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“I am the Grandmother of all growth, all growing things, all life. I am the grandmother of bacteria and viruses as well as plants and animals, fish and insects. When you throb with life these other lives live with you. When your life force ebbs, they live on you, growing grotesque without the check of your immunity.

“Do you feel proud of your sexuality my child? Your immune system thrives on true pride; and fails when subjected to blame and shame, guilt and mortification. Walk tall; smile often; be flexible, let life fill you, and you will have little to fear from most viruses you meet.”

“… for women who exhibit the earliest signs of HPV infection, the best prescription may be no treatment at all,” according to Karyn Herndon at Northwestern University Medical School in Chicago. “Three out of four women in the observation-only group lost their flat warts – a finding that suggests that the body’s immune system can drive the virus into a dormant state.”(1) Women treated with laser removal of cervical warts were twice as likely as untreated women to have precancerous and cancerous changes occur in the following years.

Having an HPV infection is “like having the sniffles,” says Anna-Barbara Moscicki, MD. “It’s an infection your body can usually handle … and get rid of.”(2) In a study of 600 sexually active women aged 13 to 21, half became infected with HPV over a 10 year period; 70% of those women did not develop lesions or warts at all, and only 10% of those who did have lesions were diagnosed with cervical cancer.(3)

Many of the papilloma viruses are non-contagious, but some – especially those that give rise to plantar warts and genital warts (HPV) – are not only contagious, but widespread and stealthy. They are resilient enough to live outside the body. Shed skin cells containing the viruses can remain infectious for several days in warm, moist places.(4) And symptomless people can pass HPV to others. Some of the viruses that cause genital warts are benign; others can give rise to deadly cancers.

Of the 20 types of HPV which colonize the genital area, four are known to initiate cervical cancer, a usually slow-growing cancer which is currently responsible for the deaths of more women in Africa, Asia, and India (where Pap smears are not routine) than any other cancer.(5) Several HPV are implicated in penile and rectal cancer as well. HPV is the most common STD in the USA and Europe, with more than six million new cases a year in the USA.(6) At least 50%, and probably closer to 100% of all non-vaccinated sexually-active people will be infected over their lifetime. During a three-year study, 40% of a group of female college students acquired HPV infections.(7) Fortunately, only a small percentage of HPV infections generate cancer, and we can do much to insure we aren’t in that small percent.

Once infected with human papilloma virus, you are infected for life. There is no known cure and no medically-approved treatment. The best strategy is to nourish the immune system.

Homeopathic Thuja is a “ground remedy” for the genitals, and is especially indicated when there are genital warts.(8) Higher dilutions, such as 30C, are best.

While there is no food that prevents or cures HPV infections, the likelihood of warts or cancer is determined by the immune system – which can be nourished and strengthened with whole grains, well-cooked greens, roots, cabbage family plants, olive oil, organic dairy products and meats, onions, garlic, seaweed, mushrooms, and nourishing herbal infusions of astragalus, burdock, and nettle.

St. Joan’s wort (Hypericum perforatum) is a natural antiviral. One of its alkaloids, pseudo-hypericin, kills HIV. But ingesting it in concentrated form causes hypersensitivity to sunlight, making it useless as a drug. Fortunately, the tincture of the fresh plant – even in large, frequent doses – counters viruses without triggering sensitivity. Avoid capsules or teas; they can cause sensitivity. When I feel the need to prevent a viral infection, I use one dropperful of Hypericum tincture in a little water three or four times a day for a few days. When I want to treat viral infections, I use one or two dropperfuls in water every hour or two until symptoms abate, and continue at a lower dose until I no longer need it.

Lemon balm (Melissa officinalis) and hyssop (Hyssopus officinalis) are mint family plants with antiviral constituents which are especially effective as salves.

Celandine (Celadonium majus) juice is the most effective way I know to remove external genital warts. It is safe, painless, and easy to use if you live where evergreen celandine grows – in Europe, in North America, from Nova Scotia to Georgia and west to Missouri, throughout Europe, and in waste places in temperate-zone cities. The fresh sap from leaf stalks or the root works fastest, and best, but topical applications of tincture are somewhat effective, too.

