THE USE OF DIALYZABLE BOVINE COLOSTRUM EXTRACT IN CONJUNCTION WITH A HOLISTIC TREATMENT MODEL FOR NATURAL KILLER CELL STIMULATION IN CHRONIC ILLNESS.
A  Report By: Dr. Jesse A. Stoff  

Nature and Purpose of Clinical Studies

Clinical studies such as Dr. Jesse Stoff’s study of the ingredients included in Matol Biomune OSF Plus™ document the changes experienced by participants who have a specific goal relative to their well-being.  These studies appear in contrast to academic studies, often referred to as “double blind” that are applied to drugs with the intent of establishing the nature of a substance and its effects on the subject.

The questions “what if ?” and “how do we?” are found in studies where the “outcome” is not the main goal.  In clinical studies “outcome” is everything.  The study itself is a documentation of the “outcome”. The only pre-qualifying condition for Dr. Stoff’s studies is the presence of illness.

A Comparison of Quantum Research, Inc.’s Special Bovine Colostrum/Whey Extract to Other Colostrum and Whey Products

When Dr. Stoff was asked the difference between the Quantum Research extract of bovine Colostrum/whey and other Colostrum and whey products, his answer was, “That’s easy.  One works and one doesn’t.”

If you ask how he made that evaluation, he reminds the questioner that he has, for nearly four years, conducted extensive clinical research on the Quantum extract formulations and other Colostrum products.  He knows from actual clinical experience that regular Colostrum may have some value, but has a minimal effect upon any significant immune response.

Dr. Olsztyn and Dr. Stoff believe that the Quantum Colostrum/whey extracts are elite and in a class of their own.  To be compared to other Colostrum and whey products is inevitable, but much like comparing milk to gold such comparisons are meaningless.   There is simply nothing tangible to compare.

Reviewing literature of companies that market Colostrum or whey products one would get the impression that their commodity is absolutely the most fantastic immune support substance that ever existed.  In fact, they probably say that somewhere in self- aggrandizing literature.

The Quantum Research formulations are not in competition with any Colostrum or whey products as there is very little comparison other than the Quantum extract has its origin in cows as does most regular Colostrum.
 
There is nothing wrong with the commodity Colostrum or whey.  Both are a good source of protein and as Dr. Stoff said, “they are better than nothing”.  What are the distinct and important differences between the Quantum Research Colostrum/whey extract formula and other formulas?

Quantum Research products are formulations of a special extract of Colostrum/whey and immune synergists that include herbs and other natural substances.  Other Colostrum or whey products are simply a commodity like milk or wheat.

Quantum Research products have been clinically tested for their effectiveness by medical doctors before being released to the general public.  These clinical studies are available and provided by Matol.

Quantum Research products include a special extract of Colostrum/whey that is produced by a patented pre-calving process of immunological stimulation from a exclusive herd of clean (antibiotic, hormone, pesticide free) and privately managed herd of cattle.  A proprietary post-calving process of select collection, ultra-filtration and low heat drying produces a collection of very small molecules that contain transfer factor and other immunological factors.  Less than 1% of the original Colostrum/whey is retained and only specific molecules are harvested.  The same material marketed by other companies as Colostrum or whey is discarded and thrown away through this precise process.

Quantum Research formulations have been shown in clinical studies to dramatically and consistently increase natural killer (NK) cell activity.  Research indicates that increasing NK cell activity is a tremendous benefit for the restoration and maintenance of health.  No other Colostrum and whey products can make the NK cell function claim based on clinical studies.

The Importance of Natural Killer Cells In Health and Disease

The clinical study by Dr. Stoff focused on the ability of the ingredients in Biomune OSF Plus‰ to increase NK cell function.  Any statement that natural killer (NK) cells play an “important role” in human health is as casual as saying that the brain is important for bodily function.  If our brain is not present and active we cannot continue “living”.  If our immune system is not armed and working well we will also not continue “living” for very long.  NK cell activity is to the immune system what brain activity is to the body.

The immune system is comprised of millions of cells, numerous chemicals, glands and organs which all work together via a complex communication system.  Immune science uses terms like “antibodies”, “antigens”, “B cells”, “T cells”, “macrophages”, “cytokines”, and in the past few years, “natural killer cells”.  Natural killer cells have become the focus of much research due to the expanding knowledge of their value in keeping us healthy.

NK cell activity and NK cell count are not the same.  NK cells may be present in sufficient numbers, but unless they are activated they are ineffective in doing their job.   Decreased NK cell activity is linked to the development and progression of many diseases.  According to the Center for Disease Control, low NK cell activity is present in all illness.  NK cell function appears to be a biologic marker for disease and is an important indicator for declining or improving health.

