Searching for a knowledgable doctor

Caryn is one of those patients who comes in with a stack of bloodwork from previous doctors visits, a list of the supplements she currently takes and a somewhat suspect view of what she’ll actually be able to accomplish talking to another doctor. Now 55-years-old, her peri-menopause symptoms started at about 49 with brain fog, heavy periods and moodiness the main symptoms. As a busy, healthy and active mom and executive, she was confused and taken by surprise. Her periods had never bothered her and she got pregnant easily, with no issues after each pregnancy.

Caryn shared with me that it was her primary care physician who first explained what was going on, tested her hormones and, ultimately, prescribed hormone pellet therapy. While she initially felt her symptoms subside, as time went on and she became more knowledgeable about hormone supplementation, she wasn’t sure she’d made the right decision. Both the $1200/year cost and the inability to adjust the dosage once inserted gave her pause. She eventually changed doctors and ended up on a bio-identical compounded hormone cream of estrogen and testosterone with oral progesterone at night. This solution worked pretty well for a couple of years and was also less expensive.

About 18 months later Caryn’s annual Pap smear came up positive for HPV – a recurrence of an initial infection she had at 23-years-old. Because it had been so many years since the initial occurrence, she’d completely forgotten about it. Her OB/GYN recommended a follow-up pap at six months and caused some general anxiety after questioning her use of hormones, in particular, estrogen. While she didn’t supply any research connecting supplemental estrogen with HPV recurrence, she advised stopping supplementation while the problem was being addressed. Six months later the Pap smear still showed signs of dysplasia so she recommended a LEEP surgical procedure to remove a significant amount of tissue (but no other suggestions for addressing the issues). In fact, there have been studies showing an increase in recurrence around menopause, according to this article on   – perhaps due to hormo

She also noted that if the next Pap smear didn’t show improvement, Caryn might need to consider a hysterectomy.

Once the word “hysterectomy” was mentioned, Caryn knew she needed additional support and ended up in my office. Luckily, I had seen her previously for micronutrient testing and supplemental support for her hormonal issues so we got right to work. My practice, Shalva Clinic in Westport, CT and New York City, is known around the world for our holistic cervical health processes and our success in clearing HPV infections using Escharotic Therapy. This treatment uses bromelain, a natural enzyme, applied to the surface of the cervix and left in place for 15 minutes during which time it dissolves the top layer of cells that are infected with the HPV virus. A couple other solutions are used to support these processes, including at-home use of green tea suppositories between treatments.

Initial Tests

·       I didn’t have to order any tests for Caryn since I had her bloodwork and Pap results from her OB/GYN

Follow-up

Caryn had six total treatments in our office, during which time I took pictures of the progression of healing I could see on her cervix. She also used a soothing green tea suppository in between visits, 3-5 times a week at bedtime. She remained off her bio identical estrogen but continued with the testosterone, progesterone and her supportive supplements including a probiotic, and  HPA Axis support which contains a multitude of adrenal adaptogenics – great for stress relief.

Lifestyle

I didn’t have to make any lifestyle changes for Caryn since she already exercised regularly and ate a well-balanced diet full of plants and some well-raised meats.

Three-month follow-up

All subsequent Pap smears have shown no evidence of HPV and no on-going treatment will be required at this time. Caryn recently added supplemental estrogen therapy into her regime so we’ll watch to see how that works for her.

What’s it cost?

Office visit: Escharotic Therapy: initial consultation $550; $225 per treatment.

Labs: Pap smear: $50-$150 without insurance; With insurance most are covered for 1/year.

Prescriptions: Green tea suppositories: $40 / month.