Household items may save millions with cervical cancer

[elehhhhna]

Aug. 2, 2007, 8:57PM
Household items may save millions with cervical cancer

LONDON — A cheap method to detect cervical cancer using vinegar, cotton gauze and a bright light could save millions of women in the developing world, experts reported Friday.

The study, published in The Lancet medical journal, found a simple visual screening test to look for the early signs of cervical cancer reduced the numbers of cases by a quarter.

"This is a landmark study," said Dr. Harshad Sanghvi, medical director at JHPIEGO, an international health organization affiliated with Johns Hopkins University. Sanghvi had no connection with to the Lancet study.

Cervical cancer is largely preventable. It causes about 250,000 deaths every year and is the second-most common cancer in women. Nearly 80 percent of those women are in the developing world.

The visual screening test is done by a nurse or trained health care worker who washes a woman's cervix with vinegar and gauze, using a speculum to hold it open.

After one minute, any precancerous lesions turn very white and can be seen with the naked eye under a halogen lamp.
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/world/5023689.html

[Lars39]

1. Vinegar and speculum? Together?

Ouch. :yoiks:

[WinkyDink]

2. Not as "ouch" as cervical cancer, I'd wager.

[Lars39]

6. Oh, definitely!

I just had a cringe moment. :hi:

[VLC]

3. That method will never catch on here.

Too cheap and accessible.

[Le Taz Hot]

5. And Big Pharm will be sure and warn

us that this had not gone through exhaustive studies nor been approved by the FDA so therefore IT MUST BE DANGEROUS FOR US!

[VLC]

7. Not to mention that if they're using it in FOREIGN countries

it can't possibly be as good as what we do.

[ellenfl]

8. i don't think they should bring up fda approval. that will

probably push more people to use this simple method. we need home kits!

ellen fl

[Le Taz Hot]

4. We have forgotten the healing powers

of vinegar. I had the WORST case of athletes feet (and hands -- I won't go into detail but it was GROSS) I've ever seen. Tried everything from OTC to prescription meds. Nothing. Then someone told me to dilute vinegar in warm water (1 cup vinegar to 1 gallon water) and soak my feet and hands. I did this three times a day for 2 or 3 days. It absolutely worked! Best cure for athletes feet ever. Vinegar kills all fungus.