Between the Lines

Wielding Microbe Against Microbe, Beetle Defends Its Food Source,
(Oct. 10, 2008)

New Sequencing Technique Could Boost Pine Beetle Fight, Improve Cancer Research (Sep. 29, 2009)

Parasite Causes Zombie Ants To Die In An Ideal Spot (Aug. 13, 2009)

Visualizing Brain Invasion by a Fungus (Apr. 27, 2010)

Efficient Consumption Of Copper Allows Fungus To Infect The Brain (Feb. 9, 2007)

HIV-Related Death: Predicting Fatal Fungal Infections (July 4, 2009)

Killer Fungus Threatening Amphibians (November 24, 2009)


All of these headlines, taken from the ScienceDaily website are specifically about fungus, however, are diverse in the biological chain and have further implications than the average person realizes.

One article focuses on how a particular insect secretes a fungus to feed its larvae and an antibiotic-producing bacterium to fight the fungus of a potential enemy mite. To some people this means nothing, but looking at overall potential "...this suggests the antibiotic could have broad-spectrum activity against other fungi and parasites, a possibility the team is now investigating. And the discovery of a novel antifungal compound is especially exciting because many of these agents can serve double-duty as anticancer drugs," says, University of Wisconsin-Madison evolutionary biologist and symbiosis expert, Cameron Currie.1

Focus on the mountain pine beetle unearths a new approach to halting the epidemic in the Northwestern U.S. and British Columbia. This article researches the fungus that attacks the pine trees in these regions turning the wood of the pine a bluish color, which then attracts the beetle, rendering the wood less marketable in the building sector. Studying the function the fungus' makeup can help the timber industry and also, according to Dr. Steven Jones, Head of Bioinfomatics at the BC Cancer Agency’s Genome Sciences Centre, “This study has much wider research implications. What we learned from assembling the draft sequence of a fungus, we can now apply to sequencing human genomes...We're now using this novel approach to decode cancer tumours.”2

The fungus Cryptococcus neoformans is known for causing meningitis and encephalitis, yet isn't harmful until it leaves the blood stream and enters the brain. Through new intravital microscopy scientists may see how the fungus enters the brain. Once the fungus stopped from traveling through a capillary, it is pushed by a protein urease into the brain. A team of researchers from the University of Calgary, Canada, suggest "...that therapeutics that inhibit urease might help prevent meningitis and encephalitis caused by infection with Cryptococcus neoformans."3

There are innumerable articles that justify plainly why some people believe the fungus theory to disease. Reading researched articles can unveil so much in the scientific world, yet sometimes its what isn't said that says so much more.


1 University of Wisconsin-Madison (2008, October 10). Wielding Microbe Against Microbe, Beetle Defends Its Food Source. ScienceDaily. Retrieved May 24, 2010, from http://www.sciencedaily.com? /releases/2008/10/081002171921.htm
2 University of British Columbia (2009, September 29). New Sequencing Technique Could Boost Pine Beetle Fight, Improve Cancer Research. ScienceDaily. Retrieved May 24, 2010, from http://www.sciencedaily.com? /releases/2009/09/090915154851.htm
3 Journal of Clinical Investigation (2010, April 27). Visualizing brain invasion by a fungus. ScienceDaily. Retrieved May 24, 2010, from http://www.sciencedaily.com? /releases/2010/04/100426212910.htm

Toxins, Microbials, Fungus, Oh My!

Fungus, toxins, and microbials should not be treated as one. They would probably be offended, because they are technically different organisms or the byproduct of organisms.

To set the record straight - a fungus is a single-cell or multi-branched organism that lacks chlorophyl and vascular tissue, toxins are the poisons produced by any organism, and microbials are bacterias, parasites, or other tiny, living organisms.

At BioActive we tend to include toxins and microbials in the broader category of fungus, which is not accurate, but is a little catchier to the ear than microorganisms. We like to say, "You have fungus," which means there are more negative organisms in the body than positive, and the body is reacting to the overgrowth or overpopulation of those organisms.

The meaning of "You have fungus" also includes the symptoms a person feels, whether its sinus infection, yeast infection, arthritis pain, brain fog, lethargy, and so on. Relief from these symptoms would mean eating a low carb diet, exercising, getting enough sleep, drinking plenty of water and taking supplements to push the body to the positive side of the health scale.

So, when hearing "You have fungus," it encompasses many different topics in regards to health by BioActive Nutrients' standards. Keep in mind, most people have negative bacteria, parasites or other organisms in their system. Its just a matter of keeping the body more positive than negative.