What
- What Is Transfer Factor?
- Is It A Vitamin, Mineral Or Herb?
- How Does Transfer Factor Work?
- What Is The Most Commonly Used Form of Transfer Factor?
- What Is The Difference Between Polyvalent and
“Specific/Targeted” Transfer Factor?
- What Is The Difference Between Transfer Factors And
Antibodies?
Discovery
- When Was Transfer Factor Discovered?
- How Was Transfer Factor Discovered?
- Is Blood The Only Source of Transfer Factor?
- Sources of Transfer Factor
- What Prompted These Scientists to Look For Transfer Factor
In Colostrum?
Allergies
- Since Transfer Factor Is Isolated From Colostrum, What About
Milk Allergies and Lactose Intolerance?
- Can Someone Be Allergic To Transfer Factors?
Safety
- Is Transfer Factor Safe?
- Has Transfer Factor Been Scientifically Validated?
- Is Transfer Factor FDA Approved?
- Is Transfer Factor Approved By The USDA?
- Can Transfer Factor Be Taken During Pregnancy?
- Can It Be Taken With Any Other Vitamins, Ginseng Or
Any Other Nutritional Product?
- Is It Safe To Take Multiple Capsules Of Transfer
Factor™ A Day?
- Any Fear Of Overdose?
- What About Long Term Studies On Transfer Factor?
- Is Transfer Factor Safe For Infants?
- Is Transfer Factor Only Good For Newborns?
- What Conditions Are Responsive To Transfer Factor?
- Who Manufactures Your Products?
Effectiveness
- If Transfer Factor Is So Effective Why Hasn't The
Pharmaceutical Industry Jumped On Transfer Factor?
- How Does Transfer Factor Compare to The Colostrum Products
That Are On The Market Now?
- Why Haven't We Seen Transfer Factor As A Dietary Supplement
Before Now?
- How Does One Discuss Transfer Factor In Terms Of
Structure-function Claims?
- Are There Any Reports About Transfer Factor Helping People
With Cancer?
- What About Colds?
Continuity
- Why Consume Transfer Factor When You Are Well?
- Do You Advise Daily Use? How Long Will The Immunity
Last?
- If The Immunity Lasts For Four Weeks, Why Should You
Continue To Consume More?
- Can I Still Get Sick When I Am Consuming Transfer
Factor?
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What Is Transfer Factor? |
| Transfer factor molecules function as a
highly effective immune messaging system made up of small
protein chains and other related compounds. Transfer factors
occur in white blood cells of humans and animals. When
foreign organisms are encountered by select immune cells
they produce transfer factors specific to the invading
organism. These transfer factors are then passed along to
other immune cells "passing the message" of a foreign
organism and the characteristics of the organism. Current
research indicates that these immune compounds are identical
from one species to another. Thus making it possible for
transfer factors from cows and chickens to be beneficial in
human health. Transfer factors are designed by nature to
transfer critical immune information. These compounds are
most prevalent in colostrum and egg yolks. Through these two
sources, all animals are given temporary immunity to all of
the organisms to which their mothers have been exposed. This
allows the young animal some protection until its immune
system is more fully developed. Likewise, this temporary
protection can be utilized by humans of any age.
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Is It A Vitamin, Mineral Or Herb? |
| No. It is a supplement unlike any other. It
is in a class of it's own. ▲
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How Does Transfer Factor Work? |
| Transfer factor is made up of three
separate fractions that balance the immune system for a more
effective immune response. The three fractions are the
INDUCER, ANTIGEN SPECIFIC and SUPPRESSOR fractions. The
inducer and antigen-specific fractions educate your naïve
immune system about a present or potential danger and equip
it with a plan of action. These fractions speed up the
recognition of a threat, making the duration of an illness
shorter, allowing your body to more quickly respond to
similar health threats. Finally, the suppressor fraction is
able to recognize the enemy’s defeat and then calm the
immune system back to a normal level. Such effects may have
particular importance in autoimmune disorders. Unlike most immune supplements that only provide building
blocks for proper immune function, transfer factor also
provides immune intelligence. It is the immune information
and education that helps to focus the immune system, keeping
it on task and effective.
