Fungus:

Definition: A Plant-Like Micro-Organism That Does Not Make Chlorophyll And May Cause Infection.

Some Examples Are:
Mushrooms	Yeasts	Molds	Mildews	Toadstools	Smuts	Puffballs	Rusts

The Role Of Fungus In Cancer

By Doug A. Kaufmann

Thousands of research papers report the presence of yeast and fungus in cancer patients. The problem is that all refer to the development of fungal conditions after cancer treatment has begun. Researchers contend that cancer therapies, aimed at destroying cancer, also destroy the immune system of the patient. At this point, left without the immunity to fight disease-causing germs, yeast and fungus multiply rapidly and the patients often succumb to "secondary" fungal infections. Hence, according to cancer experts, much attention needs to focus on methods of controlling fungal proliferation while taking chemotherapy.

What if patients with cancer already had yeast and fungal infections that grew out of control when their immune systems were damaged by chemotherapy? What if a lump was found that was an ascomycete (sac fungus) that appeared to diagnosticians to be cancer? What if cancer wasn't cancer at all? I have pondered questions like these for over 25 years.

According to The Home Medical Encyclopedia, in 1963 about one-half of all Americans suffered from an "unrecognized" systemic fungal condition. My guess would be that far more Americans suffer from fungal infections today as antibiotics, hormone replacement therapies, and birth control pills continue to be consumed like candy. My point in bringing this to your attention is simple - doctors are not accurately diagnosing medical conditions. A case in point: A medical textbook used to educate Johns Hopkins medical students in 1957, Clinical and Immunologic Aspects of Fungous Diseases, declared that many fungal conditions look exactly like cancer! Whereas, we do not educate today's medical students on accurately detecting deeply imbedded fungal conditions and differentiating these from cancer, we certainly do teach them to diagnose cancer, and lots of it!

Years ago, I published the book, The Germ That Causes Cancer. I feel that cancer is one of the most maligned and misunderstood diseases of the past millennium. There is also reason to believe it is one of the most misdiagnosed maladies. When my research kept providing clues as to the real etiology (root cause) of cancer, a chapter in a book or a newsletter just didn't seem to suffice. The purpose of this article is neither to malign nor replace your health care provider's recommendations. Rather, it is to gently introduce you to a concept that is so incredible that it almost defies logic: deep tissue fungal growth may be commonly diagnosed as cancer.

The day I wrote this, a young lady phoned into my syndicated radio talk show. Her three-year-old daughter was diagnosed last year with leukemia. She believes antifungal drugs and natural immune system therapy has been responsible for saving her daughter's life. She is now telling others with cancer about her daughter's case. After hearing her story, a friend of hers with bone cancer asked her doctor for a prescriptive antifungal drug. To her delight, this medication, meant to eradicate fungus, was also eradicating her cancer. She dared not share this with her physician, telling him only that the antifungal medication was for a "yeast" infection. When she could no longer get the antifungal medication, the cancer immediately grew back. Her physician contended that a few antifungal pills surely should have cured her yeast infection. It is my contention, however, that the reason this medication worked was because she did have a yeast infection; not a vaginal infection for which this medication was prescribed, but a fungal infection of the bone that may have been mimicking bone cancer. These are well documented in scientific literature.

As you read these articles, you will see that many cancer patients find the true fungal link to their cancer only to succumb to heart disease or immune deficiency caused by traditional cancer treatment. If this case were an isolated event, it might be referred to as "coincidental." I have been able to plead with doctors of advanced cancer patients to at least try antifungal drugs for their patients. Afterwards, simply amazing reports have come forth. Several of these have been published in The Germ That Causes Cancer.

Unfortunately, many researchers and physicians do not share my passion. Getting a physician to prescribe simple antifungal drugs for a deadly disease is often impossible. The mentality seems to be, "if cancer were fungus, we'd have learned that in medical school." Couple this with what the medical industry refers to as "the standard of care", and real problems evolve. That "standard" rejects anything but chemotherapy, radiation or surgery for cancer patients. Even if physicians wanted to try antifungal therapy for their patients, doing so would, perhaps, be perceived as being at odds with the "standard of care".

A few months ago, cancer specialists declared that 30 to 50 percent of breast cancers were linked to diet and were therefore preventable. Despite this revelation, diet is still not even remotely considered as one of the "standards of care" for cancer patients. This is intolerable. Hundreds of cancer survivors have documented their remarkable disease reversals which occurred while adhering to specific diets. Those diets seem to univerally be yeast and sugar free. And is it any wonder? You see, in 1931, Dr. Otto Warburg was awarded the Nobel Prize in science for his discovery that cancer cells rapidly proliferated in the presence of fermented sugar. (Ironically, so do fungal cells!)

