The application of myotherapy in the treatment and prevention of diseases of the oncology was discussed today at the XXth Transmontano Mycological Meeting, which took place in Mogadouro, in the district of Bragança, and brought together experts who shared knowledge and experiences.
Myotherapy is an alternative science, used to help combat or prevent various diseases, such as cancer, using a variety of medicinal mushrooms.
For the haematologist, Adriana Teixeira, one of the participants in the debate, the majority of cancers are caused by changes in the environment, while 10 to 15% of the incidence rate of the disease is due to genetic alterations.
“In order to avoid the appearance of cancer, it is necessary to have a good diet, not to smoke or not to be in contact with radiation and other external factors. With regard to good nutrition, it is important to introduce mushrooms in our diet since it is an excellent protein since these fungi are immunoregulators, “said the former director of haematology services at the Hospitals of the University of Coimbra.
On the other hand, the expert argued that mushrooms, whether powdered or natural, should be consumed at the stage of cancer treatment to help lessen the side effects of chemotherapy or radiotherapy and stimulate the immune system, which becomes more fragile with these treatments.
“Mushrooms, when ingested in powder, that is, in a very concentrated way, have great effects to improve the action of our body in its fight against cancer,” he said.
Those present in the debate do not doubt that myotherapy will have great developments in Portugal in the coming years, in the fight against cancer and in the prevention of the disease, as it already happens in other countries.
Margarida Rocha, a physiotherapist with a post-graduate degree in oncology and also an oncology patient, said that there are around 1.5 million fungi identified on the planet and that more than a thousand have medicinal properties, adding that about 20 are being widely used in the medicine.
“I came across three years ago with a cancer problem, I did all kinds of treatment and I felt in the body the side effects of chemotherapy, radiotherapy, immunotherapy, which left my immune system weakened. thinking about my future, I turned to myotherapy as a complement to the treatment of my illness so as to have qualities of life, “he explained.
The young physiotherapist assured that she has been doing myotherapy for about a year and that the improvements are a notary and substantial, not only from a physical point of view but also an emotional one.
“Mycotherapy, in my case, and not only, has helped to halt the process of proliferation of malignant cells, which may be in the bloodstream, even after treatment,” said Margarida Rocha.
Pedro Ferreira, the father of a 7-year-old boy with cancer, explained that he realized that the treatments given to his son were not enough and that something more was needed to complement the conventional therapy that was being applied.
“After the conventional treatment, my son began to make a natural treatment based on mushrooms and their derivatives, accompanied by specialists from a multidisciplinary team at the Hifas da Terras clinic in Spain, which gave fabulous results,” he noted.
The Mycological Association “A Pantorra”, based in Mogadouro, for 20 years that contributes to the identification and cataloguing of the most varied species of mushrooms.
