Folic Acid and Cervical Dysplasia

Pleasantly surprised by a patient yesterday who told me their MD(medical doctor) told them to take folic acid and vitamin D for their cervical dysplasia before returning for a follow-up Pap smear!

Of course as an ND (naturopathic doctor), that would be at the top of my list when a woman comes to me with an irregular Pap smear result, along with nutrition and lifestyle changes.

What exactly is dysplasia and what does a Pap smear do? A Pap smear takes a sampling the cells on an area of the cervix and then these cells are looked at with a microscope to determine their abnormality or if it is cancer. Dysplasia just means cellular changes.

Dysplasia is a great example of what preventative medicine can do, because in almost all cases it is a preventable disease. The HPV (human papillomavirus) causes virtually all cases and this virus is sexually transmitted. Many co-factors serve as 'co-carcinogens' in the development of the cellular changes such as smoking, nutrient deficiencies, oral contraceptive use, and immune deficiency. This is where ND's are fabulous. We can advise patients about what they can do about these cofactors.