Learn How Inflammation Affects The Body 

Inflammation controls every aspect of our life. If you or someone you know suffers from ongoing, chronic pain, diabetes, heart disease, stroke, ADD/ADHD, peripheral neuropathy, migraines, cancer, thyroid issues or dental issues, you are often dealing with inflammation. Learning how inflammation affects the body, and what you can do to stop it, is the first step in realizing your body’s full potential.

 Instead of getting to the root cause, doctors, when presented with patients suffering from the aforementioned problems, give their patients pharmaceutical drugs to cover up problems that continue to manifest and get worse. If we were simply told that in order to get better, we have to eliminate the inflammation in our bodies, then we would never have to take another pharmaceutical drug in our life.

Inflammation begins in our gut, with an autoimmune reaction which progresses into systemic inflammation. Thus, we can see how important it is that the foods that we eat are clean, wholesome, and largely plant-based to reduce the level of acidity and “backing-up” which is normally caused by eating animal-based products, refined sugary foods, highly processed foods, and wheat (gluten).

Diseases that result from a build-up of inflammation in the body range from allergies, Alzheimer’s, anemia, asthma, autism, arthritis, carpal tunnel syndrome, celiac disease, chron’s disease, congestive heart failure, eczema, fibromyalgia, fibrosis, gall bladder disease, GERD, heart attack, kidney failure, lupus, multiple sclerosis, neuropathy, pancreatitis, psoriasis, scleroderma, stroke, and surgical complications. 

GI Tract (Stomach, Intestines)

The degree of permeability of your gut depends on a variety of lifestyle factors. If you are relatively stressed most days (raised cortisol), or your thyroid hormone levels fluctuate, your intestinal lining becomes more permeable, making it more vulnerable to toxins, viruses, yeast, bacteria, and undigested food particles from your last meal – otherwise known as leaky gut syndrome (LGS). With LGS, these toxins, yeasts, bacteria and viruses, when moving through the intestine, have better access to the bloodstream.

Having a damaged intestinal lining results in poor nutrient and enzyme assimilation, and eventually results in a variety of diseases by responding with inflammation.

Chronic immune mediated inflammation damages our intestinal lining and can result in issues such as Celiac disease and Chron’s disease. Not only that, but when our esophagus and digestive tract become inflamed due to poor food choices, which mess with the natural pH of our stomach, we may experience heartburn or gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD).

Brain

Inflammation causes the release of pro-inflammatory cytokines which results in an array of physical and psychological symptoms. In fact, these pro-inflammatory cytokines can actually cause lack of energy, difficulty concentrating, sleepiness, and loss of appetite. More importantly, the connection between depression and inflammation has been made clear in a variety of studies. One study found that patients with major depressive disorder have significantly higher levels of the pro-inflammatory cytokine TNF-alpha than their non-depressed counterparts.

Inflammatory cytokines are also responsible for inducing autoimmune reactions against the myelin sheath and vascular and connective tissues which irritate our nerves, which can ultimately result in neuropathy and multiple sclerosis. Destruction of brain cells caused by chronic inflammation is also responsible for Alzheimer’s disease.

Autism is also inflammatory based, where inflammatory cytokines induce autoimmune reactions in the brain, arresting right hemisphere development.

Liver

A build-up of inflammation in the body can lead to an enlarged liver (swelling beyond its normal size), or fatty liver disease, which can ultimately result in liver failure. It can also lead to an autoimmune condition called hepatitis which can scar the liver. The liver is our main way of ridding the body of toxins (including the kidneys and intestinal tract). Without a properly functioning liver, toxins will build up in the body, resulting in ill health and disease. Dandelion greens and dandelion root tea are a great way to start building a healthier liver.

Kidneys

Inflammatory cytokines slow down and restrict blood circulation to the kidneys and damage the delicate nephrons and tubules which make up the majority of our kidneys. This can result in nephritis, and eventually kidney failure. High levels of inflammation reduce urine output, and thus results in a retention of waste products. As a result, we may experience mild hypertension and edema (fluid retention), as well as toxic waste retention which can bottleneck into a series of other medical problems.

Cardiovascular System (Heart, Blood, Veins, Arteries)

A few years ago, a discovery was made that inflammation in the artery wall is the real cause of heart disease. Without inflammation, cholesterol would move freely throughout the body. Instead, when we are burdened with an inflammation-heavy body, cholesterol accumulates in the wall of our blood vessels and causes heart disease and strokes.

