The MS–Fungus Connection

Thirty-seven years ago, I sat in a neurologist’s office and was told I had multiple sclerosis.

I was 28 years old. I had two very young children at home. And I was told there was no known cause and no cure.

What I was not told was that doctors across several countries had already been asking a very different question about MS.

They were not asking only how to slow it down.

They were asking what was causing it.

And several of them were treating chronic fungal infections in people with serious chronic illness, including multiple sclerosis, and reporting remarkable improvements.

They treated patients. They documented what they were seeing. They wrote books. They developed protocols. And they were often dismissed as quacks.

Discovering their work allowed me to take a different approach and gave me hope that recovery was possible.

It made me question what I had been told about MS and start looking more closely at chronic infection.

 

Dr. C. Orian Truss: The Pioneer

Dr. C. Orian Truss was one of the earliest physicians to bring attention to chronic Candida.

In the late 1970s, he began noticing something unusual. Some patients with chronic yeast infections were also suffering from systemic, mental, and neurological symptoms.

When he treated the yeast, he reported that many of those other symptoms improved.

In 1978, he published Tissue Injury Induced by Candida Albicans: Mental and Neurologic Manifestations.

He later described chronic Candida-related illness as “The Missing Diagnosis” and published a book by that name in 1983.

Truss also identified factors he believed encouraged yeast overgrowth, including antibiotics, oral contraceptives, and steroids.

 

Dr. William Crook: Bringing the Yeast Connection to the Public

Dr. Truss’s work caught the attention of Dr. William G. Crook.

In January 1983, Crook appeared on television in Cincinnati to discuss yeast-related illness. The station received 7,300 requests for more information afterward.

His 1986 book, The Yeast Connection, became a bestseller.

Crook connected yeast overgrowth with dozens of chronic conditions, including multiple sclerosis.

His protocols included diet, antifungal medications such as nystatin and ketoconazole, and lifestyle changes.

 

Dr. John Parks Trowbridge: The Third Voice

In 1986, Dr. John Parks Trowbridge published The Yeast Syndrome.

His work also connected yeast-related illness with a wide range of chronic conditions, including multiple sclerosis.

 

Dr. Luc De Schepper: The European Connection

Across the Atlantic, Dr. Luc De Schepper authored books including Candida: Diet Against It and Candida: The Symptoms, the Causes, the Cure.

He became one of Europe’s prominent voices on yeast-related illness and also connected Candida overgrowth with autoimmune conditions, including MS.

 

Dr. Zoltan Rona: The Canadian Voice

In Canada, Dr. Zoltan Rona co-authored The Complete Candida Yeast Guidebook with Jeanne Marie Martin in 1996.

Dr. William Crook endorsed the book and praised their ability to make a complex health issue understandable.

These doctors were working in different parts of the world, but they were seeing similar patterns.

And one of the diseases that kept appearing in that discussion was multiple sclerosis.

 

Then the Research Began to Catch Up

For years, the ideas of these physicians were largely dismissed.

But beginning in the early 2000s, researchers started publishing findings that made the fungal connection much harder to ignore.

2003: Abnormal Gut Dysbiosis in MS

A 2003 report titled Multiple Sclerosis – Functional Approaches found that 100% of the MS patients studied had an abnormally high Dysbiosis Index.

Every patient in that study showed abnormal gut flora.

That matters because the gut is one of the major environments where Candida and other microbes live.

2008: Fungal Infection Markers in MS Patients

A 2008 study titled Fungal Infection in Patients with Multiple Sclerosis examined seven people with MS.

Researchers reported signs of fungal infection in all seven patients.

Six out of seven had fungal DNA in their blood.

Several had elevated Candida antibodies.

Four had significant levels of β-1,3 glucan in serum.

And yeast antibodies and antigens were detected in cerebrospinal fluid.

2010: Candida Associated With Increased Odds of MS

In 2010, a case-control study found a significant association between elevated antibodies to four Candida species and multiple sclerosis.

The researchers concluded that Candida species infection may be associated with increased odds of MS.

2010: Fungal Toxins Proposed as a Mechanism

Another 2010 paper went further.

The authors proposed that fungal toxins could be an underlying factor in MS and described a possible mechanism involving damage to oligodendrocytes, the cells involved in producing and maintaining myelin.

