In medicine, immunodeficiency (or immune deficiency) is a state in which the immune system's ability to fight infectious disease is compromised or entirely absent. Most cases of immunodeficiency are acquired ("secondary") but some people are born with defects in the immune system, or primary immunodeficiency. A person who has an immunodeficiency of any kind is said to be immunocompromised. An immunocompromised person may be particularly vulnerable to opportunistic infections, in addition to normal infections that could affect everyone.
IS TRANSNFER FACTOR BACKED BY SCIENTIFIC DATA?
To date, over 3,000 clinical studies and papers have been published on transfer factors.
Scores of international, well-respected scientists and physicians have established the effectiveness and safety of transfer factors. Over the last fifty years, an estimated $40 million has been spent on research, and study data strongly suggests that transfer factors offer extraordinary immune benefits. Well documented and scientifically validated, transfer factors have emerged as profoundly important tools to health maintenance worldwide.
Recently, a symposium on transfer factors was held in Italy where transfer factor researcher Dr D. Viza spoke about the potential of transfer factor in an era when "the toll of several diseases, such as cancer, continues to rise and the pathogenesis of AIDS remains elusive."
Anytime we can boost the action of natural killer (NK) cells (our immune cells that seek out and destroy foreign invaders); we greatly enhance our ability to fight disease.
In February of 1999, the Journal of the American Nutraceutical Association published a selection of 196 natural products or combinations, selected from over 400 products tested. Forty-four products were found to significantly enhance natural killer cell activity. The most powerful of these was able to increase natural killer cell action by 48.6%.
Transfer factor from colostrum was tested individually and raised natural killer cell activity by an extraordinary 103% above baseline values.
If that wasn’t impressive enough, when transfer factor was combined with a variety of other natural compounds that also support immunity, it increased natural killer cell activity by 248% above baseline values!
What do these test studies suggest? Simply stated, these unprecedented numbers elevate transfer factor to the top of the nutraceutical list of immune boosters.
THE BLUEPRINT FOR THE IMMUNE SYSTEM
Primary immunodeficiency
A number of rare diseases feature a heightened susceptibility to infections from childhood onward. Many of these disorders are hereditary and are autosomal recessive or X-linked. There are over 80 recognised primary immunodeficiency syndromes; they are generally grouped by the part of the immune system that is malfunctioning, such as lymphocytes or granulocytes.
The treatment of primary immunodeficiencies depends on the nature of the defect, and may involve antibody infusions, long-term antibiotics and (in certain cases) stem cell transplantation.
Acquired immunodeficiency
Immune deficiency may also be the result of particular external processes or diseases; the resultant state is called "secondary" or "acquired" immunodeficiency. Common causes for secondary immunodeficiency are malnutrition, aging and particular medications (e.g. chemotherapy, disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs, immunosuppressive drugs after organ transplants, glucocorticoids).
Many specific diseases directly or indirectly impair the immune system. This include many types of cancer, particularly those of the bone marrow and blood cells (leukemia, lymphoma, multiple myeloma), and certain chronic infections. Immunodeficiency is also the hallmark of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), caused by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). HIV directly attacks the immune system
Autoimmunity:
Is the failure of an organism to recognize its own constituent parts (down to the sub-molecular levels) as "self", which results in an immune response against its own cells and tissues. Any disease that results from such an aberrant immune response is termed an autoimmune disease. Prominent examples include Coeliac disease, diabetes mellitus type 1 (IDDM), systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), Sjögren's syndrome, multiple sclerosis (MS), Hashimoto's thyroiditis, Graves' disease, idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura, and rheumatoid arthritis (RA).
The misconception that an individual's immune system is totally incapable of recognising "self" antigens is not new. Paul Ehrlich, at the beginning of the twentieth century, proposed the concept of horror autotoxicus, wherein a 'normal' body does not mount an immune response against its own tissues. Any autoimmune response thus was perceived to be abnormal and postulated to be connected with human disease. Now, it is accepted that autoimmune responses are vital to the development and functioning of vertebrate immune systems, and central to the development of immunological tolerance to self-antigens. The latter concept has been termed natural autoimmunity. Autoimmunity should not be confused with alloimmunity.
Enviormental factors
Pollution
FACT: Hundreds of studies using accepted scientific methods have shown that many pesticides alter the immune system in experimental animals and make them more susceptible to disease.
FACT: Pesticides reduce the numbers of white blood cells and disease-fighting lymphocytes, and impair lymphocytes’ ability to respond to and kill bacteria and viruses.
FACT: A recent report published in Environmental Pollution and Neuroimmunology states that the combined influence of various factors such as chemical agents, radiation, and stress on the immune system may lead to immunodeficiency in the form of respiratory and inflammatory diseases.
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An interesting inverse relationship exists between infectious diseases and autoimmune diseases. In areas where multiple infectious diseases are endemic, autoimmune diseases are quite rarely seen. The reverse, to some extent, seems to hold true. The hygiene hypothesis attributes these correlations to the immune manipulating strategies of pathogens. Whilst such an observation has been variously termed as spurious and ineffective, according to some studies, parasite infection is associated with reduced activity of autoimmune disease.
The putative mechanism is that the parasite attenuates the host immune response in order to protect itself. This may provide a serendipitous benefit to a host that also suffers from autoimmune disease. The details of parasite immune modulation are not yet known, but may include secretion of anti-inflammatory agents or interference with the host immune signaling.
Raise your immune defenses by 437% and put the fight back into your life
Human immunodeficiency virus 1
Human immunodeficiency virus 2
International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems Codes
Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a retrovirus that can lead to acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), a condition in humans in which the immune system begins to fail, leading to life-threatening opportunistic infections. Previous names for the virus include human T-lymphotropic virus-III (HTLV-III), lymphadenopathy-associated virus (LAV), and AIDS-associated retrovirus (ARV).
