Article 163: Treatment of Molluscum Contagiosum, Traditional Chinese Medicine Differentiation, and an Overview of Genital Warts

◇A Guide to Caring for Your Husband's Health as a Good Wife◇

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Treatment and recuperation of common diseases

How does Western medicine treat this?

1. Under sterile conditions, puncture the top of the wart with a needle and squeeze out or remove the molluscum body; or use toothed forceps or curved hemostatic forceps to grasp the molluscum body and pull it out. Then apply 2% iodine tincture, carbolic acid, or 3.3% trichloroacetic acid and apply pressure to stop the bleeding.

2. Apply 0.1% retinoic acid alcohol or 0.05%~0.1% tretinoin cream topically twice daily for two weeks.

3. Apply 3% phthalimide ointment or lotion topically, 2-3 times daily, for a total of 2 weeks.

4. Apply 2% podophyllin tincture topically. Contraindicated for pregnant women and not suitable for use on facial lesions. Do not apply the solution to normal skin.

5. Apply 1% 5-fluorouracil dimethyl sulfoxide solution externally, once or twice daily.

6. Liquid nitrogen cryotherapy.

7. Carbon dioxide laser ablation vaporization therapy.

8. Electrocautery therapy.

9. A single large lesion can be surgically removed.

10. Secondary molluscum contagiosum infections often resolve spontaneously. Before they resolve on their own, avoid scratching to prevent spread. Severe infections may require antibiotic treatment.

How does Traditional Chinese Medicine differentiate syndromes and treat diseases?

1. Wind-Heat Toxin Accumulation Type: Symptoms include scattered hemispherical papules on the trunk and limbs with a central umbilicus, from which a cheesy substance can be squeezed out, accompanied by mild itching, a red tongue with a thin coating, and a floating and rapid pulse.

Treatment principle: Dispel wind, clear heat, and detoxify.

Prescription: Isatis root 30g, Isatis leaf 15g, Coix seed 30g, Smilax glabra 20g, Forsythia suspensa 10g, Saposhnikovia divaricata 10g, Cicadae periostracum 6g, Glycyrrhiza uralensis 5g. Decocted in water and taken orally, one dose per day.

2. Liver Qi Stagnation and Blood Stasis Type: Symptoms include hemispherical papules on the external genitalia and perianal area that do not disappear over time, or emotional distress, dark tongue or ecchymosis, and wiry and hesitant pulse.

Treatment principle: Soothe the liver and relieve depression, nourish blood and promote blood circulation.

Prescription: 15g Rehmannia glutinosa, 10g Angelica sinensis, 10g Paeonia lactiflora, 10g Ligusticum chuanxiong, 10g Prunus persica, 10g Carthamus tinctorius, 20g Polygonum multiflorum, 10g Rehmannia glutinosa (processed), 10g Pangolin scales (processed), 10g Cyperus rotundus, 15g Prunella vulgaris, 20g Ostrea gigas (decocted first), 20g Margarita (decocted first), 6g Glycyrrhiza uralensis.

Traditional Chinese medicine prescriptions for treating molluscum contagiosum

1. 30g each of Equisetum hyemale, Cyperus rotundus, Isatis indigotica, and Sophora tonkinensis. Decocted in water, the decoction is used to wash and rub the affected area 1-2 times daily.

2. Soak 30g of safflower, 30g of dried ginger, 30g of raw pinellia, 40g of drynaria, 15g of evodia, and 10g of camphor in 1000ml of 75% alcohol for one week. After filtering out the residue, it can be applied to the affected area.

3. Bupleurum chinense 10g, Citrus aurantium 10g, raw and prepared Coix lacryma-jobi 30g each, Paeonia lactiflora 10g, Paeonia veitchii 10g, Scutellaria baicalensis 10g, Hedyotis diffusa 30g, Salvia miltiorrhiza 20g, Glycyrrhiza uralensis 5g. One dose per day, decocted in water, taken in two divided doses. The third decoction is used to fumigate and wash the affected area.

