In the past, I have been very guilty of blindly following doctor’s orders without questioning or researching a prescription or course of treatment (if you know me well, that may surprise you.). I really regret doing this with things like Adderall. It was just easier to fill the prescription and go on my way, but now I’m paying the price for that decision. An educated patient is an empowered patient and no one is more affected by your health, or lack thereof, more than you are. Here are just a few ways you can be your own advocate: Continue reading
insurance
Can Duct Tape Cure Warts?
Duct tape seems to be used for everything, but can it cure a wart? And I don’t mean by ripping the wart off. Someone in this house has a nasty plantar wart (on the ball of their foot) that needs to be dealt with. This person would not agree to share this story on my blog unless I agreed to anonymity. So, please forgive me for any awkward wording. One treatment option is to go to the doctor and have the area treated with liquid nitrogen, a procedure called cryotherapy. This requires time off of work and/or school to go to the doctor, plus there is likely to be blistering around the area treated which does not sound pleasant…but especially on the bottom of your foot. OUCH! Then in a couple weeks another trip to the doctor to do it again. Ugh, ain’t nobody got time for that. Especially if there is a better way. Apparently, duct tape can be used to treat a wart and is reportedly more effective than the cryotherapy. Boom! That’s right MORE effective. Don’t just take my word for it, read it at WebMD.
Now, this person was resisting treatment, choosing to believe the wart would just go away on its own. So, I did what any rational person would do….I googled pictures of gnarly plantar warts in order to convince them. Warning: do not do this if you are easily disgusted. Unfortunately, this sort of backfired because the infected thought it was grossly funny and I wound up gagging at the sink, which only increased the hilarity. At least this person agreed to try the duct tape. Other sources referenced the use of salicylic acid or oregano essential oil in addition to the duct tape. I have the oregano oil so that is what we are going to try first. We tried applying a piece of tape just bigger than the wart, but it did not stay in place. This time we are wrapping the duct tape all the way around the foot and in six days remove the tape, soak the foot and scrub the wart, air it out for 12 hours– then repeat. In the experiment, the participants were instructed to do this for two months, but most were gone within 28 days. Keeping my fingers crossed!
So, will this treatment help us avoid 2-3 expensive and time-consuming trips to the doctor? I guess we will find out in 28 days! What did we ever do before Google?
Love and wellness,
Sara
P.S. I am not a doctor and this is not medical advice. I am simply sharing what we are trying at our house.
Why I Am Thankful My Medical Expenses Increased
I’ve been wanting to commit myself to a blog for some time now, but it has just never “been the right time.” Have you ever made that excuse? Well, I have and not only on the blogging front. Truly, I might be a master procrastinator.
For over 15 years I have been trying to figure this whole “wellness” thing out. Being incredibly obese and clinically depressed in your early 20’s is a difficult starting place. Over the years, I have slowly progressed healthwise, eagerly reading and studying nutrition, health and wellness books, articles and blogs. I have come a LOOOONG way from where I was. Among other things, I have concluded that a person cannot truly be physically healthy if he or she takes prescription medicines. Doesn’t the mere fact that I’m taking any prescription medicines mean I’m sick? If I weren’t sick why would I need to continue to take them? They might make me feel better, but is the underlying cause being addressed? It has just never “been the right time” for me to make lifestyle changes so I can stop taking them (there’s that excuse again). Please understand I am not talking about life threatening conditions and I am working with my doctor (you should too if you are considering the same course). I have struggled with depression for most of my adult life; periodically on and off antidepressants. However, about 6 years ago I added Continue reading
Wellness Meets Reality 