Warts are caused by a virus. They differ in appearance and location on the body, but they are all distressing to the person affected, and are all stubbornly difficult to remove. Alternative treatments are now becoming more common as a way of dealing with these uncomfortable lesions.

Causes and Conventional Treatment

Warts are caused by the human papillomavirus, a virus that can cause the warts to spread to other parts of the body or to other people. This simply adds to the distress of the affected person, and any skin doctor will attest to the fact that wart removal is a major part of a dermatologist's practice.

Common wart-removal techniques include topical treatments containing salicylic acid, cyrotherapy (freezing the warts so that they "die") and even laser surgery. Even with these treatments, however, warts often return, because even if the outward manifestation of the virus is eliminated the virus itself may remain.

Homeopathic Treatment: Thuja

A popular alternative medicine that has been gaining support in recent years is homeopathy. Homeopathic treatments are remedies selected according to the patient's symptoms, both physical and psychological---even those that may not seem to be pertinent. (A homeopathic practitioner will want to know about the patient's disposition, other health issues, any stressors in the patient's life and so on.) Homeopaths believe that illnesses are best treated by substances that can induce the presenting symptoms---these homeopathic remedies have been diluted and, as treatment progresses, continue to be administered in increasingly diluted form.

Thuja, a ceder tree that grows in North America and Asia, is believed by homeopaths to contain properties that will successfully treat all forms of warts. Homeopaths generally use a topical compound containing Thuja occidentalis to treat warts, and report much success with this remedy--- especially notable with genital warts, which for conventional practitioners have proven to be the most difficult form of wart to treat.

Homeopathic remedies are similar to conventional medicine in that one should take great care before using any medications or treatments. A doctor (or, in the case of homeopathic medicines, a licensed homeopathic practitioner) should always be consulted so that the treatment is conducted properly and to maximum effect. Many homeopaths, for example, recommend mixing thuja with olive oil before applying it to genital warts; this is information that few people would know if they were treating themselves.

Importance of Openness to Alternative Treatments, Such as Homeopathic Thuja

It is clear that conventional medicine seems clueless in treating warts. Alternative medicines, including homeopathic thuja, may offer relief to many people who are searching for a cure for this distressing and frustrating condition.