4. Prepared ephedra 6g, raw coix seed 30g, apricot kernel 10g, licorice root 10g. Decocted in water, taken in two divided doses, and the third decoction is used as a soaking for the affected area.

5. Magnetite (decocted first) 30g, hematite (decocted first) 30g, purple cowrie shell (decocted first) 15g, raw oyster shell (decocted first) 30g, peach kernel 10g, safflower 10g, mountain wormwood 10g, white peony root 10g, lycium bark 10g, phellodendron bark 10g. One dose daily, decocted in water and taken orally.

6. Crush 40 grams of Brucea javanica (with shell), put it in a beaker, add 80 ml of water, boil it over an alcohol lamp, remove the residue after 5-10 minutes, and take about 40 ml of the decoction. There is oil floating on the surface. Stir well before use. Apply the decoction to the molluscum contagiosum with a cotton swab twice a day. After application, the redness will worsen, but there will be no pain. After 3 days, the molluscum contagiosum will shrink and fall off one by one without leaving scars. At this time, there may be pigmentation.

Medicinal diet for treating molluscum contagiosum

1. Radish 30g, mustard greens 30g, perilla seeds 30g, japonica rice 250g, white sugar 250g. Stir-fry the first four ingredients together until fragrant, grind into a fine powder, add white sugar and mix well. Store in a bottle for later use. Take 3 times daily with warm water, divided into 10 days. Used for early-stage molluscum contagiosum with significant itching.

2. Boil 10 grams of safflower in an appropriate amount of water, remove the dregs, add 60 grams of japonica rice to the juice and cook into a thin porridge. Add an appropriate amount of brown sugar to taste and consume. Take once in the morning and once in the evening.

3. Boil an appropriate amount of soybean sprouts in water until cooked, and eat them along with the broth. For the first 3 days, eat them as meals three times a day, and then switch to eating them regularly.

4. Take 60 grams of Job's tears and an appropriate amount of brown sugar, cook them together into porridge and eat, or decoct them in water and drink as tea. Take one dose daily for 20 consecutive days. This is used for molluscum contagiosum, and for those with indigestion, diarrhea, and loose stools.

Genital warts

Genital warts are benign, wart-like lesions that occur at the junction of the skin and mucous membranes, caused by the human papillomavirus (HPV). Vulvar inflammation, prolonged irritation from vaginal secretions, and the loosening of vulvar tissue during pregnancy all contribute to the development of this disease. It is commonly seen in gonorrhea patients, caused by irritation from gonococcal pus rather than by gonococci. Genital warts are one of the most prevalent sexually transmitted diseases in my country, accounting for 20% to 31% of all STI cases in some regions. The disease is more common in southern my country than in the north, and the peak age of onset is between 16 and 35 years old.

Causes of disease

Human papillomavirus (HPV) primarily infects epithelial cells, affecting only the mucosal junction of the anterior and posterior genital regions; humans are its only host. It thrives in warm, moist environments. The infectivity of patients decreases as the disease progresses. Besides external factors such as tissue trauma and local moisture, deficiencies in cellular immune function are also a significant pathogenic factor. Defects in the function of human lymphocytes play a crucial role in the pathogenesis of condyloma acuminata.

1. Direct sexual contact: This is the main route of transmission. Studies show that two-thirds of people who have sexual contact with someone with genital warts will develop the disease. The disease is most contagious on average during the three-and-a-half-month course, making those with promiscuous sexual behavior the most susceptible to infection.

2. Mother-to-child transmission: Genital warts or laryngeal papillomas in infants and young children may be transmitted through the birth canal infected with human papillomavirus (HPV) during delivery or through close contact with the mother after birth.

3. Indirect transmission via objects: In rare cases, transmission can occur through everyday items such as underwear, bath tubs, and towels. This route of transmission is extremely rare and can only occur when living with someone who has genital warts and sharing bath items.