Modest Mushroom

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http://www.hsibaltimore.com/ealerts/ea200511/ea20051107.html

 

 

Mushrooms May Enhance Immunity and Lifespan

 

Modest Mushroom

 

Three decades ago, researchers began investigating a medical curiosity

among the people of Piedade, Brazil. Residents of the small community

near Sao Paulo enjoyed extraordinarily good health. They developed few

diseases and lived unusually long lives. Outsiders began to wonder

what was enhancing the Brazilians' immunity and lifespan. When

researchers went looking for an answer, they stumbled upon the

" Mushroom of God, " a small mushroom that Piedade locals ate regularly.

 

That's the first part of an answer to this question from an HSI member

named Hayden: " I have an appointment to see a Doctor here in Australia

in reference to Agaricus Blazei Murrill (ABM). He is not aware of the

product and has asked me to get some information on it and bring it

with me to the appointment. Could you please help me with some

background info on it please? "

 

As you've probably guessed, agaricus is the Mushroom of God. It was

eventually subjected to pharmacological tests that revealed components

that enhance the immune system. Citizens of Piedade didn't have to be

told about this. They'd been using agaricus for years to avoid

infection, diabetes, high cholesterol, chronic hepatitis, and

arteriosclerosis (flexibility loss in the arteries).

 

When we first told you about agaricus in the May 2002 HSI Members

Alert, we noted several laboratory and animal studies, but at that

time no human trials had been conducted. But now we have a report on

the first human testing, and the results promise that this modest

mushroom may have a very bright future - especially for cancer patients.

 

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From Brazil to Japan

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Recent Japanese research has confirmed that agaricus contains a host

of health-promoting components: vitamins B1 and B2, niacin,

phosphorous, iron, calcium, protein, amino acids, and ergosterol

(which converts into vitamin D2 when the mushroom is dried). Most

importantly, researchers discovered that agaricus contains active

polysaccharides; complex carbohydrates that prompt the immune system

to fight off bacterial and viral illnesses.

 

Agaricus stimulates the immune system by triggering the production of:

 

* T-cells, which directly attack cells that have been taken over

by viruses or cancers

* Interleukin, which bolsters the immune system by stimulating

growth and activity of white blood cells

* Tumor necrosis factor (TNF), which activates white blood cells

and fights tumors

* Macrophages, which protect the body from infection by consuming

foreign material

 

At Japan's Ehime University School of Medicine, researchers tested

ABM's impact on tumors. Twenty days of treatment with agaricus

extracts (800 mg/kg per day taken orally) significantly retarded tumor

growth in cancerous mice. Researchers determined that the

tumor-retarding agent was ergosterol, a steroid alcohol that occurs

naturally in mold and yeast.

 

In a second Ehime test, mice given the largest doses of agaricus had

significantly less tumor growth compared to mice treated with placebo.

Ergosterol was found to inhibit the development of new blood vessels

within the tumor - a process that can stop and eventually reverse

tumor growth. Agaricus therapy also produced another benefit: After 20

days of treatment none of the mice suffered any of the typical side

effects of chemotherapy.

 

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Bring in the humans

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The promising results from the Ehime University tests and other

agaricus trials prompted researchers at the Catholic University of

Korea, College of Medicine, in Seoul, South Korea, to conduct a human

study in 2004.

 

One hundred subjects with cervical, ovarian or endometrial cancer

received at least three cycles of chemotherapy. Half the group also

received three doses of agaricus supplements daily, while the other

half received a placebo. Blood samples revealed that natural killer

cell activity was significantly higher in the agaricus group.

 

Another important result: In subjects treated with agaricus,

chemotherapy-associated side effects such as appetite loss, hair loss,

emotional instability, and general weakness were all improved compared

to those who didn't receive the supplement.

 

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Thriving in extremes

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For many years, supplies of agaricus mushrooms or supplements were

scarce because growers were unable to successfully cultivate this wild

mushroom. It typically thrives in extreme conditions; intense

Brazilian sunlight, humidity averaging 80 percent, and temperatures

that soar to 100 degrees during the day and drop to 68 degrees

overnight. It was only in the early '90s that growers devised a method

of producing biologically active agaricus mushrooms.

 

Today, Japanese consumers purchase 90 percent of Brazil's agaricus

crop, so you're not likely to find fresh agaricus mushrooms in most

American markets. But a quick search on the Internet reveals that

several companies offer agaricus supplements in different forms.

Apparently no clinical trials have been conducted yet on any of these

supplements, so be sure to double check the reliability of the source

before placing an

order.

 

****************************************************

 

....and another thing

 

It's bad enough that many doctors believe they're solving health

problems by simply writing one prescription after another. But it's

far worse when they do this with inappropriate medications.

 

A recent UK poll of 2,000 women reveals that doctors tend to regard

menopause with a one-size-fits-all attitude toward treatment. Results

show that doctors spent only 10 minutes or less with 90 percent of the

women between the ages of 45 and 55. Half of these women said they

thought doctors were indifferent to their concerns.

 

And this is the statistic I found most troubling: One third of the

women reported that their doctors had simply prescribed

antidepressants to address menopause symptoms.

 

Discussing the poll, menopause specialist John Moran, M.D., told the

Daily Mail that it takes a full hour to ask all the questions required

to assess proper treatment. Most doctors, however, are much too busy

to devote more than a small fraction of an hour to their patients. The

resulting one-size-fits-all approach means that many women who receive

pharmaceutical hormone replacement therapy (HRT) end up getting the

wrong amount of estrogen.

 

The survey also showed that 90 percent of the respondents were worried

about HRT dangers revealed in recent trials. When asked about natural

alternatives to synthetic HRT, most of the women said they were

unaware of these options.

 

To Your Good Health,

 

Jenny Thompson

 

 

Sources:

 

" Natural Killer Cell Activity and Quality of Life Were Improved by

Consumption of a Mushroom Extract, Agaricus Blazei Murill Kyowa, in

Gynecological Cancer Patients Undergoing Chemotherapy " International

Journal of Gynecological Cancer, Vo. 14, No 4, July 2004,

blackwell-synergy.com

 

" Doctors 'Too Busy' to Deal with Menopause " Daily Mail, 10/17/05,

dailymail.co.uk