HPV and Cervical Dysplasia

Facts

About HPV, Cervical Dysplasia and Vaccinations

What is HPV and Cervical Dysplasia?

HPV is short for human papillomavirus which is a sexually transmitted virus known to cause certain types of cancer in men and women. These include cervix, vagina, vulva, penis, anus and oral cancers.
Cervical dysplasia is a condition where abnormal pre-cancerous cells grow on the surface of the cervix. Cervical dysplasia is also referred to as cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) and it is categorized into grades according to the severity of cells involved.
The cause of cervical dysplasia has been associated with HPV as well as other risk factors such as smoking, multiple sex partners, birth control pills, poor diet and nutritional deficiencies.
Both HPV and cervical dysplasia do not usually cause symptoms, so it is important to have regular Pap tests.

Statistics

80 million Americans are currently infected with HPV.
80% of sexually active adults will have been infected with HPV before they reach the age of 50.
Of those infected with HPV, 50% will clear the virus in 8 months, 90% within 2 years. However, some will not clear depending on factors such as HPV types.
It has been documented that those with high risk types tend to have HPV longer.

Testing

The most accurate way to determine if you have HPV is to have your doctor perform a HPV DNA test known as the Cobas test. This can be done during your routine Pap test.
It is recommended for women starting at age 21 to have regular Pap tests. It is advised for women starting at age 30 to have the HPV test included with their Pap test every 5 years.

HPV Vaccination: Gardasil and Cervarix

In 2006, two vaccinations were made available to prevent women from becoming infected with the HPV virus. These vaccinations are Gardasil and Cervarix. Both vaccines are intended to target the high risk strains of HPV which can lead to cervical cancer.
Gardasil is designed to target four HPV high risk strains 6, 11, 16 and 18 and Cervarix targets two HPV high risk strains 16 and 18.
While there are over 100 strains of HPV, only 15 of them are known to cause cervical cancer.
Currently Gardasil is approved for girls and boys starting at age 9. Young girls and boys are targeted at this early age in hopes of protecting them before they become exposed to HPV.
Young boys are vaccinated to prevent genital warts, anal cancer and other cancers caused by some types of HPV. The vaccine is also designed to prevent males from getting HPV and therefore preventing females from becoming infected with HPV.
Women over 30 are not advised to receive the HPV vaccinations as it is believed most women at that age have already been exposed to the virus and the vaccination will no longer be protective.

Facts about Gardasil and HPV

It has never been proven in any research that the HPV vaccine prevents cervical cancer.
The vaccine does not reduce the incidence of cervical cancer.
The vaccine was “fast tracked” which means that it was made and put to market in only 6 months. This was illegal as the FDA requires new vaccines to undergo testing and a waiting period of 4 years before marketing.
The vaccine is only effective for 5 years and the effectiveness beyond that is unknown.
There is documented evidence that the viral components used to make the vaccine are capable of going into the brain and causing vascular damage to the vessels. This was found in 2 young women who died from brain hemorrhage after receiving the Gardasil vaccination.
There have been numerous deaths associated with the HPV vaccinations as well as severe side effects such as multiple sclerosis, blindness, pericarditis, and coma.
As of March 2013, the Department of Health and Human Services has paid a total of $6 million dollars in claims to 49 victims of the HPV vaccines. Several of these claims were deaths due to the vaccination.
According to the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) under the FDA, there are several thousands of individuals who have had adverse reactions to the Gardasil vaccine.

Natural Treatment for Cervical Dysplasia

Cervical dysplasia is a condition where the normal columnar cells of the cervix have changed to pre-cancerous squamous cells. While the progression to cervical cancer is rare, cervical dysplasia is treatable. Cervical dysplasia, also called cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) is divided into stages starting with CIN I, CIN II and CIN III. The next stage after CIN III is the diagnosis of cervical cancer but the progression from an abnormal PAP to cervical cancer is a very slow process which can take 10-15 years to develop in women who do not seek treatment. The primary cause for cervical dysplasia has been linked to the human papillomavirus (HPV) which is sexually transmitted, but other risk factors have been documented.

The natural approach to treating cervical dysplasia is to increase the local immune function of the cervix to help correct the proper cell growth as well as strengthen the immune function of the whole body to up regulate the body’s own healing response. The goal of both local and systemic treatments is to prevent the progression to cervical cancer and to keep the HPV dormant and inactive. Some of the naturopathic treatment methods involve making nutritional changes, taking nutritional supplements and making healthier lifestyle choices. While undergoing naturopathic care, patients usually learn lifelong practices that they choose to incorporate into their daily life to prevent illness and maintain their health.

Depending on the severity of cervical dysplasia, most gynecologists remove the abnormal cells with cryotherapy, conization, laser ablation or most commonly a loop electrosurgical excision procedure (LEEP). While the dysplastic cells may be removed, serious risks associated with these procedures include heavy bleeding for several weeks, difficulty conceiving, infection of the pelvic area and physical disfigurement of the cervix.

Naturopathic procedures to treating the cervix with cervical dysplasia that are less risky are cervical escharotic treatments. Women with the CIN diagnosis that have had biopsies and satisfactory colposcopy results are ideal candidates for cervical escharotic treatments. The escharotic treatments involve bi-weekly topical herbal preparations applied to the cervix for 5-6 weeks. The treatments are designed to enhance the local immunity as well as be anti-viral specifically targeting cervical cells that are abnormal and infected with the HPV. Because herbal preparations are applied to the cervix twice a week, there is a gentle exfoliation of the abnormal cervical epithelial cells in addition to local stimulation of the healthy cervical cells to re-grow. Because this is a very mild procedure in comparison to the LEEP, patients who have the cervical escharotic treatments do not experience the side effects that conventional treatments may have.

After the completion of cervical escharotic treatments, a series of local herbal applications will be necessary for continued cervical support. Patients are advised to obtain follow-up Pap smears and HPV test at 6 and 12 months after their previous Pap exam and to continue with their nutritional regimen.

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