{"id":9,"date":"2010-07-19T14:19:17","date_gmt":"2010-07-19T14:19:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/medicinetomoveyou\/2010\/07\/pap-smear-pearls-plus-powerful-cervical-cancer-prevention.html"},"modified":"2010-07-19T14:19:17","modified_gmt":"2010-07-19T14:19:17","slug":"pap-smear-pearls-plus-powerful-cervical-cancer-prevention","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/medicinetomoveyou\/2010\/07\/pap-smear-pearls-plus-powerful-cervical-cancer-prevention.html","title":{"rendered":"Pap Smear Pearls Plus Powerful Cervical Cancer Prevention"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span>Pap smear testing has come a long<br \/>\nway.&nbsp; Hopefully, your doctor is still not smearing your cells on a slide<br \/>\nand spraying a fixative on it. &nbsp;If you see a little liquid-filled vial on the<br \/>\ncounter, your doctor is likely with the times.&nbsp;&nbsp; The dreaded Pap<br \/>\nsmear is a necessary evil to screen for cervical cancer, a very curable<br \/>\nfemale cancer.&nbsp; Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) is a sexually transmitted disease<br \/>\nand&nbsp;is thought to be the viral culprit for the vast majority of cervical<br \/>\ncancers.&nbsp; Here are a few ways you can help your doctor provide you the<br \/>\nmost accurate Pap smear results.<\/p>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span>1.<\/span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<br \/>\n<\/span><span>No douching for 24 hours prior to<br \/>\nyour exam.&nbsp; (Actually, douching at any time is unfavorable as it increases<br \/>\nyour risk for gynecological infections.)<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li><span>2.<\/span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<br \/>\n<\/span><span>Nothing in the vagina for 48 hours prior.&nbsp;<br \/>\nThis includes intercourse, tampons, contraceptives or medications.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li><span>3.<\/span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<br \/>\n<\/span><span>Aim to schedule your Pap for the<br \/>\nmiddle of your menstrual cycle.&nbsp; This is usually on Day 10-14 of your<br \/>\ncycle.&nbsp; (Customarily, Day 1 of your menstrual cycle is the first day you<br \/>\nwake up with a typical, full bleed.)<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li><span>4.<\/span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<br \/>\n<\/span><span>It&#8217;s best to do your Pap when you<br \/>\nare not bleeding or experiencing any vaginal infection symptoms like burning,<br \/>\nitching, discharge, or foul odor.&nbsp; Infections can sometimes give falsely<br \/>\nabnormal Pap smear results.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li><span>5.<\/span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<br \/>\n<\/span><span>Wait at least 8 weeks after the<br \/>\ndelivery of your baby to get a&nbsp;Pap smear.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li><span>6.<\/span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<br \/>\n<\/span><span>It is best for the doctor to avoid<br \/>\nlubricant on the speculum as it can interfere with testing.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"line-height: normal\"><span>With the newer technology mentioned<br \/>\nabove, there is more flexibility with the guidelines above.&nbsp; However, the<br \/>\nway I see it, why risk having to repeat your Pap smear.&nbsp; I have not yet<br \/>\nmet a woman who loves to get a Pap smear, and I don&#8217;t think I ever will so long<br \/>\nas there are stirrups involved!<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"line-height: normal\"><span>Interestingly, this information was presented as part of an<br \/>\nupdate on pap smear testing just this last weekend at a Family Practice Continuing Medical Education<br \/>\nconference from a very, informative OB\/GYN professor genuinely interested in<br \/>\npromoting Women&#8217; s Health.&nbsp; Most of the talk was focused on when to repeat testing and when to refer patients with abnormal pap smears for necessary surgical procedures.&nbsp; The point is, allopathic medical doctors are<br \/>\ndoing the best they know within the construct of what preventative medicine<br \/>\nmeans to them.&nbsp; <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span>The way I<br \/>\nsee it, getting a Pap smear is more like &#8220;early detection&#8221; than true<br \/>\n&#8220;prevention&#8221;.&nbsp; If we find someone with an abnormal Pap smear, we<br \/>\nhave detected a pre-cancer or cancer early, not truly prevented it.&nbsp; It<br \/>\ncan be argued that there is &#8220;prevention&#8221; of cancer when doctors<br \/>\ndetect pre-cancerous changes and are able to use surgical procedures to prevent<br \/>\nit from progressing to a full cancer with potential to metastasize.&nbsp; But<br \/>\nwho wants to do nothing and just wait until it&#8217;s time for surgery on your<br \/>\nreproductive organs.<\/p>\n<p>Herein lies the beauty of Integrative Medicine. It embraces the evidence-based<br \/>\nmodel of allopathic medicine but also includes other proven forms of medicine<br \/>\nto create more comprehensive, cost-effective options for patients.&nbsp; Two<br \/>\nleaders in Integrative Primary Care at the Arizona Center for Integrative<br \/>\nMedicine, Dr. Tieraona Low Dog and Dr. Victoria Maizes, have written a<br \/>\nwonderful reference book aptly titled,<u> Integrative Women&#8217;s Health<\/u>.<span>&nbsp; <\/span>Some salient excerpts below illustrate the<br \/>\nutility of using lifestyle choices to improve and prevent cervical cancer full<br \/>\nthrottle.