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Q: What are allergies and who do they affect?
A: Allergies are caused by a mistake within the immune system, referred to as an autoimmune condition. In allergic situations, the immune system strongly reacts to something that would otherwise be totally harmless. Every year, more than 50 million Americans suffer from allergies, including food and seasonal allergies and asthma. It is the sixth leading cause of chronic disease in the United States. (American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology) Allergies occur when the body reacts inappropriately to an otherwise harmless substance. Allergic symptoms include: runny nose, watery eyes, sneezing, hives, headaches, coughing, nasal congestion, fatigue and wheezing.
Almost 17 million doctor office visits a year are attributed to seasonal allergies. (American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology)
More than 20 percent of the US population suffers from some type of allergic disease. (American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology)
Q: How does the immune system work?
A: The immune system’s ability to protect your body is both instinctive and learned—in other words, it fights invasions with both innate and acquired responses. Each individual is born with innate immunity—the ability of the immune system to generally recognize foreign invaders. Along with passive defenses like skin, stomach acid and mucus, the innate immune system also contains active immune response mechanisms that include Natural Killer, or NK cells, and macrophages. Like all innate front line defense agents, NK cells do not need prior exposure to an infectious microbe in order to act. They simply recognize foreign cells and go to work.
Any substance that triggers an immune response is called an antigen. Sometimes a germ makes it past your immune system and you catch a cold, the flu or worse. An illness is a visible sign that your immune system failed to stop the germ. But you do get better; and that’s proof that your immune system is doing its job. It gathered knowledge about the invader, mounted a defense and eliminated it properly. If your immune system didn’t do anything, the infection would eventually overrun your body.
Unfortunately, even the strongest innate immune system can’t handle all the various microbes we encounter daily. That’s where acquired immunity comes in. Immune cells learn new skills and build new tools to deal with ever-increasing microbial invaders. But for this system to adapt for attack, it first must recognize a threat before it can build the tools to fight, which is why you sometimes feel like you’re “coming down with something” for several days. The good news is that after the acquired immune system builds the tools for a specific infection, it remembers it and is ready for the next attack.
Inflammation is an immediate response by the immune system to an infection or injury, such as when you get a cut on your arm. In most cases, as the immune system deals with the problem, the immune cells then retreat from the area and inflammation and swelling go down. But occasionally, the immune cells do not withdraw and the inflammation continues, creating a chronic problem within the body. Researchers are beginning to discover a link between chronic inflammation and a host of conditions, including cardiovascular disease, diabetes and Alzheimer’s disease.
Sometimes the immune system makes a mistake and acts inappropriately to a certain situation. One such mistake is autoimmunity. For reasons not entirely understood by scientists, the immune system begins to attack the cells, tissues, and organs of the body the same way it would normally react to a germ. Autoimmune conditions include allergies, fibromyalgia, rheumatoid arthritis, chronic fatigue syndrome and many others.
Q: How are allergies and the immune system connected?
A: As previously discussed, allergies are an autoimmune disorder, or a situation in which the immune system makes a mistake. In allergic situations, the immune system strongly reacts to something that would otherwise be totally harmless. The immune system incorrectly identifies the allergen as an invader, and immune cells overreact and cause harm to the body. The allergen might be a certain food, a certain type of pollen or a certain typeof animal fur. For example, a person allergic to bee pollen may experience a runny nose, watery eyes, sneezing or even hives, whenever he or she is in the vicinity of the pollen. Some other common allergy symptoms include headaches, coughing, nasal congestion, fatigue and wheezing.
Q: What are some important nutrients to combat allergies?
A: Scientific research has uncovered several important nutrients that can support the immune system and protect your body against the damaging effects of allergies.
Transfer factors, tiny molecules that transfer immunity from one entity to another, can boost or balance the immune system, whatever your body’s particular situation requires. They promote the immune system’s ability to remember past invasions, allowing your body to more quickly respond to similar health threats. Transfer factors also educate naïve immune cells about a present or potential danger in your body, along with a plan for action, as well as speed up the recognition phase of an infection.
Because of the unique immune situation surrounding allergies, ingredients that simply boost the immune system response will not help remedy the problem. In fact, it could make the problem worse by helping the immune system continue to overreact to an otherwise benign substance. What is needed is something to calm down the overactive immune system and restore balance. Transfer factors have the unique ability to suppress the immune system and help it stop overreacting to a particular substance. Transfer factors can be extracted from a variety of sources, the two most powerful and most abundant being cow colostrum (first milk) and chicken eggs. Combining these two sources of transfer factors provides a broad spectrum of support, utilizing the strength of two animals for maximum power for your immune system.
Acidophilus is a probiotic, or good bacteria. Probiotics help us fight disease, metabolize hormones and nourish new cells. Sensitivities to food can be caused by a lack of good bacteria. Acidophilus replenishes the levels of good bacteria within the body and works to prime the immune system against dysfunctions like allergies.
Enzymes help your body break down the proteins, sugars, carbohydrates and fats that you absorb every day. As we get older, our ability to properly digest foods decreases. Enzymes can be of particular help for people suffering from food allergies by breaking down undigested proteins into smaller pieces, reducing the chance of allergic reactions.
Success Stories
Alvaro B.
New York, New York
Ever since I was a child I have suffered from allergies and asthma. I had a very weak immune system. Things only got worse as an adult. I had constant pain in my throat, nose, muscles and joints. I also had chronic fatigue. When I moved to New York I was treated by professionals in the medical field. They gave me everything under the sun to treat my problems. Nothing they tried made a difference. Every time the seasons changed my situation would get worse.
One day I was in class with a friend and she suggested a transfer factor product for my allergies. I started taking the product and by noon that next day, I had changed a hundred and eighty degrees. I started taking it regularly. I have never felt better in my whole life. I no longer have to go to my doctor for my allergy problems.
Vincent H.
Red Hill, Pennsylvania
I have suffered with allergies for many years. I was allergic to grass, dust, pollen, ragweed, molds and perfume. I also developed food allergies. During allergy season, I couldn’t eat anything with tomatoes, chocolate or cola. I went to the doctor, got allergy shots every other week, eye drops, nose sprays and allergy medication. I got to the point where I had to carry a box around in my car with all different types of sprays, atomizers, etc., just to make it through the day. I was tired. I had to sleep in a chair at night. I couldn’t lay down in bed. I was irritable. I had a lack of energy.
I started taking a product containing transfer factors. After a few weeks—what a difference! It’s so hard to explain to people! I’m so used to sneezing at work all the time. I don’t do that anymore. I don’t carry four handkerchiefs around anymore. I don’t carry a box of tissues anymore. I don’t have that box of medication anymore. And I have not been back to my allergy doctor since!
Kiya C.
Walnut Creek, California
For the better part of my life I have struggled with allergies to food, pollen, dust, animals, etc. I sometimes feel that I just landed in a body that wasn’t quite up to dealing with life. Being involved in the holistic field and energy balancing, I really made it a priority to focus on my health and well-being. Over the years, I have made wonderful progress, except for two areas that were causing me major difficulty, my allergies to cats and dogs. It was challenging for me, socially, and I felt that I really needed to limit my interaction with people, which was very unfortunate.
I started taking a product containing transfer factors two years ago. One weekend, my daughter invited me to come stay at her house. She has two dogs and I said yes. She was stunned that I would even consider it. I went to her house and I noticed my nose didn’t run and my lungs didn’t get tight. There wasn’t any difficulty at all. My daughter watched me with absolute amazement. I was not only tolerating the situation; I was comfortable in it. I was so excited.
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