Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) is associated with abnormal pap smears, cervical dysplasia, and cervical cancer.  Certain strains of the virus are more likely to cause cervical cancer than others; however, a person is likely to aquire numerous strains of HPV, and the more sexual partners one is exposed to (directly or indirectly) the more HPV strains to which one is exposed.   At least 60% of both men and women have been exposed to and/or are carriers of HPV; that percentage increases signficantly with direct or indirect exposure to additional sexual partners (past or present).  

HPV can express itself within weeks to months of exposure, or may remain dormant and not cause problems until decades later.  Once a man or woman has the virus they have it for life.  It may not ever cause problems, but screening a woman with a pap smear is critical for cancer protection.   HPV is almost the entire reason yearly pap smears are done on women.  There are very few other causes of cervical dysplasia or cancer.  Cervical dysplasia (or abnormal pap smears) is a very common condition, an issue I dealt with daily when I practiced gynecology.  (With men, HPV is usually not a problem, but may be expressed by genital warts or penile cancer, and a good phyical exam is usually enough to detect this early.)

Cervical dysplasia (pre-cancerous condition of the cervix) and cervical cancer are conditions that cause much distress to the women who are diagnosed with this condition, and prior to the vaccine there were only a few things one could do to influence the expression of the virus.  We know that oxidative stress (emotional and physical stress, cigarette smoking, and a depressed immune system) increases the liklihood of HPV expressing itself and causing cervical cell abnormalities.  Alternatively, a healhty immune system, decreased stress, and antioxidant vitamins are associated with a decreased risk of HPV expression.  (In my practice I saw complete regression of cervical dysplasia and carcinoma-in-situ using high dose grape seed extract, in combination with a full-range vitamin and mineral supplement program.  At the same time, I treated the disease according to standard of practice, …e.g., LEEP cone biopsy, etc.)

The quadrivalent human papilloma virus (HPV4) vaccine has been widely available for about a year or so, and about 25% of girls aged 13 to 17 have received at least one of the three doses necessary to immunize against this common virus.   The time to immunize girls against the virus is BEFORE any sexual activity begins.  Therefore, it would be prudent to vaccinate a girl between the ages of 11 and 12.  This is not a tacit endorsement of teen sexual activity, but a preventative health issue.  (Once a woman has contracted HPV, which could occur even with first sexual contact, the time for vaccination is past.)

Cervical cell abnormalities can occur at any age.  I am in favor of this vaccine, as actively protecting women to decrease the risk of a women contracting cervical dysplasia and cancer can only be a good thing.

When I practiced medicine as a board certified Ob/Gyn in Atlanta, Ga., I recommended a high-quality, full-spectrum multi-antioxidant, chelated mineral supplement brand to my pregnant patients.  In addition, I suggested they take highly purified fish oil capsules, extra calcium-magnesium, and an over-the-counter iron tablet to complete what I felt was a fully rounded prenatal nutrient regimen for the mother’s and baby’s optimal health.

Studies indicate that most prescription prenatal vitamins do not adequately release the folic acid (folate) they supposedly contain.   Most prenatal vitamins do not have a full-range of minerals; and what they contain is usually not in what I consider adequate amounts.  Pregnancy is a time for extra calcium (on the order of 1000 to 1500 mg per day) and magnesium (on the order of 200 to 600 mg per day), not the relatively small amounts contained in prenatal vitamins. 

It wasn’t until the last 4 or 5 years that it has become standard to put pregnant women on DHA (an omega-3 fatty acid) supplement for the development of the baby’s brain and eyes (among many other benefits).  This was something that I was recommending to my patients well over 12 years ago.  It only became ”acceptable” for doctors to do this once a pharmaceutical company marketed DHA capsules to Ob/Gyn offices, as if anything done outside of what’s provided by a pharmaceutical company is “alternative medicine,” ….a topic for another day. 

Although a pregnant woman needs to be careful about fish oil capsules, as organic residues and PCBs can be a problem, I only recommended a supplement brand that I knew was “pharmaceutical grade.”  Fish oil capsules do not need to be produced by a pharmaceutical company; the nutritional supplement brand that I recommended to my patients follows Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) that were designed for the pharmaceutical industry, and are producing pure and potent supplements, including fish oil capsules.

The fish oil that I recommended to my patients is highly purified through a double distillation process, and free of PCBs and organic residues.  (Needless to say, the capules are free of mercury and other heavy metals that can become a problem by consuming fish.)   My general recommended dose of fish oil was at least 2000 mg per day; though I preferred my pregnant and lactating patients to bump that level up to 4000 mg per day.

One last concern that I’ll mention at this time, and that is the fact that, according to laboratory analysis of prescription prenatal vitamins, most prenatal vitamins lack adequate iodine levels or they are highly inconsistent in the levels of iodine they contain.  Most prescription prenatal vitamins have the minimum level of iodine (150 micrograms per day) that is required for pregnant and lactating women listed on the label; however, when analyzed the TRUE AMOUNT contained in the tablets was found to be much less!

Fetal thyroid development and functioning is dependent on adequate dietary intake of iodine by the mother.  This, in turn, is critical for the brain functioning and normal neurological development in the newborn.  It has been shown that even a modest iodine deficiency can adversely affect the development of the baby’s cognitive development.  Mild to moderate mental retardation, or developmental delay are very possible outcomes due to an iodine deficiency.

The Institute of Medicine recommends a daily intake of 220 micrograms per day during pregnancy (the amount that is in the broad-spectrum essential multi-antioxidant and chelated mineral supplement regimen I recommend), and 290 micrograms per day while breast feeding.   The World Health Organization recommends a flat 250 micrograms per day during both periods of pregnacy and lactation.  

Iodine deficiency is the leading preventable cause of mental retardation worldwide, affecting more than 2.2 billion people.  Only 28% of prescription prenatal vitamins and 69% of over-the-counter multi-vitamins marketed in the United States even listed iodine as an ingredient on the label.   This is concerning enough, and the fact that most do not even have the stated amounts of iodine within the tablet (from 50 to 76% of what is stated), is even more evidence that everyone needs to find a supplement brand that they can trust.