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What Is The Most Commonly Used Form of Transfer Factor? |
| Transfer factor can be sourced from white
blood cells isolated from a suitable donor, cloned
lymphocytes grown in vitro, colostrum and egg yolks. Of
these, the most promising commercial sources are colostrum
of milk cows and eggs laid by hens. ▲
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What Is The Difference Between Polyvalent and
“Specific/Targeted” Transfer Factor? |
| Standard transfer factor preparations are polyvalent, or
balanced preparations with no one transfer factor
predominating. Polyvalent transfer factor supplements
provide a broad spectrum of immune support. While a “specific” transfer factor preparation continues to
offer polyvalent benefits, it also provides one set of
transfer factors that are targeted against a specific
condition. Specific or targeted transfer factors are
obtained by exposing a non-mammalian source animal to at
least one antigenic agent that will cause said source to
elicit a T-cell mediated immune response.
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What Is The Difference Between Transfer Factors And
Antibodies? |
| Unlike antibodies that are large proteins,
transfer factors are small peptides containing about eight
amino acids. The small size of the transfer factors makes
them non-allergenic. Antibodies are consumed by directly
attaching themselves to the offending cell or protein.
Transfer factors perform a different role. Transfer factors
are immune messenger molecules that educate and alert naive
immune cells to an impending danger. In this regard transfer
factors perform a catalytic role in the immune system,
triggering the affect without themselves being consumed. ~
Transfer factor preparations consist of three identifiable
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When Was Transfer Factor Discovered? |
| Dr. H. Sherwood Lawrence discovered
transfer factor in 1949. During the process of studying
tuberculosis, he discovered an immune response could be
transferred from a donor to a recipient through an injection
of an extract of leukocytes. Further investigation led him
to conclude that this immune extract must contain “factors”
that made it possible to transfer the donor’s immunity to
the recipient. He called these molecules “transfer factors.” ▲
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How Was Transfer Factor Discovered? |
| In 1949 Dr. H. Sherwood Lawrence was
working on the problem of tuberculosis which was a major
health concern of the time. What he was trying to discover
was if any component of the blood could convey a tubercular
sensitivity from an exposed recovered donor to a naive
recipient. Whole blood transfusions could be used but only
between people of the same blood type. Lawrence first
separated the blood's immune cells, the lymphocytes or white
blood cells, from the whole blood. Then he broke open the
lymphocytes and separated the contents of the cells into
various size fractions. What he found was that a fraction of
small molecules was able to transfer tuberculin sensitivity
to a naive recipient. This is what Dr. Lawrence called
"transfer factor". ▲
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Is Blood The Only Source of Transfer Factor? |
| Originally it was. It was not until the mid
1980's that two researchers came up with the idea that
transfer factor may also be present in colostrum. The
confirmation of this discovery was awarded a patent in 1989.
Colostrum is now the best source of transfer factor.
Colostrum
It is the first milk that a mother produces immediately
after giving birth.
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Sources of Transfer Factor |
| For his pioneering work on transfer factor,
Dr. H. Sherwood Lawrence used an extract of human blood
cells. For many years, human blood or blood harvested from
farm animals and slaughterhouses remained the sole sources
and were typically injected. Today, cow or goat colostrum
(the milk a mother produces right after birth) or chicken
eggs are recognized as the most common polyvalent sources
due to their efficacy, abundance and economics. These
sources are usually dried and capsulized or powdered.
Transfer factors or extractions of transfer factors are
still extracted from blood as well as grown in vitro.
However, these sources are typically antigen-specific and
reserved for research purposes due to their relative lack of
economics and availability.
Transfer factor preparations can include whole products
or concentrated transfer factors harvested from whole
products using specialized and sometimes patented
microfiltration technologies.
