Fungi & Parasites
Your Body
with Shireen Masani
Journey Through the Immune System Part 7:
This is our final dive into some of the stressors our immune system faces on a day to day basis, which will wrap up this particular series. To summarise, I will conclude this with a video you can watch to see some bacteria and fungus at work. As discussed previously the viruses will be too small to detect.
Fungi
What is fungi? Well in the body it definitely isn’t a fun-guy! It is a collective word to describe yeasts, moulds and dermatophytes (I will expand upon this shortly).
Fungi exist as single celled organisms or chains of cells (multicellular organisms). Mycelium is the vegetative part of fungus which consists of a network of fine white filaments. These filaments that branch out are known as hyphae. These hyphae are important for growth, they absorb nutrients from the terrain or to produce enzymes breaking down these nutrients.
Yeasts - these are single celled organisms. More commonly known as thrush (candida albicans), common after the use of antibiotics, as the medication has killed both good and bad bacteria. In our last post we discussed our relationships with pathogens, yeast is an opportunistic type of pathogen. We all have some yeast and this is normal, however when the yeast gets a chance to over produce and become pathogenic, it causes health issues as it begins to block or use our nutrients to survive. It also releases a type of alcohol within us which makes us less tolerant to drinking alcohol and sometimes can leave us feeling a bit giddy, even if we haven’t consumed any alcohol. Hyphae forms are harder to clear as they attach to the structures they inhabit. The yeast also blocks the body’s ability to use biotin, which is a vitamin that can stop the yeast turning from a capsule form into a hyphae form.
Moulds - These are multicellular organisms, sometimes referred to as mycotoxins when talked about in health communities. We are all familiar with houses with mould, particularly the black mould which is very destructive to our health. Other forms of mould we consume come from our food/drinks. Certain foods like peanuts and coffee contain aflatoxins. These are moulds that grow on the plant due to the environment they come from. If we have a healthy detoxification system, low stress load, strong immune system, good genetics and no health burden, we might clear these relatively well and not be effected. If we have mould in the house, any other burden, adds to this and gradually levels within us increase and that is when these aflatoxins can create serious health issues. Living in the U.K. we are highly likely to have damp houses. Any form of water damage in a house which hasn’t been correctly dried using dehumidifiers can lead to mould, remember you do not have to see it for mould to be an issue. Mould illnesses can range from allergies, sinus problems, cognitive issues, asthma, other respiratory illness, neurological issues (headaches, mood issues, depression, anxiety, memory loss), nosebleeds, weakened immune system and the list goes on. Like with fungus, mycotoxins will disrupt how we absorb nutrients, they can block our own enzymes in our body (this is how it can affect the nervous system) and as they can live in biofilms, they become much more challenging to address.
Dermatophytes - this fungi group uses keratin to grow. Keratin is a fibrous structural protein found in hair, nails, calluses and the outer layer of the skin. Dermatophytes are a group of 3 types of fungi that commonly cause skin issues in humans and animals. They are also able to invade hair and nails.
Parasites
A parasite is an organism that is host dependant in order to survive, grow and multiply. Parasites can carry disease and therefore infect their host e.g. malaria. Parasites can vary in size, in actual fact 70% are not visible to the human eye.
Endoparasites are those which live inside their host e.g. worms. We also have intracellular parasite which can also include bacteria and viruses which live within the cell.
There are 3 main types of parasites:
Protozoa - These are single celled, found in soil, fresh water and oceans. They can form cysts meaning they can create a protective shell in order to survive a harsh environment. However, they can only reproduce within a host. Common forms are Giardia, Entamoeba histolytica, Malaria, Trichomonas vaginalis.
Helminths - this is a parasitic worm. These can live in tissues, blood or the intestine, their life cycle is egg, larva then adult worm. Common forms are roundworm, tapeworms, flukes, trichina spiralis and pinworms.
Ectoparasites - Unlike endoparasites like above, ectoparasites live on their host rather than inside. Common forms are, lice, fleas and ticks.
Symptoms of parasitic infection vary greatly, as there are so many different parasitic infections and depending on location, it can trigger differing symptoms. Some symptoms that might occur are:
Skin issues - rashes, bumps.
Loss of weight
Increased appetite
Food poisoning like symptoms: abdominal pain, diarrhoea, vomiting
Anaemia
Allergies
Fever
Aches and pains
Sleep disturbances
Now the exciting bit…. If you are interested in seeing yeast, parasites and bacteria in the body, I have created a little video showing you what it looks like using a microscope with samples of blood, using a technique I use with clients called live blood analysis.
If you have any questions regarding this or any other post I have written, please feel free to contact me at health@intrinsic-wellness.com
Health Tips:
Address your internal terrain, to ensure you have a good balance within. A balanced internal terrain, is not as attractive to parasites and fungi.
We all have some parasites, however when like anything, if there are too many, they begin creating health issues. This is when we need to dig deeper to clear the problem. Just taking anti parasitic type medication, herbs or supplements, only potentially kills what is there in that moment. If you do not work on the environment within, then parasites will keep coming back. Working on the environment within, means, eating whole foods not processed e.g. plenty of vegetables, in order to feed the good bacteria. It also means, ensuring you are digesting your food groups like carbohydrates, proteins and fat properly, that you have the right pH for your digestive system, urinary system, blood etc. Good stress management is also key for a healthy environment within and also ensuring you reduce your toxic load, from cosmetics, the quality of air we breathe, eating organic foods and making sure we take time to surround ourselves with nature and loved ones.
Yeast feeds off sugary, refined carbohydrates. Reducing these can cause yeast overgrowths to die off, however if there are no sugars, the yeast can adapt it’s metabolism and use other macronutrients (fats/proteins), although before this it can hijack your mind and crave refined carbohydrates, making it difficult to break the loop. As above with parasites, working on cleaning up the environment within us is key to creating a balanced relationship with yeast.
Shireen Masani D.M. Dip. M.sc mBANT CNHC N.T is a BANT and CNHC registered nutritional therapist. She has an extensive background in natural and holistic medicine. Her journey as a practitioner began in 1999 when she trained and gained her diploma in Remedial massage with the Association of Therapeutic Massage. Aware she could help her clients more by acquiring further knowledge and skills, she went on to gain diploma’s in Cranial Sacral Therapy, Manipulative Science, Applied Kinesiology, Emotional Freedom Technique, Wrist and Ankle Acupuncture, Energy Medicine (Reiki & Seichem) to a Master level.
After running a successful practice for several years, Shireen experienced her own debilitating health issues and spent many years on a journey to regain her health, after having been bed ridden for 7 years. This led to further training at the College of Naturopathic Medicine where she studied Nutritional Therapy and later went on to study Live and Dry Blood Microscopy. Shireen has also completed training to an advanced level in Dr Klinghardt’s Autonomic Response Testing, Thought Field Therapy and Psych-Kinseology.
Alongside working with clients, Shireen is also a Clinical Supervisor for the College of Naturopathic Medicine and a mentor for Holistic Practitioners and Students.
Shireen believes everyone was born to reach their full potential supported by optimal health, emotional stability and a phenomenal mindset; determined in her practise to guide her clients to create the space to manifest a supportive lifestyle and environment. Through her clinic ‘Intrinsic Wellness,’ a business she created to help empower, educate, and reconnect her clients back to their deserved right to feel well - emotionally, spiritually, mentally and physically. By using a multi faceted approach Shireen has a unique insight and ability to be able to help clients with complex cases using her dynamic 360° outlook and helping to create harmony between the mind, body, spirit and environment.