TV Program House

[Karen R]

Hi all,

On last weeks episode of House a man was near death and House realized he had nodules on his hands and lungs and determined he had a fungal infection. He was prescribed Fluconazole and was fine. This is something I have wondered as being the cause of my Scleroderma, Fungal not bacterial. I have many nodules on my Thyroid, hands and body which are now shrinking. I also read somewhere that Minocin and Zithromax have antifungal properties. Maybe that is why they help us. I find that anythig that strengthens my immune system helps me, not hinders me so I definitely beleive it is not an immune system gone crazy. The immune system is fighting the fungus. I think this fungus causes nutritional deficiencies along with the ones I already had due to a poor diet. Any thoughts.

 

All the best,

 

Karen R

[Maz]

Hi Karen,

Thanks for sharing this…not much to add to this interesting information, except to say that I think you're right that there are many offenders in our diseases that cause persistence and any imbalance in the body's natural microbiota probably plays a hand in it all.

A Friend has posted information in the past about fungus and cancer, which is pretty interesting, too. I don't think all cancers are caused by fungus (e.g. H Pylori can cause stomach cancer)…but any unfriendly organisms, whether fauna or flora, can probably lead to chronic illness. They might not even be “unfriendly”…just out of balance in the body for whatever reason.

In the Winter RBF eBulletin, we included a recent study out of Finland (Aug 2008) that points to imbalances in intestinal microbiota having some effect on the etiopathogenesis of RA. With 70% of immune function originating in the gut, it probably comes as no surprise to us all here:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18528968?ordinalpos=18&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_DefaultReportPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum

Thanks again for sharing this interesting information!

Peace, Maz

 

[Kim]

Karen,

The Mino/Zith combo has always been my favorite for SD.  Another very strong anti-fungal is the grapefruit seed extract.  For years I've had slightly yellowed big toenails, but after a few months on the GSE, they are normal again.  It packs a punch so you're wise to start slow and work up.

kim

[casey]

Anyone know if grape seed extract works as an antifungal as well?

thanks.

Casey

 

[Maz]

[user=9]casey[/user] wrote:

Anyone know if grape seed extract works as an antifungal as well?

 

Hi Casey,

As I understand it, grape seed extract works more as an antioxidant. Dr S in GA/TN recommended this in one of his online chats, saying this it's a supportive adjunct for inflammation and detoxing, taken along with NAC and alpha lipoic acid.

Grapefruit seed extract is different…comes in highly concentrated drops that need to be diluted before use. This is the one that is used for fungal overgrowth. Works well, but ingested orally can bring on some hefty die-off symptoms. I found it best to start low and slow, mixing it with V8 juice. I have never got beyond 10 drops, as it can cause a bit of indigestion.

Peace, Maz

[casey]

Thanks Maz,

I have some grapefruit seed extract capsules here, (never knew you could get drops), but anyhow it says on our antifungal bottles , diflican and sporanox, that they  should not be taken with grapefruit/juice .

Any theories why  other than perhaps this combo could be harder on the liver or die-off could be severe?

And are there others out there that take them the same day but not the same time or alternate pulsing with grapefruit seed extract and dif , sporanox and/or nystatin?

Thanks,

Casey

[Maz]

[user=9]casey[/user] wrote:

I have some grapefruit seed extract capsules here, (never knew you could get drops), but anyhow it says on our antifungal bottles , diflican and sporanox, that they  should not be taken with grapefruit/juice .

Any theories why  other than perhaps this combo could be harder on the liver or die-off could be severe?

And are there others out there that take them the same day but not the same time or alternate pulsing with grapefruit seed extract and dif , sporanox and/or nystatin?

Hi Casey,

This link is pretty informative as to how grapefruit juice interacts with certain drugs. Very worth reading for all of us, as some antibiotics are included in this:

http://www.pspinformation.com/medicine/interactions/grapefruitjuice.shtml

“Enzymes in your intestinal wall and liver break down drugs into a form the body can readily eliminate. Grapefruit juice contains substances that block the action of some of these enzymes. The result is that drugs ordinarily broken down in this way could build up to potentially excessive levels in the blood.”

It's good you've brought this up, Casey, because it appears that grapefruit remains in the body for several days.

“The study showed that regular drinking of grapefruit juice can exert an effect that lasts as long as three days following the last glass, and, for some interacting drugs, one glass of juice is enough to cause problems.”