The following assertion can be made; if one is suffering from an illness, be it chronic, recurring or acute, the NK cell activity would be below normal.  The restoration of NK cell activity to a high normal would be desirable, if not necessary, for recovery.  With this in mind, a strategy to accomplish increasing NK cell activity should accompany both the maintenance of good health and the recovery from illness.

ABBREVIATIONS:   NK; Natural Killer Cell

Low NK cell activity begins with stress of some type.  When the body is unable to adequately adapt to the environment there is a resulting compromise of body function.   Stress comes through loss of sleep, overwork, emotional encounters, lack of exercise, poor nutrition, exposure to toxins, exposure to germs etc.

Acute low NK cell activity resulting from temporary stress can be eliminated with the elimination of the stress factor.  For example, if we are over-tired and under-nourished we can simply rest and eat properly for a few days and recover.   However when we become continually immune compromised we start developing recurring problems which may lead into serious or chronic conditions.

Specific intervention can be necessary to rebuild the immune system in the face of serious or chronic conditions if recovery is to occur.  At a certain point, rest and general nutrition are just not enough.  This is when most people turn to pharmaceutical products for recovery and symptomatic relief.  Unfortunately this has not been a viable approach, as drugs do not address the deficiencies that are necessary for real and lasting recovery.  Drugs do not build up the immune system and often produce a weakening in the long run.  The lack of results and the many side effects of drugs have caused millions to turn to alternative approaches for their health recovery.

There are numerous nutritional substances that support the immune system when taken in sufficient quantities and combinations.  Vitamin A, vitamin C and vitamin E, zinc, calcium, goldenseal and Echinacea, are just a few of the vitamins minerals and herbs that support the immune system.  Vitamin C and vitamin E will increase NK cell activity slightly, but not dramatically nor consistently.  In fact, the search for a safe and effective strategy to enhance NK cell activity and accordingly provide effective immune system support has been in progress for several years.

Dr. Stanley R. Olsztyn, a medical doctor specializing in alternative medicine, has been developing such products since the 1970’s.  He has been working with and developing special Colostrum/whey extracts in combination with herbs, vitamins and other nutritionals.  Dr. Olsztyn discovered that Colostrum/whey extracts with synergistic nutritional components did in fact increase NK cell activity both dramatically and consistently.  This explained why the thousands of patients to whom he had given his formulas responded so well and so quickly.  In 1993, after 15 years of clinical research and development, he introduced his results to the general public.

Concurrently, Dr. Jesse A. Stoff, a prominent viro-immunologist and researcher, was exploring ways to expand his protocol for immune system support.  He conducted extensive laboratory evaluation on his patients in his Tucson clinic and was searching for a “transfer factor” substance that he reasoned would dramatically enhance the immune system.  Dr. Stoff became aware of Dr. Olsztyn’s formulas and began evaluating them in his practice.  As Dr. Stoff deals primarily with severe and chronic case, it was a perfect setting to evaluate the Olsztyn products under the most rigid clinical conditions.

Dr. Stoff published the results of his findings using Dr. Olsztyn’s special extract of Colostrum and whey in combination with other nutritional factors.  The study is most impressive, showing patient response following dramatic increases in their NK cell activity.  Recovery and remission from many of the most serious of health problems of this time were documented.

Due to the success of the clinical studies, Dr. Stoff has joined Dr. Olsztyn for continuing research and the development of new products using the special Colostrum/whey extract and an array of natural substances.  Matol Biomune OSF Plus‰  is the first of these new products.

CLINICAL STUDY

Clinical Study Summary of 107 patients

FULL Clinical Study Report of 107 patients

THE USE OF DIALYZABLE BOVINE COLOSTRUM EXTRACT IN CONJUNCTION WITH A HOLISTIC TREATMENT MODEL FOR NATURAL KILLER CELL STIMULATION IN CHRONIC ILLNESS

The following study discusses, summarizes, and demonstrates that properly bovine Colostrum and whey extracts used in combination with the herb Astragalus will help produce significant increases in Natural killer (NK) cell activity.  NK cells are very important in human health and disease.  Defective or absent NK cell activity is associated with a spectrum of human diseases.  Matol Biomune OSF Plus‰, which combines the herb Astragalus with such an extract from Quantum Research, Inc. is shown to be a critical dietary supplement. THE USE OF DIALYZABLE BOVINE  COLOSTRUM EXTRACT IN CONJUNCTION WITH A HOLISTIC TREATMENT MODEL FOR NATURAL KILLER  CELL STIMULATION IN CHRONIC ILLNESS By:  Jesse A. Stoff, MD, MFHOM, FACLM   Abstract

A longitudinal evaluation of the natural killer cell (NK activity) of peripheral blood lymphocytes was performed in 107 patients with documented and advanced chronic illness and followed for an average period of 13.2 months.  At the time of primary evaluation and treatment, the absolute value of natural killer cell activity was significantly lower than the normal range.  Hence, the association of  chronic illness with the syndrome of low natural killer cell activity.

