WARNING! IF YOU READ THIS YOU WILL BE INTRIGUED AND IT WILL CHANGE YOUR LIFE IF YOU TRY THIS SUPPLEMENT FOR YOURSELF!
Colostrum: Milk secreted for a few days after parturition and characterized by high protein and antibody content.
Transfer Factor: A substance that is produced and secreted by a lymphocyte functioning in cell-mediated immunity and that upon incorporation into a lymphocyte which has not been sensitized confers on it the same immunological specificity as the sensitized cell.
In this case the "substance" being transferred is the "antibody content".
I have suffered health problems since I was very young. About 13 years old. Some of them are personal. As of a few years back, if doctors had their way, I would be medicated now for anxiety, insomnia, infertility, panic attacks, fibromyalgia and poly-cystic ovarian syndrome. I decided I didn't want to be reliant on a bunch of medications that had serious side affects and that I wanted to heal my body from the inside out through natural means. Might sound "hippy-ish" but it has worked for me. I started this "journey" about 5 years ago and as of today do not take a single medication for any of the above problems (though I am not 100% symptom free) and have two children without any fertility intervention. With that said, I have become addicted to health research in the pursuit of a new idea or fact that may in someway bring me or a loved one greater health. When I find a subject that interests me I literally read up on it until I am blue in the face, usually over a course of days to weeks. NO breaks! Just kidding. Some breaks. This includes reading about it from EVERY angle. Those who are for and those who oppose, coming to my own conclusion based on my findings. If I find I am for, I TRY what I have researched so I can come to a true conclusion based on personal experience. With that said, sit back and enjoy this post. I have done all the leg work for you on this one. Then, in the end, if you find this interests you I suggest you research it for yourself and then for heaven's sake! TRY IT! LOL. No, I am not getting paid for this by any one company and I am not crazy. If you know me at all, trust me on this and if you don't know me at all...still trust me on this.
A few months back I stumbled across an article about the "transfer factor". In short it spoke about how new research has shed light on a long running mystery, how the immunity of a mammal mother was transferred to its young through colostrum. Colostrum is a yellowy, milk that a female mammal secretes the first few days after birth. It is full of antibodies and protein rich! It literally transfers the immunity of the mother that took a lifetime to build to the new offspring, who at present has no real immunity of its own. The newest findings are no less than very interesting. The actual "transfer" is done through very small protein particles that bypass the digestive system and are absorbed into the blood stream of the offspring. Even more interesting was found that supplementing adults with bovine colostrum not only transfers perfectly from cow to human but that it gives to us that same immunity transfer...per say. What it actually seems to do is almost provide you with a secondary immune system, making yours more than its own strength maybe by double if not more.
What I read also spoke about how many people have benefited from this supplement. I was more than intrigued. So began the hours of reading. For weeks on this one. LOL. I wanted to know how humans could take bovine colostrum and it be useful? What happens if you have milk allergies? What is the best brand? Is it free of hormones and steroids and antibiotics? How much should you take? What do most people find relief from? Do you take it forever? Once? Twice? How are the cattle kept and cared for?
I found answers to all of these questions and more. Sometimes they were contradictory and sometimes they were in agreement from site to site. I read through hundreds of forums to get the input from others who have actually tried the supplement.
Through all my research I learned the following facts:
Bovine colostrum is transferable to any species. You can give it to your dog, horse, self, child or whoever.
Most people have had very good to amazing results taking colostrum.
The number one reason colostrum is taken by people is to boost their immune system.
Colostrum has actually been taken by body builders for its great protein content for years. And yes, they did reap the other benefits such as better immunity while taking it for muscle power.
Colostrum that is collected from cattle in your home country will probably have better immunity to things you are most likely to be in contact with so look for USA colostrum if you live in the USA etc.
Calves are fed the first milking which has more than enough of what they need to be on the road to great health from mothers immunity so don't worry for the calves!
Most colostrum on the market is hormone, steroid and antibiotic free. In fact I don't remember looking into any brands that weren't.
