 hat will be the newest, hottest
nutritional supplement to spark the health products industry in the near future? Inasmuch
as its benefits are so broad spectrum, my bet is on bovine colostrum.
Directly after birthing her newborn, colostrum is the
first natural food produced by the female mammal. Whether from an animal or human source,
colostrum is a highly complex fluid rich in vital substances for sustaining the baby.
Nutrients present in colostrum include carbohydrates, fat, proteins, vitamins and
minerals.
Immunoglobulins provide passive immunity to calves
after birth, and do the same thing for human beings.
Also there are antibodies to ward off all
types of diseases, biologically active molecules essential for specific physiological
functions, plus growth factors which promote cellular development, repair and growth. In
bovine species, most components remain available in the first six hours after birth abd
free-flowing for up to 12 hours following newborn delivery, after which they gradually
disappear.
Because of such indispensable components in
colostrum, infant feeding from its mother's mammary glands (breasts for women or udders
for cows) is highly important, at least during the first day or two of life. If human
breast colostrum is not at hand, nutritional science has found the means to draw upon
nature's bounty.
What separates bovines from other species and what
makes bovine colostrum so rich in nutrients is that its biologically active molecules,
including immunoglobulins, do not reach the fetus from the placenta, and thus the only
meansfor them to reach the calf is through suckling. Nature has provided a uniquely
enriched material as a means to give the calf the start it needs and provides passive
protection against a variety of infections.
WHICH COWS ARE BEST?
Some experts believe that the safest, purest, and
most nutritious form of bovine colostrum, should never come from feed lot cows but only
from pasture-fed animals. Cows furnishing the best colostrum, they contend, eat grass and
undergo no forced-feeding on feed lots. These animals, allowed to roam free in the fields,
get exposure to antigens (miscroorganisms) so that their colostrum contains greater
numbers and more varieties of antibodies.
Other scientists, such as Albert Fox, PhD, an
immunochemist, say pooled colostrum from a mixture of grain and pasture-fed cows will
yield the most diverse population of antibodies against a broad number of microorganisms.
"The IgG expressed in colostrum is a direct reflection of the microorganisms which
the cow has been exposed to during its lifetime and thus the broader the mixture, the
better to assure maximum protection potential," Dr. Fox states.
How do you know the origin of the colostrum you are
buying?
Answer: Read the label and ask your natural foods retailer
about environmental sources providing the colostrum being sold.
IMMUNE SYSTEM BOOSTER
During the last half of the 20th century,
colostrum from cows (bovine colostrum) has been used as a raw material for
immunoglobulin-rich commercial products. Among numerous other illnesses for which they
have value, clinical trieals show that antimicrobals and immunoglobulins (IgG) in bovine
colostrum have the potential to treat or prevent infectious diarrhea (Ref. 1,2,3,4) and
other systemic infections.
Since high temperature sterilized milk possesses almost no
measurable immunoglobulins in its makeup, the IgG in bovine colostrum has been used as an
immunoprophylactic or therapeutic agent (Ref. 5). It's necessary to have such IgG
available in the food supply either naturally or as supplementation because it is able to
facilitate removal of infectious agents from the body. [ Top ] |
Bovine colostrum contains IgG
molecules reactive against many microorganisms including many pathogenic microorganisms.
The protective, versatile, and therapeutic quality of
bovine colostrum, however, is capable of overcoming the infectious characteristics of all
of the above-names microbes with their associated diarrhea symptoms. We must out this fact
into use because our society now has to cope with pathogenic bacteria resistant to very
antibiotic developed by the pharmaceutical industry.
SOME THERAPEUTIC ATTRIBUTES
The best colostrum contains a variety of natural
agents which enhance the human immune system. Briefly described below are some of bovine
colostrum's components and their attributes:
Lactoferrin activates phacocytes, immune responses, and is
an iron binding agent. Bovine lactoferrin is a powerful bacteriostatic agent which impedes
the growth of crtain bacteria.
Lysozyme was cites in 1922 by the same researcher who
discovered penicillin, Alexander Fleming, M.D. It benefits colostrum users by damaging the
outer membranes of gram-negative bacteria which causes them to disintegrate.
Immunoglobulins provide passive immunity to calves after
birth, and it does the same thing for any age human being. Biological activity of this
bovine product is retained in the human gastrointestinal tract for use in the treatment of
illnesses.
Nutrition-oriented chiropractor Ted Allen, D.C., of St.
Louis, MO, uses bovine colostrum for the treatment of many illnesses. "Because my
practice includes kinesiological testing, I assayed bovine colostrum from my perspective.
It tested stronger than any other substance for correcting different ailments than I had
ever experienced previously. Consequently, I have been applying it for many types of
health problems," Dr. Allen says.
"Colostrum shows a broader base and wider application
than any other natural substance. I recommend for my patients to buy it from health food
stores whenever they can find a pristine form.
"Even for cancer chemotherapy patients, colostrum
lessens adverse side effects of cytotoxic agents. It actually enhances chemotherapy so
that people can take more drugs without getting so deathly sick," states Dr. Allen.
"Those who use a lot of bovine colostrum may experience detoxification - a 'die-off'
response or a 'Herxheimer reaction.' But die-off discomforts last only four days and then
the individual feels wonderful afterward. Experiencing die-off indicates that the
colostrum is doing a body some good.
"Results reported to me by parients are that
colostrum increases immunity with no more colds, flue, sinusitis, and other annoying
infections. Personally, I take it myself," Dr. Allen says. "My method is to
swallow several capsules before eating with a full glass of water so that the colostrum
bypasses the stomach and dissolves in my intestines. Sometimes I put colostrum powder on
my tongue to digest it with my regular food. I use bovine colostrum from [drug-free] cows.