Whole Colostrum
Colostrum can be dried in its original whole form and
encapsulated.
Extracted Transfer Factors
Transfer factors are thought to contain protein and RNA, but
no DNA. Their small size — a molecular weight of less than
10,000 — helps render them nonallergenic and enables them to
retain full potency when taken orally. The colostrum of all
mammals is, in fact, rich in transfer factor, and is
critical for conferring passive immunity to newborns when
ingested during breastfeeding or suckling.
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What Prompted These Scientists to Look For Transfer Factor
In Colostrum? |
| Those who have worked with cattle know that
if a calf is not allowed to nurse from its mother it will
most often die within a short time. The calves would die in
spite of an abundance of food. Death in these cases was
cause by infections brought on by the most common organisms.
For whatever reason the immune systems of these calves were
not working. Seeing this suggests that there is some kind of
immune information was being transferred from the mother and
her infant. The logical question then became: was it
transfer factor? The answer was a resounding YES! ▲
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Since Transfer Factor Is Isolated From Colostrum, What About
Milk Allergies and Lactose Intolerance? |
| Milk allergies are caused by the large milk
proteins, primarily casein, and to a lesser extent the
immunoglobulins. These proteins are completely removed from
the transfer factor. Lactose intolerance is most common in
Oriental populations; much less so in those of European or
African decent. We are conscience of this concern and remove
the lactose from our product. ▲
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Can Someone Be Allergic To Transfer Factors? |
| Unlike antibodies that are large molecules,
transfer factors are quite small. There small size makes
them nonallergenic. ▲
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Is Transfer Factor Safe? |
| Transfer factors are natural molecules and
have been safely used in supplement form for many years.
Throughout the history of transfer factors use, there have
been no reports of serious adverse reactions, even when
clinically administered in excess or with normal doses given
over many years. ▲
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Has Transfer Factor Been Scientifically Validated? |
| Since Lawrence's discovery of transfer
factor in 1949, there have been over 3,000 scientific
studies published on transfer factor. ▲
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Is Transfer Factor FDA Approved? |
| Foods and dietary supplements are not
approved per se by the FDA. Food supplements derived from
milk would certainly fall under the category of Generally
Recognized As Safe (GRAS). ▲
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Is Transfer Factor Approved By The USDA? |
| Transfer Factor XF™ is produced within the
bounds of a USDA certified plant which follows established
protocol for dairy production, including pasteurization and
safety guidelines. Furthermore, Transfer Factor™, as a
human-grade product, exceeds standards established for
animal-grade products. Each batch of Transfer Factor XF™
undergoes strict microbial and potency tests to assure
quality time after time. ▲
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Can Transfer Factor Be Taken During Pregnancy? |
| There have been no adverse responses
reported while taking Transfer Factor during pregnancy. As
with all supplements, consult a physician before use. ▲
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Can It Be Taken With Any Other Vitamins, Ginseng Or Any
Other Nutritional Product? |
| Transfer Factor and Transfer Factor Plus
are compatible with any other type of nutrient. ▲
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Is It Safe To Take Multiple Capsules Of Transfer Factor™ A
Day? |
| There is no known toxicity level associated
with Transfer Factor™. ▲
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Any Fear Of Overdose? |
| We have tested for overdose in vitro up to
2,000 times the recommended dosage with no negative side
effects. ▲
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What About Long Term Studies On Transfer Factor? |
The study that Dr. See performed in vitro
(on cultured blood), showed no toxicity on the blood markers
when tf was added at the amount of 2,000 times the
recommended dosage.
We have had most of our office and many others on Transfer
Factor for three years now with no negative affects.As
far as the biochemistry involved, there is no problem.
Molecularly the structure is exactly the same as what is in
our blood. The only difference is that the 8 amino acids
rearrange themselves to recognize the antigens each
particular transfer factor has been exposed to.
