Monthly Talk: Athlete’s Foot & Fungal Diseases
- Dr Lucky Herbal Clinic
- Jun 16, 2015
- 4 min read
Susan Vassar talked in depth about the life cycle and habitat of fungi, yeasts and moulds because when we have an understanding of their ideal living conditions it is much easier to treat unwanted fungal infections.
It was made very clear that with over 100,000 named species fungi and yeasts are an important part of our microbiota and our bodies couldn’t function without them; in essence we cannot ‘beat’ these microbes – we have to learn how to live with them. Fungal spores are everywhere and we all of us breath them in on a regular basis.
Fungi, yeasts and moulds cannot bite or chew and they cannot photosynthesize so they have to get their food from their hosts. Saphrocytes get their energy from decomposing trees by breaking down the lignan in the wood. These fungi are important for the turnover of organic matter which increases soil fertility. Just imagine forests where the trees didn’t decompose when fallen… Symbiotic fungi have a mutual beneficial relationship with host. 90% of plants are associated with mycorrhiza – fungi which anchor roots of trees to the ground and deliver greater quantities of water and nutrients from the ground to the root hairs. In return the fungi have access to sugar from the plant roots.
In fact fungi can live anywhere from the arctic to the tropics. There are two things that they prefer that is, darkness and moisture.
There are four main types of fungal diseases:
1. Hypersensitivity – where the subject has an allergic reaction to mould spores breathed in from damp rooms etc. This can produce different kinds of lung conditions from asthma to hayfever where lots of histamine is produced.
2. Mycotoxicosis – which is poisoning due to the presence of mycotoxins [a group of naturally occurring chemicals produced by certain moulds. They can grow on a variety of different crops and foodstuffs including cereals, nuts, spices, dried fruits, apple juice and coffee, often under warm and humid conditions.] One example of this is St Anthony’s Fire developed from ergot poisoning derived from the the mould Claviceps purpurea ingested growing on rye badly stored in poor damp conditions, this condition give a burning sensation in the limbs, convulsions and other symptoms. Also Aspergillus flavus can be present on badly stored peanuts and can lead to liver cancer.
3. Mushroom poisoning – [mycetism] – some mushrooms contain toxic substances which produce symptoms ranging from digestive disturbance to death. These toxins are produced as secondary metabolites within certain biochemical pathways of certain mushrooms. These mushrooms should not be eaten but are sometimes mistaken for an edible species.
4. Fungal Diseases – this is not a symbiotic relationship, there is no benefit to host. Now fungal diseases are a major cause of death. Why yeasts become pathogenic when they have previously been living quite compatibility with the host is a major area of intense research the world over.
We have the yeast Candida albicans present on our skin in a non pathogenic form. This yeast is commonly present on any part of the skin which is open to the air including the gastrointestinal tract and the genitourinary tract. Candida is a single celled organism that buds then separates to reproduce. As it changes into the pathogenic form it just keeps budding without separating, and in its pathogenic form it produces enzymes which enter host cells and disable the immune system. In the non pathogenic form it just remains on the surface of the host cell.
Ringworm is a fungal infection that grows outward in a ring formation. It can be on the body [Tinea corporis] on the hand [Tinea manus] on the scalp [Tinea capitis] and on the feet [Tinea pedis] known as Athlete’s Foot. Ringworm can be spread by sharing hair brushes, towels and using communal pools and showers.
Why are fungal infections more prominent now?
1. Diet. There has been an increase in refined sugar intake, and processed food, and a rise in diabetes. Bear in mind that fungi and yeasts use sugar as food.
2. Use of steroids that suppress immune response
3. Medical invasions. Tubes pushed in, up and down you, , including surgery, pushes fungus and yeast from normal habitat into new habitat – from surface of skin into body cavity. When ‘good’ microbe gets into ‘wrong’ place it becomes pathogenic.
4. HIV and AIDS – immune system is debilitated. Most of these patients die of fungal diseases.
5. Burns. This opens warm moist tissue to fungal spores in the air.
Treatment and management
No antibiotics, no sugar, no steroids. Dry yourself properly, get out into the sunshine, have a good diet, exercise sufficiently, keep hydrated. Use sage or calendula infused in apple cider vinegar on skin affected by ringworm or athlete’s foot. Use fresh garlic, crushed in ACV, fresh garlic is a potent topical anti fungal, but also add it to your food.
Skin is part of the immune system, so take care of it. No harsh soaps which strip off anti microbial natural fats, wash bedding on 60C, go barefoot.
Professor Rook said that the trillions of bacteria in our gut have evolved with us in a way that is good for both them and us. This finely balanced mix of ‘friendly bacteria’ is called a microbiota, and it acts like an organ keeping us healthy. Antibiotics can destroy that balance, give harmful bacteria the upper hand, and make us vulnerable to a range of diseases.
‘A long course of antibiotics can contribute to getting irritable bowel syndrome [IBS], and is quite often preceded by people having had a nasty gut infection which is then treated with antibiotics.’
Recent research shows that if our gut becomes dominated by unfriendly bacteria this depresses our immune system, making us vulnerable to a range of conditions including eczema, IBS, inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and, in more recent studies, asthma.’ Professor Graham Rook Professor of Medical Microbiology, from University College London
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