Lakeshore Gaurdian Column July 2010

We moved to Arizona to see if the dry air would help her and she came down with cocci (known as Valley Fever). She was taking Fluconazole for five years but is now allergic to it. Now the cocci has disseminated outside the lungs and into her chest wall.  This is the second time this has occurred.

The doctor wants to put her on IVs  and use a drug to combat the fungus. We haven’t seen the infectious disease doctor yet, but could olive leaf kill this type of fungus? Do you know if I’m crazy for wanting to use this as opposed to using their drugs? Can you please give me any specifics regarding success for people who have Valley Fever (cocci) that has disseminated? A friend has given her a bottle of olive leaf extract. She is taking 4 pills a day. Should she be taking nine capsules a day? Would that help? Thanks so much!

Tom 

A Tom, these are relevant and great questions. As readers know, my middle name is controversy and self treating a systemic fungal condition is controversial; it may be dangerous as well. Very few physicians understand the magnitude of fungal diseases. My friend Dr. Costantini, with the World Health Organization (WHO), taught me that sacroidosis was a fungal disease. Your suggestion that her sacroidosis might be linked to mold is unheard of within the halls of medical science, but I believe it allows you a better understanding of why her condition is now as serious as it is. Unless her initial exposure to the mold that might have contributed to sacroidosis is eradicated, this mold can disseminate throughout her body.  Fungus suppresses the immune system, so she becomes more vulnerable with exposed to other fungi like Coccidioides immitis, the fungus that causes the serious disease, coccidioidomycoses.

There are eight known anti-microbials in olive leaf and they work synergistically, so to take one is generally useless without taking the other seven. If your olive leaf is whole leaf, it may help her because obviously the whole leaf would supply all 8 of the anti-germ properties. Having said this, however, if her condition is currently to the point that the doctor is recommending intravenous anti-fungals, I’d listen. These potent prescriptive anti-fungal drugs can saves lives and at the hospital we used to give them intravenous on occasion. 
 
In answer to your question, “yes” olive leaf has been proven to be a very, very potent fungicidal in Petri dishes, even killing anthrax bacterium. But if her condition is serious, I’d talk to the doctor about immediately getting the IV’s that he is recommending and taking the olive leaf extract. Again, her diet becomes very important also, as fungi parasitize man and as dominant partners in the human cell/fungal cell relationship, they must be fed carbohydrates and sugars constantly in order to thrive. Generally the person with a fungal infection, be they mild or severe, finds themselves craving breads, pasta, sugars and often alcohol without knowing that they have these craving as an end result of a fungal infection. I like your doctor’s opinion! This may require some big guns for a few months.

Q I have an over-active thyroid and Graves disease. I have been prescribed the medication Methimazole. The doctor suggests burning the thyroid with radioactive iodine. I would like to know what other options I have. Thank you! 

Helen

A Helen, Methimazole is used to treat an over active thyroid gland. Of course, my first question to any diagnosing physician is always, “why is my thyroid over active?” As you will hear, there are several valid reasons why this might occur, but you won’t hear this one and it might be relevant; 

This I believe is often the case. Unfortunately, physicians are not taught this, rather they learn to diagnose and treat health problems based on symptoms alone. This disregards, “the cause” such as I have hypothesized above. I believe that most of us would much rather know the cause than treat the symptom the rest of our lives.

Rather than drugs with side effects and radioactive isotopes, I’d ask my doctor if I could run a little experiment.  Ask him if he might assist you by prescribing Diflucan 200mg, a bloodstream antifungal medication, for 30 days. Ask him if you can take one daily for 3 days, then one every 3rd day thereafter for the month. Again, the most important part of this experiment is to follow a diet that might literally starve these living fungal parasites from your body. Eat what they don’t! A diet rich in grass fed meats, salads, wild fish, vegetables (corn is a grain, not a vegetable), green apples, berries and cherries, grapefruit, nuts (no peanuts) and plenty of carrot juice and water should have your doctor and you thrilled in 30 days. The TSH levels should be on their way back up with these simple and safe approaches. I’ve found that this rarely cures hyperthyroid conditions, but it may offer what is called a “differential diagnoses.” More concentration on ridding your body of fungus might help in the long run. It can take months or years to eradicate deep fungal conditions like those that would impregnate endocrine glands. 

Q I am a 76 year old female. At the age of one, I developed spots on my leg the doctors declared as psoriasis until I was 72. A dermatologist did a biopsy on it and told me it was not psoriasis but a massive group of warts. I did the very painful freezing on every spot every month for a period of five years. Three of the very smallest spots were removed, but two of the larger ones will not budge. One is the size of a quarter and the other is about two inches long and thick and crusty. I would like to know if you can offer some help. I have the HPV virus which was detected by the biopsy. I am at my wits end and I have tried every natural remedy and nothing helps. Please help me!

Joan

A Joan, thank you for your inquiry. 75 years is certainly a long time to be suffering! First, let’s ask your doctor to diagnose this condition. A diagnosis of “a massive group of warts” means that’s how it appears under high power microscope. I’d want to know why it appeared in the first place! Let’s look at one type of wart, plantar warts that grow on the feet. This might give you a clue as to “the cause” of your 75 year old condition. Plantar warts are uncomfortable growths that are (thought to be) caused by the human papilloma virus (HPV) which thrives on warm, moist surfaces such as those found in swimming pools, locker rooms, and bathrooms. Does this sound familiar? You bet it does. Fungus also thrives in warm, moist surfaces! And fungi can be frozen off of the skin, also! If they have grown too deep, freezing helps little as it cannot eradicate the root, so it will grow back. I’d imagine that the smallest warts on your leg were more superficial growths (known to also be a characteristic of fungus as in ring worm) than the largest.

If I were your doctor, I’d prescribe Lamisil, a bloodstream antifungal, which seems to work very well on skin fungal conditions. It may take 6-8 months but it is worth it to many patients. You might expedite the healing by following our Kaufmann 1 diet. You are currently 76 years old. I’d make every effort to become 77 years young with perfect skin. Many people taking bloodstream antifungal medications notice many other symptoms clearing simultaneously. Given how this has bothered you for so many decades, I’d get this approved by your doctor and give it a go!