|About this site (www.LearnAboutTF.com)

This website was created by a researcher who became fascinated with transfer factors while trying to understand what was happening to a friend with Chronic Fatigue Immune Dysfunction Syndrome (CFIDS). That researcher is me, Aaron White, a Biological Psychologist by training. My own research focuses on issues related to adolescent brain and psychological development, as well as underage drinking, but not immune system function. My interest in this topic is purely personal and intellectual. Please keep that in mind as you read through the material on the site.

In the fall of 2006, while reading the scientific literature on CFIDS, I came across a mention of something called "Transfer Factor", a signaling mechanism used by the immune system to alert white blood cells of potential threats in the body. As discussed in other sections of the site, Transfer Factor was discovered in 1949 by an immunologist named HS Lawrence. He transferred immunity from a human with tuberculosis (TB) to one without tuberculosis. He did this by extracting the contents of white blood cells from the TB positive person and injecting them into the healthy person. What, exactly, was transferring immunity was unknown, so Dr. Lawrence simply referred to the mystery substance as "Transfer Factor".

Penicillin was discovered in 1928 but it would be the 1940s before technology made mass production, and thus widespread use, possible. Technology has just recently caught up with transfer factors, 50 years later, and they are now becoming available. The drug companies claimed ownership of antibiotics. Thankfully, that has not, and hopefully will not, happen with transfer factors. Transfer factors are sold as supplements, protected under the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994. A small number of companies, unrelated to Big Pharma, have marshaled the resources needed to manufacture transfer factors and distribute them. We will discuss these companies, and some of their products, in the section on where to get transfer factors.

In mammals, Transfer Factors are normally passed from mother to child via colostrum (first milk). In birds, they are passed from mother to child via the egg yolk. In all species that utilize Transfer Factors, the purpose is to educate the offspring's immune system about infectious agents to which the mother was exposed during her lifetime. In essence, this allows mothers to accomplish what Dr. Lawrence accomplished in the laboratory, the transferance of immunity.

Advances in science have made it possible to extract transfer factors from cow colostrum and chicken eggs and put them in capsules. They are quite stable and can be taken orally, making them a more practical choice than vaccines for arming people of all ages with immunity to various diseases. Researchers have figured out how to custom generate Transfer Factors that carry information about specific threats like Lyme, Epstein-Barr, Herpes Simplex 1&2, Human Papilloma Virus, Human Herpes Virus 6 type A&B, Cytomeglavirus, Hepatitis B and C, Varicella-Zoster (shingles), and -- potentially -- viruses like the dreaded H5N1 strain of bird flu.

Transfer Factors convey immunity to those who have not yet been exposed to the pathogen of interest. For those currently battling an infection, Transfer Factors are extremely effective at helping the body overcome the ailment. They do so in several ways. First, an increase in levels of Transfer Factors in the body is read by the immune system as an indication that a battle is underway. In turn, the immune system generates additional Natural Killer cells, Cytotoxic T-cells and other important constituents in order to battle the infection more effectively. Further, Transfer Factors orient new and existing immune cells toward particular infectious agents. The combination of effects triggers the immune system to prepare for battle and then aims it toward the pathogen of interest.

By boosting the immune system and transfering immunity, transfer factors could play a central role in helping to avert viral pandemics, such as one caused by the H5N1 strain of bird flu. The human body does not possess natural immunity to H5N1. Nor do cows. Let's say that we exposed a cow to the H5N1 strain of bird flu and extracted transfer factors from the cow's colostrum. Some of those transfer factors from the colostrum will carry information about H5N1. That information can be read and utilized by immune cells in the human body to recognize and fight H5N1. Theoretically, if one were to take the H5N1 transfer factors before exposure to H5N1, they should become immune to the virus, at least for a time. If one were to take the H5N1 transfer factors after exposure to H5N1, they would strengthen the immune system's response to the virus and perhaps increase one's chances of survival (for more about flu viruses, see the

at the bottom of this page)

In short, the technology exists to create an extremely safe and 100% natural means of protecting a population against threats like H5N1 using tiny immune system messengers that can be swallowed in capsules. They are not drugs, but act by boosting immune system health. They can also be made quickly -- much faster than the decades old techniques used to make traditional vaccines.

If purchased from a reputable company, all products containing transfer factors should, theoretically anyway, boost immune system health. For those chronically or cyclically ill with viruses, boosting the immune system could make a huge difference in quality of life. If one knows, or has a good hunch, what pathogen is plaguing them, there may be a specific formulation of transfer factors that can help. In such cases, Transfer Factors for specific pathogens are far superior to broad spectrum products.

Transfer factors have played (are playing) a very important role in my own life at the moment; giving my friend with CFIDS hope for the first time since her illness began during childhood, and allowing my father, a physician who has suffered from Lyme-related problems for more than two-decades, to begin seeing patients again.

1.	To promote awareness of Transfer Factors and provide background material for doctors and patients interested in learning more.
2.	To advocate for their continued availability as supplements, as is the case at the moment under the terms of law
3.	To give a sense of hope to those suffering from CFIDS, Lyme and other conditions virtually ignored or under-treated by the Western medical community.

I hope that you find this site of use. While you are here, please keep in mind that the information you read reflects my personal interpretation of the literature and my personal opinions of the potential health benefits of transfer factors. My opinions are not necessarily those of the university at which I work, and nothing on the site represents medical advice or a claim that transfer factors can prevent, treat or cure any illness. In fact, because they are supplements, such claims cannot be made by anyone at any time without jeopardizing the legal status of the products.

If you have comments, questions, or suggestions, please e-mail me at aaron@learnaboutTF.com