There are many misconceptions about HPV, and they can have a negative impact on courses of treatment. Let’s look at the facts about HPV so you can devise a sound treatment plan.
If you’re still reeling from your doctor’s appointment after being diagnosed with HPV, You’re head might be swimming with questions. Why me? How? What did I do wrong? Who should I tell? What does this mean? Will I get cervical cancer?
Your questions and concerns are all valid.
Furthermore, your doctor likely said, “come back in 6 months to a year to see if it’s gone.” For most people, this is NOT a comforting idea. After all, HPV is a virus. Who wants to allow a virus to remain in their body untreated? Isn’t there something you can do BEFORE it causes cancer?
And if your pap smear also shows abnormal cells, your doctor may recommend that you get a biopsy (colposcopy). This is to address the abnormal cells as soon as possible. This sounds good, but the options aren’t ideal though. A cone biopsy, a LEEP procedure, or a hysterectomy are all invasive procedures.
You might be confused, afraid, and alone. You might be wondering, “isn’t there a better way?”
There is. Unfortunately, in today’s world of instant information, there is also an abundance of misinformation. Let’s focus today on highlighting some of the more common inaccuracies surrounding HPV. Having the facts opens the door to a personal treatment plan – and smarter, natural approaches to addressing it.
Misconception #1: HPV is rare
FACT: HPV Is Extremely Common
According to the CDC, 80 million Americans are currently infected with HPV. An additional 14 million become infected with HPV each year. This translates to roughly 1 in 2 people who will get HPV at some point in their lives.
How can you be infected without knowing it? Unless you have the strain of HPV that causes genital warts, you may not experience symptoms. Because of the lack of symptoms – in both men and women, millions of Americans have never test positive.
Let’s go a step further – men in particular may never know if they have it because there is not currently a screening test for men. Women’s tests are are only through a pap smear with an HPV test – and not all pap smears include one.
Another reason HPV is incorrectly seen as uncommon is because of the societal stigma surrounding it. The notion that a sexually transmitter virus (STD) means a person must have been involved in high-risk or irresponsible sexual activities is inappropriate at best and dangerous at worst. It stops people from actively seeking help or finding support. This stigma must stop.
Here’s my hope. With increased opportunities to test and opening up the conversation about HPV, more people will feel empowered to seek treatment options. It does no good for people to feel ashamed, embarrassed, and uninformed.
Misconception #2: Only people who are irresponsible get HPV
FACT: Anyone Can Get HPV
Asking who can get HPV is the wrong question. As I previously noted, approximately 1 in 2 people will have HPV at some point, knowingly or not. And both women and men can have HPV. So it’s not about who can get it. We need to focus instead on what makes us susceptible to HPV.
What Triggers HPV Susceptibility?
- Synthetic hormones, such as in birth control pills and hormonal IUDs
- Cigarette smoking
- Stress exposure of all types
- A diet high in sugar and inflammatory foods like gluten
- MTHFR gene variations, which make it less likely you’ll benefit from folic acid (and need folate)
- Inflammation from leaky gut and imbalanced gut bacteria
Essentially, the more drained we are, from life, stress, travel, toxin exposure, lack of sleep, over-work, nutrient deficiency and hormone imbalance… the more likely our body has become an environment where HPV thrives. And when it thrives, it causes abnormal cells.
It’s important to realize that it’s less about “being stressed” that causes HPV. It’s more about persistent stress exposure WITHOUT proper stress recovery. When we don’t allow our bodies to recover from stress, it weakens our immune system response, increases leaky gut, disrupts hormones, cortisol and neurotransmitter levels, and overall leaves us vulnerable to viruses, infections, and other chronic conditions.
Misconception #3: There’s only one type of HPV
FACT: There Are Many Different Strains of HPV
Contrary to popular thought, there isn’t just ONE type of HPV. In fact, there are hundreds of strains of HPV. Some are…
- Low-risk
- Associated with genital warts
- Associated with cancer (oral, throat, penile, rectal or cervical)
First, the good news. About 50% of these cases heal themselves within 8 months, and another 40% heal within 2 years of being diagnosed.
