A girl from the mid-19th century is said to have witnessed an image of the Virgin Mary while sitting in one of the famous baths in Lourdes. Some people travel many miles in order to visit this special bathhouse in southwest France. When tested, the water was found to have a high level of hydrogen peroxide in it [source: Kennedy].
Hydrogen Peroxide Therapy for HPV
The human papilloma virus, also known as HPV, is a sexually transmitted infection that can affect both men and women. The virus can cause warts to appear on the hands, feet or genitals, which can be mildly bothersome if and when they emerge. Generally, most HPV infections do not pose any health dangers, but HPV can potentially cause cancer in some high-risk patients. Planned Parenthood states that, currently, there is no known treatment to target and cure HPV [source: Planned Parenthood]. Despite this knowledge, some people claim that hydrogen peroxide might be a good cure for HPV.
There are some claims that hydrogen peroxide therapy can help viral problems like herpes and HIV. People may make the connection that hydrogen peroxide might also affect HPV, since it is also a sexually transmitted infection [source: NHI].
Sites supporting these claims propose applying hydrogen peroxide after shaving off or pulling out warts caused by an HPV infection. However, such practices are not only painful but also not recommended because there's no proof that hydrogen peroxide can treat HPV, although some studies are underway [source: Singh and Singh]. Shaving and removing warts can also lead to scarring and infections. Instead, it's best to visit a qualified doctor in order to determine proper treatment for HPV warts [source: Dorads].
Click to the next page to learn about how hydrogen peroxide therapy could be an alternative treatment for cancer patients.