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Dear Ann Landers,
was very much interested in that letter about removing warts because I have been plagued by dozens of them for years. Your correspondent described the miraculous use of a banana peel, but no details were given. Does one rub the peel on the warts periodi-cally or tape the peel on? Is it the inside of the peel that does the job or the other side? Please, Ann, be more explicit. I will try anything that might help me get rid of these pesky things. -Myrtle Beach, S.C.
Dear Myrtle,
I'm not sure how to apply the peel, and it probably doesn't matter, but the mail on this subject has been fascinating. Keep reading. Dear Ann: Thirty years ago, when I was 9,1 had about 20 warts on my left hand. Grandma came to visit around Christmas, and when she saw the warts, she said, "We can get rid of them by magic." She took a piece of bacon, rubbed the warts and said, "Tonight when the moon comes out, we are going to toss the bacon over your left shoulder, and the warts will disappear." I thought she must be a little nutty but de-tided it was worth the try. Three weeks later, the warts were gone, and I haven't had one since. -Newport News, Va. From Wilmington, N.C.: When our daughter was a preschooler, she developed several warts on her fingers. I took her to the pediatri-cian, who advised me to buy a roll of gauze, a roll of medical tape and a bottle of castor oil. I was instructed to soak the gauze in castor oil and wrap the warts for two weeks, changing the dressings twice a day. The doctor said the oil would "suffocate" the warts and they would drop off. That's exactly what happened within 15 days. Aberdeen, S.D.: Anyone who wants to get rid of warts should take megadoses of vitamin C. Warts are caused by a virus, and when the vi-tamin C tackles the virus, the warts disappear. Escondido, Calif.: Forty years ago, I had dozens of warts under my fingernails. The pain drove me crazy. I went to a dermatologist who tried medication, cauterization, surgery and finally vitamin A injec-tions. The warts would disappear and then grow back. I moved to Dal-las and saw another dermatologist who tried liquid nitrogen. Bravo! In three weeks, the warts on my hand were gone, and so were the plantar warts on the bottoms of my feet. Taipei Post Reader in Taiwan: Anyone who wants to get rid of warts should rub 20 pennies on the warts and then give the coins to a beggar. This has been done in our family for many years and has never failed to work. Oxnard, Calif.: The mysterious disappearance of warts is no mystery to me though many people seem baffled by it. I believe in the power of positive thinking. People can "will away" warts by the sheer belief that they are able to do so. My grandmother proved it by "curing" five of us kids. All she said was "Hocus-pocus-go away, warts." And they did. Sioux Falls, S.D.: Anyone who wants to get rid of warts should pick a growing green dandelion, apply the oozing white sap to the warts and let it dry for two days. It never fails. Philadelphia: After I spent $250 on dermatologists, my janitor bet me a dollar he could get rid of my warts in 10 days. He cut a raw potato in half, rubbed the juice on the warts, and on the 11th day, I paid up.