Keeping the Guard Alert and Strong

The immune system is the first line of defense against invaders that threaten our health and the health of our animals. Invaders could be germs, like viruses or bacteria; or parasites, like heartworms or giardia; or even cancer cells whose reproduction has run amok, proliferating wildly so that tumors result. It’s a well-tuned immune system’s job to see these all as “foreign”, and distinguish them from “self.” Tissues of “self” are important to leave alone to function for the animals’ benefit, and foreigners need to be attacked and destroyed to keep the animal well.

This happens without our knowledge most of the time. It is recognized, for instance, that cancer cells crop up regularly in both animals and people. What keeps these from developing into tumors and metastasizing into more tumors? It is the well balanced function of the immune system. This system is an exquisitely designed collection of interrelated glands, organs, cells, and natural chemicals that is truly one of Nature’s miracles.

The Natural Killer Cells: Keeping Order
One fascinating aspect of the immune system is a population of cells known as the Natural Killer cells, or NK cells. These are the first responders against foreigners like viruses, bacteria, or cancer cells. The animal’s cells that are affected by these invaders develop markers on their surface that are recognized by the NK cells as foreign. The NK cells then attach to the foreign cells and release powerful natural chemicals like enzymes and interleukins that kill the foreign or infected cells. These NK cells can do this without having prior exposure to the foreigners, so they work independently and, hopefully, efficiently, to keep our bodies (animal or human) safe from invading organisms or cancer.

NK Cells with Brakes
Certain conditions have been identified that clearly slow the response of NK cells.
They are: young and old age, and stress.

The young have a naturally naive immune system at birth. The newborn depends on the mother’s immune system to transfer information to him that allows him to quickly gain immune competency. Without this information, animals born into a farm environment, for example, would be quickly overwhelmed by the pathogens on the barn floor, like coliform bacteria that are present in manure. Any farmer knows it is extremely important that the newborn calf or foal nurse on the dam as soon as possible to get this immune knowledge transferred via the colostrum, or first milk.

Old age is another time of vulnerability for animals and people, as the immune system, and specifically the NK cells, are known to be less responsive as aging takes place. This is why cancer is much more common in the older animal and infectious disease incidence is higher in old people.

Stress clearly slows the immune response in general, and the NK cells activity specifically. Stress in animals can take many forms:

• whelping/queening/calving/foaling (stress for both dam and offspring)
• weaning
• poor diets
• vaccination
• toxic exposure (flea treatments , heartworm drugs, yard chemicals, cigarette smoke)
• temperature extremes
• surgery
• obesity
• chronic infections (parasites like heartworm, fleas, and intestinal worms, or viruses like FIV/FeLV)
• psychological stress (being left alone, boarding, grooming, travel, moving, crowding, etc.)

How to Increase NK Cell Activity
As prevention is really the most cost effective and wisest approach to optimal health, I recommend that every animal’s immune system be enhanced and balanced with an immune modulator called Transfer Factor. Natural Killer cell function has clearly been enhanced, and remarkably so, by Transfer Factor. Earlier data showed an increase of 248% in NK cell activity after the use of Transfer Factor Plus. Yet to be graphed, the newest product, Transfer Factor Plus Advanced Formula, yielded an extraordinary 437% increase in NK cell activity over base levels.

What are Transfer Factors?
Transfer Factors are tiny molecules that are naturally present in white blood cells, egg yolk, and colostrum among other tissues. First discovered in 1949, they confer immune competency from donor to recipient, and have lately been purified and made available through a patented process by 4Life Research.

The beauty of these small molecules is that they can enhance immune response across species lines. So, the transfer factors in 4Life’s products, though they originate in the cow’s colostrum or egg yolk, can help bring about a stronger immune system in a dog, cat, horse, or human. Even birds have shown positive responses to transfer factors from cows!

I am impressed with how such a simple, natural product can help animals and people by helping their immune systems act more efficiently. Ultimately, it’s the immune system that is at the base of most of our diseases, acute and chronic. Enhancing its function with Transfer Factor makes obvious sense, as this immune system will prevent illness when in proper tune, and shorten the duration of illness when the body is under attack.

Another positive finding for the transfer factors is that they can suppress an overreactive immune system. When the immune system over acts, it sees “self” as foreign and attacks one’s own body. This is the problem in the all too common allergic state many animals and people find themselves in. Evidence is that autoimmunity, or attack on one’s self, is present in a number of chronic disease states including hypothyroidism, chronic renal failure, and inflammatory bowel disease, all shared by humans and animals. Transfer Factor has clinically demonstrated efficacy in all these disease states. So, it’s really most accurately called an “immune modulator,” as it balances the immune system for optimal function.

Why Bother Enhancing Immunity?
The statistics are quite clear: Cancer is the number two leading cause of death in humans (after heart disease)¹, and either the first or second leading cause of death in dogs over 10 years old.² This means the immune surveillance has some weak links, and, at least with cancer, the older one becomes, the greater the risk of death from malignancy. The natural killer cells are clearly not as alert in the older animal, so the cancer cells that crop up are able to “fly under the radar,” and be missed by the immune system. Bolstering the immune system to recognize foreigners, attack them appropriately, and remember them for future reference is in everyone’s best interest, but more so those who are older. These functions are clearly present in the compounds scientists call transfer factors.

Health Professionals Use Transfer Factor
A growing number of MD’s and veterinarians have discovered the immune enhancing potential of these tiny molecules. Right now we are using them with our patients and families, and seeing quicker recovery from illnesses as wide ranging as colds and flu, allergies, kidney failure, hypothyroidism, inflammatory bowel disease, chronic fatigue syndrome, and cancer. Basically, if the immune system is involved in the disease, Transfer Factor is indicated. One of my colleagues in the human medical field, David Markowitz, M.D., has studied Transfer Factor in his own pediatric patients. He demonstrated a reduction in illness of 74% and an 84% reduction in antibiotic use in those children who used Transfer Factor for six or more months of a one year trial.

Current Study: Canine Heartworm
In my own practice, I am studying an enhanced version of Transfer Factor in heartworm positive dogs. The goal is to see if they can mount an effective immune response to fight off the parasite without resorting to the very toxic arsenic compounds that are commonly used to treat this disease. My results will be published on this site, so stay tuned.

In conclusion, the growing body of evidence linking immune system dysfunction to an increasing number of diseases, ranging from allergies to infections to cancer, is reason enough to support the immunity of those in our care. I see immune enhancement as another cornerstone of health, alongside nutrition.