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Is Transfer Factor Safe For Infants? |
| Colostral transfer factor was designed by
Nature for newborns. Removal of the milk allergens and
lactose leaves only the essence of the immunological
information in the form of transfer factor. ▲
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Is Transfer Factor Only Good For Newborns? |
| Transfer factor is good for everyone who
needs an extra immune boost. The three groups who are most
in need of immune strengthening are the young, the old, and
anyone under stress. Almost all of us fall into one of these
categories. We often talk of the baby-boom generation. Most
of these people are at an age where their immune systems are
already becoming lax. Transfer factor is a way to boost a
lagging immune system and greatly improve your health. ▲
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What Conditions Are Responsive To Transfer Factor? |
| Transfer factor preparations have been used
to effectively treat a wide range of diseases. These include
bacterial, mycobacterial, fungal, parasitic, viral, and
cancer. It is in part because of AIDS, or more specifically
our frustration in treating AIDS, that transfer factor is
experiencing a resurgence of research interest. In fact a
recent international symposium held in Italy was titled:
"Transfer Factor in the Era of AIDS". ▲
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Who Manufactures Your Products? |
| 4Life manufactures it's own products in
order to maintain control over quality and availability. ▲
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If Transfer Factor Is So Effective Why Hasn't The
Pharmaceutical Industry Jumped On Transfer Factor? |
| I think that is exactly what we are seeing
in many foreign countries notably China, Czechoslovakia,
Germany, Hungary, Poland, and Japan. In the US transfer
factor has had an interesting history. The idea of transfer
factor flies in the face of conventional immunology. In the
50's antibiotics were the golden child of medicine followed
in the 60's by steroids like cortisone for inflammation and
the synthetic steroid hormones like ethinyl estrogen and
progestin that were used to create the birth control pill.
After an initial delay transfer factor hit its heyday in the
70's and early 80's. Results however were inconsistent as
researchers dove in sometimes with more enthusiasm than
skill. The key feature that was missing in these
investigations was a dependable assay technique for quality
control of the product. The quality control issue was not
resolved until the mid 1980's. Given that transfer factor is
not a single entity, the pharmaceutical companies had fits
trying to purify the material without losing efficacy. This
force-fit into the single-entity, single-function drug dogma
was disastrous.
The next issue that slowed transfer factor research is
the age-old issue of funding. When AIDS hit the popular
press, politicians shifted funding into AIDS research but
with the focus on finding the cause and then finding a drug
that would cure AIDS. The work of a few dedicated, but
under-funded, researchers and the inability of the
mainstream medical-pharmaceutical industry have combined to
again focus attention on transfer factor as one of the few
modalities that is effective against diseases of viral
origin.
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How Does Transfer Factor Compare to The Colostrum Products
That Are On The Market Now? |
| We looked seriously at hyperimmunized
colostrum and eggs. These products are good but certain
issues must be addressed. First the milk allergy and lactose
intolerance issues as we discussed above. Second the issue
of immunoglobulin or antibody effectiveness. The use of
cross species antibody therapy can be effective in the short
run. Long-term use is ineffective since the recipient
develops antibodies to the foreign antibody thus destroying
its effectiveness. Antibody therapy is given intravenously
since oral consumption leads to acid degradation in the
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Why Haven't We Seen Transfer Factor As A Dietary Supplement
Before Now? |
| Yes, there are two doors that recently have
opened that allow transfer factor to be effectively marketed
now. The first door to open was the passage of DSHEA in
1994. The provision for structure-functions claims allows
the story of transfer factor to be told without jeopardizing
its status as a nutritional supplement. The second is
technical. Transfer factor was definitely an idea way ahead
of its time and it had to wait for technology to catch up.
The processing methods that allow for large-scale extraction
of transfer factor have only recently been perfected and a
commercial product has only been available for the past few
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How Does One Discuss Transfer Factor In Terms Of
Structure-function Claims? |
| Simplistically, transfer factor strengthens
the immune system. But that is simplistic and could be used
to describe a number of herbal products and other
supplements.
