HPV therapies
Over the course of a woman’s lifetime she has a high chance of getting a phone call from a doctor and told that she has an abnormal pap smear. An abnormal pap smear means that there are cellular changes in the cervical tissue, called cervical dysplasia or cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN). CIN is staged with CIN I being the least risky to CIN III with the most severe growth. CIN can automatically regress or can progress. The most commonly considered cause of cervical dysplasia is infection by the human papillomavirus, or HPV. I have heard that estrogen dominance may be a cause but that may be more likely associated with uterine fibroids and ovarian cysts. There are hundreds of strains of HPV and typically the high risk strains (16, 18, 31, 45) lead to cervical cancer. The low risk strains of HPV can cause the unsightly physical bumps known as warts.
The key is to be routinely checked by a gynecologist so you catch any change prior to it being a problem. The key is NOT to stress or give yourself emotional grief because you have an abnormal pap result, HPV, herpes or any other sexually transmitted disease (STD). Aside from Tibetan Monks or nuns, most sexually active people are walking around with some latent disease. Once infected with HPV or herpes, these viruses stay in your body forever but they may be hiding or latent. When they come out of hiding they may cause a scene like a herpes outbreak or may cause cervical dysplasia like HPV. Since women get checked annually, they are usually the ones that find out there is a problem. Men are only aware of a problem if an outbreak occurs of herpes or warts, however the high risk strains of HPV rarely manifest as physical warts. Many people are unaware that they are infected because they show no symptoms, leading HPV and herpes to become a silent epidemic.
So if you have been diagnosed with HPV or cervical dysplasia the goal is to have the virus silenced and never return to the surface to cause havoc. A diet rich in colorful fruits and vegetables, avoiding smoking, taking the supplements, folate and diindolylmethane (DIM) or indole-3-methanol (I3M), and coping with stress have had a positive effect. Your gynecologist will inform you if further testing, such as a colposcopy and biopsy are warranted. If the biopsy reveals CIN II or III, the conventional Loop electrosurgical excision procedure (LOOP) is recommended. This procedure uses an electrically loop to remove the lesion. It does not affect sterility (some debate this) and is cost effective.
Recently, I learned of an alternative treatment to LOOP called escharotic treatment. This is an ablative therapy that uses a corrosive paste to obliterate the superficial lesions and allow for regrowth of normal tissue. One study reported using subsequent applications of bromelain powder, zinc chloride, and a sanguinaria tincture with success. After treatment the patient had negative pap smear and remained CIN negative for the following 5 years.
I read up on the use of escharotics and realized that there have been many “accidents” with this therapy and the use of the caustic bloodroot herb. For one, some unlicensed professionals were having their clients/patients put the herbal concoction of bloodroot on their face on what they said was a malignancy. Be wise, always see a licensed professional and have a biopsy taken to determine malignancy as confirmation. Be aware that bloodroot may be caustic and can put a hole in your face or any skin surface. One professional used a tonic from Mexico and had no idea what or how much of any herb was in it. I spoke to an herbalist who believed that the bloodroot herb was completely safe but when mixed with zinc and bromelian (and God knows what else) there could be a caustic outcome. Varying theories exist.
Get the facts before you do anything. Perhaps experiment on a small area first. Escharotic treatments appear to be a suitable alternative with the right licensed healthcare practitioner. Good luck weeding through all the others.