Foods loaded with refined sugars and simple carbohydrates, foods processed with omega-6 vegetable oils like soybean, corn and sunflower (aka. pretty much any and all processed foods), or saturated fat heavy animal products like meat, eggs and dairy are all major contributors of inflammation in the body, which leads to clogged arteries and veins. Excessive over-consumption of omega-6 vegetable oils must be in correct balance with omega-3’s – without this balance, the cell membrane produces chemicals called cytokines that directly cause inflammation.

Today, the mainstream American diet has produced an extreme imbalance of these two fats, so much so that the imbalance ranges from 15:1 to as high as 30:1 in favour of omega-6 (whereas the optimal healthy ratio would be around 3:1).

In addition, carrying excess weight on the body creates overloaded fat cells which pour out large amounts of pro-inflammatory cytokines, which add to the injury caused by having high blood sugar. Eliminating inflammatory foods and eating a largely plant-based diet will help you reverse years of damage in your arteries and throughout your body.

Lungs

A body that manifests a high state of inflammation can seriously affect the functioning of the lungs.

In asthma, for example, inflammatory cytokines induce autoimmune reactions against the linings of the airways. This is also the case for different allergy types that affect the lungs, specifically Hay Fever and other plant and animal-related allergies.

Build-up of excess mucus in the lungs as a result of poor diet, and resulting inflammatory response is also the cause for bronchitis and cystic fibrosis.

Thyroid

Inflammation has a profound effect on all aspects of thyroid metabolism and physiology. Autoimmunity, resulting in inflammation, can reduce the rate of T4 to T3 conversion, reduce receptor function and also disrupt the hypothalamus-pituitary-thyroid (HPT) axis.

Studies have shown that even a single injection of the inflammatory cytokine TNF-alpha reduced blood levels of TSH, T3, free T4, free T3 and TRH for 5 days, demonstrating how inflammation disrupts the production and regulatory mechanisms of thyroid hormones.

In addition, the number and sensitivity of thyroid hormone receptors are reduced when there is a high level of inflammation in the body. It won’t matter how much thyroid medication you take – the cells simply won’t be able to use it!

Lastly, inflammation reduces the conversion of T4 to T3 (T4 is the inactive form of thyroid hormone and the body needs to convert it to the active T3 form before it can be used).

If you are suffering from hypo- or hyper- thyroidism, you may want to re-think your medication, and instead get a move on modifying your diet and lifestyle choices.

Bones

Inflammation interferes with the body’s natural ability to repair bone mass, resulting in a greater number of fractures, breaks and conditions like osteoporosis and rheumatoid arthritis (chronic synovial inflammation is often accompanied by bone erosion, one of the main reasons for disability in RA patients).

In fact, one of the most overlooked methods of preventing osteoporosis is reducing chronic inflammation. Nurturing your gastrointestinal system to improve nutrient absorption from the foods you take in, as well as focusing on a high-alkaline, anti-inflammatory diet devoid of gluten, meat and dairy, are great ways to start improving bone quality and function.

Muscles

Chronic inflammation can cause muscle pain and weakness. It can also manifest as carpal tunnel syndrome, where excessive muscle tension causes shortened tendons in the forearm and wrist, compressing the nerves and creating pain and stiffness. It is also important to remember that our heart is a muscle too, and chronic inflammation can contribute to heart muscle wasting, resulting in congestive heart failure.

Autoimmune reactions against muscles and connective tissue induced by inflammatory cytokines are also responsible for polymyalgia rheumatica, a condition characterized by widespread aching and stiffness in older adults.

Skin

The number one enemy to our skin is systemic or chronic inflammation. This is usually a result of chronic inflammation of the gut and liver, our main detoxifying organs, which when compromised, results in an expelling of toxic substances from our skin (how else is our body going to rid itself of toxins?). Poor detoxification as a result of inflammation can manifest as eczema, acne, unexplained skin rashes, psoriasis, wrinkles, fine lines and a variety of other dermatitis types.

If you want beautiful, clear skin, you must eat a diet that is rich in plant-based foods and devoid of dead animal products, processed greasy foods and refined sugary sweets like donuts, muffins, candies, and pastries. Remember – your skin is a direct reflection of how well your gut and liver are functioning. Detox these organs, eliminate inflammation, and your skin will be clean and clear!

How To Get Rid of Inflammation

If you truly wish to be healed of any health problem you may be experiencing, you must consider inflammation’s role in your issue, and dealing with it as the root cause. Inflammation is the result of an autoimmune reaction in the gut, which then spreads to other areas of the body.