Let me answer the question by first reiterating that
transfer factor is not just a single entity. Transfer factor
is in fact a complex mixture containing three separate
fractions. These three fractions are an INDUCER fraction,
and ANTIGEN SPECIFIC fraction, and a SUPPRESSOR fraction.
Since our immune systems fight the microbe wars for us,
let me use a military analogy to explain these three
functions. The inducer fraction serves as the drill Sergeant
of basic training whipping the immune system into shape but
not telling them who to go out and attack. The antigen
specific fraction is like a set of wanted posters
identifying critical features of the bad guys. If we were
microbes these specific identifiers would be our
fingerprints, mug shots, etc. Similarly a whole set of
transfer factors are made against a single microbe type.
Finally the suppressor fraction is like the politicians who
declare an end to the war and demobilize the troops. Without
this action a lot of excessive damage is done both in war
and within ourselves.
When our immune system does not demobilize or overreacts
we suffer from autoimmune diseases such as multiple
sclerosis and allergies. Unlike most immune supplements that
provide the building blocks for proper immune function,
transfer factor is immune intelligence. It is immune
information and education that focuses the immune system
keeping it on task and effective. This is a whole new
concept in immune system strengthening.
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Are There Any Reports About Transfer Factor Helping People
With Cancer? |
| Radiation, chemotherapy, and surgery are
the commonly used conventional cancer treatments. Both
radiation and chemotherapy are highly damaging to fast
growing cells in the body such as the intestinal lining, the
bone marrow and the cells of the immune system. After these
treatments persons often have to be on very strong
antibiotics in order to prevent infections. The use of
transfer factor during radiation or chemotherapy protects
the immune system by some mechanism which we do not fully
understand at the present. In cases of surgical removal of
certain tumors the use of transfer factor as an adjuvant
therapy resulted in a higher survival rate.
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What About Colds? |
| Colds are viral diseases and transfer
factor is used most commonly against viral conditions.
Studies of transfer factor and colds have not been
officially done but interestingly cold relief is a commonly
reported side effect of taking transfer factor. ▲
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Why Consume Transfer Factor When You Are Well? |
| Preventing a problem is safer than trying
to cure it after you are ill. With the number of deadly
germs that are taking their toll on our society, I plan to
protect my loved ones with transfer factors. Sometimes an
illness can damage body organs beyond repair. The wide
benefits of transfer factors are still being explored. A
healthy immune system is crucial to your overall health,
cell cleansing, and cell rejuvenation. Within our bodies,
there is a continuous battle between the "good" and "bad"
bacteria. Giving your immune system a break can actually
allow your body to direct its energies elsewhere. ▲
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Do You Advise Daily Use? How Long Will The Immunity Last? |
| Yes. The Transfer Factor works best when
taken daily. The volume of Transfer Factor in your blood
affects its effectiveness. If you discontinue use, your
immune system will miss out on its daily support. The
immunity received from Transfer Factor™ is short-term. When
a germ enters your body or you are vaccinated, a deep
survival mechanism is triggered within your immune system.
The memory of the illness is stored through a different
pathway to the transfer factors within your body.
Experienced knowledge, exchanged from transfer factor to
transfer factor, is not as long-lasting. Once the consumed
transfer factor is washed from your body, within four to six
weeks the immunity is lost. The information is transferred
to your own transfer factor, but that transfer factor will
eventually die, and the information is diluted down through
a few generations. ▲
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If The Immunity Lasts For Four Weeks, Why Should You
Continue To Consume More? |
| The volume of TF in your body is important.
Every area of your body is vulnerable to attack from germs.
The transfer factor must come in contact with the germ to
recognize it. The more TF you have policing the body, the
greater the chance that germs will be spotted early in the
race for victory. ▲
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Can I Still Get Sick When I Am Consuming Transfer Factor? |
| Even a reinforced immune system can't
always keep you well, but it can make a tremendous
difference in how ill you become and may save the life of a
loved one. ▲
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| For more
information about Transfer Factor please visit
www.transforfactorresearch.com. |
