I am a business and technology
consultant with extensive knowledge and experience regarding the
formation of bovine colostrum and its applications in humans and
animals, particularly as it applies to specific medical
conditions.
Cardiomyopathy
is a type of heart disease in which the heart is abnormally
enlarged, thickened or stiffened. This usually weakens the heart's
ability to pump blood. The condition ordinarily begins in the
lower chambers of the heart (the ventricles) and, in more severe
cases, may affect the walls of the upper chambers of the heart
(the atria or auricles).
There are two general
types of cardiomyopathies, ischemic (lack of oxygen) and
non-ischemic. In an ischemic cardiomyopathy, there is a hardening
of the arteries on the surface of the heart, reducing the amount
of oxygen-rich blood delivered to the muscle. Eventually, the
heart muscle enlarges due to the extra work that it must do in the
absence of enough oxygen-rich blood. The specific cause of
non-ischemic cardiomyopathy is not known, but it is associated
with genetic factors, viral infection, the build-up of fats and
proteins in the heart muscle and an excess of iron (hemochromatosis)
in the heart. In humans, the excess use of alcohol can also play a
role.
There are three main types
of non-ischemic cardiomyopathies. Dilated cardiomyopathy which
involves dilation or enlargement of the lower-left chamber of the
heart (the left ventricle). Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy which
involves an abnormal growth of muscle fibers in the heart muscle.
Restrictive cardiomyopathy which involves restriction of the blood
flow into the lower chambers of the heart (the ventricles) because
their walls are too rigid.
In humans, dilated
cardiomyopathy accounts for almost 87% of all non-ischemic
cardiomyopathies. In dogs, this condition is also the most common
form of the condition and usually starts at between 4-10 years of
age, occurring most frequently in larger breeds.
The following is a
documented personal experience of an individual with congestive
heart failure following a diagnosis of cardiomyopathy. As the
summary relates, the individual routinely supplemented his diet
with a high quality first milking colostrum.
"At the time he was
diagnosed with congestive heart failure, Arlan Reynolds had
already had other heart problems but he had somehow been able to
maintain his work and his outside interests. However, congestive
heart failure meant limiting physical exertion for the rest of his
life. "I was told that I had an enlarged heart - that there was a
certain percentage of it that was actually 'dead.' I was given
very little hope of ever having a normal life again," recalls
Arlan. When he discovered colostrum and began taking it, Arlan had
no expectation for what might happen. He faithfully took 8-10
capsules/day and he continued with his regular nutritional
program.
As time went on, he
noticed an increase in energy and stamina but he had no idea what
was really happening until 12 months later when he went in for his
annual physical exam. "My doctor took X-rays of my heart along
with other routine tests," says Arlan. "He compared the Xrays with
the ones which had originally been taken. Then he sent me to a
special facility to have his findings substantiated. After
numerous other tests, including more X-rays, an EKG and an
echo-cardiogram, the doctor told me that he didn't understand what
had taken place, but that all the tests indicated my heart had
returned to normal size," relates Arlan. My doctor said that in
all his years of practice, he had never seen an enlarged heart
return to normal size. Arlan's next question to the doctor was,
"Are you telling me that now I can play racquetball?" The doctor’s
reply, was simply, "I would highly recommend it."
Excerpted from an article
in The Colostrum Option vol 3, 2000, titled, "Doctors Can't
Explain His Recovery From Congestive Heart Failure." The benefits
realized here were most likely due to the small amounts of growth
hormone and substantial amounts of insulin-like growth factor-1
present in high quality bovine colostrum.
Growth hormone is
extremely potent and, thus, only a small quantity is required. It
directly influences the generation of new cells and the repair of
existing tissues. By contrast, insulin-like growth factor-1 is far
more powerful and has a much broader range of effects on cell
development, the control of metabolism and the derivation of
energy. Insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1), and its closely
related counterpart insulin-like growth factor-2 (IGF-2), are
potent hormones that are found in association with almost all
cells in the body. IGF-1 is the best described and most potent of
this pair. These molecules are produced by all mammals and, in
every case, have a very similar chemical structure regardless of
the species.
IGF-1 is essential for
normal cell growth and tissue repair. Scientific knowledge about
the IGFs, what they do and how they act on cells in the body has
evolved very rapidly during the past few years. It is now known
that there are specific receptors on almost all cells in the body
capable of interacting with IGF-1 and triggering a series of
chemical events within the cell. There are also 6 different
proteins present inside the cell and on cell surfaces that control
the actions of IGF-1 on the cell after it binds to a receptor.
These are called insulin-like growth factor binding proteins (IGFBPs).
In addition, there are at
least 87 other related proteins either capable of binding to
IGF-1, altering its actions, or influencing the effects of the
IGFBPs. These are called insulin-like growth factor binding
protein-related proteins (IGFBP-rPs). The entire collection of
these proteins is referred to as the insulin-like growth factor
binding protein (IGFBP) superfamily. The key event that triggers
the effects of any of these proteins appears to be the interaction
of IGF-1 with its specific cell-surface receptor, an event that
some of these proteins regulate.
The multitude of available
IGF-1binding proteins and related proteins available in the cell
is indicative of the many potential effects that the binding of
IGF-1 to its specific cell-surface receptor can have on cells. To
keep these many effects under control, some of the binding
proteins act as checks and balances, allowing the secondary
chemical switches in a cell to be turned on and then turning them
off when it is appropriate. Therefore, IGF-1 is like the captain
of a ship. When it binds to its specific receptor, the ship can
move forward, but there are all kinds of systems in place to keep
it moving at the right speed and in the right direction. The main
triggered events include activation of the process by which the
cell grows and reproduces itself and maintenance of the metabolic
pathways by which the cell converts glucose into glycogen and uses
amino acids to create proteins.
The actual pathway by
which the cell uses glucose and converts it to glycogen is first
switched on by the binding of insulin to its specific cell surface
receptors. Glycogen is stored in the liver and muscles and is the
main source of readily available energy when the muscles are
exercised. The IGFBP super family also has a direct role in how
the cell uses amino acids to build proteins.
As we age, the ability of
our body to create an adequate supply of IGF-1 is diminished.
Thus, by eating a well-balanced diet and maintaining a constant
supply of IGF-1 in our body, we can keep the ship moving at the
right speed and in the right direction. And when we exercise this
becomes even more critical since there is an increased demand for
glycogen to provide energy to our muscles and the preference is to
build more muscle protein. Even more importantly, as we age the
cells in our body do not reproduce themselves as well and, since
IGF-1 is a primary factor in the ability of cells to grow and
reproduce, it is highly desirable to have an appropriate level of
IGF-1 in the circulation through dietary supplementation to limit
the ever increasing rate of cell death.
I hope that this
information will be useful and will help you to understand
something more about your dog's condition and some of the benefits
that can be realized by routine use of a high quality bovine
colostrum product from
Immune-Tree.
To your good health -
always.
Sincerely,
Alfred E. Fox, Ph.D.