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Women with later sexual experiences, fewer sexual partners, female sexual<br \/>\npartners, male sexual partners who use condoms, and women who are nonsmokers<br \/>\nare all at decreased risk of developing cervical cancer if infected with HPV<br \/>\n(Rock et al. 2000).&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;A number of well-designed studies have demonstrated the protective link<br \/>\nbetween certain nutrients and the development of cervical cancer.&nbsp; High<br \/>\nintakes of vegetables, fruits, fiber, beta-carotenes, folic acid, retinols,<br \/>\nvitamin E, and vitamin C are associated with up to 60% risk reduction for<br \/>\ndevelopment of cervical cancer in HPV-positive women.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>The authors go on to write that the data showed these benefits from food intake.&nbsp;<br \/>\nHaving said that, there is data suggesting that supplementation can be useful<br \/>\nin preventing the progression of cervical pre-cancer to full cervical<br \/>\ncancer.&nbsp; Naturopathic doctors routinely use supplementation in addition to<br \/>\na diet rich in colorful fruits and veggies (remember, rainbow colors =<br \/>\nanti-oxidant properties) with thoughtful avoidance of refined sugars and<br \/>\nalcohol to help boost the immune system.&nbsp; The immune system is<br \/>\ninstrumental in a woman&#8217;s active fight against cervical cancer progression.<\/p>\n<p>Specifics on supplementation for those drooling for more on this:&nbsp; folic<br \/>\nacid at 10mg\/day, vitamin C at 500mg at least three times a day (up to 3000 mg<br \/>\na day) and vitamin E (as d-alpha-tocopherol) at 400 IU twice daily.&nbsp; <\/p>\n<p>Remember: Integrative Medicine does not reject allopathic medicine; therefore,<br \/>\nregular Pap smears are still recommended along with any lifestyle change. The<br \/>\nkey take home point for you- don&#8217;t be a sitting duck waiting for your HPV to<br \/>\nslowly create cancer of your cervix.&nbsp; Fight back!&nbsp; Use your food as<br \/>\nammunition and you might just be able to prevent meeting the lovely people in<br \/>\nthe operating room when it comes to your cervix.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Pap smear testing has come a long way.&nbsp; Hopefully, your doctor is still not smearing your cells on a slide and spraying a fixative on it. &nbsp;If you see a little liquid-filled vial on the counter, your doctor is likely with the times.&nbsp;&nbsp; The dreaded Pap smear is a necessary evil to screen for cervical&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":220,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5,6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-medical-tips","category-womens-health"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.9 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Pap Smear Pearls Plus Powerful Cervical Cancer Prevention - Medicine to Move You<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/medicinetomoveyou\/2010\/07\/pap-smear-pearls-plus-powerful-cervical-cancer-prevention.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Pap Smear Pearls Plus Powerful Cervical Cancer Prevention - Medicine to Move You\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Pap smear testing has come a long way.&nbsp; Hopefully, your doctor is still not smearing your cells on a slide and spraying a fixative on it. &nbsp;If you see a little liquid-filled vial on the counter, your doctor is likely with the times.&nbsp;&nbsp; The dreaded Pap smear is a necessary evil to screen for cervical&hellip;\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/medicinetomoveyou\/2010\/07\/pap-smear-pearls-plus-powerful-cervical-cancer-prevention.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Medicine to Move You\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2010-07-19T14:19:17+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Dr. Shilpa P. 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Saxena"},"description":"A physician grounded in education, respect and patient service, Dr. Shilpa P. Saxena is leading a movement to bring Integrative Medicine to the masses. As a Board Certified Family Practice physician specializing in functional and integrative medicine, she helps patients and doctors understand that the only successful way of treating chronic illness is by correcting the underlying causes. As the founder of the SevaMed Institute and the Center for Living Wellness, Dr. Saxena connects with her patients through her compassionate style and lectures nationally to spread lifestyle-based solutions to our healthcare crisis. Her passion is contagious and audiences thrive on the energy of learning complex medical topics to bring about real, meaningful life-long change. Her latest personal and professional growth step: the Fellowship in Integrative Medicine at the University of Arizona, founded by Dr. Andrew Weil.","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/medicinetomoveyou\/author\/ssaxena"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/medicinetomoveyou\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/medicinetomoveyou\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/medicinetomoveyou\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/medicinetomoveyou\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/220"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/medicinetomoveyou\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/medicinetomoveyou\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/medicinetomoveyou\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/medicinetomoveyou\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/medicinetomoveyou\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}