Albert Einstein once stated, "Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds." Certainly, I would never accuse our stethoscoped brethren of having mediocre minds; the contrary is quite true. As stated earlier, physicians are beholden to an industry in which the "standard of care" is their roadmap. Cancer failures point to a "standard" which can only be regarded as, at best, hit-and-miss, and at worse, an accomplice to such failures. With few exceptions, doctors are good, caring, intelligent individuals. Surely they will not indefinitely support decades-old therapy modalities that so frequently fail. Physicians must unite in an effort to learn why mediocrity prevails in medicine today. If a conspiracy exists against natural immune building therapies and dietary cancer control in favor of cytotoxic, (cell poisoning ), life-threatening "standards of care," physicians must expose such abominations without fear of retaliation. Physicians must take back their continuing medical education, (CME), which is most often created by drug companies who can arguably and quite naturally be biased. Moreover, the FDA must investigate whether this should be allowable at all. Shouldn't our healers and their watchdog organization be concerned about these clear conflicts of interest?

In truth, every organization who promotes a particular philosophy has bias. Bias isn't the problem. Instead, It's the monopoly of ideas in our health care system with which I take issue. Physicians have medicine as their tool. It's a valuable tool, and should be used when needed. Chiropractors and nurses and herbalists and nutritionists and naturopaths all have tools, as well. (So do mycologists!) But the tools of the latter practitioners are considered suspect, while the tools of the physicians, laden with side-effects, are considered the benchmark against which all other modalities are judged. Instead of relegating other treatments to the status of "alternative", why don't we give patients the opportunity to fully explore all possibilites, and choose any combination that is right for their situation?

This year, we published a Handbook that accompanies The Germ That Causes Cancer. It's a quick read, and may be easier to follow than the larger book. Use this information as a tool, not a replacement for their current cancer therapy. If someone you know is dealing with cancer, perhaps this Handbook will serve as a motivator and reminder that they do have options which are well-documented, and should, therefore not be considered suspect. Their physicians should be involved in all aspects of cancer therapy. Of course, their family and friends and places of worship will also be critical tools. Hopefully, we can be a source of support, as well. May our resources end up in the hands of that one special person who desperately needs this information!

References

Mycotoxins: Risks in Plant, Animal, and Human Systems. Task Force Report No. 139. Jan 2003. Council for Agricultural Science and Technology (CAST). Ames, IA.
ISBN: 1-887383-22-0. Phone 515-292-2125. [email protected]. www.cast-science.org. 199 pp.

The Fungalbionic® Series: The Fungal/Mycotoxin Etiology of Human Disease, by A.V. Costantini, et al.
Website for ordering: click here (it's best to call the number to order)

Clinical Mycology. (Chapter 30: Mycotoxins and Human Disease) Anaissie, Elias, et al. Churchill Livingstone. Philadelphia, PA. 2003.
ISBN: 0-443-07937-4. 608 pp.

Mycotoxins, Cancer, and Health. Pennington Center Nutrition Series, Vol. 1. Bray, George and Ryan, Donna, eds. Louisiana State University Press, Baton Rouge and London. 1991.
ISBN: 0-8071-1679-3. 331 pp

Principles and Practice of Clinical Mycology. C.C. Kibbler, et al. eds. John Wiley and Sons, West Sussex, England. 1996.
ISBN: 0-471-961043. 275 pp.

Fundamentals of the Fungi. 4th ed. Elizabeth Moore-Landecker. Prentice Hall. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey.
ISBN: 0-13-376864-3. 1996. 574 pp

A Practical Guide to Medically Important Fungi and the Diseases they Cause. Sugar, A & Lyman, C. Lippincott-Raven. Philadelphia and New York.
ISBN: 0-397-5186-X. 1997. 153 pp.

The Scientific Validation of Herbal Medicine. Mowrey, Dan, PhD. Keats Publishing. New Canaan, Connecticut.
ISBN: 0-87983-534-6. 1986. 316 pp.