During the follow-up period, a variety of nutritional agents were given to support natural killer cell function and then dialyzable bovine Colostrum extract was added to the protocol.  In the ensuing months, the curve of NK cell reactivation into normal ranges and above was monitored as immune system competence was restored.

The use of natural immunomodulators including the use of dialyzable bovine Colostrum extract can be concluded as a viable therapeuticum in NK cell reactivation in the face of chronic illness.
 

Clinical Study Summary and Discussion

The participants:
Charts of 107 patients who presented with chronic illness which were known to include low NK cell function were studied to determine their NK cell function response after being treated with a complimentary medical regimen of therapy. This regimen included the use of dialyzable bovine Colostrum/whey extracts as well as other elements of the Holistic Medical Paradigm.

The patients all self-selected this medical approach and most came with specific expectations having read (1) Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: The Hidden Epidemic or, (2) The Definitive Guide to Cancer Therapy.

An overview of the immune system:
The marvelous array of deftly interacting cells that defend our body against invaders arise from a few precursor cells that first appear at about 9 weeks after conception. From that point on, the cells of the immune system go through a continuously repeated cycle of growth and development and become fully competent at around 6 months of age after our birth.

The parent cells of our immune system are referred to as stem cells. These are the cells upon which the immune system depends to both reproduce itself and gives rise to the many specialized lineage's that spring from it; the B cells, macrophages, natural killer (NK) cells, helper T cells, etc.

The cells of the immune system are not isolated in a single body space or arranged in the form of a single organ. Instead, the majority of them exist as potentially mobile entities unattached to other cells. This characteristic is crucial to their function. Every minute of every day, war is waged within our body. The combatants are too small to see. Some, like the infamous HIV virus, are so small that 230 million would fit on the period at the end of this sentence. Yet, they employ tactics that can vanquish the much larger cells upon which our immune system is based. Usually, we never even notice the battles within us.
 
We have evolved legions of defenders, specialized cells that silently destroy the unseen enemy. Sometimes these warriors mistake harmless invaders such as pollen for deadly foes and trigger an allergic response. Occasionally, some of our own cells begin the mutinous uncontrolled proliferation characteristic of cancer and manage to evade the surveillance of our body's defensive forces. For every successful penetration of our defenses, millions of attempts are repelled.  We sleep securely at night trusting the invisible vigilantes of our immune system.

The science and practice of immunology traces back to 1721 to Lady Mary Wortley Montagu. She introduced England to a Turkish process of inoculation with unmodified smallpox virus in an attempt to stem the ravages of the normal course of the disease. Her techniques were quite crude and as many as her patients died as survived but those that survived were immune to the disease forever more.

Over the decades and centuries scores of doctors and researchers honed the art of immunology into a more and more refined science. Many of the wonderful blood tests that we have today and information that we now know about immunology was unknown to us a scant 20 years ago. Information on the science of immunology doubles at the rate of approximately every 5 to 6 years. So we must remember that the wonderful ways that we have today to support and direct the immune system to help protect us and fight off illnesses is a mere foreshadow of things to come in the (near) future

Our immune system is a miracle of evolution. There is interesting research to suggest that elements of our immune system were, at one time, actually independent organisms. They were incorporated into our body millions and millions of years ago as a type of symbiotic mutually beneficial relationship. Our immune system is not controlled by any central organ such as the relationship of our brain to our nervous system. Rather it has developed and functions as a kind of biological democracy where the individual members achieve their ends through an information network of biochemical substances called cytokines.

Many different variables in our environment and lifestyle can effect the efficiency of its function. Our immune system accounts for approximately 1% of our body's 100 trillion cells. These defender cells originally arise in our bone marrow and mature in other parts of our body, the thymus, spleen and lymph glands. The different lineage's which develop all share one common objective; to identify and destroy all substances, living or inert, that are recognized as foreign to our body. This includes cancer cells that challenge our immune system everyday for each and every one of us.

NK Cells:
NK cells were discovered in the 1970's and constitute up to 15% of the total lymphocyte population in normal healthy subjects. They are capable of killing a broad range of tumor and virus infected cells. Depressed NK cell activity and depressed NK cell populations are associated with the development and rapid progression of cancer, hepatitis, AIDS, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, various immunodeficiency syndromes, and certain autoimmune diseases. In my practice I almost exclusively work with people with severe and chronic diseases, diseases that are known to present abnormally low levels of NK cell function.

NK cells now appear to present the first line of defense against metastatic spread of tumors. In numerous studies, low NK cell populations were correlated with greater and more rapid spread of tumors with shorter host longevity and with greater morbidity.

The immune response:
There are four critical phases to the immunological response and lifestyle issues and some dietary supplements can influence them.

