FAQ - Immune System
What are some of the causes of our immune systems not working like they should?
Poor nutrition, pollution, stress, alcohol, tobacco, aging, sleeping disorders and more, all play a role in causing poor immune function.
Does TF create immunity?
An independent research laboratory compared 4Life's™ Transfer Factor™ with vaccinations. Mice were given a number of vaccinations against several different germs. The immunity created by the vaccinations were measured. Another group of mice were given Transfer Factor™ and the immune response was measured. The Transfer Factor™ measured a similar immune response as did the vaccinations. We have documents to verify these facts.
Why do people use Transfer Factor Plus™ or Transfer Factor™ during treatments that severely weaken immune function?
The immune system is challenged during times of stress. Because of this, additional support through supplementation may promote a healthy immune system. When the immune system is working effectively, recovery occurs at an ideal pace. The use of Transfer Factor™ or Transfer Factor Plus™ is appropriate at anytime you feel your immune system has been compromised.
The NK cell study talks about in vitro, what does this mean?
In vitro, means "out of the body". This means that substances are tested on extracted cells that have been removed from the body. In vivo means that substances are placed into the body and the results are measured "in the body".
ALLERGIES:
I like to compare the human immune system to the cartoon character, Mr. Magoo. Our immune systems do not "see" clearly. Sometimes the immune system attacks the wrong target. When it does, we develop allergies or autoimmune diseases. Consuming the highly skilled transfer factors is like putting glasses on Magoo.
ANIMAL:
The human immune system is not as skilled as the animal immune system. For thousands of years, the human species has tried to avoid exposure to germs or conditions (such as feces) that breed germs. Early, we learned to preserve meats and boil our water. Animals do not know how to avoid these dangers. The animal immune system is more experienced. When we consume transfer factors that have been extracted from their colostrum, we inherit the animal's ability to recognize germs and alert the other immune cells to reproduce and enter the battle quickly.
ANTIGEN:
TF boost the innate side that is not dependent on antigen recognition. TF also allows the immune system to use antigen (sharing) information on pathogens that the cow has not been exposed to.
Yes, it only transfers the information that has been stored in response to the cow's immune system's experiences. Once the antigen information is stored, transfer factor can borrow information from a number of antigens to create an immune response to a unfamiliar pathogen. The immune system can mount a response without recognizing all of the antigens on a particular pathogen.
BOOSTING:
Transfer Factors contain inducers that directly boost the innate immune system. Transfer factors also contain a biofeedback mechanism that controls the battle, so that the natural killer cells activity can be decreased as the battle ends. Transfer factors do not use the same pathway of boosting that the other nutrients utilize. Transfer factors contain the actual inducers that are used naturally by the body to boost innate cells.
DIALYZABLE LEUKOCYTE EXTRACT:
Transfer factors are a product of leukocytes. In the original production of transfer factor the process was a dialysis of fractured leukocytes. Transfer factor and dialyzable leukocyte extract are often used synonymously. In fact the dialyzable leukocyte extract contains the transfer factor along with other materials of similar molecular weight. Regarding the transfer factor isolated from colostrums, these too originate in leukocytes which themselves originate in the blood. Prior to parturition the mammary gland fills with leukocytes. After parturition very few intact leukocytes remain. What has happened is that the leukocytes have been lysed and their contents released into the colostrums. Our filtration of the colostrums removes the larger allergenic proteins and leaves the low molecular weight transfer factors in a manner similar to that originally observed in the dialysis of isolated leukocytes.
It should be remembered that transfer factor preparations contain both the specific transfer factors that reflect the donor's infectious experiences, and the non-specific inducer and suppressor factors. The non-specific factors will extert a benefit regardless of whether the donor has had previous experience with the current pathogen.
GERMS:
Transfer factors actually form a "soup" of more than 200 transfer factors. Transfer factors store experienced information. Once your body experiences an illness, the transfer factor registers the germ's receptor "fingerprint" and warns the immune system if the intruder ever returns. Once a germ enters your body, how sick you get or if you survive depends on how fast your immune system can produce attack immune cells to respond to the invasion. Basically, it is a race between the germs and the immune cells as to which can reproduce more quickly. If the germs win, you become ill until the immune cells catch up, or in a serious scenario, you die. If the immune cells win, you don't even notice that you were ill.
MODULATING:
Transfer factors contain inducers and suppressors¹. The inducers stimulate the immune cells to reproduce quickly. The suppressors control the attack so that the immune system doesn't overreact, causing inflammation or an autoimmune disorder. Transfer factors can exercise the inducers and suppressors at the same time. On one hand, they induce attack cells to fight cancer cells or micro-organisms, while on the other hand, they're managing other cells so that they do not attack the wrong target or overreact.
(See below)
Biochem Biophys Res Commun 2000 Jul 14;273(3):1099-103
Dialyzable leukocyte extract suppresses the activity of essential transcription factors for HIV-1 gene expression in unstimulated MT-4 cells.
Ojeda MO, Fernandez-Ortega C, Rosainz MJ.
Cell Biology Division, Center for Biological Research, Havana, Cuba.
The human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) contains regulatory regions in its long terminal repeat (LTR) implicated in the control of viral gene expression. We previously demonstrated that Dialyzable Leukocyte Extract (DLE), a preparation derived from immune leukocytes, is able to inhibit HIV-1 replication in MT-4 cell cultures. Here, we examined the effect of DLE on the activation of NF-kappaB and Sp1 transcription factors. NF-kappaB activity was completely suppressed after seven days of treatment with 2.5 U/mL of DLE, with a parallel large reduction in the amounts of Sp1 complexes. These findings correlate with the maximum inhibitory effect on HIV-1 replication described in a previous report. IkappaBalpha and NF-kappaB p65(RelA) gene expression are not regulated by DLE in MT-4 cells. Although up to day, the precise molecular mechanism of DLE biological activity in HIV-1 infection remains unclear, this report presents data that indicate a potential downregulatory effect of DLE on HIV-1 gene expression.
References:
1. Biotherapy 1996;9(1-3):1-5
Transfer factor--current status and future prospects.
Lawrence HS, Borkowsky W.
Department of Medicine, New York University Medical Center, New York, NY 10016, USA.