There is such a huge margin of opinion on the topic of "organic" from farm to farm that I felt "organic" colostrum wasn't necessary for my needs. It is harder to find and more expensive.
Colostrum isn't cheap. I wouldn't say it is a terribly expensive supplement either.
There are many brands and types from capsules to powder to chewables.
You want to be sure to buy a brand that says it is made from the first one to two milkings. Anything after is transitional milk and won't have the same benefits.
If your colostrum is not yellow, it isn't good. If it is white that means it is more milk than colostrum.
Some brands have the fat removed, others do not. They both claim to have the "best" results...so I am personally trying multiple brands and types to see.
The lactose from the colostrum is removed so there are no allergy concerns.
You can not really overdose on colostrum.
You may experience a few days of feeling flu-ish when you begin taking colostrum. You may even develop a rash. This is just the bodies reaction to excreting toxins when your immunity is strengthened.
Here are a few things I learned AFTER taking colostrum:
Colostrum should be taken on an empty stomach with a glass of water for best absorption. Wait about a half hour before you eat.
Colostrum tastes like powdered milk. I do not find it gross in any way.
Colostrum works best when taken multiple times a day.
Colostrum WORKS!
Here is my personal experience:
I started with a brand that had all the things I was looking for. De-fatted, no steroids/chemicals/hormones/antibiotics, no fillers added, first milking, USA cattle. I began with four pills in the morning. The first few days I did feel a little under the weather. Mostly my throat ached. Then I would say about a week into taking it I suddenly noticed I had SO much more energy than I usually do. I have chronic fatigue quite often and so something like that would be very noticeable to me...and it was. I felt like I could go and go and go and that little ordinary things weren't so daunting mentally...like exercising and getting the house in order. I feel like it brought strength to my body as well as my mind. At this time I have been suffering from very bad allergies. I was really hoping the colostrum would help as so many others I had read about said it did. The first week or so I always felt some allergies there. Not enough to merit medications but still annoying. Especially at night. Then I ran out. I had a full day without colostrum. And that day I had the WORST allergies. I was SO miserable. So my thoughts were...coincidence? Or was it holding my allergies off more than I realized? Well, the next day when I got my new bottle and started taking them again...that very day...allergies were SO much better. Not coincidence. About this time I learned that you really should take it more than once a day. It does build up your system over time but it also has a lifespan so you will want to replenish it in your system through out the day for best results. So I decided to take two pills in the morning and two in the late afternoon to see what happened. WHA-LA! NO allergies...during the day. But some mild ones at night. I had read not to take colostrum past 5pm because the energy factor in it might give you insomnia...but I decided to try anyhow. So I took two pills in the morning, two in the mid afternoon and a 1/2 tsp of powder around 5pm and DOUBLE WHA-LA! No allergies during the day or night!...Okay...very mild ones...almost undetectable. So I had read to take colostrum in the amount it takes to rid your symptoms. So I decided to try THREE pills in the morning, two in the afternoon and a 1/2 tsp in the evening. AND YES, TRIPLE WHA-LA! NO...NO ALLERGIES DAY OR NIGHT. I am literally amazed. I am even around my horses everyday. Around their hay (my biggest allergy nemesis) and loads of dry dust and not a sneeze or sniff.
I have been taking colostrum about 5-6 weeks now. Between the energy boost, eradicated allergies AND I have not gotten two separate illnesses that my kids and husband have...I am sold. I have tried two brands myself and have a sister trying a third for results. I have tried two de-fatted brands that I felt had the same results and my sister is trying a brand with the fat left in (which many claim is the best). Maybe she will leave a response of her experience thus far.
I seriously recommend to EVERYONE to try this. Just try one months worth. Whether you have arthritis, chronic sinus issues, allergies, fatigue, poor immunity, chronic pain or ANYTHING...try it. As we age our immune systems do too and slow down as well. You may not even realize how much better you might feel unless you give it a go! I will attach links to sites with further information and the brands I felt were superior.
