Kickas.org Forums Treatments, Drugs and Alternatives Alternatives and ALCHEMISTS Immune Modulation/Transfer Factors

has anyone tried any of the immune modulation herbs (like cat's claw)or transfer factor supplements? i've been reading an interesting idea concering autoimmune illnesses: don't suppress the immune system but "re-educate it." not sure of the science behind it.

Hiker,
I did try a transfer factor, called NK-Immune, early on after my diagnosis with IBS and Proteus mirabilis (Pm) gut overgrowth. This was the bright idea of my hollistic internalist doctor. I got very, very sick. I don't think the term "explosive diarrhea" comes close. More like an intestinal detonation. I was sick for days, after taking only 10 pills for 5 days. I think I passed blood, too. Several months later, I did a stool culture test to see if Pm had dropped in counts, and it actually had increased! So the drug was a total disaster for me.

Due to this experience, I have totally sworn off any drug that directly affects my immune system. The companies that market transfer factors may say they are just immune modulators or "re-educators", but, in my case, I think my immune system became totally distracted by the stimulation of the Natural Killer cells (NK), and completely lost track of the Pm in my gut. Pm is very, very hard to kill, anyway.

My goal now is to remove all food allegens from my diet, improve my digestion, correct nutritional deficiencies, correct my dysbiosis (microbial imbalance) in my gut, and deprive Pm of food (reduce animal proteins and fats).
That may be a longer path to take, but it is safer.
Jan
Edited to correct for a brain frying on viral toxins...

these immune modulators need to be taken very carefully. they are supposed to work if your symptoms are from an infection. if you have an autoimmune disease and no longer an infection, you have a bad reaction like you had.