Trees & Cancer

By: Caroline S. Williams, April 2021

Recently I was able to take a brief trip to the North Carolina Mountains trees and made a stop in Asheville at the beautiful Biltmore Estates. Wow! What an amazing place that was! I thoroughly enjoyed walking through the perfectly manicured grounds. I found myself overwhelmed by the beauty that was captured and displayed more than a century ago. Gazing over the majestic gardens and trees, I felt insignificant compared to the intricate tapestry woven of nature’s beauty. God had thought of every detail of every species down to the tiniest insect or plant. It floored me to think that we as humans were even MORE complex than all of the life forms around me. Indeed we are truly “fearfully and wonderfully made” as God says we are.

I breathed in and I breathed out. I was humbled and grateful.

As I quickly made my way back to my car (I was running late for my next commitment), I suddenly noticed something so strange. It was a tall majestic tree at the edge of the parking lot and it had an enormous strange growth on it. The growth practically consumed the lower section of the tree and the groundskeeper commented that over the past 5 years it had grown at an astounding rate.

Oh wow! What’s up with that?

It seemed so out of place in such an environment of beauty, this obvious and odd deformity. I quickly snapped a photo with my phone because I knew from past experience, if it had caught my eye and stopped me mid-track, there was a reason for it that would eventually be revealed to me.

I scurried to my next appointment and to be completely honest, I forgot all about it.

In the evening, when I returned home I decided to lay down for a brief nap. Mind you, I never really nap, I think…and I listen.

During these quiet times I get little flashes. They are like puzzle pieces. As I sit and I ponder them, words, pictures, phrases; after some time these pieces start slowly coming together and taking shape.

I thought of my business, my Facebook groups and my responsibilities. I thought about disease, about cancer and about God. Then I remembered the picture of that odd tree and wondered,

WHAT WAS UP WITH THAT?

I had never really researched that kind of tree stuff but for some reason I felt like God was telling me…”This is important. This explains everything.” Therefore I did a bit of research and the pieces of the puzzle started coming together.

Apparently that ugly growth was a burl, sometimes called a gall or a canker.

Canker? Well that’s an awfully almost familiar word right? Kind of like the version with a “C” instead of a “K”, huh?

So here’s the scoop…

In a burl, gall or canker formation, the tree’s growth get disrupted when the metabolism of the tree is hijacked by some other organism – a virus, fungus, bacterium or parasite.

These are considered to mimic tumor formation.

The pathogen triggers an immune response in the tree, antibodies show up to fight against it and a big whirling war ensues.

The 2 sides send in reinforcements and the war keeps growing and growing and growing.

In most cases it is difficult to determine the initial cause that got a thing like this growing in the first place.

The agents of the infection that started are often long gone by the time the burl attracts human attention.

Sound familiar?

Have you ever been in a fight with someone that lasted so long that you forgot why you were mad in the first place? These things can easily escalate and get out of hand.

And what is the ROOT CAUSE of that oh so similar word…not CANKER but CANCER?

Well they never really tell you do they?

They have no idea.

Apparently the evidence is gone by the time they find the problem just like in the tree.

Conversely, they seem to have arrived at some fairly good conclusions as to what the causes are of these “tumors” on trees. They still say they have no clue what the root cause of cancer is when it comes to humans (at least that’s what my doctor says) but I won’t dwell on that for now.

So, as stated before, experts say the cause of tree tumors can be a virus, a fungus, a bacterium or parasite like a worm or a bug.

Here is an example:

One known cause for these burls is a bacterium known as Agrobacterium tumefaciens.

“Agrobacterium tumefaciens is common in the soil and may enter through a wound in the tree. Once inside the tree, this bacterium releases small packages of DNA known as plasmids that enter the cells in the infected area. The DNA in the plasmid inserts itself into the tree’s DNA thereby affecting the growth of the tree.”

Basically, the bacterium injects it’s own DNA into the tree’s DNA then mutations or changes occur which in turn change the behavior of the tree. These changes in the tree make it a more suitable environment for the growth and continuance of the pathogenic bacteria. The tree’s own immune system is hijacked to protect the pathogen and NOT protect the tree. What a sneaky trick, eh?

THAT IS NUTS! BUT HOW DOES THIS RELATE TO HUMANS?

Well I’m glad you asked!

Lo and behold, Agrobacterium can infect humans too!

