Support of metabolism and physiological function of specific glands.

Obtained from safe, inspected sources and processed to retain maximum activity.

Glandular tissues are rich sources of nutritional factors that support the metabolism and physiological function of specific glands.  When prepared with sufficient technical sophistication and sensitivity to their delicate nature, they can retain a significant portion of their biological activity and therapeutic value.  Properly processed glandular material is effective because the biological activity components including enzymes, soluble proteins, natural lipid factors, vitamins, minerals and hormone precursors have not been eliminated or destroyed.  Allergy Research Group® glandulars are lyophilized (freeze-dried).  This means the glands are quickly frozen at the time of collection and subjected to high vacuum, which removes moisture by direct vaporization from the frozen state.  This meticulous process of collection and conversion of the glandular material to dry powder minimizes degradation and maintains the natural occurring levels of active components.  The fats are not removed in the process, as they contain important soluble vitamins, minerals and cofactors.  Furthermore, the removal of fat by one of the available methods, for example, alcohol extraction, would degrade the material.

Long before the concern about Mad Cow Disease - Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy - BSE, we obtained our glandular products from government inspected, range-grazed animals, raised in New Zealand without the use of pesticides, hormones or antibiotics.  They are totally free from BSE and a number of other diseases that do not occur in New Zealand.  All glandulars are subject to in-process as well as finished product testing.  These tests include microbial contamination to assure acceptable total bacteria.  Allergy Research Group® glandulars are highly potent and are generally well tolerated.

 

Allergy Research Group® Organic Glandulars Available At Natural Health DOC

Adrenal, Organic Glandular | Adrenal Cortex, Organic Glandular | Hypothalamus, Organic Glandular | Immuno-Gland Plex - Organic Glandular | Liver, Organic Glandular | Pancreas, Organic Glandular | Thymus, Organic Glandular | TG 100, Organic Glandular

Glandular Therapy

Glandular therapy uses animal glandular tissue to support the function of the corresponding human gland.  Hormones are the most obvious and directly observable agents of glandular activity.  Hormones are produced and secreted by the endocrine glands, including the hypothalamus, pituitary, thyroid, parathyroid, adrenals, pineal, reproductive glands (ovaries and testes), and pancreas.  Other non-endocrine organs, such as the liver, thymus and kidney, also produce and release hormones.  Hormones act as chemical messengers between cells, regulating mood, growth, sexual development, and many metabolic functions. 

Glandular activity and hormone levels can be adversely affected by stress, infection and imbalances of fluid and minerals in blood.  Hormone therapy utilizes the concentrated activity of one hormone from the corresponding animal gland to replenish human hormone levels.  Although it seems to offer the possibility of accurately restoring the hormone to what are believed to be normal levels, it ignores the condition of the gland itself and may down-regulate the activity of the gland, requiring the permanent ongoing administration of the hormone.

Glandular therapy uses entire animal glandular tissue to support the function of the corresponding human gland, instead of one extracted hormone.  It is thought that this practice originated in hunter-gatherer societies, when healers observed that eating animal glands had beneficial effects for certain ailments.  The writings of Aristotle (384-322 BC) and Pliney the Elder (AD 23-79) mention the use of animal organ preparations for healing.  In the 16th century, the physician Paracelsus articulated a theory called the doctrine of signatures: "The heart heals the heart, lung heals the lungs, spleen heals the spleen; like cure like [similia similibus curatur]."  This became a primary principle in Dr. Samuel Hahnemann's theory of homeopathy, and it is the fundamental principle of glandular therapy. 

Glandular theory posits that glandular substance contain cellular factors that are organ specific rather than species specific, and that the ingested or injected animal glandular cells travel to the corresponding human organ, where they can stimulate the organ's function and possibly regenerate its cellular structure.

