Hi Hamama Community!

January is Cervical Health Awareness Month & we want to highlight some of the preventative measures that you can take to help support your cervical health. According to the CDC, the most important things you can do to help prevent cervical cancer are to get vaccinated against HPV, have regular screening tests, and follow up with your doctor if your screening test results are not normal. 

The most common form of cervical cancer starts with pre-cancerous changes and there are several ways to stop this from developing. The first way is to find and treat pre-cancers before they develop into invasive cancers, and the second is to prevent the pre-cancers in the first place with regular screening tests. Screenings are done to find conditions that may lead to cancers and to detect any pre-cancers before they can turn into invasive cancer. Pap and HPV tests are used during screening for cervical cancer to determine one’s risk of developing cervical cancer. If the test is positive, this could mean a follow-up visit with your doctor, more tests and possibly a procedure to treat any pre-cancers that might be found. It’s always best to talk to your healthcare provider about your screening test results in detail to fully understand your risk of developing cervical cancer and next steps.

HPV (Human Papillomavirus) is the most common cause of cervical cancer. HPV may go away on its own, but when it doesn’t it can progress into cervical cancer. The good news is that there is a vaccine available that helps prevent HPV in the first place. According to the CDC, “Children who get the first dose before their 15th birthday only need two doses. People who get the first dose on or after their 15th birthday need three doses. The HPV vaccine series is most effective when given before a person is ever exposed to the virus.”¹ It’s important to know that no vaccine provides complete protection against all cancer-causing types of HPV, so routine cervical cancer screening is still needed. To learn more information about HPV and the vaccine, visit the CDC website here.

A 2012 study² conducted by the University of Maryland and the United States Department of Agriculture looked at 25 different kinds of microgreens. They found 4 to 40 times higher amounts of beneficial nutrients in microgreens - including cruciferous veggies - when compared to mature plants. For example, red cabbage microgreens had 40 times more vitamin E and 6X more ascorbic acid than regular cabbage. Microgreens in the Brassicaceae family contain high amounts of sulforaphane, which is a compound that may protect against cancers³. We look forward to more in-depth studies on how microgreens can play a significant role in contributing to overall health and wellness in and encourage you to explore the scientific literature!

If you’re interested in growing your own broccoli, cabbage, kale and other highly nutritious microgreens, get your Hamama Starter Kit and begin your journey of growing fresh, healthy homegrown greens today.

If you have additional questions on what you can do to help your cervical health, you can visit National Cervical Cancer Coalition or The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Sources:

1. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 
2. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry   
3. Journal of Food Science