My eight-year-old daughter has developed warts on her fingers. Is there a remedy I can use?

Warts are highly contagious, due to the fact that they are triggered by viral infection. This means that supporting your daughter’s immune system is an important part of both healing and prevention of these clusters of rapidly multiplying cells.

Vitamin A is a key nutrient when it comes to any skin-related issues. Your daughter can either take a supplement (these are usually very small, round oil-filled capsules) an aim for 20,000iu daily, or she can eat more foods which are naturally rich in vitamin A.

These include pumpkin, sweet potato, cantaloupe/rock melon, liver, leafy greens, tomatoes, and oily fish.

There are a few topical remedies that may help, but one of the most important tips I can share with you is to ensure that your daughter does her very best to avoid touching or picking at the warts to reduce the likelihood of them spreading to other areas.

Some essential oils are used directly on the wart to help stop further growth and help the wart to die off. Two of the most effective are oreganum/oregano and lemon – I would try the lemon with your daughter, since the oreganum essential oil can sting delicate skins.

If you are concerned about using the neat oil, then apply olive oil to the wart, add a few drops of essential oil to a sticking plaster, then cover the area with the plaster. It typically takes around two to three weeks for the wart to disappear using this method.

An alternative to the essential oil treatment is to use a curious combination of aspirin and apple cider vinegar.

You will need to use cotton wool soaked in apple cider vinegar to paint the warts, then apply half of a crushed aspirin tablet to a round sticking plaster and cover the wart. The plaster will need to be changed morning and evening, with a fresh application of vinegar and aspirin. Once again, the estimated time for this method to work is around two to three weeks.

My hair has become very fine since I had my last child two years ago. I’ve started to eat more greens, but it has made no difference. What treatment would you recommend?

This is quite a common problem for a number of women after having children. In many cases, the hair will begin to thicken and grow back once you are no longer providing your little one with nutrients and minerals via pregnancy and breastfeeding.

For others it can take longer, or be a sign of a separate imbalance or issue, which may or may not have been triggered by the hormonal changes on the body.

One of the most common underlying conditions where loss or thinning of hair is a symptom is hypothyroidism (underactive thyroid). It is certainly worth seeing a doctor to have a comprehensive panel of thyroid testing done to confirm or rule this out as a problem.

The thyroid gland, the adrenals, and the sex hormones are all important glandular systems for mental and physical wellbeing.

Think of them as being akin to the legs of a three-legged stool; if one or more of the legs is too short, too long, or loose, then this impacts on the effective functioning of the other two legs and weakens the whole stool.

If your thyroid testing comes back as being well within the normal, healthy range it is still important to support your adrenal and hormonal health by eating whole foods, taking time to rest where possible, and keeping active — the latter shouldn’t be too difficult when it comes to toddlers.

You might also like to provide your body with the building blocks it needs for strong and healthy hair, skin, and nails by taking a marine collagen supplement.

Collagen powder is the most cost-effective and simple way to do this — simply stir a heaped teaspoon into drinks, soups, casseroles etc.

Marine collagen is the best choice for hair, skin, and nails; whereas bovine collagen is typically recommended for joint, bone, and muscle repair.

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