But there’s bad news too. Cancer of the cervix is highly associated with HPV (70 to 90% of cases are caused by it). Because HPV develops over time, cervical cancer is one of the most preventable forms of cancer; yet, still it is the 4thmost common cancer in women around the world.
This is exactly why it’s so important to get a treatment plan in order. It can be reversed or cancer prevented – if we take action.
Misconception #4: There’s no treatment for HPV
FACT: HPV and Abnormal Pap Results Are Reversible
The last misconception – and the most important – is that once HPV tests positive, there’s no treatment to get it to negative. That is simply not the case.
With the last 20 years of experience helping women with HPV, I can attest to this myself. It’s true that there is not a medication to take to treat HPV. However, that doesn’t leaves us with no treatments options. There are many well-studied nutrients and herbs that can help your body fight off HPV. There are dietary changes and other strategies to help you get your test results back to “negative.”
Why is this so important? HPV is not able to cause cancer while dormant or negative on a test.
If we can get “back to negative,” the risk of cervical cancer goes way down.
My patients offer proof:
Women who have abnormal cells found on a pap smear are often told that it is not reversible without invasive treatments. Before you go forward a severe treatment option, consider this protocol instead.
HPV can cause abnormal cells in various stages before even turning into cancer. This is referred to as “cervical dysplasia.”
- ASCUS: Inflammation caused by HPV, vaginal infections, or other causes
- CIN1, CIN2, or CIN3, which are varying degrees of abnormal cells caused by HPV
- Pre-cancer, otherwise known as carcinoma in-situ
Once again, my patients have proven otherwise. With the right protocol – for ASCUS, CIN1, CIN2, and CIN3 – we can help the body to slough off those abnormal cells and regrow healthy new cells. Once those pre-cancer and cancer cells are flushed out of the body, we can help prevent HPV from causing new abnormal cells in the future.
How is this possible?
The best way to think about it is: When we change the environment the virus lives in – our bodies – we can reverse HPV and get the pap smear back to normal.
Healing Your Body and Getting “Back to Negative”
While we can use diet, herbs, and supplements to help reverse your HPV (which you can learn more about here) if we don’t help your body to become less susceptible to the virus than it won’t matter. The virus will come back as soon as you let up on the anti-viral approaches.
That’s why my successful protocol includes stress recovery, leaky gut healing, hormone balancing, and nutrient replenishment, including for MTHFR.
And ultimately, in helping your body recover from stress and re-optimize your nutrient and hormone levels, it will also help you to become healthier in general.
By preparing your body to reverse HPV, you also can prepare it for healthier pregnancies, correct reoccurring health issues, and fend off autoimmunity. This is all due to the fact that we are getting to the root causes and in turn, rebalancing hormones, improving the immune, digestive and nervous systems, and recovering from stress.
Resources to help you:
To start your journey towards reversing HPV to negative, add these resources to your toolbox:
- You can download my FREE HPV Guide here.
- Watch the replay of my FREE webinar where I share more about how I’ve helped thousands of women and men recover from HPV and cervical dysplasia (abnormal paps), and what I’ve learned from those cases that you can apply for your health.
- Register for Reversing HPV, my online course where I take you through a 6-week strategic protocol for your particular case. It’s designed for women and men – and you can participate anonymously if you choose.
- Or schedule a consultation to work with me one-on-one (in-person or by phone/vide0) to address HPV and get your pap smear to negative. I created a program based on what has been most effective for my patients. Read about the program here, and reach out to my office to find out if it is a good fit for you.
My patients have inspired me to create these opportunities so that this information can reach more women, and men.
I want to make sure you know that it is possible to view the webinar and course without revealing your identity. My intention is to create a safe space for you to learn and gather the information you need to protect yourself and to put an end to HPV.
Lastly, if you would like to come straight to the front of the line, schedule a consult with me here. I am here for you!
–Dr. Doni
26th May 2020
*Please use any and all supplements with caution – nutrients, herbs, enzymes, or anything else. My recommendation is that you seek the care of a naturopathic doctor (with a doctorate degree from a federally-accredited program) and that you have a primary care physician or practitioner whom you can contact to help you with individual dosing and protocols. If you ever experience negative symptoms after taking a product, stop taking it immediately and contact your doctor right away.