This sort of reaction cannot be put down to herx, but a blocking of enzymes in the gut that help break down some drugs. Calcium channel blockers are a widely known drug that should not be taken with grapefruit juice, but there are others, including hormone replacement therapy aka HRT:

“Drugs that Interact with Grapefruit Juice:

(from the December 2004 issue of the American Journal of Nursing)

• Antibiotics: clarithromycin, erythromycin, troleandomycin[/*:285u7w3l]
• Anxiolytics: alprazolam, buspirone, midazolam, triazolam[/*:285u7w3l]
• Antiarrhythmics: amiodarone, quinidine[/*:285u7w3l]
• Anticoagulant: warfarin[/*:285u7w3l]
• Antiepileptic: carbamazepine[/*:285u7w3l]
• Antifungal: itraconazole[/*:285u7w3l]
• Anthelmintic: albendazole[/*:285u7w3l]
• Antihistamine: fexofenadine[/*:285u7w3l]
• Antineoplastics: cyclophosphamide, etoposide, ifosfamide, tamoxifen, vinblastine, vincristine[/*:285u7w3l]
• Antitussive: dextromethorphan[/*:285u7w3l]
• Antivirals: amprenavir, indinavir, nelfinavir, ritonavir, saquinavir[/*:285u7w3l]
• Benign prostatic hyperplasia treatment: finasteride[/*:285u7w3l]

[kate murrell]

Hi Karen,

 

I have only just seen your notes about fungal implications and I agree entirely that it must play a large part in these diseases. I have RA and so many multi-symtoms have developed over the years that sometimes, my joints have been the least of my problems. I am now taking Sporanox for 1 month and after only 5 days I feel like a different person. My joints feel better but even more important to me at the moment is the fact that: I am sleeping better, I feel more 'steady', the colour has come back to my face- I don't look so pale, my gut is considerably more settled, my energy levels have risen. I am half expecting things to go wrong at any moment as I can't believe the improvement. I am also taking probiotics to take up the space the Candida must have been taking so hopefully they will be crowded out. Also not eating sugar or yeasts (or at least only small amount fruit and no bread at all) plus multi-vits minerals. I wonder if the anti-fungal is the way to go and not the antibiotic.What do you think?

[Maz]

[user=1615]kate murrell[/user] wrote:

I have only just seen your notes about fungal implications and I agree entirely that it must play a large part in these diseases. I have RA and so many multi-symtoms have developed over the years that sometimes, my joints have been the least of my problems. I am now taking Sporanox for 1 month and after only 5 days I feel like a different person.

I wonder if the anti-fungal is the way to go and not the antibiotic.What do you think?

Hi Kate,

Super to hear you're feeling so much better! Anti-fungals can be really important adjuncts to AP. Interestingly, mycobacteria are considered to be a kind of cross between a fungus and a bacteria. There is lots of info on the web about this, but they aren't to be confused with mycoplasma, which are cell wall-less. Mycobacteria lack an outer cell membrane, but they do possess a very strange cell wall that is waxy, like fungus. In fact, the Latin prefix, “Myco,” means, “both fungus and wax.”

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mycobacterium

“While mycobacteria do not seem to fit the Gram-positive category from an empirical standpoint (i.e. they do not retain the crystal violet stain), they are classified as an acid-fast Gram-positive bacterium due to their lack of an outer cell membrane. All Mycobacterium species share a characteristic cell wall, thicker than in many other bacteria, which is hydrophobic, waxy, and rich in mycolic acids/mycolates. The cell wall consists of the hydrophobic mycolate layer and a peptidoglycan layer held together by a polysaccharide, arabinogalactan. The cell wall makes a substantial contribution to the hardiness of this genus.”

Interestingly, a German physician by the name of Shardt, who treated his own Lyme disease, found that Diflucan, a systemic anti-fungal, brought him into remission. He may well have had candida, but the Shardt Protocol for Lyme is not used for the purpose of treating candida, but attacking certain pleomorphic stages of the bacterium that tend to have this fungus-like characteristic. Anti–fungals also target the P450 cytochrome, which seems to have some effect on these organisms.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15337633?dopt=Abstract

While treating candida is really important while on AP, it's probably worth noting that these bacterial forms are highly pleomorphic. They are shape-shifters that not only manage to cleverly hide from the immune system, but they change forms when under attack by antibiotics. Seems that some medications, like anti-fungals, may actually have a dual-purpose in these sorts of cases. Personally, I wouldn't come off the antiboitics, but if an anti-fungal was working for me, then I'd ask my doc to incorporate it into the protocol in a pulsed fashion.

