Fungal Culture shows YEAST
Mayo Clinic fungal culture came back as:
YEAST, not Cr. neoformans, not Cr. gattii, and not C. Auris
MANY
Anyone else have this and if so, was it treated?
Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the MAC & Bronchiectasis Support Group.
Every fungal culture I have had since being on antibiotics showed candida but no action was ever taken. Finally, I asked them to stop testing
Do you have any symptoms?
Ten years ago, when my lungs were full of mucus, the test came back as candida. ID doctor said, "we don't treat that anymore". I found "Candida Cleanse" on line and used it. 6 months later, my lungs were clear again.
It is possible that the tests have become more specific, but the treatments have not. It won't hurt to try cleaning out with the treatments available. I also use Dr. Tobias Lung cleanser, but there are other popular products used by many in the support group.
I took a quick look at Dr. Tobias Lung Cleanser on Amazon. There was a statement about talking to your doctor before taking any supplement. I am wondering, has anyone in this group discussed this product with their doctor?
I'll repeat my tired, old advice about supplements - look for independent evidence that the products you are about to take are:
1) Safe, 2) Have demonstrated effectiveness & 3) Are pure & of the advertised potency. Curious about Dr Tobias Lung Cleanser, I looked up the individual ingredients to see whether these are known to help lungs, and what drugs each might interact with.
Vitamin C 125 mg (fairly low dose) available everywhere
Menaquinone - this is Vitamin K2 - is it deceptive to list like this? Most people get plenty from their diet.
Butterbur - MAY help allergic rhinitis. Interacts with Rifampin (1 of the Big 3)
Quercetin - MAY be anti-inflammatory, no mention of lungs. Interacts with antibiotics and blood thinners.
Bromelian - Enzyme, slows clotting, may cause allergic reaction if other plant/pollen allergies. No mention of lungs. Interacts with antibiotics and blood thinners.
Citrus Bioflavonoids - Help body process Vitamin C. No mention of lungs, no stated interactions.
Feverfew - MAY help migraine, lungs not listed, slows clotting, may cause allergic reaction if other plant/pollen allergies. Interacts with blood thinners and drugs metabolized by the liver.
Stinging Nettle - May help with osteoarthritis, may lower blood sugar. No mention of lungs. Interacts with diuretics, lithium, blood thinners and anti-diabetes meds.
Pine Bark - May help asthma, knee osteoarthritis. Increases immune reaction. Interacts with blood thinners, immunosuppressants and anti-diabetes meds.
Cordyceps - May shrink some tumors. Stimulates immunes system. Interacts with blood thinners and immunosuppressants.
Whew! That little exercise took me about an hour. What I learned was there are a number of vitamins, herbs and enzymes in this supplement, but none is especially recognized as helpful for "cleansing" lungs. And that many of the ingredients could potentially interact with prescription medications, some of which I have taken.
What to do to cleanse your own lungs safely? Use lung medications, or or inhaled, as prescribed. Use saline nebs to loosen mucus followed by rigorous airway clearance. Drink plenty of water and eat a healthy, varied diet to get the nutrients you need. Exercise to maintain or improve lung efficiency and keep secretions moving.
Sue
Thank you for that good information! I am a faithful airway clearance patient; so important! I'm waiting for a response back from my doctor about the yeast findings but to your knowledge, is yeast generally not treated with medication?
Thank you Sue for your dedication to this group and the time you took to research this particular product. Seeing how you went about the process provides an example so that I can answer these kinds of questions for myself in the future. Much appreciated!
If yeast becomes very troublesome, it is sometimes treated with an antifungal. In my case, it was always treated as an "insignificant finding" except for a few times when I developed fungal sinusitis or fungal pneumonia (we were rehabbing a very old house and got a bad exposure.)
Sue
how about rinsing out mouth with water after using inhalers especially those with steroids???
Very good advice. And an excellent reason to take a minute to read the directions with each med.
Sue
Be sure the water does not contain NTM though😒