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Michael Jordan and Fungus 25 June 2011

I started playing professional basketball in a sleepy little city called Nelson at the top of New Zealand’s pristine South Island in 1998. Nelson was better known for it’s pottery, art and beaches than it’s basketball but that would change with time. Four years earlier, someone else started playing professional basketball at a level the world had never seen before. Michael Jordan joined the Chicago Bulls in 1984 and changed the game forever.

In his first season, Jordan averaged 28 points. The next season he scored 63 points in one play off game against the Boston Celtics. In 1987 he was voted the NBA defensive player of the year. He had everything- unparalled offensive and defensive skills and an incredible desire to win. The problem was, he didn’t have a championship. He was doing everything right but still wasn’t getting the results that he wanted or deserved. There was something missing.

It’s sometimes exactly the same in recovery from illness. You know you have a fungal problem. That’s obvious. You go on a low sugar diet and take some anti-fungals and you feel fantastic. You celebrate and have one small piece of chocolate and all your symptoms come crashing back. You are doing everything right but not getting the results. Something is missing.

Jordan’s results changed when three things were added- Scottie Pippen, Horace Grant and Phil Jackson. Jordan needed some assistance and he obtained it from players who shared his vision and a coach with a plan to get them to that vision.
Many of my patients have had the experience of doing everything right but losing everything as soon as they relax even slightly. In this case, the mystery needs to be solved. Doug’s programme is not about perfection, it’s about direction. If you have to be perfect then something has been missed. Life is about health and discipline but it’s also about being able to relax occasionally.

So it’s time to understand the concept of the wave and the threshold. Draw a wavy horizontal line. That represents our lives. Sometimes we are very disciplined, sometimes we aren’t so much (like when we have an Easter Egg or a glass of red wine over Easter). Now draw the threshold line above the wavy line- this line represents where we get symptoms if we cross it. Ideally we want to have a low wavy line and a high threshold line, which is never crossed. Many people don’t adopt simple daily disciplines for their health and have a high wavy line that constantly crosses the threshold line. That’s easy to fix- drop the wavy line lower. However, some have both a low wavy line and a low threshold line. Unless they are perfect, their wavy line crosses the threshold line.

The key to success here is identifying the factor(s) that cause that threshold level to be so low. In my experience, here’s the top 4:

1. The copper: zinc ratio- copper has some essential roles in the body but needs to be kept in check by zinc. Too much total copper, too much free copper or copper not balanced by zinc makes it very difficult to eradicate yeast. High levels of copper are frequently associated with mood and behavior disorders and cause hormonal chaos. They have been associated particularly with PMS, post-natal depression and behavior disorders in children. Copper is known as the “emotional mineral”.
2. Mercury- the World Health Organisation has stated that our greatest exposure to mercury comes from dental amalgams. The International Academy of Oral Medicine and Toxicology proved that mercury leaks out of the amalgams constantly and accumulates in the rest of the body, especially the gut. Mercury both damages the gut wall and impairs the immune system. It is almost impossible to eradicate the symptoms of yeast in someone with an elevated body burden of mercury.
3. Hypothyroidism- Endocrinologist Broda Barnes found that low thyroid function was associated with a low basal body temperature. The journal Science Daily reported on Dec 30 2010 that researchers at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine had discovered that a body temperature of 98.6 F (37C) “strikes a perfect balance- warm enough to ward off fungal infection but not so hot that we need to eat constantly to maintain our metabolism.” Low thyroid function is also associated with iodine deficiency. Iodine is used by the thyroid gland to make thyroid hormone but also kills germs and cancer cells.
4. Parasites- undiagnosed (or ignored) parasites such as blastocystis and dientameoba destroy the gut defense system making it difficult to eradicate pathogenic yeast from the gut. Research has also shown that the parasites carry viruses which make them more pathogenic.

If you are doing everything right and still not getting the results, find yourself a good coach who can help you identify the factors dropping your threshold level. Hang out with the friends that will support you in your journey. Michael Jordan went on to win 6 championships, there is no reason why you can’t either.

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