| Paul Stamets’s Mother Reverses Breast Cancer with Help From Mushrooms 12/21/2015 Paul Stamet Mom’s Cancer Story – Search Mycologist Paul Stamets has devoted his career to advancing our understanding of the healing potential of mushrooms. His work hit home when his mother was diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer that had spread to her sternum and liver. Paul Stamets, a mycologist and advocate for the medicinal use of mushrooms, had his mother, Beverly Stamets, diagnosed with stage IV breast cancer in 2009. She underwent surgery, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy as part of her treatment12 Paul Stamets is a mycologist, author, and advocate for the medicinal use of mushrooms. His mother, Beverly Stamets, was diagnosed with stage IV breast cancer in 2009. As part of her treatment, she underwent surgery, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy. However, her condition continued to deteriorate, and she was given only months to live. Paul has spoken extensively about his mother’s experience with turkey tail mushrooms and the role they played in her recovery from cancer. In a TED talk, he shared the story and emphasized the importance of mushrooms in human health and ecology: “My mother was diagnosed with stage IV breast cancer… and she was given less than three months to live.” Paul, who had been researching the medicinal properties of mushrooms for decades, suggested that his mother try turkey tail mushrooms (Trametes versicolor), which are known for their immune-boosting properties. Beverly agreed to try the mushrooms and began taking a daily dose of turkey tail extract. Years later, Beverly had long since gone into remission and had remained cancer free. Paul has also written about his mother’s experience in his book “Mycelium Running: How Mushrooms Can Help Save the World.” In the book, he explains how the active compounds in turkey tail mushrooms can boost the immune system and help fight cancer: “Her remarkable remission, along with many others like it, provide the impetus for clinical research on Trametes versicolor as a cancer therapy.” Paul’s mother, Beverly Stamets, has also spoken publicly about her experience with turkey tail mushrooms. In an interview with the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, she described how she took the mushrooms and the impact they had on her health:” I drank turkey tail tea. Within three months my cancer was gone. It was very quick. And that was without chemo, without radiation. The tumor just kept getting smaller and smaller and eventually it disappeared.” The story of Beverly Stamets’ recovery has been featured in numerous media outlets, including the New York Times, CNN, and NBC News. The story has inspired many people to explore the potential of mushrooms for health and wellness. Paul Stamets- Mom Heals Cancer with Turkey Tail Mushrooms, Taxol, and Herceptim How do mushrooms boost the immune system during cancer treatment? Mushrooms, especially varieties like turkey tail, reishi, and maitake, contain compounds that can help support the immune system during cancer treatment. Here’s how they work: Beta-glucans: These polysaccharides stimulate the activity of immune cells like macrophages and natural killer (NK) cells, which help fight infections and abnormal cells. Antioxidants: Mushrooms contain antioxidants that help protect cells from damage caused by oxidative stress, which is common during chemotherapy and radiation therapy. Anti-inflammatory effects: Some mushroom compounds can regulate inflammation, preventing excessive immune suppression. Gut microbiome support: Mushrooms promote a healthy gut microbiome, which plays a crucial role in immune function and overall health. While mushrooms can be beneficial, they should be used as complementary support alongside conventional cancer treatments. If you’re considering medicinal mushrooms, it’s always best to consult with a healthcare professional. Are you interested in learning about specific mushroom types and their benefits?  How do mushrooms interact with cancer treatments? Mushrooms can interact with cancer treatments in several ways, often acting as immune modulators and complementary therapies to conventional methods like chemotherapy and radiation. Here’s how: Immune System Support: Mushrooms like turkey tail, reishi, and maitake contain beta-glucans that help activate immune cells, supporting the body’s ability to fight cancer. Reducing Side Effects: Certain mushrooms may help reduce nausea, fatigue, and immune suppression caused by chemotherapy and radiation therapy. Enhancing Treatment Efficacy: Some research suggests that medicinal mushrooms can enhance the effectiveness of conventional cancer treatments by promoting apoptosis (cancer