Colostrum and health
Immune system and health
Our immune system(button) is central to our health. A healthy, well functioning immune system allows us to lead an active and productive life; a lowered immune system makes us struggle through the day and leaves us open to various bacterial, viral and fungal attacks while a breakdown of the immune system will quickly prove to be fatal. A well functioning immune system is essential for our well-being health. Humans are born with a certain amount of immunity which takes a few years to be fully developed. It is generally accepted that breast fed babies are less likely to be ill and to have fewer digestive problems than those who are not; the passive immunisation all babies receive in the placenta is continued with breastfeeding, which will provide the infant with the immune and growth factors(button 1ref)
Environment, food and health
To maintain our health in adult years, many factors will come into play and only some of these will be under our direct, individual control. The pollution in the air, water and soil, the toxins in paints and fabrics and the additives, preservatives, artificial colouring in foods are part of the environment we all live and must survive in. The pressures at work, which often transfer into the home and one's private life,add to the stress we are subjected to and which all have a detrimental effect on our immune system and consequently on our health and well-being. Under these circumstances, the food we eat to sustain ourselves becomes doubly important and here the consequences of a sustained unbalanced diet are becoming serious, widespread and quite frightening. The starkest example is obesity ,which has reached epidemic proportions in the industrial world. Obesity is not an “ aesthetic “ problem. Obesity is a health problem .It can lead to illnesses and diseases affecting the heart, liver, gastrointestinal tract, etc. and can be life-threatening.
Antibiotics and health
Equally stark is the rise of the super bugs, which can no longer be treated by antibiotics. Robert Hadley, MD ,Head of epidemiology and Preventive Medicine unit at the University of Texas in Dallas had this to say : “After forty years of aggressive antibiotic abuse physicians are now confronting bacteria that have mutated defences against drugs causing deaths of patients who succumb to once treatable invasions. Even with the thirty or so antibiotics the drug companies claim to be working on there are no more potent antibiotics left to treat these drug resistant bacteria. The only viable answer are natural remedies comprised of antimicrobial cationic proteins that stimulate the immune system, to be capable to defend against the super mutants and others. Lactoferrin is one of strongest and most active. Lactoferrin is an abundant protein in colostrum.....”
Antibiotics and the effect on our digestive system
But the widespread abuse of antibiotics has had another consequence.. Antibiotics do not discriminate between “good” and “bad”,; they attack indiscriminately, including the good. These beneficial bacteria are part of an intestinal flora that is vital for an effective, properly functioning digestive system,.capable of extracting the nutrients available in the food.. An impaired gastrointestinal tract will not be able to do this efficiently. If the damage is extensive, then this can have serious consequences.
Antibiotics and the effect on our digestive system
A leaky gut syndrome(see colostrum and leaky gut) arises when the intestinal lining is more permeable than normal and this is,unfortunately, quite common. There are studies which show that the large spaces between the cells in the gut lining will allow viruses, bacteria, fungi and other toxic material to pass into the bloodstream, which in turn can trigger auto-immune diseases,(see colostrum and autoimmune diseases). The toxic material in the bloodstream will also place the liver under pressure. Colostrum has a high concentration of growth factors and anti-inflammatory components which have the ability to heal the gut lining and assist in the recovery from a leaky gut syndrome there is increasing evidence that colostrum can be very beneficial for people with gastrointestinal(see colostrum and gastro-intestinal) problems and to reduce the effects of autoimmune disorders.
Colostrum and Immune system regulation
Unfortunately, the ability of the immune system to regulate itself decreases with age. This happens because the thyroid gland, the centre of the immune system, begins to decrease in size and capacity once we pass puberty and will have almost disappeared by the time we reach 50. The growth factors provided by colostrum have a powerful effect on the thyroid and help to slow down its degeneration and even to restore it. Thyroid hormones are essential for the cells throughout the body, where they help to regulate growth and influence metabolism.
Bovine colostrum and health
It is useful at this stage to remember the function of bovine colostrum. It is the first food the calf receives after birth and it protects the newborn from pathogens while, at the same time, providing supports for its rapid growth and development.. Because bovine colostrum is non-species specific, these benefits are transferable to the human body .Colostrum supplies the human body with a pool of resources which, like any food, will be allocated to where it is needed . It makes available a pool of resources – immunoglobulins, growth factors, amino acids, vitamins and essential nutrients – that will stimulate and supplement where there are deficiencies. By doing so, it strengthens the body to assaults from without and its ability to regenerate from within and because it works THROUGHOUT the body and WITH the body it is a GENERAL aid to health with SPECIFIC benefits. Not only that. It also increases energy levels and lifts the users mood and in this way colostrum lifts and increases the users general sense of well-being and health.