Thymus Extracts.
Excerpts from Dr. Julian Whitaker's "Health and Healing" monthly
newsletter. Oct. 1992, Vol. 2. No. 11.
The
"proofs" offered re: oral thymus supplements are mostly anecdotal.
The
thymus gland controls your immune system in to basic ways. First it is
the source of T-lymphocytes or T-cells (T stands for thymus), which are
crucial in the fight against viruses, bacteria, yeast, and all other
foreign invaders. Early in life the thymus gland seeds the bone marrow
with immature T-cells, where they multiply and mature. It is the T-cells
that are destroyed by the HIV virus and their destruction brings on
full-blown AIDS.
Second, the thymus gland produces a variety of hormones that stimulate
the maturation of T-cells and increase the production of other immune
hormones, such as interferon and the immune globulin's. Several hormones
from the thymus gland have been isolated, but the one receiving the most
attention right now is thymosin alpha 1.
Researchers all over the world are exploring the therapeutic
possibilities of thymus hormone replacement, but none are more
vigorously than Milton Mutchnick, MD, head of the department of
gastroenterology at Hutzel Hospital and associate professor of medicine
at Wayne State University medical Centre in Detroit. He recently
published a year-long study demonstrating that a synthetic indictable
version of a thymus hormone, thymosin alpha 1, given twice weekly,
eliminated the hepatitis B virus in six out of seven patients (86%),
compared to a spontaneous conversion of one out of five (20%) in the
placebo group.
EUROPEAN STUDIES SHOW VALUE OF THYMUS EXTRACT
Oral
products of thymus extract are shunned in this country because most
researchers believe that the digestive juices in the stomach and
intestines will destroy them before they are absorbed. However, in
Europe, an oral thymus product, Thymodulin, with sales of over $300
million a year, has been sued and studied for almost a decade. Control
trials show that it significantly improves a variety of conditions and
even eliminated hepatitis b in 45% to 50% of children, compared to only
20% in the control group.
In
one convincing study, oral Thymodulin was administered to 29 patients:
eight with herpes zoster, eight with whooping cough, eight with chicken
pox and five with infectious mononucleosis. Another 29 patients with the
same diseases received a placebo. Various parameters were used to
measure the effectiveness of Thymodulin, and all patients who received
it showed significant improvement compared to controls.
Dr.
Burgstiner (Savannah GA) contracted Dr. Mutchnick, who was very
interested in Dr. Burgstiner's experience and wanted to have a look at
the product he had used. Dr. Mutchnick took Immunoplex 402 and the
vitamin preparation himself, and then measured his blood levels of
thymosin alpha 1. He wrote Dr. Burgstiner: "You might be pleased to know
that I conducted a pilot study on myself by taking several of the
Immunoplex 402 tablets after having first obtained a pre-treatment
serum, which was followed then by serums at 1/2 hour, 1 hour, 2 hours, 3
hours, and 4 hours. Lo an behold, by the first hour--and consistently
for the next several hours--the thymosin alpha 1 level, as determined by
the ELISA, increased. Clearly, I will have to repeat this on a number of
subjects, but this offers an exciting potential for turning thymosin
alpha 1 from a subcutaneous injection into an oral preparation."
Dr.
Burgstiner encouraged Melvin L. Haysman, MD, who practices allergy and
clinical immunology in Savannah, to try the products with some of his
patients. Dr. Haysman collected before and after blood smaples of about
a dozen patients who took Immunoplex 402 with the vitamins and minerals,
and sent them to Dr. Mutchnick. Dr. Mutchnick found that the products
had increased the blood levels of thymosin alpha 1 in every patient, and
in some by 300% to 700%.
WHY
NUTRITIONAL SUPPLEMENTS SHOULD BE ADDED
Vitamin and mineral supplements taken with the Immunoplex 402 markedly
enhance the effect of the product. Dr. Mutchnick found that three
Immunoplex 402 tablets taken with one vitamin and mineral supplement
elevated the blood level by over 300%, and three Immunoplex 402 tablets
plus two of teh vitamin and mineral supplements caused an almost 450%
rise in thymosin alpha 1 hormone.
It
should not be a surprise that supplemental nutrients would have this
effect on the oral preparation. In one recent study from italy, zinc
sulphate was added to the serum of patients with Down's syndrome (known
to have very low levels of thymus activity) and of elderly patients,
also with characteristically low levels of active thymus hormone. The
active hormone in their serum increased to that of young, healthy
individuals.
The
authors theorised that zinc is necessary to activate thymus hormone, and
that marginal zinc deficiencies could be a cause of immune dysfunction
and decreased function of thymus hormone even when it was present. The
same is likely true for other essential nutrients as well. One of the
first and most consistent signs of any nutrient deficiency is immune
dysfunction. But very few doctors prescribe nutritional supplements.
They all "know" they don't work. And blah blah blah....
THE
POTENTIAL FOR PREVENTING AGE-RELATED DISORDERS
The
ability to maintain high levels of thymus hormone activity has enormous
potential for alleviating suffering from age-related diseases, and the
anecdotal experience of Drs. Burgstiner and Haysman is remarkable. Dr.
Burgstiner has been keeping a running tally of the benefits reported to
him by patients and doctors of patients who have tried the preparations.
This is not a scientific study, but over the last two years...
·
63
patients have reported complete recovery from Hep B.
·
3
patients with Hep C recovered
·
26
patients with chronic fatigue syndrome reported marked improvement.
24
patients with rheumatoid arthritis -- some taking methotrexate,
cortisone, and gold shots, indicating very severe conditions -- reported
almost complete remission of symptoms and elimination of strong
medications
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