American mandrake (Podophyllum peltatum) is the acknowledged queen of external genital wart destruction. This poisonous plant is used in a concentrated form – Podophyllin – as a topical treatment. Although plant-based, Podophyllin can cause severe side-effects, including burns that scar, fatal reactions, and birth defects or fetal death if used during pregnancy. To prevent damage to healthy tissues, all skin except for the warts must be thoroughly covered with petroleum jelly before it is applied, and the Podophyllin must be wiped off before it penetrates too deeply, usually within one to four hours. Weekly treatments over six or more weeks are the norm. A less concentrated, and thus safer form – Podofilox – is available by prescription for use at home. (But trichloroacetic acid is safer, and celandine is more fun.)

Eastern white cedar, Thuja occidentalis, is the “tree of life.” Thuja is primarily a homeopathic remedy, but thuja tincture or essential oil applied twice a day to genital warts can “burn” them off.

Trichloroacetic acid is as effective as Podophyllin in removing warts, but less likely to leave scars or provoke severe systemic reactions, and is considered safe to use during pregnancy.(9) It is applied in the doctor’s office, usually weekly for six weeks.

Colposcopy is a close examination of the cervix with magnifying binoculars after it has been bathed with acetic acid (vinegar), which turns HPV-infected tissues bright white. You do not have to agree to a biopsy if you agree to a colposcopy; testing for HPV-DNA is better in many ways. If you do agree, biopsy forceps will be used to “chomp” out pieces of cervical tissue for microscopic examination by a pathologist.

Testing cervical cells for the presence of DNA from cancer-causing HPV is “just as effective as a biopsy of cervical tissue, with less expense,” according to researchers at Georgetown University Medical Center in Washington, DC. Screening every woman over 20 every two years with an HPV-DNA test would reduce the number of cervical biopsies by 60%, they conclude.(10) A woman who tests negative for HPV, as 45% of women will, does not need a colposcopy. If the test if positive for HPV, there’s still only a 10-20% chance that she will require treatment.(11)

“It is not known how many women who have had expensive [and painful] laser surgery or … cryosurgery are informed beforehand that the treatment is purely cosmetic and has a high recurrence rate.”(12)

Before you agree to any procedure, remember that removal of infected tissue does not remove the virus, which remains ready to recur when the immune system is at an ebb. Surgery doesn’t cure HPV, and because it is a major stress to the immune system, it can increase the chances that a given lesion will progress to cancer.

“Regardless of treatment, one in four HPV-infected people will have a recurrence within three months.”(13)

Footnotes:

1. “The cervical dilemma: Some warts may be better left untreated,” Kathy A. Fackelmann, Science News, 139: 362 3, June 8, 1991
2. “HPV doesn’t have to spell cancer,” Christie Aschwanden, Health, Jan/Feb 2002
3. Ibid
4. “Contagion: A sometimes lethal sexual epidemic that condoms can’t stop,” Jerome Groopman, New Yorker, September 13, 1999
5. “Contagion,” Jerome Groopman, New Yorker, 1999
6. “FDA licenses new vaccine …,” FDA news release, June 2006
7. “Contagion,” Jerome Groopman, New Yorker, 1999
8. Natural Healing in Gynecology, Rina Nissim, Pandora, 1984 (p. 43)
9. Our Bodies, Ourselves, Boston Women’s Health Book Collective, 1998
10. “Adding an HPV,” Cornell Uni. Women’s Health Advisor, July 2002
11. “One Way to Avoid Unnecessary Testing After Ambiguous Pap Results,” HealthFacts, May 2001
12. “Screening for Cervical Cancer,” HealthFacts, XV (136), Sept 1990
13. PDR Family Guide to Women’s Health, Medical Economics, 1994

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While majority of the world’s population are led to think that snoring is a problem exclusively of men, recent studies show that 19% of women snore. In addition, a snoring woman is just as susceptible as developing similar complications experienced by men, including sleep apnea. Sleep apnea results in sleepiness and fatigue during daytime.