"The dosage for self-treating an illness is five
480-mg capsules of colostrum daily in divided doses, two in the morning and three in the
late afternoon on an empty stomach," explains Dr. Ted Allen. "For purposes of
illness-prevention, I take three daily."
THERAPEUTIC AID
Wholistic physician Nikki-Marie Welch, M.D., of
Sedona, AZ, declares, "Colostrum is valuable to me both personally and within my
practice. I consider it an important therapeutic aid for all patients with chronic
infections, including bacterial, viral, or fungal. Examples of such infections involve
recurrent sinusitis, bronchitis, hepatitis, urinary tract infections [UTI], and other
bacterial invasions; herpes, Epstein Barr, and additional viral diseases; plus the yeast
syndrome of candidiasis.
"I start everyone with acute infections on bovine
colostrum. But in my experiencs, the patients who gain the most from it are those with
chronic and recurrent disease symptoms such as chronic fatigue symptoms, infectious
dierrhea, sinusitis, and fibromyalgia. [ Top
] |
"For the past 22 months,
colostrum has been an integral part of my therapeutic regimen, especially for those who
come down with sinusitis, which is very common where I practice. It has been quite
remarkable in clearing up chronic swelling of the nasal sinuses, which may be a
complication of an upper respiratory infection, dental infection, allergy, a change in
atmosphere as in air travel or underwater swimming, or as a defect of the nose,"
explains Dr. Welch.
 Dr. Morton Walker, a fulltime, freelance medical journalist, has
authored 2,020 magazine and clinical journal articles plus 72 consumer health books. Dr.
Walker's newest title, stocked by Nutri-Books, Inc., is the 224-page Bald No More:
Preventing and Successfully Treating Hair Loss for Both Men and Women.
"Generally, I administer bovine colostrum as an
immune system booster. It would be good for all people prophylactically too, and I suggest
its use to any patient who needs an immunological pick-up", acknowledges Dr. Welch.
"Because I have history of metastatic breast cancer, this nutritional supplement has
become a part of my routine immune-boosting protocol.
"Any time I become ecposed to a contagious patient or
some other source of infection, I immediately increase my colostrum intake.
"Routinely I ingest four colostrum capsules per day
for daily prophylaxis. But if I feel a scratchy throat or some type of GI distress coming
on, I increase my dosage to two capsules every three hours up to 12 a day for a few days.
Colostrum is administered as powder and capsules. For myself, it's mostly capsuless that
work best, but recently I've added the powder as well.
"It seems most effective for improving the
functionning of a patient's GI tract, in particular difficulties with the stomach,"
says Dr. Welch. "Colostrum powder may either be added to water and 'chug-a-lugged' or
popped into the mouth, swished around the oral mucous membranes and swallowed or taken
sublingually."
REFERENCES [
Top ]
1. Tacket, C.O.; Losonsky, G.; Link, H.; Hoang, Y.; Guesry, P.;
Hilpert, H.; Lucas, D.O. "Immunologically active whey fraction and recovery
process." U.S. Patent 4 834 973, May 30, 1989.
2. Tacket, C.O.; Binion, S.B.; Bostwick, E.; Losonsky, G.; Roy, M.J.;
Edelman, R. "Efficacy of bovine milk immunoglobulin concentrate in preventing illness
after Shigella flexner Challenge." American Journal of Tropical Medicine and
Hygiene. 47:276-283, 1992.
3. Tzipori, S.; Robertson, D.; Chapman, C. "Remission of diarrhea due
to cryptosporidiosis in an immunodeficient child treated with hyper-immune bovine
colostrum." British Medical Journal. 293:1276-1277, 1986.
4. Saif, L.J.; Redman, D.R.; Smith, K.L.; Theil, K.W. "Passive immunity
to bovine rotavirus in newborn calves fed colostrum supplements from immunized or
non-immunized cows." Imfection and Immunology. 41:1118-11131, 1983.
5. Li-Chan, E.; Kummer, A.; Losso, J.N.; Kitts, D.D.; Nakai, S. Food
Research International. 28(1):9-16, 1995.
6. Rump, J.A.; Arndt, R.; Arnold, A.; Bendrick, C.; Dichtermueller, H.;
Franke, M.; Helm, E.B.; Jaeger, H., Kampmann, B.; Kolb, P.; Kreuz, W.; Lissner, R.;
Meigel, W.; Osterdorf, P.; Peter, H.H.; Plettenbert, A.; Schedel, I.; Stellbrink, H.W.;
Stephan, W. "Treatment of diarrhea in human immunodeficiency virus infected patients
with immuoglobulins bovine colostrum." Clinical Investigation. 70:588-594, 1992.
7. Lawrence, H.S. "The cellular transfer of cutaneous hypersensitivity
to tuberculin in man." Proceedings of the Society of Experimental Biological
Medicine. 71:516-521, 1949.
8. Ley, B.M. Colostrum: Nature's Gift to the Immune System. (Aliso Viejo,
CA: BL Publications, 1997).
9. Clark, D.G. and Wyatt, K. Colostrum: Life's First Food-The Ultimate
Anti-Aging Weight Loss and Immune Supplement. (Salt Lake City, UT: CNR Publications, 1996).
10. Pakkanen, R. and Aalto, J. "Review paper: Growth factors and
antimicrobal factors of bovine colostrum." International Dairy Journal.
7:285-297, 1997. |
By Morton Walker, D.P.M.