cell death) and inhibiting tumor growth. Antioxidant Properties: Many mushrooms contain antioxidants that help combat oxidative stress, which is heightened during cancer treatments. However, mushrooms should not replace standard cancer treatments. If you’re considering incorporating medicinal mushrooms, it’s essential to consult with a healthcare provider to ensure safety and compatibility with your specific treatment plan. How do mushrooms interact with other cancer therapies? Mushrooms interact with cancer therapies in several ways, often complementing conventional treatments like chemotherapy, radiation, and immunotherapy. Here’s how they fit into the bigger picture: Enhancing Immune Function: Many medicinal mushrooms, such as turkey tail, reishi, and maitake, contain beta-glucans that stimulate immune cells. This helps the body fight infections and may improve the immune system’s ability to recognize cancer cells. Reducing Side Effects: Chemotherapy and radiation can cause fatigue, nausea, and immune suppression. Certain mushrooms have adaptogenic properties that may help the body cope with these side effects. Supporting Gut Health: The gut microbiome plays a crucial role in immune regulation. Mushrooms like shiitake and lion’s mane promote gut health, which can support overall well-being during cancer treatment. Potential Anti-Tumor Effects: Some studies suggest that mushrooms may have compounds that promote apoptosis (programmed cell death) in cancer cells, possibly making standard treatments more effective. Improving Quality of Life: Beyond physical health, mushrooms may have benefits for mental well-being, helping to reduce stress and improve mood, which can be important for patients undergoing cancer therapy. While mushrooms can be valuable in supporting cancer treatment, they should never replace standard medical therapies. Always consult with a healthcare provider before adding medicinal mushrooms to a treatment plan to ensure they don’t interfere with prescribed therapies. Are you interested in learning more about specific mushrooms and their benefits? In addition to his work promoting the medicinal properties of mushrooms, Paul Stamets has also been a vocal advocate for the ecological benefits of fungi. He has given talks and written extensively about the role of mycelium in soil health, carbon sequestration, and environmental remediation. His work has inspired many people, including us here at Vesper, to see fungi as a key player in creating a sustainable future for the planet. Her oncologist told her she was too old for radiation therapy. The doctor recommended a clinical trial of turkey tail mushrooms at the Bastyr Integrative Oncology Research Center — a study her son happened to be supplying through his mushroom cultivation business, Fungi Perfecti. Stamets tells the story of his mother’s dramatic recovery in a TED MED talk (beginning at the 7:50 mark).  Discover the powerful healing story of Paul Stamets as he shares his journey to heal his mother’s breast cancer with mushrooms!   Witness the incredible potential of mushrooms in promoting natural wellness and vitality.  Spread awareness about the healing properties of nature’s gifts!   #mushroommagic #HealingJourney #BreastCancerWarrior #MushroomMedicine #pilze #cancer #krebs #mushroomcultivation #naturwunder #breastcancer Full TEDMED Talk: Paul Stamets at TEDMED 2011 Paul Stamets’ mother, Patricia Stamets, was given three months to live after being diagnosed with breast cancer back in 2009. She was told that she was too old to undergo radiation therapy, so she had to resort to more natural means of healing. She started taking eight Turkey Tail mushroom capsules a day and went on to live an additional 10 years with absolutely no detectable tumors. I found the scientific write up by Paul Stamets of his mother’s case. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4890100/ It states that in June 2009 when she was diagnosed, she started taking 4g of turkey tail in the morning and 4g in the evening (so that would be 16 X 500mg capsules per day) along with Taxol and Herceptin. Then, in December 2009 when she finished the Taxol she carried on with 4g of turkey tail (8 X 500mg capsules) and Herceptin. Welcome to Host Defense® Mushrooms Also In another video, (1) Facebook Paul Stamets | NO Trace of Cancer – Turkey Tail MushroomsPaul Stamets gives a brief talk about his $2.1 million breast cancer clinical study that quantified how Turkey Tail mushrooms significantly enhanced natural killer-cell activity in women with breast cancer in a post-chemo-radiotherapy setting. “We are now rediscovering that which our ancestors long ago knew: That mushrooms are deep reservoirs for very powerful medicines,” says the author, speaker and