2011: Candida Antibodies and Antigens in CSF

In 2011, researchers reported Candida antibodies and Candida-related antigens in the cerebrospinal fluid of a person with MS.

Their findings supported the possibility of disseminated fungal infection in that patient.

2013: Fungal Infection Demonstrated in CSF

In 2013, researchers reported that fungal infection could be demonstrated in the cerebrospinal fluid of some MS patients.

They suggested it could represent a risk factor and might help in understanding the pathogenesis of MS.

2016: Candida Activity Linked With MS Severity

By 2016, researchers were not simply looking for the presence of fungus.

They were studying how invasive Candida might be.

One study examined APR1 gene expression in Candida albicans strains isolated from people with MS and suggested it could be important in invasive Candida associated with disease progression.

Another 2016 study examined secreted aspartic proteinase activity from Candida.

The researchers found that this enzyme activity was significantly higher in people with MS than in healthy controls.

Even more importantly, it showed a positive correlation with MS severity.

The greater the Candida enzyme activity, the more severe the MS tended to be.

2018: Fungus Identified in Nervous-System Tissue

Then came a 2018 study published in Neurobiology of Disease.

Researchers examined nervous-system tissue from people with MS and reported fungal DNA from multiple species in the central nervous system.

One fungus, Trichosporon mucoides, was found in the majority of MS patients studied.

Importantly, it was not detected in the CNS tissue of control subjects.

Researchers also found bacterial material in neural tissue from people with MS.

Their conclusion raised an even broader possibility:

MS may involve mixed microbial infections.

 

How Could Fungus Be Involved in MS?

So how could this work?

The research suggests several possible steps.

1. Antibiotics, steroids, birth control, and high-sugar diets can disrupt gut balance.
2. Candida can shift from a yeast form into a more invasive fungal form.
3. Fungal filaments can contribute to damage of the intestinal barrier.
4. Fungal enzymes and toxins may enter circulation and affect tissues.
5. Fungal markers and DNA have been detected in cerebrospinal fluid and CNS tissue.
6. The immune system responds to microbial organisms, toxins, antigens, and tissue damage.
7. That immune response can contribute to inflammation and demyelination.

This is where the discussion becomes extremely important.

What if inflammation is not the beginning of the disease process?

What if inflammation is a response to something the body is trying to deal with?

That changes the question from:

Why is the immune system attacking?

to:

What is the immune system responding to?

 

The Numbers Tell a Story

When you look at the studies together, the pattern is striking:

• 100% of MS patients in one study showed an abnormally high Dysbiosis Index.
• 100% of seven patients in a 2008 study showed signs of fungal infection.
• Six of seven had fungal DNA in their blood.
• Elevated Candida antibodies were found in people with MS compared with controls.
• Candida antibodies and antigens were detected in cerebrospinal fluid.
• Candida enzyme activity correlated with MS severity.
• Fungal DNA was identified in CNS tissue.
• Trichosporon mucoides was found in the majority of MS patients studied and not in controls.

No single study answers every question.

But this is far more than an isolated observation.

 

Modern Research Continues

The fungal connection did not end with the 2018 nervous-system tissue study.

In 2022, a study examined the gut mycobiome, the fungal community living in the gut, in people with relapsing-remitting MS.

Researchers found that people with MS had a distinctly altered gut mycobiome compared with healthy controls. They also found:

• Increased fungal-to-bacterial richness
• Increased abundance of Candida
• Decreased abundance of Saccharomyces
• Altered relationships between fungi and bacteria in the gut
• Decreased bacterial richness alongside increased fungal richness

The researchers concluded that the mycobiome may play an important role in the biology of MS and called for further investigation into whether these fungal changes help initiate the disease process, influence its severity, or occur as a consequence of MS.

This is important because it shows that researchers are no longer looking only at Candida antibodies or isolated fungal infections. They are studying the entire fungal ecosystem of the gut and how it interacts with bacteria, the immune system, and MS.

By 2024, research reviews were continuing to examine the possible role of fungal organisms and fungal dysbiosis in MS pathogenesis, adding to the growing body of research into the gut mycobiome, fungal metabolites, immune activation, and neurological disease.

The important point is that this field did not disappear.

More than four decades after physicians such as Dr. Orian Truss and Dr. William Crook were treating fungal overgrowth in chronically ill patients, researchers are still investigating the same fundamental question:

What role are fungi playing in multiple sclerosis?