So many “unknowns” with these diseases, eh?

Peace, Maz 

[casey]

A little more on this subject!!

Neuroborreliosis

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neuroborreliosis

Neuroborreliosis

Classification and external resources

MeSH
[1]
Neuroborreliosis is a disorder of the central nervous system caused by infection with a spirochete of the genus Borrelia.[1][/suP] The microbiological progression of the disease is similar to that of Neurosyphilis, another spirochete infection.[2][/suP] Neuroborreliosis is most often the late stage of Lyme disease, however it can also occur early during initial infection. The disease is controversial in regards to treatment, but is considered incurable by some. There are no official stages or specific identifying symptoms, however it is a progressive nerodegenerative disease. There is also no specific established way to manage symptoms, which is typical of most CNS infections. Unlike the similar spirochete infection Neurosyphilis, Neuroborreliosis does not cause (established) brain damage without immunosuppression (such as that caused by taking steroids), but rather causes progressive brain dysfunction as the spirochete load increases. Neuroborreliosis has been declared by the CDC as rarely fatal, however eventually disabling.

In 2004 German physician Fritz Schardt, specialist in internal medicine in Germany, published “Clinical effects of fluconazole in patients with neuroborreliosis” (Eur J Med Res. 2004 Jul 30;9(7):334-6). The daily protocol of 200 mg of fluconazole was a result of his own experience with neuroborreliosis and long-term antibiotics. As common to patients with a sustained antibiotic regimen, Dr. Schardt treated his resulting yeast infections with fluconazole (interview Jan Neimark, copyright 2005). Fluconazole inhibits cytochrome p450, particularly CYP3A4 (European Journal of Clinical Pharmacology,Effect of route of administration of fluconazole on the interaction between fluconazole and midazolam, Volume 51, Number 5 / January, 1997). Borrelia species, like other bacteria, require CYP 450 for metabolic processes. After a regimen of 25-50 days of fluconazole at 200 mg /day, followed by narrow spectrum penicillins such as cefalosporine, roxithromycin, cotrimTMPO, and clarithromycin, Schardt speculates that fluconazole may weaken spirochetes and enable such penicillins to kill the species, including those infecting the brain and CSF. Critically valuable to patients with neuroborreliosis is penetration of the blood-brain barrier, which fluconazole easily accomplishes (Pharm Res. 1996 Oct;13(10):1570-5, Fluconazole distribution to the brain: a crossover study in freely-moving rats using in vivo microdialysis). While his 2004 study documented 8 of 11 patients having a full recovery from neuroborreliosis one year following treatment, and three patients with greatly improved symptoms, Dr. Schardt attributes this protocol to the recovery of more than 80 patients and indicates that further refinement of the protocol is in order (Jan Neimark, 2005).

[richie]

Hi

Ontario is a hotbed of scleroderma —due to the many open pit silica sand mines etc . –In fact the Ontario health Commission ?? has made scleroderma an automatic approval for disability for any mine worker –I also believe that Cornwall has a very large open pit gravel and asphalt operation of which the primary material is silica sand

---

I would ceertainly list this as a strong possible cause !1

Richie

[richie]

Hi-

Its called the Workers Compensation Board of Ontario –they also have compiled tons of evidence linking silica and scleroderma —

richie

[casey]

Richie,

Would this be the same silica that is found in many vit/mineral supplements?

Also, do you know if silica is found in limestone and granite quarries?

Thanks,

Casey

[richie]

Hi-

I really dont know if it is the same as silica found in vitamins although there was much speculation about silica implants awhile back –limestone quarries do throw off silica not certain about the dust from granite quarries —

richie

[linda]

Richie,

Have there been any studies on what would be a safe distance to live from these quarries? I'm curious because we have a quarry on the NW side of SA, which is also the one of the fastest growing areas of pop. in TX, and the fastest growing in SA. We can't build school fast enough there to keep up with the number of students enrolled. Lots and lots of children exposed to the dust that gets into the air from this quarry. I don't know what kind of quarry it is, but it is interestingly right next to Six Flags and a golf course on the PGA tour. It's actually kind of ground zero for growth in SA.

[Author]

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