The Following Is A list Of Natural Antifungals

Grapefruit Seed Extract (GSE): Grapefruit seed extract has been used in the treatment of human fungal infections. It is more effective at killing yeast than bleach, colloidal silver, tea tree oil and iodine (Sachs, The Authoritative Guide to Grapefruit Seed Extract, 1997). In the liquid form, it has a bitter taste and must be diluted in water or juice (carrot juice) or baby's milk. It can be used for topical conditions as well as internal problems. There have been no side effects observed with use of GSE.
d-Limonene: Found in essential oils of lemons, oranges, grapefruit, caraway, dill, bergamot, peppermint, spearmint, grasses and tomatoes. D-limonene is among a group of chemicals known as monoterpenes. These substances have been shown to cause regression and prevention of recurrence of mammary tumors in rats (Gould. Cancer Chemoprevention and Therapy by monoterpenes. Environmental Health Perspective, 1997. 105:5977-5979). They also have a direct tumorstatic effect, meaning they inhibit the growth of tumors, as well has the ability to block the initiation and promotion phases of carcinogenesis (Gould).
Caprilic Acid: A fatty acid derived from coconuts. Caprylic acid is safe and effective at killing yeast. Follow directions on the individual product label for correct doses.
Probiotics: Indiscriminant use of antibiotics leads to overgrowth of the normal intestinal yeast, which may either initiate problems or compound existing symptoms. By replacing the normal intestinal flora, yeast overgrowth may be inhibited. Probiotics are these normal flora, and include such species as Lactobacillus acidophilus, Bifidobacteria, Lactobacillus bulgaricus and Streptococcus thermophilus, among others. These are bacteria used in making yogurt, they are the "live active cultures" you see in the ingredients. They are important for the manufacture of B vitamins. They also protect against radiation damage, cancer, eczema, acne, allergies, and digestion disorders (Chaitow et al. Probiotics, 1995).
Olive Leaf Extract: Olive leaf extract "has the ability to kill invading fungus rather than merely inhibiting its growth" (Walker, 1997). It contains a phenolic compound called oleuropein, which has antiviral, antifungal, antiprotozoal, and antibacterial properties (Walker).
Garlic: Garlic in its natural form is a highly effective, broad-spectrum antifungal (Mowrey, 1986). It can be eaten whole, cooked in recipes, ground up in a carrot juice, or taken as a supplement that offers it in its whole, albeit dried, form.
Malic Acid: Malic acid is found in apple cider vinegar. Although vinegars and most sauces are not encouraged in an antifungal diet, malic acid is antifungal. One might use a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar diluted in a glass of water to consume once or twice a day.
Undecylenic Acid: An organic fatty acid expressed from castor bean oil that, in the older days, was listed and used as a pharmaceutical antifungal agent. Today, it can be found in an over the counter form and used for the same purpose in products such as Formula SF 722 (Thorne Research). It is also used in many over the counter antifungal powders such as those used to treat athlete's foot and jock itch. It has approximately six times the antifungal activity of caprylic acid (Neuhauser, 1954). It can also be found in UGN: http://www.bioactivenutrients.com/UGN.html
Pau D'Arco: May be taken in a capsule or a tea. The bark of this rainforest tree is inherently antifungal. Follow individual product directions for proper use.
Tea Tree Oil: A topical antifungal that should never be used internally, although at one time the leaves of the tree were boiled to form a tea that was consumed in order to prevent scurvy. The oil is derived from the indiginous Australian tree, melaleuca alternifolia, and it has been used for centuries as a general antiseptic, meaning that it kills a wide variety of germs (Carson and Riley, 1998). Studies at the University of Western Australia have documented antifungal, antibacterial, and antiviral properties of tea tree oil. For skin problems, either direct, full strength application or dilution with water for washing purposes is recommended.
Carrot Juice (Carrots): An article in The Journal of Microbiology in 1988 discussed antifungal properties of carrots. Despite their carbohydrate content, which can be rather high, say, if a large carrot juice is consumed, we generally feel that the nutritional and antifungal properties of carrots outweighs this concern- enjoy a carrot juice today!
Herbs And Vitamins: Most herbs and many vitamins that display health benefits, like the antioxidants (Vit. E, A, C, Zinc, etc.), have antifungal properties (Costantini, 1998). For example, ascorbic acid (vitamin C) is added to commercial applesauce to prevent the growth of fungi in the jars and cans. We feel that this ability to inhibit fungi may be more responsible for their benefit than their mere nutritional qualities can provide alone, given the documented ability of fungi to cause disease and illness. Please note that if fungi can cause disease, it would probably not be a good idea to supplement with brewer's yeast, a common practice in the nutritional arena.

Some Others Are:
Iodine	Goldenseal	Colloidal Silver	Oxygen	Apple Cider Vinegar
Boric Acid	Clove Tea	Cream Of Tartar	Saturated Fatty Acids	DMSO**
Oil Of Oregano	Red Thyme Oil	Biotin 8000 mcg.	Barberry	Diatomaceous Earth *
Oregon Grape Root	Unsweetened Yogurt	Bentonite Clay	Coconut Oil	Cinnamon
Laverder Oil	Olive Oil	Organic Curry Blends	Ginger	SSKI