When it comes to strengthening your immune system so you can eliminate virtually any health problem, beta glucans are your best natural weapon.
Science Fiction Becomes Science Reality
Science fiction writers have speculated that in the future, perhaps in a hundred years or so, the drugs of today will eventually be replaced by something called bioactive software, a completely harmless substance that once ingested is able to perfectly re-program your immune system so it can help eliminate virtually any health problem. What this extraordinary substance will be, or how it will work is not given. Had the writers known of beta 1/3-1/6 glucan (a class of long chain polysaccharides found in yeast cell walls) they would have known what that amazing substance will be, and how it will work. Beta 1/3-1/6 glucan is so revolutionary in its mode of action it has been described as bioactive software!
Here’s how: Once ingested beta 1/3-1/6 glucan, by virtue of its molecular shape, can bind with two specific activating (toll) receptors on front-line immune cells called macrophages which reside in the epithelium (surface tissue layers) of your mouth, throat and gut. When the Beta 1/3-1/6 molecule binds with only these specific activating receptors your immune system is in effect re-programmed (modulated) to respond to threats in a way that immunologists would have once thought impossible. Your immune system can now dramatically upgrade its defense and attack network while at the same time downgrade the inflammation that accompanies a full blown immune response. How important is this? In the world of Immunology it’s monumental!
Once the beta 1/3-1/6 molecule binds with toll (activating) receptors (2/6) on macrophage cells a cascade of activation across your entire immune system begins. Your macrophage cells are one of the most important parts of your immune system—and its first line of defense against viral, bacterial, fungal and parasitic attack. Besides most pathogens, properly activated macrophages can recognize and kill a variety of tumor cells. Activated macrophages produce potent intercellular signaling molecules (cytokines) which activate T-cells, B-cells, monocytes and natural killer cells, readying your immune system for a massive and total immune response at the first sign of an invader or mutant cell.
But what about the inflammation that would occur with such a massive immune response? Beta 1/3-1/6 glucan actually re-programs your immune system to increase the production of IgA (immunoglobulin A) which counter acts inflammation. All of the above remarkable actions produce a balanced, precise, and lethal immune response.
Medical authorities now believe that many of your most serious health problems are directly attributable to a poorly functioning immune system and chronic inflammation. Chronic inflammation occurs as a natural consequence of your poorly functioning immune system fighting infections. To make matters worse, if your poorly functioning immune system needs help you may be given some type of traditional immune stimulant (drug or natural) that could actually increase inflammation! In many cases it’s not the bug that does you in, but the immune response to the bug! Cardiologists now know it’s not cholesterol that’s the problem. It’s the chronic inflammation inside your arteries. Conversely, if you are given something like cortisone to relieve inflammation, you get relief by the drug shutting down your entire immune system! Beta 1/3-1/6 glucan has finally solved this deadly paradox.
Beta 1/3-1/6 glucan’s incredible ability to re-program your immune system to function optimally has yielded phenomenal results, both for people suffering from immune-related health problems, and for people who are presently healthy and want to achieve and maintain a powerful peak performing immune system. In fact nothing has ever been able to strengthen your immune system like beta 1/3-1/6 glucan.
Beta 1/3-1/6 glucan is particularly effective in helping your immune system fight joint problems. One theory is that the toxins that are excreted from undetected internal infections (sub-clinical) actually cause the painful joint inflammations. A re-programmed immune system can better detect and help eliminate formerly undetected internal infections. Eliminating undetected internal infections is extremely important not only for painful joint inflammations, undetected internal infections are now thought to be implicated in a wide range of health problems.
But why does your immune system function so poorly? Why does it leave you so vulnerable to countless deadly invaders? Immunologists are convinced that the ever increasing epidemic in immune related health problems (even mental problems such as depression, see ref.) are due in large part to the constant assault of environmental toxins, an over-emphasis on eliminating natural immune strengthening challenges (germs) with anti-bacterial cleaning agents, and the absolute over-prescribing of antibiotics.
By using beta 1/3-1/6 glucan to re-program your immune system to function optimally you will, in effect, be rehabilitating your immune system so it can function the way nature intended it to function… as your most effective ally in the defense of your total well being.
However, as extraordinary as beta 1/3-1/6 glucan is at re-programing your immune system to function optimally, it does not operate the same way as software does for your computer. The big difference: When you program your computer it stays programmed, not so with your living immune system. A typical daily dose of beta 1/3-1/6 glucan (2 capsules) will re-program your immune system to function optimally for about 24 hours. To maintain a strong peak performing immune system you must re-program your immune system every day. A major compensating benefit: Each time you run a programming cycle, not only will your immune system continue to function optimally, it gets stronger (much stronger) similar to the way your muscles get stronger if you exercise them daily. Generally it takes about 60 re-programming cyles to establish an optimally functioning immune system that can be maintained with daily re-programming.
So if you suffer from conditions associated with a weak or poorly functioning immune system which can include: colds, flu, arthritis, inflammation, bacterial or viral infections, even a poor response to vaccines, then your owe it to yourself to check out beta 1/3-1/6 glucan.
*HME (Hydrolytic Molecular Exposure) was pioneered by a Norwegian company, Biotec Pharmacon. This breakthrough technology makes it possible to extract and purify infinitesimally small substances without damaging their molecular structure. Not only has it made beta 1/3-1/6 glucan a reality, HME was used to develop a marine DNA modifying enzyme now considered by forensic scientists to be the world’s most accurate for precisely cutting DNA strands.
References
- Anderem A and Ulevitch RJ. (2001). Toll-like receptors in the induction of the innate immune response. Nature, 406: 782-7.
- Medzhitov R. (2001). CpG-DNA: a security code for host defense. Nature Immunol, 2: 15-16.
- Ozinsky A, Underhill M, Fontenot JD, Hajjar AM, Smith KD, Wilson CB, Schroeder L and Aderem A. (2000). The repertoire for pattern recognition of pathogens by the innate immune system is defined by cooperation between toll-like receptors. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A, 97, pp. 13766-13771.
- C.A. Lowry, J.H. Hollisa, A. de Vriesa, B. Pana, L.R. Brunetb, J.R.F. Huntb, J.F.R. Patonc, E. van Kampena, D.M. Knighta, A.K. Evansa, G.A.W. Rookb and S.L. Lightmana. (2007). Identification of an immune-responsive mesolimbocortical serotonergic system: Neuroscience Available online 28 March 2007, doi:10.1026/j.neuroscience.
