South Florida Sun-Sentinel (Sunday)
Modern medicine can’t back up folk remedies for warts
Q: I’ve had a wart on my right middle finger beginning in fifth grade. It was big and ugly, running from the bottom of the nail to the first joint. It didn’t hurt, but it bothered me. Somewhere, I heard you could rub a penny on a wart to get rid of it. So, nutty as it sounds, that’s what I did in high school.
I got a new 1964 penny and rubbed it on the wart exactly at midnight. Within two weeks, that wart was gone without a trace. It seems to me that this phenomenon should be studied!
A: There is rich folklore around wart treatment. Some remedies called for the wart to be rubbed with a piece of potato that was then buried. Others would “sell” the wart for a small sum. Certain people insist that the coin must be made of copper. It certainly sounds as though your remedy worked very well. Modern medicine doesn’t understand how such wart remedies work. Too bad. It would be great to harness this healing power.
Q: I have been taking escitalopram for eight years. Within four years on this antidepressant, I started having sexual side effects, especially delayed lowintensity orgasms and low sex drive.
Now that I’m engaged, I am trying to wean off escitalopram so that I will enjoy sex more. I’ve gone from 20 milligrams to 5 milligrams. My desire is higher, but my orgasms are even less intense and more delayed. There’s just no sexual pleasure anymore. I thought this situation would get better. Instead,
it has gotten worse: higher sex drive, less orgasm.
A: Sexual side effects are common with the type of antidepressant you are taking (SSRI, or selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor). They include lower libido, erectile dysfunction, genital anesthesia, delayed ejaculation or orgasm or inability to achieve orgasm. Most people expect such symptoms to disappear once they stop taking the medication, but that doesn’t always happen.
Researchers call your experience post SSRI sexual dysfunction. There is not much information about this condition. A review published in the journal Expert Opinion on Drug Safety (April 2022) concludes: “Little is known about the mechanisms underlying PSSD and no effective treatment exists. It is necessary to increase recognition of PSSD among prescribers and improve its management at the clinical level.”
Q: I am a fan of Nizoral shampoo. It used to only be available by prescription. Now I can buy it over the counter. What’s the difference? I don’t just use Nizoral for dandruff. I also use it as a body wash — on my face, behind my ears and between my toes. I find it gets rid of my dandruff and itchy, flaky skin. Nizoral also seems to help with athlete’s foot.
A: A 2% formulation of Nizoral (ketoconazole) was approved by the Food and Drug Administration in 1990 to control “flaking, scaling and itching associated with dandruff.” This antifungal shampoo required a doctor’s prescription.
In 1997, the FDA permitted over-the-counter sale of a lower-strength (1%) formulation called Nizoral A-D (Anti-Dandruff ) Shampoo. Even at this reduced concentration, the antifungal ingredient, ketoconazole, is quite effective. It can discourage yeast growth on the scalp and skin. Some dermatologists prescribe the 2% shampoo to treat jock itch and ringworm. It can also help control another fungal infection called tinea versicolor that causes discolored skin patches.