Removing autoimmune triggers from your life, such as:

– Food (animal-based products (meat, eggs, dairy), refined sugary products, highly processed foods, wheat)

– Lifestyle factors (stress, poor sleep, over-exercising, not enough exercising – these are all huge things to consider as well…the stress response triggers the immune marker IL6 which switches on the TH17 immune pathway, fast-tracking the body into autoimmunity)

Replacing these with beneficial ways of living, such as:

– Food (plant-based foods like all fruit and vegetables, nuts and seeds, mineral supplementation to make up for lack of mineral deposits in the soil that our food grows in)

– Lifestyle factors (create conditions of love, appreciation and gratitude, exercise properly, maintaining a positive attitude, getting enough sleep, and maintaining healthy social interactions. These will all help release natural systemic opioids which helps push the immune pathway TH3, helping to reduce autoimmunity)

Source: http://livelovefruit.com/

 

All About Nightshades

Quick, what do potatoes, paprika, and eggplant all have in common? If you said “delicious,” you aren’t far off, but there’s a more important similarity as well: these three plants (as well as tomatoes and all varieties of peppers) belong to the nightshade family. While the vast majority of people have no problems with nightshades, they can cause serious problems for anyone struggling with an autoimmune disease, as well as some people who simply have a digestive sensitivity to them.

What Are Nightshades?

Members of the family Solanaceae, common nightshades include white (but not sweet) potatoes, eggplant, tomatoes, and peppers, both the eye-watering chilies and the sweeter bell peppers. The list of edible nightshade plants also includes any spices made from peppers, like paprika, red pepper flakes, and cayenne pepper (although black pepper is a different plant).

The list of edible nightshades is fairly short, but the list of poisonous ones is quite extensive. Most nightshades are toxic to humans, with the best-known being belladonna, or “deadly nightshade,” traditionally valued for its use as a poison (in the play Macbeth, for example, belladonna poisoning features as a plot point).

The association with such toxic family members makes some people very concerned about all nightshades – they worry that if deadly nightshade is such a terrifying poison, then even the apparently harmless tomato must be up to no good. Farmers and gardeners in some traditional cultures seemed to agree: they were dubious about the food value of these plants, and mostly grew them as ornaments in the belief that they were unhealthy to eat.

Guilt by association and the accumulated wisdom of traditional gardeners makes for a plausible theory, but fortunately there’s just no evidence that nightshades are dangerous in any way for most healthy people. On the other hand, they might be a bad idea for people whose guts and immune systems are already compromised, especially anyone with an autoimmune disease.

Nightshades and Autoimmunity: Vitamin D

The best evidence for the health risks of nightshades is connected with arthritis and joint pain, especially the autoimmune disease of rheumatoid arthritis. But even the “best evidence” isn’t that great: it’s mostly based on personal reports and the experience of nutritionists and integrative health specialists. One doctor conducted several surveys, and found that eliminating nightshades was extremely helpful, but that kind of survey has many limitations: there was no control group, and that just asking people “what did you eat?” is an unreliable way of gathering evidence.

Even bearing in mind the relative lack of solid evidence in humans, though, it’s still an interesting theory, especially when you look into the proposed causes for this effect: why are nightshades so often blamed for pain, inflammation, and autoimmunity issues?

One theory has to do with Vitamin D. There’s a lot of evidence from animals indicating that nightshade vegetables cause all kinds of joint and bone problems, mostly because of the way the animals’ bodies process the form of Vitamin D in the nightshades. Vitamin D is crucial for proper bone formation, but the extremely potent form of Vitamin D3 in nightshade vegetables actually prevents proper calcium metabolism, causing the body to deposit calcium in the soft tissue (where you don’t want it) instead of in the bones (where you do).

In animals, this causes very painful arthritis and joint inflammation. On the other hand, though, humans don’t metabolize Vitamin D in the same way as cows and horses. Animal studies just aren’t always relevant to human beings: avocados, for example, are toxic to dogs, but perfectly healthy for people. So the animal evidence is interesting, but doesn’t necessarily prove that humans will suffer in the same way.

Nightshades and Autoimmunity: Alkaloids and Lectins

Other research doesn’t blame the Vitamin D, but attributes the autoimmune dangers of nightshades to various other factors, usually a group of chemical compounds called alkaloids. Alkaloids include solanine (in potatoes, especially green potatoes), nicotine (in very small amounts: nightshade plants are not addictive like cigarettes!), and capsaicin (the chemical that gives peppers their heat).

While the plant is alive, these compounds work as its home-grown “bug spray,” defending it from pests and molds that would otherwise kill it. In other words, they’re designed to be toxic. In the poisonous members of the nightshade family, these chemicals are so concentrated that they have deadly effects on humans, but in the edible nightshades, they’re present in much smaller amounts, and mostly in the leaves and stems (which we don’t eat anyway).