researcher. Paul Stamets’ mother, Patricia… – Healthy By Nature Leesburg | Facebook Learn more about BIORC’s turkey tail research, which has received FDA approval and a $5.4 million grant from the National Institutes of Health. Welcome to Host Defense® Mushrooms Paul Stamets is known for placing the healing abilities of mushrooms in the consciousness of humanity. Over the past few decades, the world’s leading mycologist has unearthed revolutionary fungal uses to reduce toxic pesticides, help the disappearing bee population, and restore the human body from sick and disease states. Over the years, Paul has discovered mushroom species, educated the public, and patented/pioneered countless mycelium-based solutions to major issues humanity faces. He gained enormous attention for his presentation at the 2014 Bioneers conferences when he released his findings and ongoing research of promising solutions to guard against bee colony collapse disorder by using polypore mushroom mycelium. Soon after, Paul again made headlines by open-sourcing his mycofiltration techniques into the public domain to clean-up contaminated water supplies and pesticide runoff. Another game changer was his discovery, research, and resultant patents on mushroom based pesticides whose disruptive technology can immediately challenge agrochemical monopolies overnight. Teacher Becomes Student Throughout the many accomplishments and discoveries, there was one unexpected gift Paul had yet to receive. During a multiyear clinical trial by researchers at the University of Minnesota Medical School, it was eventually shown that turkey tail mushrooms can augment conventional therapies for treating breast cancer by increasing natural killer and cytotoxic T-cell activity. Shown in competitive testing to have the purest specimens, Paul played a role in the study as his Fungi Perfecti facility supplied the turkey tail mushrooms used in the trial. One day during the seven-year breast cancer clinical trial, Paul received a phone call. While first unable to make out who was on the other line because of the hysterical crying, Paul soon realized it was his 83 year old mother Patty. She was scared and proceeded to explain that her lymph nodes were swollen and her right breast was enlarged. Soon after the call, Paul rushed his mother to the Swedish Cancer Institute in Seattle, WA. It was the news nobody wants to hear. The highly aggressive cancer had invaded her liver and sternum in addition to the enlarged tumor in her breast. The oncologist at the cancer institute said it was the second worst case of breast cancer she had seen in twenty years of practice. It had progressed too far for conventional options and treatments. The advice was to make amends and consider plans for the inevitable. On the third visit to the cancer center, the news was no better. The progression was quickening and there were no answers. The doctor suggested to Patty that she consider a clinical study using medicinal mushrooms for women with breast cancer. There was hope in a long-shot clinical study — Paul’s study at the University of Minnesota Medical School. Patty enrolled and began taking 6-8 grams of turkey tail mushrooms per day alongside the cancer drug Herceptin. Patty is now on her sixth-year disease free with no detectable tumors whatsoever. Paul describes mushroom mycelium as representing rebirth, rejuvenation, and regeneration . Perhaps the sequence of events that assisted Paul’s mother was the way for the mushrooms to thank him for reintroducing their healing and consciousness to the world once again. Turkey Tails are a common mushroom that grows throughout the woods of Tennessee and all over the world. Our interest in the science behind the anti-viral and anti-cancer properties of Turkey Tails began shortly after seeing preliminary clinical trial results and an anecdotal story in a TED lecture last year by mycologist Paul Stamets. In the last two minutes of the speech, Stamets described his 84-year-old mother’s successful fight against stage IV breast cancer that included taking Turkey Tail mushrooms. She was a deeply religious person who hadn’t been to the doctor since 1968. According to Stamets, it was the second worst case of stage IV breast cancer her doctor had ever seen, and she was given three months to live. She’s now cancer free. The early clinical trial data and Paul’s hopeful story resonated, and Vince didn’t hesitate to start his mother on Turkey Tails. At the same time, we began cultivating this amazing mushroom on our farm with a deeper sense of purpose. We realize mushrooms aren’t a cure for cancer. Less is known about effects of Turkey Tails on stage IV cancers, but we know it will be the very best way we can help her body heal naturally with virtually no side