If you have a cervix, you have likely experienced or been recommended to get a regular PAP smear. The reason this is recommended is to screen for cervical cancer which grows silently and largely asymptomatically, usually over several years. In nearly all cases, this particular cancer actually starts growing due to exposure of a virus called HPV which is sexually transmitted.
There are over 100 types of HPV, only some of which will cause DNA mutations, leading to cervical dysplasia which can lead to cervical cancer. Currently, HPV is the most common sexually transmitted disease, affecting approximately 75% of sexually active women by age 50. However, not every woman who acquires HPV develops cervical dysplasia and there are several factors that influence its development such as cigarette smoking and using oral contraceptive pills. The other factor that isn’t often discussed is the strength of the host immune system which is ultimately responsible for killing the virus. This is an area where naturopathic medicine excels.
The conventional approach to an abnormal pap smear is to do a colposcopy to take a small biopsy of the affected area and determine the severity of the dysplasia. Based on this biopsy a LEEP (Loop Electrosurgical Excision Procedure) or conization may be recommended. A LEEP involves destruction of the cervical tissue via a heated loop and a conization involves excision of cervical tissue via scalpel. However, if the HPV virus is still present and nothing is done to help kill it, recurrence of abnormal PAPs and dysplasia is highly likely. In addition, LEEPs and conizations cause cervical scar tissue which can affect cervical dilation during childbirth.
If you have had an abnormal pap smear and colposcopy and are looking for alternatives to surgery, there are other options available. My approach to abnormal paps is targeted treatment to the cervix to kill HPV at the site. This is accomplished with escharotic therapy and vaginal suppositories in combination with whole-body support to strengthen the immune system so that the virus doesn’t return to cause further dysplasia. This naturopathic approach to abnormal paps leaves absolutely no cervical scarring.
Stay tuned next month for more details on escharotic therapy!!
Dr. Jamie Brinkley, ND