I will continue to use it myself to see what results I continue to see as it builds my system back up. That is all for now! Cheers!
Articles:
http://colostrumplus.com/
http://www.hamovhotov.com/health/?p=147
http://www.best-natural-health-supplements.com/benefits-of-colostrum.html
http://www.healingdaily.com/conditions/colostrum.htm
(For more, do a general web search on "colostrum".)
Brands:
http://symbiotics.com/
http://www.marysgarden.com/colostrum/mhg_30_capsules.htm
http://www.tbrlabs.com/
(For more, do a general web search on "colostrum supplements".)
-Liz-
Imagine a small, early history, hunting gathering village of people; our earliest known ancestors. They gathered nuts, seeds, roots, berries, grasses, greens and herbs on a daily basis. Often they had a small amount of game meat to eat. They didn't salt their food, they didn't sweeten their food, they didn't add oil to their food. They ate the food as it came out of the earth. Raw, fresh and the truest sense of organic. They worked hard gathering, walking and hunting their game, then cooking and making camp. Now imagine centuries later, a small faming village. They still gather what they can but they also cultivate their own vegetables and raise animals, like goats for milk and meat. The goats eat their natural diet of grass and herbs. They walk everywhere they go. They are all strong and healthy, even the old. When a villager is deficient or has a disease they increase a certain food, or add certain herbs to increase health and wellness. No one craves sugar, or salty snacks. They eat to live. They eat moderately and mindfully of what will be available in the future. This is how our bodies evolved and were meant to survive.
Imagine many, many centuries later, people spend much of the day sitting. They need food so they go to a grocery store where they can buy endless possibilities. The food is processed to the point where it's origins are uncertain. They purchase nothing that is in the same form it grew in. Meat is from farms where the animals don't ever see the light of day, are sickly and given high doses of medication and they eat grain and feces of other animals. Then they purchase milk from equally sick, medicated and undernourished animals. They are fat but lack the proper nutrition to produce quality milk. The isle of sweets is filled with the high calorie, nutrient deficient cakes, cookies and candies. Each single serving containing an entire day or weeks worth of sugars to our early ancestors. People trying to avoid the high calories go for the artificially sweetened products. These are products produced to allow people to eat endless amounts of sweet satiating, nutrient deficient delicacies. With out even knowing where the food came from or what it contains the carts are filled to the brim with food that is high in calories, fats and chemicals and is practically void of any real nutrients that your body needs for energy on a cellular level. An occasional few make it to the produce section where they buy genetically modified vegetables and fruits, that are twice the size they are meant to be and half as ripe. They are laden with unnatural chemicals to increase shelf life and destroy diseases proliferated by under nourishing the soil and thereby causing disease in the plants. They have absorbed the chemical pesticides or have a layer coating the outside that is not water soluble and cannot simply be washed away. They go home and eat the sweets first and let the vegetables sit in the refrigerator until what little nutrition was contained in them is destroyed. They can't figure out why they don't have energy to make it through the day and they can't figure out why they are so overweight or suffer from headaches or chronic diseases. It may not be obvious to all, but people were not meant to eat the modern day diet. If you go to the source of our food it is clear that our animals and crops are just as vitamin and mineral deficient as we are. Our ancestors did not count calories. They did not watch their carbohydrates or worry about how much protein they were getting. They may not have been as lucky to have the sanitary and comfortable conditions we have now but they certainly had more energy to work harder and did not get the cancers and chronic conditions we face today. If we are not feeding our cells with energy to repair and replicate we will feel very run down and unenergized. Our cells are not looking for calories in and calories out. They are looking for vitamins and minerals that are from plant sources, making it easy for our bodies to digest and use them. Feed your body what it has cleverly evolved and been created to eat. Not Wonder Bread... Not Chips Ahoy... Not Dunkin Donuts... Not baked potato covered in sour cream, bacon bits and cheddar cheese...
