If you're a girl, a great way to help yourself not get cervical cancer is by getting the new HPV vaccine, Gardasil. The vaccine prevents contracting the strains of HPV that cause the most cases of genital warts and cervical cancer.
Hopefully, within a generation, we'll be able to eliminate an entire kind of cancer. Every girl who can get the vaccine, should go out and get it (well, when insurance covers it). My mom is looking around for the cheapest way for my sister and I to get it.
The controversy about the vaccine is only in regards to it being for an STD. In my opinion, that's the best reason to get it, because you can never know if someone has HPV (unless they tell you), and you can still contract it unwittingly. I hope that eventually it is a mandatory vaccine like the vaccines for Hepatitis, measles, or mumps. Its better for everyone if any disease can be eliminated.
It doesn't guard against every strain of HPV, nor every strain that causes cancer. Just keep that in mind.
~C
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Did you read my post? I said that it works against the strains that cause the most cases of genital herpes and cervical cancer.
Common sense is as rare as genius. ~Emerson
To be "progressive" you must be accurate. Unfortunately, besides the fact that this only protects agianst some of the HPV strains, there is no vaccine yet for herpes, so your statement "works against the strains that cause the most cases of genital herpes" is incorrect.
The best bet for prevention of herpes are comdoms that cover al of a man's skin, and (eventually, after it's approved) the seaweed (careengenan) VivaGel undergoing clinical studies now (funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates foundation) as a topical that acts as a way to block transmission of the virus. In the meantime, there is a seaweed based gel available which works. You can order it from www.natropractica.com (I am not this company, don't worry just a person with a bit of personal experience).
You are confusing genital herpes with genital warts. They are two different things caused by two different viruses.
"The vaccine, Gardasil®, protects against four HPV types, which together cause 70% of cervical cancers and 90% of genital warts." http://www.cdc.gov/std/hpv/STDFact-HPV-vaccine.htm
So yeah, they cause the most cases of these two diseases, but the vaccine doesn't work against all strains that cause these diseases. In your blog, you said that we should be able to eliminate this type of cancer within a generation. Since the vaccine does not protect against all the strains that cause cervical cancer, this probably won't happen. Additionally, suprising as it may be, there are other causes, however rare, of cervical cancer. So chances are that it won't be completely eliminated, and we certainly don't know the long term effects of using the vaccine.
~C
Visit my blog.
You're right, sorry, it is genital warts, not genital herpes. And I swear, no one is seeing the part in my post where I stress that it doesn't work against all strains. And I said "Hopefully" it would be eliminated within a generation, not that it would
Common sense is as rare as genius. ~Emerson
Warts, not herpes, sorry for the mix up.
Common sense is as rare as genius. ~Emerson
Actually, my friend just started to get hers and the doctor made sure that she got it. Even when she was iffy, the doctor called her mom in and pushed for it. So, even if it's not mandatory, it's being pushed around here.
On the last blog, thanks for letting me know it was 3 shots. I haven't heard about it in a while. :-)
See what no one else sees. See what everyone chooses not to see... out of fear, conformity or laziness. See the whole world anew each day! ~Patch Adams
I am totally in support of the vaccine but I dont think it will eliminate the cancer. It only works for the most common strands of the virus. Also, there are economic barriers as well as religious differences to contend with. It is a great start but by no means is it a surefire cure.
Milk--belive it or not. Some vitamin in it, I think it is E, but I'm really not sure. I am sure that milk does help prevent cancer.
Milk is fortified with Vitamin D to help with the uptake of Calcium, which was a problem in the past (rickets), especially in industrial towns where children would not get out in the sun enough. I'm not sure if that's the vitamin you're referring to or not...
Where'd you hear this, though?
~C
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Apparently the initial purpose of this post became perverted somewhere along the way, because what I was trying to do was introduce some hope about someday being able to ALMOST (for all you nit pickers) eliminate an entire form of cancer.
Common sense is as rare as genius. ~Emerson
Well, you could've just ignored my initial post. Then you wouldn't have to worry about your blog being 'perverted'. I'm skeptical about the vaccine. It's great in theory, I'm just not sure how good it'd be in practice. Medical science is like that. Who'd have thought that hormone replacement therapy would cause cancer?
~C
Visit my blog.
I've never heard of a vaccine that causes cancer. And the vaccine already works in practice. That's what they prove in years worth of drug trials, that a medicine, treatment, or vaccine works.
And I have a feeling that you don't know the meaning of the verb "to pervert" used in this context. It means "to misinterpret or miscontrue"
Common sense is as rare as genius. ~Emerson
Of course you don't know of a vaccine that causes cancer. I'm sure 50 years ago, people wouldn't have imagined that cigarettes could cause cancer. People thought that they were a good thing. There are plenty of vaccines, medications, and whatnot that undergo clinical trials, get put on the market, and then get recalled because they do more damage than good. It's only been 5 years since they started the clinical trials for Guardasil. Maybe you're ok with that, but I'm still wary about it.
~C
Visit my blog.
I just had to put my 2 cents in on this topic.
Without jumping on the HSV/HPV oops there too much. This blog is incorrect in the information but a good start. Gardasil works to prevent infection from 4 different strains of HPV. 2 that can cause cervical cancer and 2 can cause genital warts.
I would also like to point out that not all cases of cervical cancer can be linked to the HPV virus. Many of them yes, but not all.
There is no test for HPV in men. Most of them do not even know they have it so they are unable to tell you.
Gardasil is a step in the right direction for women's health and this is a hot topic to debate right now not only because of it's sexual link but because it is a new and untried vaccine.
You would make a more convincing arguement if your information was more precise and if you seemed to have researched the virus in question.
If you would like more information on HSV or HPV you can talk to the people over at yoshi2me.com they are very knowledgable on both viruses as well as other STD's.
Good Luck
I wasn't making an argument. Just providing information (however unintentionally incorrect).
Common sense is as rare as genius. ~Emerson