 

What Does This Mean for Treatment?

If fungal infection is contributing to MS in many people, then suppressing the immune system will not address the cause and can make us weaker.

The early physicians who investigated Candida commonly used several strategies together:

• Antifungal medications
• Dietary changes
• Restoring healthy gut flora
• Reducing factors that encouraged fungal overgrowth

In the Live Disease Free approach, fungus is not the only culprit.

Bacteria, protozoa, parasitic worms, gut dysfunction, and other chronic infections and stressors are often also contributing to illness.

That is consistent with the 2018 researchers’ proposal that mixed microbial infections are usually involved.

 

Why the Live Disease Free Diet Comes First

The first step in the Live Disease Free approach is changing the internal environment.

The Live Disease Free Diet is a low-carb, nutrient-dense eating plan designed to greatly reduce the food available to chronic infections like fungus and other parasitic organisms, while giving the body the nutrients it needs to function and repair.

This is a vital first step to support the body before treating chronic parasitic infections.

In practice, the diet recommends staying under 50 total grams of carbohydrates per day, working up to 9 to 13 servings of low-carb vegetables per day as tolerated, eating moderate animal protein and healthy fats, and avoiding dairy, grains, sugar, caffeine, and alcohol.

Most students notice symptom improvements within about two weeks when following the diet properly, and some notice changes within the first few days.

Reported improvements include:

• Energy
• Mental clarity
• Sleep
• Mood
• Balance
• Bladder function
• Pain
• Muscle spasms

The Live Disease Free Diet is not the entire protocol, but it is an important foundation.

 

The Doctors of the 1980s Saw Something Important

Dr. Orian Truss, Dr. William Crook, Dr. John Parks Trowbridge, Dr. Luc De Schepper, Dr. Zoltan Rona and others were describing patterns of fungal overgrowth and chronic illness decades ago.

They treated patients.

They reported significant improvements.

And many of their ideas were dismissed.

Today, researchers have reported fungal DNA in blood, fungal markers in cerebrospinal fluid, altered fungal communities in the gut, associations between Candida and MS severity, and fungal DNA directly in CNS tissue.

This shows the fungal connection deserves serious attention.

For decades, people with MS have been told that the immune system attacks myelin and that the underlying cause is unknown.

But unknown does not mean there is nothing to find.

The deeper question is still the one I believe we need to keep asking:

If the immune system is fighting, what is it fighting?

That question changed the direction of my life.

And more than 37 years after my MS diagnosis, I am still living free from MS symptoms because I addressed the infectious root cause.

 

There are real solutions to recover from parasites today!

To restore health, we must focus on treating the cause of inflammation, which are parasites. First, identify the enemy (parasites), then support the body and treat the parasites while following a holistic approach. When parasitic infections are treated effectively, we can overcome inflammation or disease.

If you’re frustrated with the fact that our standard of care STILL doesn’t offer a real solution for treating MS and other diseases, then click on the link below to watch Pam Bartha’s free masterclass training and discover REAL solutions that have allowed Pam and many others to live free from MS and other diseases.

CLICK Here to watch Pam’s masterclass training

 

References:

Truss CO. Tissue injury induced by Candida albicans: mental and neurologic manifestations. J Orthomol Psychiatry. 1978;7(1):17-37.

https://isom.ca/article/tissue-injury-induced-by-candida-albicans-mental-and-neurologic-manifestations/

 

Truss CO. The Missing Diagnosis. Birmingham, AL: self-published; 1983.

https://archive.org/details/missingdiagnosis0000cori

 

Crook WG. The Yeast Connection: A Medical Breakthrough. Jackson, TN: Professional Books; 1986.

https://www.amazon.com/Yeast-Connection-Medical-Breakthrough/dp/0394747003

 

Trowbridge JP, Walker M. The Yeast Syndrome: How to Help Your Doctor Identify & Treat the Real Cause of Your Yeast-Related Illness. New York, NY: Bantam Books; 1986.

https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/180509/the-yeast-syndrome-by-john-parks-trowbridge-md-and-morton-walker-dpm/

 

De Schepper L. Candida: The Symptoms, the Causes, the Cure. Self-published (also published as Candida: Diet Against It, Thorsons, UK). Publication year not confirmed — flag as approximate if you cite a year on screen.

https://www.abebooks.com/9780961473419/Candida-Symptoms-Causes-Cure-096147341X/plp

 

Martin JM, Rona ZP. The Complete Candida Yeast Guidebook: Everything You Need to Know About Prevention, Treatment & Diet. Rocklin, CA: Prima Publishing; 1996. ISBN 978-0-7615-0167-1.

https://www.biblio.com/book/complete-candida-yeast-guidebook-everything-you/d/1603920269

 

Ramos M, Pisa D, Molina S, Rábano A, Juarranz Á, Carrasco L. Fungal infection in patients with multiple sclerosis. Open Mycol J. 2008;2:22-28.

