Colostrum is a proven, effective immune
system booster
Soon after giving birth, female mammals produce colostrum,
which is a milk-like substance that jump-starts a newborn's
immune system. Researchers now believe that the benefits of
colostrum don't necessarily end there. If you have a
compromised immune system or are just looking for a boost to
your healthy immune system, colostrum may be the jump-start you
need to fight infection or immune-related chronic diseases such
as cancer.
The immune-boosting property of colostrum stems from
molecules called transfer factors, which were first discovered
in 1949 by Sherwood Lawrence. While treating tuberculosis
patients, Lawrence noticed that immune response factors could be
transferred from blood
donor to recipient, hence the term "transfer factors."
According to Burton Goldberg in Alternative
Medicine, transfer factors "can 'educate' or modulate a
recipient's immune
system, teaching it to recognize these specific
antigens and communicating the knowledge that they are
present."
Of course, HIV and hepatitis concerns make modern blood
transfer a risky method of boosting recipients' immune systems
with transfer agents. In 1999, fifty years after Lawrence's
discovery, researchers discussed the potential role of transfer
factors in modern medicine
at the Eleventh International Conference on Transfer Agents in
Mexico. Bovine colostrum was a hot topic at the convention; it
is the most abundant source of transfer factors known
today.
Bovine colostrum is replete with transfer factors such as
hydrogen
peroxide and IgG-type immunoglobulins. You may already
be familiar hydrogen
peroxide -- the stuff the school nurse put on your skinned
knees. Our healthy cells regularly produce hydrogen peroxide to
attack invading pathogens; in fact, doctors in the British army
who were aware of this fact used intravenous hydrogen peroxide
to treat influenza
in India.
Bovine colostrum's high concentration of IgG-type
immunoglobulins is especially significant for people suffering
from acquired immune deficiency syndrome. While a healthy
immune system can easily fight a form of diarrhea
called cryptosporidiosis, it can be deadly for AIDS
patients. IgG-type immunoglobulins are particularly effective
against Cryptosporidium parvum, the microorganism that
causes this form of disease.
In fact, according to the Health Science Institute's
Underground Cures, "colostrum is able to ameliorate or
completely eliminate the clinical symptoms of those suffering
from cryptosporidiosis."
By boosting your immune system, colostrum also proves an
effective anti-cancer treatment. As you may already know,
cancer is
related to immune deficiency. Cancer cells develop in our
bodies all the time, but our immune systems effectively kill
the cancer
cells before they further develop and symptomatically
appear as the disease we know as "cancer." The development of
cancer indicates that the immune system was ineffective in
fighting the malignant cells that appeared; these cells took
advantage of a weakened state, grew, and spread out of
control.
Boosting your immune system builds your body's defenses
against naturally occurring cancer cells, thereby preventing a
full-blown progression of the disease. If you already have
cancer, colostrum is vital for your treatment. Its
immune-boosting abilities will help your body fight off the
cancer. Colostrum
furthermore contains the antioxidant phytic acid, which
prevents iron from
reaching and nourishing cancer cells.
Transfer factors may become a valuable way to treat
communicable disease in the future as researchers learn more
and gain the ability to isolate specific factors. In fact,
transfer factors may someday cure the diseases ravaging the
world population, such as AIDS and Ebola. After
the tragic 2002 Ebola outbreak
in Uganda, freelance journalist Sam Wainaina explored the
potential benefits of transfer factors in Africa. In his
article,
Wainaina concluded that had transfer factors been used during
the outbreak, it could have been contained sooner, saving lives
and avoiding mass hysteria.
Research for cures through transfer factors continues, but
you can take advantage of the benefits of colostrum and the
amazing transfer factors it contains today. If your immune
system is compromised, you don’t have to wait to help yourself
by learning more about colostrum supplements now
.
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