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by Lorna Vanderhaeghe
Abnormal Pap Test
The American College of Pathology states that
four out of five women who die of cervical cancer
had not had a Pap smear in the previous five years
and the highest incidence of cervical cancer and
the highest death rates occur in women over the
age of 65, a group that often stops having annual
Pap tests. Pap smears save lives by discovering
abnormal cells, called cervical dysplasia, early
enough to prevent loss of life from cervical cancer.
All adult women from the age of 18 should have
an annual Pap test to ensure her cervix is
healthy—but what can be done when the test
comes back abnormal?
We know the main risk factors that promote
abnormal cervical cells include: greater number of
sexual partners, increasing age, infection with the
Human Papilloma Virus (HPV), which also causes
warts, smoking, oral contraceptive use and nutritional
deficiencies of folic acid, vitamin A and C.
We definitely do not want to ignore abnormal
Pap tests. Too many women are advised that they
have an abnormal test result, are told to come
back in six months for another test and not given
any suggestions on how to get their cervical cells
to return to normal. Yes, some abnormal cells
return to normal with no treatment but what if
simply taking a nutritional supplement containing
vitamin A and C and folic acid could
ensure a normal Pap? Every woman I know would
take a multivitamin with minerals to help those
cells revert to healthy cells.
We know that HPV is implicated in a large
majority of cervical dysplasia and cervical cancer
cases. New research has shown that a nutrient
called Indole-3-carbinol (13C) can reverse
abnormal cervical lesions before they have a
chance to develop into cancer. In one study 30
women with CINII and CINIII cervical lesions took
200mg or 400mg of 13C daily. In the treatment
group 50 percent had complete regression of their
lesions. None of the placebo group had complete
regression of their lesions. Indole-3-carbinol has
also been shown to keep our estrogens from converting
to cancer-causing estrogens. So you get
the benefit of returning abnormal Pap tests to
normal while helping to prevent female cancers.
Cervical dysplasia and cervical cancer can be
prevented. Have your annual Pap smear and make
sure your Mom has hers as well too many women
over 60 are not having annual tests. Pap tests save
lives! Take your multivitamin with minerals
everyday and include Indole-3-carbinol. Let’s
ensure that we have normal Pap smears.
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