Since humans are so much bigger than bugs and mold, and since we’re not eating the most alkaloid-rich parts of the plant, most of us notice absolutely no effect from eating tiny amounts of this natural “bug spray.” It’s like trying to taste a single grain of sand in an enormous bowl of soup. In theory it’s a bad idea to eat sand, but such a tiny amount makes absolutely no measurable difference to your health.

Healthy guts can deal with these chemicals just fine, but people whose digestive system is already compromised by an autoimmune disease have trouble with them. For example, some kinds of alkaloids increase the power of the immune response – exactly what you don’t want when you’re dealing with an autoimmune disorder.

Another danger of alkaloids is gut irritation: their job in the plant is to kill things, and when they start killing things in your intestine as well, the cells lining the intestinal tract are their first victims. This irritation of the gut contributes to intestinal permeability (“leaky gut”), which can set off an autoimmune reaction when various proteins that should stay inside the digestive tract instead make their way out into the bloodstream, and the body attacks them in response.

On top of the alkaloids, there’s also the lectin issue. All foods contain lectins; many of those lectins are completely harmless, but others are gut irritants – the hard part is figuring out which is which. We know that the lectins in peanuts, for example, are dangerous. The lectins in nightshades may also be gut irritants in sensitive individuals, setting off the same leaky gut response as the alkaloids.

What’s the evidence for this actually happening? It’s fairly scanty, but suggestive. In this study, for example the researchers fed potato skins (the skin is where most of the alkaloids lurk) to mice with inflammatory bowel disease, and found that gut inflammation was significantly increased. The higher the alkaloid content of the potatoes, the worse the inflammation.

Toxicity vs. Beneficial Stress

It really can’t be emphasized enough that all these dangers are only relevant to people who are nightshade-sensitive. If you aren’t sensitive to them, there’s absolutely no reason to rush out and eliminate all these foods from your diet “just in case.”

In fact, the same chemical compounds that cause so many problems in nightshade-sensitive people can bring benefits to people with healthy digestive systems. Capsaicin, for example, might be more familiar to most of us as an anti-inflammatory, one of the big health benefits of eating hot peppers. That’s because it really does work that way in healthy people. The minor irritation of the capsaicin triggers such a strong anti-inflammatory response that the overall result is anti-inflammatory and beneficial (if this sounds familiar, it’s the exact same way that antioxidants work).

Alkaloids have even been studied as therapies for various diseases, precisely because of these benefits. The deadly nightshade, for example, has been used in folk remedies since we realized how strong it was, and it’s now the source of the antispasmodic drug atropine. The powerful poison can also be turned into an equally powerful remedy, if it’s prepared correctly.

To sum it up, it’s only for people with gut problems – autoimmune diseases, leaky gut, and related issues – that the minor irritation of alkaloids from edible nightshades is too much to handle. For healthy people, the hormetic stress of alkaloids is neutral at best, and may even be a benefit.

Conclusion

Should you avoid nightshades? If you’re trying to heal from an autoimmune disease (especially rheumatoid arthritis or anything else that causes joint pain and inflammation), a 30-day nightshade elimination is definitely worth a shot. After all, it can’t really hurt, and you might be surprised at the benefits. You can find details about the Paleo autoimmune protocol (which restricts nightshades, as well as a few other types of foods) here.

Total elimination is one option, but for people who are only slightly sensitive, it might be enough just to reduce the nightshade content of their diet, or to reduce the levels of the various problematic chemicals by properly preparing nightshades. This includes:

• Peeling all potatoes (as the alkaloids are mostly found in the skin)
• Avoiding green tomatoes and green and/or sprouting potatoes (unripe nightshades are higher in alkaloids)
• Cooking nightshade vegetables whenever you eat them (this reduces alkaloid content further).

People without an autoimmune disease or chronic pain issues probably won’t see much benefit from eliminating nightshades. There’s not much harm in experimenting, but there’s no reason to make an already strict Paleo diet even stricter if you don’t have to. Most of us can enjoy tomato sauce, eggplant, and hot peppers just fine, and even see some benefits from those same chemicals.

Source: http://paleoleap.com/nightshades/

Mangosteen For Cancer Prevention

What if I told you that one powerful little fruit had the ability to completely destroy tumour cells in the body? Mangosteen is just one of those fruits (among the soursop, and herbs like lei gong teng). Mangosteen for cancer prevention is one of the poorly over-looked methods of returning the body to a state of vibrant health.  Although the research is in its early years, it is clear that this fruit has major potential in eradicating cancer cells without the damaging effects often portrayed by chemotherapy and radiation.

