Viruses are extremely tiny- much smaller than bacteria. They invade individual cells and turn them into tiny factories to make more viruses. The pharmaceutical community has developed antibiotic after antibiotic to target an ever-growing group of bacterial pathogen, yet few medicines today work on viral infections. Health-care practitioners have little ammunition when it comes to viruses.

Viral diseases include colds and flu, chicken pox, hepatitis, measles, herpes, viral pneumonia, shingles, Epstein Barr virus, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), AIDS, and numerous others. That are also a host of intestinal viruses that cause diarrhea and other life-threatening symptoms. Viruses cause serious health difficulties each year.

In my opinion, aiding the good guys- experts call it enhancing host resistance- is the way to go. I think it's a crying shame that natural supplements and other immune system boosting herbs aren't more widely used. Instead, doctors keep writing prescriptions for antibiotics, which gradually breed stronger, more virulent germs that require stronger, and always more expensive, antibiotics.

Generally speaking, pharmaceuticals have just one active ingredient with which to fend off an infectious invader. That's like going into battle with one bullet in your rifle. What's great about natural supplement is that each one contains many, even hundreds, of biologically active compounds, some in dose ranges that might provide real benefit to us humans. Natural supplements give your body an entire arsenal from which to select the weapons it needs.

In the last few years, colostrum and a number of its individual components have been seriously studied for their effects against a variety of viral diseases. As with the bacteria pathogens, colostrum's ability to help with viral infections is more likely due to immune support and the combination of substances than to any specific antibody reaction.

Colostrum anti-viral properties include:

-Lactoferrin, an iron binding protein with antiviral, antibacterial, and anti-inflammatory properties. It is currently being studied for its effects against the HIV virus, herpes, and even cancer.

- Cytokines, which regulate the intensity of the immune response. They are known to boost the production of antibodies important in fighting viral infections.

- Leukocytes, the white blood cells that engulf invading organisms, including viruses.

- Proline Rich polypeptide, is a small protein chain in colostrum with the same ability to regulate the immune system as the hormones of they thymus gland, as reported by a 1979 study published in Immunology.

Proline Rich poly peptide helps regulate the immune system to maintain balance between under and over-activity- extremely important for those with autoimmune disease. It is also a very powerful anti-inflammatory agent, which may help relieve painful flair-ups. Proline-Rich polypeptide also stimulates the body's immune cells to produce cytokines: immune- regulating proteins that regulate the duration and intensity of the body's immune response.

In a 1998 study conducted at the laboratory of Virology, Institute of Immunology and Experimental Therapy, Polish Academy of Sciences, Wroclaw, Poland, it was shown that when praline rich polypeptide isolated from bovine colostrums was added to the immune cells found in the membrane lining the abdominal cavity and viscera immediately after virus absorption or one day before or after viral infection, infected cells were better able to inhibit virus replication.

Proline rich polypeptide is one of the key component that virologists all over the world are researching on in the battle against the ever growing virus threat.

I have no doubt that colostrum is effective against many types of viruses, as these studies show. Notice that researchers are not saying that colostrum immune factors and other components are effective against every type of virus. But they help a great deal on several significant diseases.

If you are suffering from viral infection such as herpes viral infection on your skin, apply colostrum powder and some water to the infected skin area 3 times a day. The part of the skin will become dry and will heal much faster than other methods.

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References

Orzechowska, B., et al. ?Antiviral effect of proline rich polypeptide in murine resident peritoneal cells.? Acta Virol; 1998;42(2):75-78.