There are professionals who love what they do and notice. Among them is Dr. Mª Asunción Peiré García, doctor, lawyer and pediatric pharmacologist at the Catalan Institute of Health. In Hifas da Terra we have met it thanks to our scientific advisor, Dr. Pere Gascón. He came to him asking for advice for an oncological case in his family. Until that time I did not know the anti -cancer effect of fungi and now, months later of their study and after having used and recommended them in different fields, explain the why use in a informative day convened by the Academy of Medical Sciences and Health of Catalonia and Balearic Islands. In her presentation she addresses a "controversial" theme - immunomodulation - in which, as we will, we will hear about fungi and what she already recognizes as "mycopharmaceuticals."
What aspects would you emphasize with mycotherapy?
First of all his excellent tolerance. Also, the speed of the beginning of action: in a few days its positive effects begin to be noticed. It also attracts attention that its action is synergistic with the patient's base medication, so that there are no negative interactions, but enhanced the effects, which allows to reduce dose for example of opiate analgesics.
In my case of the concrete family, I was able to withdraw all the analgesia in a patient with multiple bone metastases with important neuropathic disruptive pain (without good response to morphic, the only thing that improved pain was mycotherapy).
Specifically in your work area, what future possibilities do fungi have? Does positive clinical experiences in the application of fungi?
They can be substitutes for many medications, specifically analgesics for rheumatic processes, anti -collesterol, antidiabetics, antihypertensive and, above all, antidepressants and stimulators of cognitive abilities. I am using them successfully in patients with Alzheimer's, Parkinson and neuropathies with exceptional results.
What recommendations would you give to patients when choosing a food complement formulated with fungal extracts? And to his colleagues by profession?
If mycotherapy works so well, it is thanks to the quality of active ingredients and the galenic formulation. It is very important that they are of ecological origin, because as it is known, fungi are great bioacumulators and can consequently contain heavy metals, pesticides, hydrocarbons ... The galenic formulation in dust or liquid extract will allow to administer a very high dose of active substance in a few capsules or vials. A powder formulation is not the same, nor a delayed release formulation because the active principles are absorbed along the digestive tract by various complex processes.
After your presentation, how do you value the mycotherapy response of the health professionals present?
Very positively. In a field such as oncological, and also in cases of infections caused by viruses with limited effective therapies, providing new tools in therapeutic arsenal is good news. The acceptance was good because the scientific bases of mycotherapy were exposed in the first place, which helped solve doubts among the attendees.
What were the main doubts that arose after the presentation?
The truth is that more than doubts, curiosities arose and, above all, concern about why these promising results were not made public.