Contemporary interest in glandular therapy began with the discoveries made by Swiss physician Paul Niehans, MD, who experimented with tissue transplantation in the late 1920s.  In one early experiment, he injected eosinophils from the anterior lobe of a calf's pituitary gland into a young human dwarf, which apparently stimulated the dwarf to grow over 12 inches taller.  In another experiment, he found that parathyroid gland substance immediately improved the condition of a patient dying from tetanus.  Niehans theorized that animal glandular material could regenerate its corresponding organ when implanted in humans, based on a principle articulated by Hallion in 1912: "Extracts of an organ exert on the same organ an exciting influence which lasts for a longer or shorter time.  When the organ is insufficient, it is conceivable that this influence augments its action, and, when it is injured, that it favors its restoration." 

In 1931, Niehans was called upon to try to save a woman whose parathyroid gland had been accidentally removed during thyroid surgery.  Niehans was called because he was known to have transplanted organs and glands.  Niehans arrived with freshly obtained parathyroid glands from a steer, but the woman's condition had deteriorated drastically by that time, making transplant surgery impossible.  Acting on an intuition, Niehans diced the fresh parathyroid glandular substance, mixed it in saline solution and injected the mixture into the terminally ill patient.  Immediately the woman stopped convulsing and began to improve, which Niehans had expected.

Niehans had thought, however, this this was a stop-gap measure, to keep her alive long enough to do a gland transplant.  To his surprise, the woman's condition continued to improve without further intervention, and she recovered and lived into her nineties.  Niehans later wrote, "I thought the effect would be short-lived just like the effect of an injection of hormones, and that I should have to repeat the injection.  But to my great surprise,... the effect lasted, and longer than any synthetic hormone, any implant or any surgical graft."  Dr. Niehans went on to develop live cell therapy at this Clinique La Prairie in Montreaux, Switzerland.  His clinic became a place of last resort for thousands of patients, and a mecca of rejuvenation to the wealthy, including royalty, presidents and celebrities.  Live cell therapy is still practiced in Europe and other places.  It is estimated that greater than 5,000 German physicians utilize cell therapy and that millions of patients have received it over the last 50 years.

Oral glandulars work on the same principle as live cell therapy, by providing the body with the primary hormonal precursors and other nutrients  associated with a gland.  Oral glandulars are easier to use than live cells, which require freezing and special handling and are quite expensive.  glandulars have immunomodulatory effects, androgenic and estrogenic properties and various rejuvenating qualities.  However, the medical establishment has utilized neither live cells nor glandulars, and instead has focused on concentrating and using the hormones extract from glands, such as cortisone from the adrenal gland or insulin from the pancreas.  For unknown reason, modern medical authorities denigrate the usefulness of glandular substance, even as they daily exploit hormones derived from those very substances in their treatments.

Both studies and clinical results contradict the theory that the only valuable element in a glandular substances is the known hormone.  Several studies using radioactive isotope tracing show that injected glandular tissue cells are absorbed into the blood stream and primarily deposited in the tissues of the corresponding gland.  In another study, orally administered calf thymus peptide extract was found to improve the status of Kaposi's sarcoma, increase T-helper cells and decrease T-suppresser lymphocytes.  Many users of live cell therapy or oral glandular products have reported benefits.  In addition, hormone injections can possibly decrease the gland's function by down-regulating the gland, whereas glandular nutrients nourish the targets organ and can restore its function.  It has also been shown that peptide macromolecules, such as those found in glandular tissue products, can be absorbed intact from the gastrointestinal tract and do have a measurable effect.

If they are prepared correctly, oral glandular products will contain important nutritional support for the glands, including peptide hormone precursors, enzymes, lipids, vitamins and minerals.  The proper preparation of the glandulars is essential to achieve the therapeutic value of the product.  The azeotrophic process uses quick-freezing at 0°F, but does not require the use of quality-raised animals for starting material and uses powerful solvents such as ethyl dichloride.  The salt precipitation method doesn't require toxic solvents but may leave undesirable sodium levels. 

On the other hand, lyophilized glandulars have none of these limitations.  The freshly harvested glandular material is freeze-dried at 40°F to 60°F below zero, then placed in a vacuum chamber to remove water by direct vaporization.  If the starting materials is appropriate, the final product will have a high concentration of unaltered proteins, enzymes and fat-soluble compounds, and corresponding high activity and purity.