The importance of a healthy immune system (Part I)

Healthy immune systems are our best hope for preventing, slowing, or surviving pandemics caused by bird flues and other viruses. Healthy immune systems can also help our bodies withstand the ravages of antibiotic-resistant bacteria and can prevent the resurgence of pathogens hiding in our bodies -- like the herpes virus that causes cold sores and the mycobacterium that causes tuberculosis.

Creating and maintaining a healthy immune system is an active and multifaceted process. It requires a healthy lifestyle that includes a reasonable diet and at least moderate exercise. The lifestyle part is very important here. For people with otherwise healthy immune systems, eating some vegetables and exercising once a week can give the immune system a little lift, but it probably won't do much for its overall strength.

Beyond basic lifestyle factors, carefully selecting certain supplements – those with science behind them – can help. In 2005, American consumers spent over $21 billion dollars on supplements, many of them aimed at boosting immune health. Some of these products are backed, directly or indirectly, by research. Echinacea, Omega-3 fatty acids and Vitamins C and E are examples of ingredients known to help boost immune system activity. Other products, including some with very low doses of helpful supplements, are themselves unhelpful. Because they are not regulated by the FDA, over-the-counter immune boosting products can contain just about anything and can make claims as varied as the ingredients.

Transfer factors are small molecules generated by the immune system. They are used by immune system cells to communicate with, and coordinate the activity of, other immune cells throughout the body. They are not species-specific, meaning that transfer factors generated by cows, chickens, and other animals can augment immune system activity in any other species -- including humans and household pets (they were long used in veterinarian medicine before becoming available for human consumption!)

Clinical and scientific research, reviewed in another section, strongly suggests that transfer factors are capable of boosting human immune system health on a grand scale. For healthy people, this can make them even healthier. For ill people, this could improve the quality of their lives.

Improving immune system health is an understudied approach to dealing with many diseases, in part because advances in the diagnosis and treatment of diseases have become intimately -- too intimately -- tied to drug development by pharmaceutical companies.

Transfer factors are not drugs. They carry information that, when read by immune cells, can cause the immune system to become more active and vigilant. Unlike most drugs, transfer factors carry minimal risks of side effects, with the exception of mild flu-like symptoms that generally occur sometime during the first few weeks of taking them. These symptoms are temporary and are viewed as evidence that the immune system is responding to the information carried by the transfer factors. (Those who have been ill for quite some time, and who respond positively to transfer factors, should expect an exacerbation of symptoms on the way to healing. This is normal and is one of the factors that should be carefully considered before deciding whether to take them.)

At present, the Western medical community has little to offer people who suffer from CFIDS, MS, Fibromyalgia, PANDAS, treatment-resistant Lyme and a long list of other conditions. If a drug isn't available to treat it, many conditions are not even taken seriously. This is well-known to hundreds of thousands of patients with immune conditions searching for help.

New research suggests that several conditions, including CFIDS and Multiple Sclerosis (MS), are related to infections with HHV-6, one of the eight herpes viruses. Active HHV6 infections appear capable of suppressing the immune system, which simply perpetuates the cycle of illness. Other researchers speculate that HHV6 might thicken the blood, perhaps causing "brain fog" and at least some of the pain associated with CFIDS and related conditions. Aside from expensive, and potentially toxic, pharmaceutical antiviral drugs, nothing seems to hold more promise for helping the body contain HHV-6 and other viruses than transfer factors.

What about autoimmune conditions where the immune response seems to be too aggressive for some reason? Transfer factors appear to have a normalizing effect on immune activity. Why and how is still anyone's guess. However, logically, they might replace the faulty immune signals that cause autoimmune conditions with more accurate signals, thereby diminishing the likelihood that the body will attack itself.

Let's look at a theoretical example. Let's say a cow's immune system accurately recognizes potential pathogens and can distinguish between those pathogens and cells in the body. Let's say your immune system can't do that, leading the immune system to attack the body everytime it tries to attack a particular pathogen (this is the case with strep bacteria and the newly identified childhood disorders comprising PANDAS). Now, let's say you swamp your immune system with the more accurate information carried by transfer factors generated by the cow's immune system. Voila. The odds increase that your immune system will respond correctly and the odds decrease that your body will attack itself. This remains theoretical, of course.

As with all supplements, transfer factors are not intended to treat or cure diseases. However, this particular type of supplement has the potential to boost immune system health in profound ways, which can help the body take care of itself.

There are absolutely no guarantees that transfer factors can help a person deal with their ailments, or protect them from new ones. However, for those with immune-related conditions unhappy with the help they have received from the traditional medical community, I strongly urge that you read more about transfer factors to see if they're right for you.

As is the case with anything else that comes in a capsule, it's very important to make careful, informed decisions before taking them. Any substance that impacts how your body functions could have undesirable effects. It is impossible to know how each individual will react to something like transfer factors, so please inform your doctor if you intend to take them. Chances are that your doctor will have no clue what you're talking about, so I have made product sheets for some of the products I recommend available on another page. These can be printed and taken during your next appointment.

In summary, transfer factors are small molecules generated by the immune system that can boost immune health and potentially help the human body deal with diseases. There are no guarantees that they will change your life, but I recommend considering them if you, or even your household pets, have been ill with conditions related to the immune system. I also recommend considering them if you are healthy, already have a healthy lifestyle, and want to maximize immune system health. The ultimate decision is yours to make.

Transfer factors are currently protected by the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994 here in the US. However, drug companies are powerful entities and have persuaded the World Trade Organization to eventually force members to severely limit access to supplements of all kinds. (I wish I were making that up! Do a Google search for “Codex Alimentarius Commission” sometime to learn more. )

Those who find that they benefit from transfer factors should consider stocking up. Alternatively, two of three companies discussed on the site offer the option to receive "autoshipments" of products on whatever frequency a customer desires. Transfer factor products have shelf lives of several years, particularly if refrigerated. Please peruse the rest of the site to learn more.