CERVICAL CANCER WAS once a common
cause of death for American women, but
the increased use of screening tests over
the past 30 years has cut the death rate
in half. Still, in 2015 about 13,000 new
cases of invasive cervical cancer were
diagnosed in the U.S.; 4, 100 women were
expected to die from the disease in 2015.
All women are at risk for cervical
cancer, which occurs most often in those
over age 30. The cervix is the lower, narrower end of the uterus that connects
with the birth canal (vagina). Cancer
begins when healthy cells in the cervix
mutate into abnormal cells.
There are no early symptoms for cervical cancer. Symptoms of advanced cervical cancer include abnormal vaginal
bleeding or discharge, and pain during sex.
A Pap smear is a routine screening
test for women that can find changes in
the cervix before cancer develops, and
can also find cervical cancer early, in its
most curable stage. Young women should
get a first Pap smear at age 21, then have
the test repeated every two years.
HPV causes most cervical cancers
Researchers believe that more than
99 percent of cervical cancers are caused
by human papillomavirus (HPV). HPV infections are the most common sexually trans-
Listening to
your body’s
deeper
messages
Cervical
Cancer
Awareness
Month
By Laurie Gardner
SEVERAL YEARS AGO, during my busiest
time at work, I got a bad case of the flu. “How
can you do this to me?” I complained, as if my
body were something separate and against
me, instead of part of me. Then, while lying
flat on my back in bed, it hit me: My body was
trying to tell me something important. I had
been overriding its warning signals time and
again, until I finally collapsed. Now I was lis-
Let’s say you’re low on energy and have
been for a long time. I coach many people
who tell me they feel perpetually exhausted.
One client had a physical issue with her thy-
roid. However, another, who had been unem-
ployed for several months, discovered that he
was depressed. Only after he asked his body
whether there was a deeper issue beneath his
desire to stay in bed all day did he get better.
Is this temporary or permanent,
and how can I get through it?
Let’s say you enjoy jogging for exercise,
but your knees have begun hurting when you
run. A key question would be “Did I injure
my knees, or am I getting older, so my body
cannot perform the way it used to?”
Depending on the answer, you will have a
different approach to adjusting your activities and routines.
me, instead of part of me. Then, while lying
flat on my back in bed, it hit me: My body was
trying to tell me something important. I had
been overriding its warning signals time and
again, until I finally collapsed. Now I was lis-
for your
health
Body
©
OS
TILL
/S
H
U
T
T
ERS
T
OCK
The next time
you feel as if your
body is letting you
down, stop and
listen to any
deeper messages
it might be trying
to give you.
tening, and I understood: Not only did I need
to slow down and rest until I healed, I needed
to rebalance my workaholic, stressful lifestyle.
The next time you feel as if your body is
letting you down, stop and listen to any
deeper messages it might be trying to
give you. To hear your body (which is
ultimately about hearing your own
gut instinct and inner wisdom),
go to a quiet place with no distractions and get into a position
where you feel relaxed. I like to
check in with my body first thing
in the morning, after my alarm
rings, but before I get up.
Ask the following questions, and
see what answers naturally arise. You
might be surprised by how much information your body will tell you when
you are open to listening.
Is this just a physical issue,
or is something deeper
going on?
