Fungus yeast and mold are all the same thing producing devestating effects. They are all the same thing. Mushrooms are a fungus and because they ferment, a mold.

Peachy. Then I've been toxic since I was a child.

Fungus is mold. You had the predisposition since you were a child to get CFIDS. lol

Yeah ... I did. All along I was home brewing the Perfect Storm. Gotta get to Shoemaker next year.

I wonder what the connection is with mercury and mold. Does mercury cause your body to become more susceptible to mold?

I have to say that the MMS will kill anything anaerobic in your system. I'm going on my forth day and still feeling okay. Did I say that I believe in the science? It makes sense to me and I'm a pretty cynical person.

Oh Sharon, that SOOO does not surprise me! I was told fungus and mercury tend to go together ... I didn't realize that fungus = mold!

See, it just goes to show ya, we need to get tested for these things. I'm sure you had no idea you were toxic with mercury. How awful is this! Well you have one answer to one question. Good for you for going after this, Ruth. Since you were a kid huh? Oh, brother. I'm only sorry that you weren't able to do something about it sooner! Maybe you are on your way to some healing now. I'm praying for you. Love, Darla

Do NOT freak! Fungus is mold, mildew, slime molds, and yeast. The stuff makes up about 8% of the earth's biomass, so you're in it and it's in you just about all the time. It is NOT all bad stuff. You like cheese? Fermented milk. Beer? Made with yeast. Bread? Yeast again. Mushrooms, btw, ARE fungi. They don't grow it. They are it. And I like 'em on my pizza!

So then you come to what fungus does. Mainly, it eats. EVERYTHING. Anything that decays, rots, or decomposes is fungus lunch. It's a vital part of the life cycle. And it competes. For space and food, like any other life form. It has natural weapons - mycotoxins. And fungus pooh - volatile organic compounds (VOC's.)

So what does that mean to you? I dunno. Fungus has a lot of ways to dine, and mainly that question is answered by your own body.

If you are immune-compromised (as with HIV/AIDS or transplant patients), it can colonize and kill you. If you are not immune-compromised (I mean in that way) it'll still have lunch on dead skin cells. So you get nail fungus, or dandruff, or tinea versicolor - which are annoying, but won't kill you. If you have breast implants, it can grow in or around them, and you get..ta-dah...fibromylagia.

If your immune system is in higher gear, you end up with allergies. Some people go MCS, but nobody knows the mechanics of that just yet.

If you are of the genotype that cannot excrete mycotoxins, you end up with CFS or its lovely neuro-immune brethern - but only IF you've been exposed sufficiently. (And fungi are not considered to be the only cause - just one that is known now.)

If you have none of these problems, but are swimming in the stuff, it can still cause problems. Mycotoxins such as aflatoxin are controlled by the FDA and rated as potential bioweapons by the Dept. of Defense. Enough of the right mycotoxins delivered the right way would cripple or kill most any human. Others are classed as antibiotics (That is what 'antibiotic' means, btw - the class of fungi that kill stuff.) One guy's miracle drug is my ticket to perdition. And maybe your ticket to candida overgrowth.

My best advice on this is, educate yourself! I always suggest "Mold Warriors' as the starting place. The doctor who wrote it is leading the clinician pack on this topic. There's also a new book out on biotoxin disease in women with implants, but I haven't got the title yet.

You will also find, if you search the standard literature, a whole lot of naysaying going on. However, the most readily available stuff was commissioned by industry for the purpose of financial risk management - sometimes using government funding or retired government officials to make it sound more impressive. This is now the subject of an ongoing GAO investigation, so don't get too impressed with the fancy names.

(And for heaven's sakes, DON'T expect anything good from the CDC on this! There are definite reasons why this whole investigation is taking place, and you probably won't like them any better than the industry-paid defensors like this investigation.)

DISCLAIMERS: I am not a physician. I am not a mycologist. I am not a toxicologist. Nobody pays the freight for my activism but me. As a dedicated activist, I am always open to discussing this issue further and trying to make sure more people understand it.

This is quite an interesting discussion. Recently I went to my Naturopath with a rash that started on my side (I thought it was dry skin at first but then it started growing and spreading) she told me that I have a fungal infection on my skin. The only thing she told me to do to get rid of it was Tea Tree Oil. Has anyone ever had this happen? I have never had anything like this happen to me.

There's also a new book out on biotoxin disease in women with implants, but I haven't got the title yet.

Serena if you think of the title of that book will you pass along the title to me. Thanks.

Th book on implants is the new one by Susan Kolb, M.D. I'll ask for the title. I don't know if it's available online.

This skin fungus thing - just ask the naturopath to identify it for you. Tea tree oil is an antifungal - but one I've found I can't tolerate full strength even though it's in the shampoo I (ahem) occasionally get to use. Sometimes, oil of oregano is used instead. If that doesn't work, sometimes you get stuck with a systemic. They can be tough on the liver, which is why some doctors try to avoid them unless there's no other way. Used to be, there was a stinky topical made of sulphur. It worked great, but I haven't seen that around in years now. Still you probably ought to get it identified first, so you know what you're dealing with.

On Dr. Kolb's recommendation I am taking the Miracle Mineral Supplement. I have a systemic fungal infection and I don't have a clue what it is. MMS will kill anything it does not discriminate. I also read in Jim's book that you can use it topically as well. I'm going to call and see if I can order her book through her office. By the way I continue to get better but I'm not a 100%. Still I worry it won't last.

I meant MMS kills all pathogens and leaves the good stuff alone.