Cervical Cancer
Cervical cancer is one of the most common cancers
affecting women, although the rate has dropped over time as
more women receive annual Pap smears. In this procedure,
cells are taken from the surface of the cervix and examined
for abnormalities. Pap smears are important because
the early stages of cervical cancer usually produce no symptoms.
Cervical cancer has well-defined precancerous stages. It
begins as cervical dysplasia, the appearance of abnormal
cells on the surface of the cervix. Many cervical dysplasias
form in response to infection with certain strains of human papillomavirus (HPV), a sexually transmitted
virus that
causes genital warts. While women who have had multiple
sex partners have the highest rates of cervical cancer (as do
those who begin sexual relations early in life), even women
who are in lifelong monogamous relationships can develop
the disease. For reasons that are not clear, there is a
relatively high rate of cervical cancer among Native American women.
Another factor that increases the rate at which cervical
dysplasia develops into cancer is use of birth control pills.
Oral contraceptives contain progesterone as well as
varying amounts of estrogen. These hormones enable HPV to
cause cancers and to poison gene p53, a gene which
ordinarily ensures that genetically defective or cancerous cells
do not multiply. While HPV-associated cancers may be
started by estrogen, the hormone does not stimulate their
growth once established. However, cervical cancer not
caused by HPV infection is stimulated by estrogen. In these
cases, reducing estrogen levels allows gene p53 to keep up
with cell growth. Other factors that have been associated
with cervical cancer include a history of sexually
transmitted disease, infertility,
smoking, nutritional deficiencies,
first sexual intercourse before age eighteen, and having
had more than five complete pregnancies.
Once cervical cancer grows and spreads enough to
cause symptoms, it may cause abnormal vaginal bleeding,
foul-smelling discharge, lower back or pelvic
pain, and
painful menstrual periods. Depending on its spread,
cervical cancer is classified into stages 0 and I through IV.
The extent of spread also determines which type of
surgical procedures may be used. Such procedures range
from removal of only a part of the cervix to removal of the
entire uterus and its supporting structures. Lymph nodes
in the groin also may be removed. In addition,
chemotherapy or radiation may be used, although doctors
usually try to avoid radiation in treating younger women,
since it can damage the ovaries and induce menopause.
Doctors sometimes try combining chemotherapy and
radiation, an approach that usually does not alleviate
symptoms or extend life. In these cases, immunotherapy is
another option.
You should use herbal medicine as part of a medically
directed overall treatment plan for cervical cancer. Herbal
medicine can make chemotherapy or radiation treatment
more bearable and effective, and increase the likelihood of
achieving remission.
Supplements and herbs
- Aloe juice. Take 1/3 cup (80 ml) 3 times daily.
Keeps the liver from processing certain toxins into carcinogenic forms.
Do not take aloe vera juice internally if you have diarrhea.
- Astragalus capsules. Take 500-1,000 mg 3 times daily.
Increases production of immune-system chemical IL-2, which fights HPV. Activates gene p53.
Do not use astragalus if you have a fever or a skin
infection.
- Green tea catechin extract. Take 240 mg 3 times daily.
Deactivates plasmin, a substance that creates pathways for
blood-vessel tumors.
- Lentinan intramuscular injection, given by health-care provider.
Activates immune-system cells, LAK and NK cells, to fight cancer.
- Polysaccharide kureha (PSK) tablets. Take 2,000 mg 3 times daily.
Stops tumor spread. Increases effectiveness of radiation therapy.
- Snow fungus Snow fungus or yin mi pian tablets. Take 6-12 tablets daily during radiation therapy.
Sensitizes cervical cancer cells to radiation therapy.
- Turmeric curcumin tablets. Take 250-500 mg twice daily, between meals.
Activates gene p53.
Additional things you may do
- Consume more dark-green or yellow vegetables and
fruit juices for their antioxidant content. A four-year study
of 2,189 women with cervical cancer found that those who
consumed these items frequently had a lower risk of
developing invasive cancer. Compounds in these vegetables that
are similar to vitamin A deactivate one of HPV's
cancer causing genes, although they are more effective in the
disease's earliest stages.
- Fortify your diet with the antioxidant supplements
vitamin E and glutamine. Taking 200 to 400 international
units of vitamin E per day has been shown to provide a
threefold decrease in the rate of invasive cancer. Lower
levels of vitamin E have been found at every successive stage
of cervical cancer-that is, the worse the cancer, the lower
the tissue amounts of vitamin E. Similarly, scientists have found lower levels of the amino acid
glutathione (and
higher levels of the enzyme that destroys it) at every
successive stage of the disease. Glutamine, taken at a dose of
250 milligrams a day, is an important antioxidant building
block, especially if combined with 1,000 milligrams of
vitamin C per day.
- Take thymic factor supplements to stimulate the
immune system in cervical cancer. However, do not take
thymic factors during chemotherapy with doxorubicin
(Adriamycin) or cisplatin (Platinol), since the net effect of
combining thymus supplements with these medications is less
than the effect of either thymus supplements or
chemotherapy alone.
- If you smoke, quit, and avoid exposure to secondhand
cigarette smoke. Cigarette smoke contains
4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone, also known as
NNK, which can interfere with the immune system,
decreasing its ability to keep HPV in check and greatly
increasing the risk of cervical cancer.
- An abnormal Pap smear does not mean a woman has
cervical cancer. Each year, approximately 2 million
American women are given a diagnosis of atypcial squamous
cells of undetermined significance (ASCUS). Only 5 to 10
percent of these women have cervical cancer, and most of
those who do have it test positive for HPV. Fortunately,
there is now a more sensitive test for HPV infection. The
Hybrid Capture II test detects 90 to 95 percent of cases of
HPV infection, compared to 75 to 80 percent for the Pap
smear. This test is especially helpful if the results of a
Pap smear are inconclusive.
- Health-care professionals have long known that
cancerous or pre-cancerous lesions of the cervix turn white
when exposed to vinegar. In most cases, this change can be
observed visually by a physician or trained nurse-midwife.
- If cervical cancer in a younger woman must be treated
surgically, a new operating procedure can preserve
fertility. This procedure, known as a trachelectomy, removes the
cervix while preserving the uterus. In the first twenty-six
women who underwent the procedure, only one
experienced a recurrence of the cancer.
- Women who take oral contraceptives who have cervical
dysplasia are much less likely to develop more severe
dysplasia or cancer if they take folic acid supplements. In one
study of such women, 16 percent of those who did not take
folic acid had more severe dysplasia after four months,
while none of the those taking folic acid (at a dosage of 10
milligrams per day) saw their conditions worsen.
Other beneficial herbs
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