HIV
Human immunodeficiency virus
Human immunodeficiency virus 1
Human immunodeficiency virus 2
Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a retrovirus that can lead to acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), a condition in humans in which the immune system begins to fail, leading to life-threatening opportunistic infections. Previous names for the virus include human T-lymphotropic virus-III (HTLV-III), lymphadenopathy-associated virus (LAV), and AIDS-associated retrovirus (ARV).
Infection with HIV occurs by the transfer of blood, semen, vaginal fluid, pre-ejaculate, or breast milk. Within these bodily fluids, HIV is present as both free virus particles and virus within infected immune cells. The four major routes of transmission are unprotected sexual intercourse, contaminated needles, breast milk, and transmission from an infected mother to her baby at birth. Screening of blood products for HIV has largely eliminated transmission through blood transfusions or infected blood products in the developed world.
HIV infection in humans is now pandemic. As of January 2006, the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) and the World Health Organization (WHO) estimate that AIDS has killed more than 25 million people since it was first recognized on December 1, 1981, making it one of the most destructive pandemics in recorded history. It is estimated that about 0.6% of the world's population is infected with HIV. In 2005 alone, AIDS claimed an estimated 2.4–3.3 million lives, of which more than 570,000 were children. A third of these deaths are occurring in sub-Saharan Africa, retarding economic growth and increasing poverty. According to current estimates, HIV is set to infect 90 million people in Africa, resulting in a minimum estimate of 18 million orphans. Antiretroviral treatment reduces both the mortality and the morbidity of HIV infection, but routine access to antiretroviral medication is not available in all countries.
HIV primarily infects vital cells in the human immune system such as helper T cells (specifically CD4+ T cells), macrophages and dendritic cells. HIV infection leads to low levels of CD4+ T cells through three main mechanisms: firstly, direct viral killing of infected cells; secondly, increased rates of apoptosis in infected cells; and thirdly, killing of infected CD4+ T cells by CD8 cytotoxic lymphocytes that recognize infected cells. When CD4+ T cell numbers decline below a critical level, cell-mediated immunity is lost, and the body becomes progressively more susceptible to opportunistic infections. If untreated, eventually most HIV-infected individuals develop AIDS (Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome) and die; however about one in ten remains healthy for many years, with no noticeable symptoms. Treatment with anti-retrovirals, where available, increases the life expectancy of people infected with HIV. It is hoped that current and future treatments may allow HIV-infected individuals to achieve a life expectancy approaching that of the general public.
RAISE YOUR IMMUNE DEFENSES BY 437% AND BRING THE FIGHT BACK INTO YOUR LIFE
CLICK ON TO THE LINK TRANSFER FACTOR
Infection with HIV occurs by the transfer of blood, semen, vaginal fluid, pre-ejaculate, or breast milk. Within these bodily fluids, HIV is present as both free virus particles and virus within infected immune cells. The four major routes of transmission are unprotected sexual intercourse, contaminated needles, breast milk, and transmission from an infected mother to her baby at birth. Screening of blood products for HIV has largely eliminated transmission through blood transfusions or infected blood products in the developed world.
HIV infection in humans is now pandemic. As of January 2006, the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) and the World Health Organization (WHO) estimate that AIDS has killed more than 25 million people since it was first recognized on December 1, 1981, making it one of the most destructive pandemics in recorded history. It is estimated that about 0.6% of the world's population is infected with HIV. In 2005 alone, AIDS claimed an estimated 2.4–3.3 million lives, of which more than 570,000 were children. A third of these deaths are occurring in sub-Saharan Africa, retarding economic growth and increasing poverty. According to current estimates, HIV is set to infect 90 million people in Africa, resulting in a minimum estimate of 18 million orphans. Antiretroviral treatment reduces both the mortality and the morbidity of HIV infection, but routine access to antiretroviral medication is not available in all countries.
HIV primarily infects vital cells in the human immune system such as helper T cells (specifically CD4+ T cells), macrophages and dendritic cells. HIV infection leads to low levels of CD4+ T cells through three main mechanisms: firstly, direct viral killing of infected cells; secondly, increased rates of apoptosis in infected cells; and thirdly, killing of infected CD4+ T cells by CD8 cytotoxic lymphocytes that recognize infected cells. When CD4+ T cell numbers decline below a critical level, cell-mediated immunity is lost, and the body becomes progressively more susceptible to opportunistic infections. If untreated, eventually most HIV-infected individuals develop AIDS (Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome) and die; however about one in ten remains healthy for many years, with no noticeable symptoms. Treatment with anti-retrovirals, where available, increases the life expectancy of people infected with HIV. It is hoped that current and future treatments may allow HIV-infected individuals to achieve a life expectancy approaching that of the general public.
The human body has an elaborate system which can be maintained by immune maintanence. Your body needs certain conditions to keep your immune system high therefore recognizing the threats which may want to take over your body. If your immune system does not recognize and does not have memory of the invading microrganism it may simply not raise its defenses, thus leaving the invading microrganism open to attacking ond overtaking your bodies defenses.
Richard Bennett, Ph.D
Dr. Richard Bennett is an expert in Infectious Disease Immunology. He specialized in food and water quality and safety at the University of California. Dr. Bennett received his degree from the University of California, Davis. He has an extensive background in milk quality and disease control, water resource policy, food safety and public policy of natural resources. Dr. Bennett is one of the many members of the Medical Advisory Board for the research and information for all products @4life research.