Homeopathy for Warts and Developmental Delay

IN BRIEF

Warts can often be successfully addressed with homeopathic remedies. But as always in homeopathy, it's the individual that is being treated, not the condition, as this case so beautifully illustrates. 

By Anke Zimmermann, BSc, FCAH

A Severe Case of Warts

Some years ago I saw a 13-year-old girl who I will name Maya, present with a severe case of warts around her ankles. I have never seen a case of warts like that before or after in my practice. There were hundreds of warts clustered around her ankles on both sides, from tiny to very large. There were warts on top of warts, it looked really terrible actually and had created much embarrassment for the young girl. 

No Results from Liquid Nitrogen

The problem had been present for about a year and the warts had been repeatedly treated with liquid nitrogen to freeze them off. They would subside briefly, only to sprout again with greater intensity! Someone had recommended the family seek out homeopathic care for the warts and so here they were in my office. 

I took the girl's case and noticed that she seemed much younger in her demeanor in many ways than 13. She was more like a 10-year-old child. I asked for samples of handwriting and artwork and again, her work looked more like that of a much younger child. She was also shy in answering questions. This girl appeared sweet but just overall delayed in her development. 

Developmental Delay

I asked the girl to step out into the waiting room and asked her parents about her development. They confirmed my observation that Maya seemed much younger than her age and reported that she preferred to play with younger children. She had some difficulties keeping up academically as well. 

In homeopathy we usually prescribe for the whole person, not the condition. So rather than giving her a remedy for warts such as Thuja, which is often recommended, I gave her a constitutional remedy that also matched her delayed development. I chose Baryta carbonica 200CH, 2 pellets a day for two days.

Baryta Carbonica

Barium carbonate

Baryta carbonica is not infrequently used in cases of developmental delay in children as well as for certain cases of senility or dementia in the elderly. Children needing Baryta-carb are often anxious and prone to swollen glands, especially the tonsils. There may be delays in learning to walk, talk, or read. They may be small for their age, overall appear younger than their age and may have poor development of individual body parts, especially the genitals and reproductive organs. 

This young girl's developmental delay and lack of maturity were more striking and important in my assessment of her than the warts. 

Follow-up a Month Later - Warts are Gone!

On their follow-up a month later the warts were all gone to everybody's surprise! Apparently after a few days of taking the remedy they just started shrinking until they disappeared. In my office I also noticed that the girl seemed much brighter and more mentally active.
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The parents confirmed that there had been a gain in her development and she was not playing as much with younger children anymore. 

I asked them to return to the office in case the warts came back or in case her development slowed down again. 

Three months later the parents returned to my office on their own. They reported that the warts had not recurred but that Maya seemed to have regressed developmentally again and asked for another dose of the remedy, which I gladly gave them. 

After that there were no more problems. 

The Person, not the Condition

This case is a good example of constitutional homeopathic prescribing and homeopathic thinking in general. We always look at the whole person and especially take note of what is unusual in their case history and situation.

The most important signs and symptoms are those that are 'strange, rare and peculiar,' with mental symptoms being more important than general or localized symptoms. In this case, the girl's mental and developmental state was more unusual and important than the local symptom of warts and that is what the remedy was chosen for.

Homeopaths try and understand symptoms as way posts, pointing us to the correct remedy. In this way homeopathy is very different than conventional, allopathic medicine and often of course far more effective as it addresses a deeper, underlying imbalance rather than only suppressing or dealing with local symptoms. 

Conventional care in this case had focused only on freezing the warts. Not only was it not effective, it did nothing for the girl's development, which in the long run was more important for her success and happiness in life. 

What to Expect from Homeopathic Care

It is also important for parents to know what to expect from their homeopathic practitioner. Coming in with a laundry list of conditions that their child may have such as ADHD, sinus problems, parasites and insomnia does not really help a homeopath to find the best remedies. But knowing what is peculiar about the child will help, such as the fact that he may love to eat lemons, bites his toenails, does not like to wear socks and was born with a lot of hair as an example. One remedy will often cover the whole state of the child and stimulate his or her vital force to heal and rebalance all the apparently unrelated concerns. 

Homeopathic Remedies for Layers

I some cases of course more than a constitutional remedy is needed, such as when the onset of the concerns is related to traumatic events or toxic exposures, in which cases remedies for such events or toxins may be very helpful. Either way, there is real magic in homeopathy and all delivered free of side effects and very cost-effectively as well!

Anke Zimmermann, BSc, FCAH, December 2019

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