If you’re gay and you know it clap your hands. AND THEN READ THIS!

Happy Cervical Health Awareness Month! Wait. What? January is Cervical Health Awareness Month.  As an M.D. specializing in HPV, how can I not spend some time honoring such an important health topic.

HPV, the virus underlying genital warts and anal cancer in men, is one of the most commonly treated areas in my office.  Even though much of the HPV talk in the news is concerned around women and cervical cancer, there are many concerns that affect men.

Are you gay?  Or bisexual?  According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, you are 17 times more likely to develop HPV-related anal cancer than heterosexual men.  Why?  Well, anal cancer is one hint.  Also, “men with weakened immune systems, including those who have HIV, are more likely than other men to develop anal cancer.  Men with HIV are also more likely to get severe cases of genital warts that are harder to treat.”

In a study from 2011, it was found that more than 50% of men over the age of 15 have been infected with HPV.  The study also stated that “each year roughly 6% of men will contract a new infection of the strain that is most associated with cervical cancer in women — HPV 16.”

It’s important to know that although the overall rates of cancers are declining, the National Cancer Institute states that HPV cancers are on the rise.

PLEASE come see me if you have any questions or concerns about HPV, or if you notice anything abnormal about your body.  You can ask me anything.

I’ve saved many lives and will continue to spread the word to educate my patients, friends, family and the internet.   Don’t be afraid.

I got you!

— Dr. Dale

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HPV & Cervical Cancer: What You Should Know

Hi friends - this is an informative article on the HPV-cervical cancer connection.  Read this please, and if you have any concerns concerning protection, please come see me in the office or email me privately.  I got you. -- Dr. Dale

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When a woman's Pap smear—a test for detecting precancerous or cancerous cervical cells—is abnormal, and she is diagnosed with human papilloma virus (HPV), she may feel pretty worried. After all, each year, American women develop more than 20,000 HPV-related cancers. Cervical cancer is the most common, but HPV is also associated with other cancers such as vulva, vaginal, penile, anal and throat cancer.

While a HPV diagnosis is troubling—and certainly nothing to take lightly—in most cases, there is no need to panic. The HPV virus appears to be able to "clear" on its own in young, healthy women, so a woman who receives an abnormal Pap one year may have a normal one the following year. “At least 80 percent of young women will be HPV positive at some point,” says Mary Jane Minkin, MD, clinical professor at Yale School of Medicine’s Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences and author of A Woman's Guide to Sexual Health. In other words, most instances of the virus won't progress to full-blown cancer.

Still, no one can assume her body will clear the virus—particularly women ages 30 and older. Additionally, while most types of HPV resolve spontaneously, certain strains of the virus are more likely to persist and cause precancerous cell changes that can lead to cervical lesions. So the more you know about HPV and how to avoid it, the safer you’ll be. Below are ways to guard yourself against this ubiquitous sexually transmitted infection.

Get vaccinated. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved two HPV vaccines. Gardasil protects against four strains of the virus (out of more than 100), says Minkin: “The high-risk ‘baddies’ are strains 16 and 18, which account for about 70 percent of cervical cancers.  Strains 6 and 11 are responsible for yucky warts. That’s why Gardasil protects against those four.”

The other vaccine, Cervarix, protects against HPV 16 and 18 but not HPV-related warts. Both are given in three injections over six months.

“All kids—girls and boys—need to be immunized,” says Minkin. Both vaccines are approved for ages 9-25. It’s best to get the vaccine before becoming sexually active. Some insurance plans cover the vaccines, as does Medicaid, and both manufacturers also offer help for those who can’t afford them (about $130 per dose).

The vaccines are not approved for people over age 26 because studies have not shown them to be effective in older people, but women 26+ can protect themselves by getting regular screenings for HPV, following up on abnormal results, having limited sexual partners (one, preferably), and making sure any sexual partner is infection-free.

Read more: http://www.eveningtribune.com/article/20140121/NEWS/301219922/2153/LIFESTYLE#ixzz2rTxtcmUH Read more: http://www.eveningtribune.com/article/20140121/NEWS/301219922/2153/LIFESTYLE#ixzz2rTwioMAK

For the sake of good breath... and colon cancer!

Friends, if bad breath isn't enough to keep you brushing at least twice a day, here's another reason. -- Dr. Dale

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Colon Cancer Linked to Mouth Infection?

http://www.webmd.com/colorectal-cancer/news/20130814/colon-cancer-linked-to-mouth-infection-gum-disease

WEDNESDAY, Aug. 14 (HealthDay News) -- An infection from a common type of mouth bacteria can contribute to colorectal cancer, a new study suggests.

The bacteria, called Fusobacterium nucleatum, can attach to colon cells and trigger a sequence of changes that can lead to colon cancer, according to the team at Case Western Reserve University School of Dental Medicine.

The researchers also found a way to prevent the bacteria from attaching to colon cells.

"This discovery creates the potential for new diagnostic tools and therapies to treat and prevent the cancer," lead investigator Yiping Han said in a university news release.

The findings show the importance of good oral health, said Han, a professor of periodontics. She noted that levels of F. nucleatum are much higher in people with gum disease.

Although the study found a possible association between oral infection and colon cancer, it did not prove a cause-and-effect relationship.

The study was published in the journal Cell Host & Microbe, which also contained another study from a different research group showing how F. nucleatum can speed the accumulation of cancer cells.