During phase one, the offending invader is identified and recognized as being foreign to our body and then quickly consumed by hungry roving macrophages. You can think of macrophages as little PAC men that are found in all of the tissues in our body and circulating around in our blood stream looking for their next free lunch. They seize upon this foreign agent, engulf it, eat it and release a series of cytokines that then trigger the 2nd phase of the immunological reaction.

In phase two, these biochemical substances then activate the helper T cells that have the job of coordinating the counterattack on a body-wide scale. The T cells then begin to multiply and release other cytokines that further stimulate more T cells, B cells, and natural killer cells. As the number of B cells increase, the helper T cells signal them to begin producing antibodies, thus, bringing us to the 3rd stage of the immunological response.

In the third stage, the antibodies are circulating around in our blood stream and are attaching to the foreign virus or bacteria causing them to be more quickly engulfed by macrophages or killed by natural killer cells.

The fourth stage of the immunological response begins when the circulating antibodies no longer have a target and the suppresser T cells call a truce to the immunological reaction bringing about a new balance, or homeostasis, in our system. Special cells of the immune system remember what had transpired so that if again attacked by the same organism our body could respond much faster. These cells also release special little molecules called transfer factor to help keep the pump primed, so to speak.

Thus, what may have been a 10-day bout from our first exposure to that particular virus, in the future may be a cold that lasts no more than 24-72 hours.

Immune-modulation:
Immune-modulation is a new and key step in supporting immune function. This can include a number of different substances, depending upon the situation, including: transfer factor (obtained in specially prepared Colostrum/whey extracts), Astragalus, Arabinogalactan, Viscum extracts, vitamin C, iodine, lactoferrin, certain amino acids, neurotransmitter hormones and the prohormone DHEA.

Transfer Factor:
In the study group generic NK cell response was monitored using transfer factor, obtained in specially prepared Colostrum/whey extracts, along with the herb Astragalus that is known to accelerate and support immunological reactions. The transfer factor component was produced from cows that have been immunologically stimulated using a patented process. This process does not hurt the cow.  In fact, it stimulates the cow’s immune system for its own protection.

When a cow gives birth to a calf, the first flow of milk is called the Colostrum.   The Colostrum is collected and the transfer factor molecules are extracted.   At appropriate opportunities, collection can also occur from the milk following Colostrum.  This is generally referred to as whey.  Since none of the milk proteins remain, these products are safe even for people with a dairy allergy. The purified transfer factor can then be given to people to passively stimulate their NK cells function to alert-activity status, thus protecting them to a significant degree from illness as well as helping them recover from illness.

Lifestyle:
Lifestyle issues that will affect the functioning of our immune system include exposure to toxins (heavy metals, petrochemicals, radiation, etc.) and dietary and nutritional deficiencies that can rob the immune system of the biochemical foundation that it relies upon in order to function normally. Another major lifestyle issue relative to immune function is stress.

Dietary Supplements used by the Study Group:
The use of other nutritional support factors in conjunction with the dialyzable Colostrum/whey extract and Astragalus was important for patient recovery.  However, I want to point out three significant factors in relation to that fact:

Most of the patients were advanced in their conditions and had tried other approaches for their health recovery before I saw them in my clinic.

The dialyzable Colostrum/whey extract was critical to their recovery.  Without that component, providing the transfer factors discussed herein, many of the patients simply would not have recovered.

I have utilized a wide array of well-known and privately prepared Colostrum products with disappointing results.  These products were not helpful to my patients as they failed to significantly increase NK cell function or consistently provide any other significant immunological benefits that could be measured.

I also observed that people who were not severely compromised responded well to daily supplementation of the Colostrum/whey extract and Astragalus without additional nutritional supplementation. Even though adequate nutritional support is important it was noted that the extract of dialyzable Colostrum/whey and Astragalus is very powerful and valuable in combination without additional supplementation.

The importance of prevention:
With any health problem it is much more prudent and efficient to prevent disease by maintaining a high level of immune function.  Research has shown that low NK cell activity is present in nearly all illness.  A daily dietary regimen that includes dialyzable bovine Colostrum/whey extract has been shown to significantly help maintain high NK cell activity and thereby dramatically increase the ability of the immune system to maintain a healthy condition.
 
Conclusions:
This Study Group demonstrates that stimulation of NK activity paralleled restored resistance to illness and recovery from illness. NK cell activity is correlated with disease status in those patients with hematologic malignancy such as leukemia and lymphomas as well. In some studies, on patients with leukemia, a sudden and maintained decrease in NK cell activity was reported nearly always to proceed relapse even if the patient had been in complete remission for some time. This also correlated with a general drop in the percentage of lymphocytes as measured in a standard blood test.  NK cell function is a well-regulated activity subject to both inhibitory and excitatory control.

Clinical Study Summary of 107 patients

FULL Clinical Study Report of 107 patients