I get how overwhelming it can be to receive a diagnosis of HPV, cervical changes, or cervical dysplasia. Just hearing the words “precancerous” can make your head spin and think of all the possible outcomes.
While the initial shock is understandable, before you panic, keep in mind that most HPV infections and pre-cancerous lesions naturally go away on their own. This means that most of them pose a minimal risk of turning into cancer.
Still, cervical cancer is something you need to be aware of since it affects 12,000 women in the US each year. And, most women who suffer from cervical cancer are older women who haven’t done proper HPV testing.
While follow-up treatment is still the number one choice to manage the condition, there are natural ways to add an extra protective layer, such as supplementation. Here, we are going to explore natural ways to deal with HPV and cervical changes.
Promoting Cervical Health Through A Holistic Approach
While mild cervical dysplasia and HPV can clear on their own, taking a proactive approach can give you peace of mind while you wait for your next follow-up. Four main areas can help you reduce the risk of cervical cancer progression and support cervical health.
- Nutrient Composition
- Inflammation and Oxidative Stress
- Stress and Immunity
- Vaginal Microbiome
Nutrient Composition
Research shows that most women have one type of nutrient deficiency, most particularly vitamins A, D, B12, and selenium. The problem is that most of these nutrients are essential for optimal immunity and cervical health.
Ensuring a balanced and well-varied diet plays an important role in cervical health, emphasizing the consumption of organic fruits and vegetables to reduce the risk of pesticides.
Recently, a supplement was introduced that includes most of the nutrients needed to support your immune system naturally. This hpv supplement for women is called PAPCLEAR. Now, there are a couple of nutrients that are worth emphasizing, and those are folate and beta-carotene.
Folate
Folate is a vitamin from the B complex that is crucial in DNA formation and cell division. A study where women supplemented with 5 mg per day of folate had a regression in their cervical dysplasia by 52%. With these promising results, supplementing with folate may provide an advantage for women who want to improve cervical health.
To increase your folate intake, include dark leafy greens, beans, peanuts, sunflower seeds, whole grains, nutritional yeast, and liver. If you want to supplement, you can take 5 mg of methyl folate per day and 1,000 mcg of vitamin B12 (sublingual).
Beta-Carotene
Vitamin A is a powerful antioxidant that can help reduce inflammation and potentially reduce the risk of cervical cancer. Evidence suggests that a dietary intake of beta-carotene is strongly associated with a lower risk of developing cervical cancer.
For a daily dose of this powerful nutrient, include carrots, broccoli, cantaloupe, mango, and squash. You can also supplement with beta-carotene supplements at about 3,000 mcg per day.
Inflammation And Oxidative Stress
Oxidative stress is when there is an increased number of free radicals. These can happen due to poor nutrition, being sedentary, too much stress, and poor sleep.
While the body has a natural way to help reduce these free radicals, called antioxidants, sometimes they are too much to handle, leading to increased inflammation.
Now, the body can handle low levels of inflammation. They can help protect the body from infections and illness or even support the healing processes. However, the problem relies on having too much inflammation.
There is a connection between inflammation and cervical health. It seems that high levels of inflammation can increase the risk of poor cervical health and decreased immune function.
Besides having a healthy low in ultra-processed foods and high in natural ingredients, there are a couple of supplements that can provide an extra protective layer.
- Selenium Studies show that supplementation with selenium can help reduce the risk of certain types of cancer. You can take 200 mcg daily if You want to supplement.
- Glutathione (GSH). A powerful antioxidant that can reduce inflammation, support detoxification processes, and repair the cellular damage caused by oxidative stress. However, GSH does not absorb well in the body, so the best way to increase its levels is to take a NAC supplement. The recommended dosage is 300-900 mg NAC thrice daily.
- Green tea extract. Green tea, especially its active component, EGCC, is a powerful antioxidant that can help promote good cervical health. But, green tea may not provide the needed dosage to help improve cervical health. In this case, supplementing with 500 mg of EGCG may provide all the possible health benefits.
- Curcumin. Evidence suggests that curcumin has anti-cancer properties and causes regression of premalignant lesions in the cervix. To supplement, take 500 mg of curcumin and 20 mg of piperine (from black pepper).
- Indole-3-Carbinol (I3C). This component made from broccoli contains anti-cancer properties. The recommended dosage is 100 mg of DIM and (or) 200 mg of I3C.
Stress and Immunity
Stress affects the immune system greatly. Adding adaptogens is one way to give additional protection against stress. Adaptogens are natural herbs or spices that help the body deal with stress. The most common options are listed here.
- Ciriolus Versicolor (Turkey tail) extract
- Rhodiola
- Holy basil
- St. John’s wort
- Lemon balm
In addition, you can add other stress management techniques along with adaptogens such as meditation, yoga, and breath-calming exercises.
Vaginal Microbiome
The vaginal microbiome plays an essential role in reducing The risk of HPV infections as a good vaginal microbiome can help increase immune function. Key strains for improving vaginal health include L rhamnosus and L reuteri. Incorporate a vaginal probiotic supplement such as Pro-Fem that contains these strains.
Sources
Asemi, Zatollah, et al. “Effects of Long-Term Folate Supplementation on Metabolic Status and Regression of Cervical Intraepithelial Neoplasia: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial.” Nutrition, vol. 32, no. 6, June 2016, pp. 681–686, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nut.2015.12.028. Accessed 22 Aug. 2021.
Carlo La Vecchia, et al. “Dietary Vitamin a and the Risk of Invasive Cervical Cancer.” International Journal of Cancer, vol. 34, no. 3, 1 Sept. 1984, pp. 319–322, https://doi.org/10.1002/ijc.2910340306. Accessed 6 Oct. 2023.
Garcia, Francisco A.R., et al. “Results of a Phase II Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial of Polyphenon E in Women with Persistent High-Risk HPV Infection and Low-Grade Cervical Intraepithelial Neoplasia.” Gynecologic Oncology, vol. 132, no. 2, Feb. 2014, pp. 377–382, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ygyno.2013.12.034. Accessed 21 Aug. 2019.
Jiang, Shengchao, et al. “Global, Regional, and National Estimates of Nutritional Deficiency Burden among Reproductive Women from 2010 to 2019.” Nutrients, vol. 14, no. 4, 16 Feb. 2022, p. 832, https://doi.org/10.3390/nu14040832. Accessed 26 Feb. 2022.
Rataan, Aseel O., et al. “Potential Role of Selenium in the Treatment of Cancer and Viral Infections.” International Journal of Molecular Sciences, vol. 23, no. 4, 17 Feb. 2022, p. 2215, https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms23042215. Accessed 7 Sept. 2022.
Zaman, Mohd S., et al. “Curcumin Nanoformulation for Cervical Cancer Treatment.” Scientific Reports, vol. 6, 3 Feb. 2016, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4738284/#b9, https://doi.org/10.1038/srep20051. Accessed 7 Dec. 2020.
Zhang, Salina, et al. “Cervical Cancer Screening: What’s New? Updates for the Busy Clinician.” The American Journal of Medicine, vol. 131, no. 6, 1 June 2018, pp. 702.e1–702.e5, pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29408216/, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amjmed.2018.01.020. Accessed 24 June 2020.