“Agrobacterium is able to transfer its DNA into numerous and diverse nonplant eukaryotic species, such as fungi and yeast, as well as human cultured cells. Agrobacterium is responsible for opportunistic infections in humans with weakened immune systems. It is also found to be responsible for producing poisonous hydrogen sulfide (H2S) gas, sepsis, monoarticular arthritis, bacteraemia, CANCER, Morgellons disease and so on, in humans.”

OH WOW! THIS IS NOT GOOD.

Another known cause of these tree tumors is…

CYTOSPORA, a genus of Ascomycete fungi.

What’s in the genus of Ascomycete?

Many ascomycetes are pathogens, both of animals, including humans, and of plants. Examples of ascomycetes that can cause infections in humans include Candida albicans, Aspergillus Niger, Basidiomycota and dozens of species that cause skin infections like dermatophytosis (ringworm or athletes foot) and many thousands more.

“Filamentous basidiomycetes (BM) are common environmental fungi that have recently emerged as important human pathogens, inciting a wide array of clinical manifestations that include allergic and invasive diseases. BM fungi-incited diseases are currently under diagnosed due to lack of awareness and expertise, warranting comprehensive epidemiological and susceptibility studies to determine their prevalence and to predict a more appropriate therapy.”

WELL THIS DOESN’T SOUND GOOD EITHER!

What’s so freaky about these fungi is that they have the ability to CLONE themselves! Additionally, they can actually take an imprint from other organisms and clone them too!

These clones can be slightly different and instead of protecting the parent organism, they can wreak havoc on the system.

I had Multiple Myeloma cancer. Doctors say (of course) that they don’t know what causes it but to me this fungus clone thing makes total sense! Something somehow mutates some bone marrow plasma cells and they are up to no good. So then antibodies show up to fight these mutants but are literally cloned. These clones do not help the situation but harm body even further. The clones are called monoclonal antibodies and they are hell bent on destruction rather than protection.

So basically we have a war in our bodies going on. A fight between good and evil but sometimes the good guys get all mixed up and become the bad guys and it all becomes ONE BIG HOT MESS!

BUT WAIT, THERE’s MORE!

Now this is where it gets confusing and I have to admit, I’m still learning and trying to wrap my head around this idea.

Again, let’s look again at the genus of Ascomycete fungi.

Not only are these organisms bad and pathogenic at times, they can also be GOOD in many cases:

“The ascomycetes are of particular use to humans as sources of medicinally important compounds, such as antibiotics, for fermenting bread, alcoholic beverages and cheese. Penicillium species on cheeses and those producing antibiotics for treating bacterial infectious diseases are examples of ascomycetes.”

SO WAIT… ARE GOOD OR THEY ARE BAD?

CERTAINLY THEY CAN’T BE BOTH CAN THEY???

Humor me for a moment as I diverge.

Let’s look at the physics of Sir Isaac Newton.

Formally stated, Newton ‘s third law is: For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. The statement means that in every interaction, there is a pair of forces acting on the two interacting objects. The size of the forces on the first object equals the size of the force on the second object.

HOW DOES THIS RELATE?

Well it seems as though our bodies are the most complex ecosystem ever known. Perhaps infinitely more complex than that of this entire planet! In a balanced and healthy state, the positives and negatives balance each other perfectly and we achieve homeostasis. Yin and Yang if you will.

Can a positive charge exist without a negative charge?

Can good exist without bad?

Well, hmmmm, good question.

MAYBE NOT???

Let’s look at one example in the body. BACTERIA.

Just within the past 100 years or so we have learned that all bacteria aren’t bad, right?

We have both “friendly” or good gut bacteria as well as bad gut bacteria. Both are important to achieve homeostasis.

This idea is now translating into the world of fungi and can be found in a myriad of new supplements on the market. Medicinal mushrooms are so popular these days as people are finding that they need good fungus to fight bad fungus.

So if we have both good and bad bacteria and good and bad fungus…

DO we also have good and bad viruses? Good and bad worms/parasites?

Well, that’s a little TOO MUCH for me at the moment. It’s an interesting question though. I’m not aware of scientists engineering parasites but they are definitely engineering viruses.

Suffice it to say that we have a very delicate balance of positives and negatives, good and bad, yin and yang achieved by only the mostawesome power of our Creator.

What happens when that balance gets thrown off?

WELL THEN WE HAVE A PROBLEM and to me it seems as THAT is the beginning of disease. The body is not balanced. It is in a state of DIS-EASE.