All seven MS patients studied showed signs of fungal infection; 6 of 7 had fungal DNA in their blood.

https://benthamopenarchives.com/contents/pdf/TOMYCJ/TOMYCJ-2-22.pdf

 

Benito-León J, Pisa D, Alonso R, Calleja P, Díaz-Sánchez M, Carrasco L. Association between multiple sclerosis and Candida species: evidence from a case-control study. Eur J Clin Microbiol Infect Dis. 2010;29(9):1139-1145. doi:10.1007/s10096-010-0979-y

Found a significant association between elevated antibodies to four Candida species and MS.

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10096-010-0979-y

 

Purzycki CB, Shain DH. Fungal toxins and multiple sclerosis: a compelling connection. Brain Res Bull. 2010;82(1-2):4-6. doi:10.1016/j.brainresbull.2010.02.012

Proposes fungal toxins as an underlying cause of MS, not just a correlation.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0361923010000560

 

Pisa D, Alonso R, Carrasco L. Fungal infection in a patient with multiple sclerosis. Eur J Clin Microbiol Infect Dis. 2011;30(10):1173-1180. doi:10.1007/s10096-011-1206-1

Candida antibodies and antigens detected directly in a patient’s cerebrospinal fluid.

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10096-011-1206-1

 

Pisa D, Alonso R, Jiménez-Jiménez FJ, Carrasco L. Fungal infection in cerebrospinal fluid from some patients with multiple sclerosis. Eur J Clin Microbiol Infect Dis. 2013;32(6):795-801. doi:10.1007/s10096-012-1810-8

Confirms fungal infection is demonstrable in CSF in a subset of MS patients.

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10096-012-1810-8

 

Amri Saroukolaei S, Ghabaee M, Shokri H, Khosravi A, Badiei A. Evaluation of APR1 gene expression in Candida albicans strains isolated from patients with multiple sclerosis. Jundishapur J Microbiol. 2016;9(5):e33292. doi:10.5812/jjm.33292

Links a specific Candida gene tied to tissue invasion to MS progression.

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4976647/

 

Amri Saroukolaei S, Ghabaee M, Shokri H, et al. The role of Candida albicans in the severity of multiple sclerosis. Mycoses. 2016;59(11):697-704. doi:10.1111/myc.12489

A Candida enzyme level correlated directly with how severe a patient’s MS was. Note: Wiley’s page blocked automated access, so I could not confirm every co-author name — first three authors match the APR1 study above, from the same research group.

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/myc.12489

 

Alonso R, Fernández-Fernández AM, Pisa D, Carrasco L. Multiple sclerosis and mixed microbial infections. Direct identification of fungi and bacteria in nervous tissue. Neurobiol Dis. 2018;117:42-61. doi:10.1016/j.nbd.2018.05.022

First direct evidence of fungal infection in brain tissue of MS patients, not found in controls.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29859870/

 

Yadav M, Ali S, Shrode RL, et al. Multiple sclerosis patients have an altered gut mycobiome and increased fungal to bacterial richness. PLoS One. 2022;17(4):e0264556. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0264556

2022 study (Act IV) showing MS patients’ gut fungal balance is different from healthy people’s.

https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0264556

 

Otaegui-Chivite A, Gorostidi-Aicua M, Martins-Almeida L, et al. Exploring the mycobiota in multiple sclerosis: its influence on disease development and progression. Front Immunol. 2025;16:1625794. doi:10.3389/fimmu.2025.1625794

MS patients had greater gut fungal diversity than healthy people; specific fungi (Malassezia, Aspergillus) correlated with more disability, and the MS genetic risk marker HLA-DRB1*1501 shaped which fungi were present — a direct, citable answer to the “what’s the role of genetics” question in your own Scene 15.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40791596/