effects or interference with her primary treatment. Below is some of the science behind how Turkey Tails (used with chemo or radiation) significantly enhance the body’s natural defense against cancer cells and extend disease free survival. Research: New studies of Turkey Tails here in the U.S. are focused on the mushroom’s high percentage of protein bound polysaccharide (PSK) concentrations and how they help the body fight cancer cells. Extracted polysaccharides from Turkey Tails is used with significant success as a supplementary treatment for cancers in Japan. MD Anderson Cancer Center has an excellent detailed scientific review of Turkey Tail mushrooms showing treatments using PSK with chemotherapy reported “significantly longer disease-free intervals and survival for lung cancer patients.”Given these results, why aren’t Turkey Tail mushrooms a common adjunct therapy in the United States? What we discovered is using Turkey Tails is still viewed as an alternative medicine by most professional health care providers in the U.S… Due to its widely known medicinal properties, its use in medicine cannot be patented which limits its commercial appeal for major drug companies. That often leaves finding and researching this treatment option up to patients. That may soon change thanks to new government-funded clinical trial research from the National Institute of Health’s Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM). The results of one of the first funded clinical trials of Turkey Tail mushrooms in women with breast cancer found 6-9 gram doses a day was associated with “faster recovery of lymphocytes and NK cell activity, as well as increased numbers of CD8+T cells and CD19+ B cells.” Last year, the FDA approved a $5.4 million Turkey Tail trial for cancer patients starting with approval for studying the use of a Turkey Tail extract in combination with chemotherapy for patients with advanced prostate cancer. Another clinical trial is studying PSK in stage IV breast cancer. Compound Derived From a Mushroom Lengthens Survival Time in Dogs With Cancer, Penn Vet Study Finds – University of Pennsylvania – September 10, 2012, Turkey Tail mushrooms and our personal fight against cancer | Half Hill Farm ® READ MORE: TEDMED: Can Mushrooms Help the Immune System Fight Cancer? Interview With Paul Stamets, Mycologist | HuffPost Life Paul Stamets at TEDMED 2011 References ^ Shea, Carolyn (2014). “Following the Mycelial Path to Discovery and Saving the World”. Evergreen Magazine. Retrieved September 5, 2019. … as an Evergreen student in the 1970s … [he entered] into the study of mycology with faculty member Michael Beug … ^ Stamets, Paul [@PaulStamets] (July 18, 2020). “Yesterday, I turned 65 years of age” (Tweet). Retrieved February 4, 2024 – via Twitter. ^ Jump up to:a b c Miller, Kenneth (May 31, 2013). “How Mushrooms Can Save the World”. Discover. Archived from the original on November 15, 2019. Retrieved September 1, 2019. ^ Jump up to:a b Upchurch, Michael (June 13, 2014). “Obituary: John Stamets, photographer of Seattle’s ever-changing skyline”. Seattle Times. Retrieved November 5, 2022. He inspired me on my path into the field of mycology, after his travels to Mexico and Colombia in pursuit of magic mushrooms ^ Jump up to:a b Isaacson, Andy (November 2009). “Return of the Fungi”. Mother Jones. Archived from the original on December 17, 2019. Retrieved July 19, 2015. ^ Gilmore, Molly (December 6, 2019). “Paul Stamets becomes fungi phenom with acclaimed documentary and Star Trek character”. Retrieved August 19, 2020. ^ O’Hagan, Maureen (December 3, 2010). “Meet Washington’s spirited mushroom man”. The Seattle Times. Retrieved July 19, 2015. ^ Trimarco, James (October 1, 2010). “Can Mushrooms Rescue the Gulf?”. Yes!. Archived from the original on September 20, 2015. Retrieved July 19, 2015. He began his career in the forest as a logger, not as a scientist, and holds no degree higher than a bachelor’s from the Evergreen State College. ^ “NAMA Awards”. North American Mycological Association. Archived from the original on September 6, 2019. Retrieved September 6, 2019. ^ “Paul Stamets. Founder, Fungi Perfecti and Host Defense Organic Mushrooms”. AAAS-Lemelson Invention Ambassadors. Archived from the original on February 8, 2020. Retrieved January 29, 2020. ^ “Inaugural Class of Invention Ambassadors Highlights Need for Innovation”. American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). July 18, 2014. Retrieved January 29, 2020. ^ Catsoulis, Jeannette (October 10, 2019). “‘Fantastic Fungi’ Review: The Magic of Mushrooms”. New York Times. Retrieved March 19, 2020. ^ “Star Trek’s secret weapon: a scientist with a mushroom fetish bent on saving the planet”. CBC Investigates. CBC. Retrieved November 5, 2022. |