A snoring woman is associated with developing high blood pressure and other cardio-vascular disease. Snoring during pregnancy is also related to high blood pressure. At this period, a snoring woman is at risk of developing a more serious problem called pre-eclampsia. A snoring woman with pre-eclampsia develops swelling of and elevated blood pressure as well as having protein in the urine during pregnancy. Obstetricians and gynecologists usually order urinalysis to be performed during the stages in pregnancy to detect if protein is present in the urine.

Additionally, other elements contribute to high blood pressure in women that result to snoring. The rise of women smokers, weight, sleeping on backs, high cholesterol, hormones, and oral contraceptives are some of the known suspects. If snoring becomes excessive in women, medical advice should be sought. Hypertension and heart disease may complicate as a result to the reduction of oxygen in the blood.

Medical attention is necessary especially for pregnant women. High blood pressure usually occurs during pregnancy because women at this stage generally put up some weight to compensate the growth of the fetus. More so, breathing during pregnancy is affected by the pressure taken on the diaphragm as the uterus enlarges to accommodate the growing baby. The reduced oxygen in the blood in pregnant women may be damaging to the fetus’ development especially the nervous system. Oxygen is an extremely vital to the developing baby and a lack of it may be one of the causes of growth retardation or even mortality. A snoring woman tended to give birth to infants with lower birth weights and Apgar (heart rate, breathing, muscle tone, reflex, and color) scores.

Another study, on the other hand, concluded that a snoring woman is associated with having a high body mass index (BMI) and also depended on her age. Depending on the BMI, other risk factors include alcohol dependence in lean women who reportedly snored as well as physical inactivity. This study showed the heavier a woman is, the more she becomes a snoring woman. Moreover, the study concluded that snoring in women peaked between the ages 50-59.

A snoring woman is more than just a nuisance, health problems could already be involved so that it’s best to visit a health professional early on.

Keeping a tab on your pregnancy week by week is a good idea, if you want to avoid unnecessary worries and anxieties. The pregnancy period usually lasts for 40 weeks. The entire period is divided into three stages called pregnancy trimesters. Let’s have a look at each stage.

The first trimester starts from week 1 and goes up to week 14. The second trimester lasts from week 15 to 26. The third trimester is from week 27 to week 40. As you approach the 40th week, you are close to experiencing labor contractions. This is the time when you should be all prepared for delivery. The third trimester is the stage of learning. You should attend classes on childbirth and nursing with your spouse so that you become better parents.

Week 1 To Week 14

The first week of pregnancy is when you are not pregnant. Doctors calculate your pregnancy from the first day of your last period. Your egg and the sperm unite for fertilization towards the end of the second week. The third week starts and your body is still ignorant of the fertilization. It is only when the egg gets implanted in the uterus that your body realizes what’s happening and then starts a series of hormonal changes making you feel something’s wrong. This happens in the 4th and 5th week. Morning sickness appears.

Week 5 to 14 is a busy time, as there is a rapid development of the embryo from a bunch of cells to a baby with distinct identity.

Week 15 To Week 26

This trimester is full of changes and development in the baby. So, continue to keep a check on your pregnancy week by week. Your baby’s ears, eyes, and other facial features become distinct. She has tiny limbs. All her organs are on the verge of development. Her heart has started pumping too. By the 18th week, your baby’s fingerprints begin to develop.

By the 19th week, if the baby is a girl, her egg cells start to develop in her ovaries. Your baby has hair all over her body and she begins to sleep and wake up. By the 21st week, the doctor can hear your baby’s heartbeats with the help of a stethoscope. And by the 24th week, your doctor can hear the heartbeats without stethoscope by putting her ear on your belly. By the 25th week, your baby’s brain starts working.

Week 27 To Week 40

By this time, you will start feeling the kicks of your baby. By the 29th week, your baby has her senses working and her lungs are able to breathe air. By the 32nd week, your baby can see, hear, smell, feel, and taste. She will change her position and her head will slide down in the next three weeks. By the 37th week, you should be prepared for signs of labor.

As you continue to keep a tab on your pregnancy week by week and enter the 40th week, the wait for your baby starts. Be ready; she can arrive any time!