Enough of that deep-thinking stuff, let’s get back to TREES…

Here we are again at a tree with and it’s tumor. YUCK. Let’s look at what is recommend you keep your trees healthy and “tumor” free:

1) Select disease resistant species 

2) Use proper planting and mulching methods

3) Provide ample amounts of water during dry seasons

4) Maintain a nutrient-rich and pH adjusted soil appropriate for optimal growth

5) Protect trees during winter and severe weather to avoid bark wounds

HOW DOES THAT CORRESPOND TO OUR BODIES?

To prevent tumor / cancer growth I surmised from the list above that we should:

1) Be genetically resistant. Ha! We wish! Ok we have no control over that one.

2) Feed our bodies properly with good nutrients

3) Drink plenty of water

4) Keep a healthy pH

5) Try not to get injured or hurt because it opens you up to undo stress

THIS MAKES TOTAL SENSE!

Now if a tree still gets a tumor, there really is no treatment. They can try cutting it out but the tree has become so accustomed to accommodating for it that it usually dies.

However, if a human gets a tumor we have a lot of tools in our arsenal.

For one we have drugs! Lots and lots of drugs!!!

Most would think that medicines to help kill or stop the pathogen would be the straightforward correct path. This is what antibiotics, antifungals and anthelmintic chemicals like fenben do. Not only do they block and starve the pathogen, in many cases they raise the red flag to expose the pathogen for what it is so that the body’s own immune system can respond accordingly.

AWESOME! Like a supportive and helpful friend. I’m ready to FIGHT the bad guys with my team of friends!

But, strangely these types of medications are rarely used these days.

In studying many Pharma drugs de jour; I have learned that many times they have a strange approach to this “war of good and bad” going on in the body.

If you study the mode of action of some Pharma drugs they completely ignore the pathogen and instead work on regulating the body’s immune response.

They stop the escalation of the war between good and bad.

I somewhat see the point because fighting is generally not good and as we discussed, things can escalate and get out of hand.

But stopping what my body is naturally programmed to do is just not lining up with my worldview.

If we are fearfully and wonderfully made in God’s own image then our immune systems were made just right. They respond to pathogens and try to protect the body. Why derail them?

I could be missing something yes, but to me it just seems like a strange way to do things…working against the body instead of with it.

As for me, medicines that HELP the body FIGHT have helped me immensely.

The ANTIs came to the rescue! My team of fighting friends:

ANTI biotics, ANTI fungals, ANTI virals and ANTI parasitics.

The big bummer is that it’s almost impossible to get these types of medicines from your doctor.

In 2015 when I was in the fight for my life with dozens of diagnoses, I had to go through hell and high water to get these things and I was thrown out of every medical practice in South Florida just for asking. The doctors wanted to use immune blockers and chemo and these things just didn’t work for me. I tried, but I just kept getting sicker and sicker. I said I didn’t want to take them anymore so they said that I was putting them in a difficult position with the drug companies then they kicked me out!

FIRST I was shocked.

THEN I was sad.

THEN, I got MAD!

LASTLY, I did a lot of praying and I did a lot of research then

DOG GONE IT! I DECIDED TO HEAL MYSELF!

This was in 2016 and oh it was a bumpy and crazy ride!

Horse supply stores and online pharmacies not requiring a prescription became a way of life for me for about a year and I felt like some sort of criminal taking animal medicine and going against medical advice to treat myself.

FACEBOOK groups became my support and those that had gone before me and healed were my heroes.

Today, here I stand and instead of being bedridden and labeled with a dozen diagnoses, I am healthy and have regained homeostasis.

Today I’m totally ok, no pain, no rheumatoid arthritis, no multiple myeloma, no fibromyalgia, and no osteoporosis.

Still I live in a world full of invaders and my system is constantly being challenged and thrown off so today I am concentrating on building up those natural good guys in my body in case of a bad guy attack.

I take probiotics, mushrooms, glutathione and keep everything in check by using my “old friends”, the ANTIs periodically.

I’m not saying that this is the answer for all people but it sure has worked for me. God led me to this path of healing and was with me all the way.

FOR THAT I WILL BE ETERNALLY GRATEFUL.

Sources:

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/271656390_Agrobacterium_a_potent_human_pathogen

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agrobacterium

https://academic.oup.com/mmy/article/52/8/782/2886649