Are you scared of Black fungus? Are you scared of White fungus? Or any fungus?
Say Jai Shri Ram. Ram naam gives us strength so we don’t get scared of fungus.
Rambha taught Mahatma Gandhi to recite ‘Ram Naam’ when he was scared. Mahatma Gandhi a frail man in a loincloth walked with a bamboo stick, became so strong with the non-violent methods that he forced Brut British out of India. He continued to recite Ram Naam till his last breath.
Are you laughing at me because I am invoking Ram naam while discussing Black fungus? Do you think I am a witch doctor? Before you pass judgment, hear me out.
Past 30 years, I have treated tens of thousands of patients in my allergy and immunology practice in the USA. Check me out at these hyperlinks:
By the way, I underwent extensive training during my fellowship at the National Jewish hospital in Denver, Colorado. National Jewish Health is ranked Nation’s #1 Respiratory Hospital By U.S. News & World Report.
Let me start with an overview. We shall not fear fungi, plural of fungus, because we are surrounded by them. Fungi are in the soil, on the wall, in the air. The vast majority of people who come in contact with the fungi every day do not suffer any harmful effects.
Whether we take one bath or three baths a day, we cannot get rid of our germs, microbes. Microbes include fungi, bacteria, viruses, and archaea.
Our human body contains about 30 trillion cells. Guess how many microbes are in our body? About 39 trillion! Yes, you heard right, more microbes in our body than our own cells.
Right from the beginning microbes greet us; when we are born, we acquire many microbes from our mother’s private parts. Studies have shown that C-section babies suffer more allergies, asthma, and other health problems.
We eat about a million microbes in every gram of food; meat eaters' germs in the gut vary from vegetarians'.
Each home has a unique profile of microbes; a person’s germs in her home are different than her neighbors.
Interaction with different people in different places exposes us to different germs.
Why are there so many germs in our bodies? We need them.
Help digest our food
Train and regulate our immune system,
Protect against bad germs that cause disease by competing with them.
Produce vitamins including B vitamins B12, thiamine and riboflavin, and Vitamin K, which are needed for blood coagulation. If our microbes provide enough Vitamin B12, vegetarians might not need B12 injections.
Control the storage of fat,
Activating our genes, absorbing nutrients, breaking down toxins, and creating blood vessels.
Replenish the linings of the gut and skin, replacing damaged and dying cells with new ones.
We and microbes have created a win-win situation. They help us and we help them.
Sometimes the fungi which are living harmoniously with us cause diseases. Why? Scientists believe the following risks predisposed to mucormycosis:
Prolonged treatment with corticosteroids, such as dexamethasone
Diabetes with or without ketoacidosis
Injury to the skin through which fungus enters the body: trauma, catheters placed by health care providers
Malnutrition
Neutropenia, low neutrophils, a type of white cells
Iron overload (Do not take too much iron)
Prolonged use of broad-spectrum antibiotics
Organ transplantation
Other causes
Mucormycetes are the name of the fungus that causes mucormycosis disease.
Why are we seeing more cases of mucormycosis now? A possible scenario:
A malnourished, slim or obese patient, with diabetes, develops severe COVID-19. Next, physicians treat him with intravenous dexamethasone, a corticosteroid that increases his blood sugar which may lead to ketoacidosis. In addition, he may have been given antibiotics. When he is given supplemental oxygen, maybe the nasal cannula was contaminated with fungus mucormycetes. To his misfortune, dust from nearby construction sites and soil shower him with an extra dose of the fungus. Voila! He develops mucormycosis.
We can tell you empathetically that you will not catch mucormycosis if you are exposed to a patient with mucormycosis. Again, mucormycosis does not spread like COVID-19.
Jai Shri Ram
Jai Shri Ram
We shall not get scared of fungi. How can we improve our health? If we are healthy, we can fight infections better. How did Mahatma Gandhi keep himself healthy?
Exercise. Gandhiji walked every day, however busy he was. He would conduct meetings with others while he was walking.
Nutrition - Not eating refined food but more fruits, vegetables, dal bhat, dahi, different pulses, and beans. Rishis ate fruits, vegetables, yogurt, and other nutritious foods, only in small portions, amount placed on the leaf.
Sound sleep improves health.
We have given references on our website.
We provided this information as public service, not specific medical advice. Please continue care with your healthcare provider.
Jai Shri Ram
Jai Shri Ram
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