Many fruits and vegetables are overlooked for their healing potential. People almost always turn to prescription drugs before they even consider modifying what they are consuming in terms of food and drink. Chemotherapy, for example, is an incredibly toxic drug that leaves patients feeling incredibly ill and in a horrible state of health. Some individuals choose not to go the chemotherapy route and change their eating habits – for example, going 100% organic raw vegan has proven incredible cancer-curing success for some individuals. Today I will talk about the power of the cancer and disease healing properties of the Mangosteen fruit. 

The mangosteen fruit is a tropical evergreen tree that grows 7-25 metres tall. The fruit of the mangosteen is juicy, sweet and slightly tangy. The rind is inedible, however, it can be ground into a fine powder – or, the entire fruit can be juiced (rind included) in order to extract the beneficial polyphenols this fruit has to offer.

The variety of phytonutrients in mangosteen are plenty. In fact, the mangosteen is one of the only fruits that contain high levels of xanthones (xanthones are found in small amounts throughout nature, however it is most concentrated in the mangosteen rind). What are xanthones? They are a class of plant derived nutrients that hold tremendous nutritional value – there are over 20 varieties of them, however, the most widely studied are Alpha Mangostin and Gamma Mangostin.

Many Laboratory studies have conclusively found the ability of xanthones to eradicate and destroy cancer cells. Xanthones both destroy cancer and stop tumour development at each stage of the cancer forming process.

Below are some of the few studies that have been performed on this fruit’s amazing cancer curing abilities:

1. Aisha and colleagues (1) extracted alpha mangostin and gamma mangostin from an extract of the mangosteen fruit rind. It’s effects were studied on colon cancer on the HCT 116 human colorectal carcinoma cells including apoptosis, cytotoxicity, anti-tumorigenicity, and how it affects cell signalling pathways. These extracts showed strong cytotoxicity due to the induction of the mitochondrial pathway of apoptosis. Cell migration, cell invasion and clonogenicity, three major steps in tumour metastasis were also inhibited. When xanthone extracts were fed to mice with subcutaneous tumours, tumour growth was inhibited.

2. Kurose and colleagues (2) studied how alpha-mangostin (extracted from pericarp of the mangosteen) influenced the cell cycle in the human breast cell cancer line MDA-MB231 (carrying a p53 mutation). In cells that were treated with alpha-mangostin, mitochondria-mediated apoptosis was observed. There were also decreases in cyclins, cdc(s), CDKs and PCNA, along with G1-phase arrest and increased p21 expression. This suggested that alpha-mangostin could be used as a useful therapeutic agent for breast cancers carrying a p53 mutation.

3. *This study demonstrates not only how xanthones exhibit anticancer activity, but also how they are able to destroy resistant cancer cell lines* Khonkarn and colleagues (3) found that xanthone-loaded polymeric micelles inhibited cancer cell growth via induction of apoptosis. In vitro assays revealed that xanthone in both free form and when loaded in polymeric micelles had high cytotoxicity towards BOTH doxorubicin sensitive and resistant cancer cells! They concluded that mPEG-b-p(HPMAm-Lac(2)) micelles are a good delivery method of xanthones for cancer treatments.

4. The anti-proliferative and cytotoxic activities of mangosteen xanthones both in vitro and in mice were analyzed in a study by Watanapokasin and colleagues (4) in which they treated human colorectal adenocarcinoma cell lines (COLO 205) and mice with subcutaneous tumours (COLO 205) with mangosteen xanthones. They found that the xanthones inhibited the proliferation of target cells and also induced their death via apoptosis which involves activation of the caspase cascade. Even at relatively low doses, tumour growth was inhibited when the xanthones were administered. Given higher xanthone doses resulted in significant tumour reduction, and in some mice, tumours has disappeared. Thus, mangosteen xanthones have the ability to serve as anti-cancer agents for the chemotherapy of cancer!

Mangosteen Dosage Recommendations:

To prevent cancer: 1 oz or more 1-3 times daily

Individuals WITH cancer: drink an entire 25-ounce glass of mangosteen juice every day for 21 days. They should also drink 1 gallon of pure water over the day to flush out bodily toxins. For more aggressive cancers I would drink as much fresh mangosteen juice as I could afford.

Why should the entire mangosteen fruit be consumed in a puree?

The fruit inside the mangosteen is delicious, however the xanthones are present in the rind of the fruit, or the “pericarp” as most would call it. The pericarp, pulp, and seeds of the mangosteen provides full nutritional and healing benefits.

Why should the whole fruit be juiced, and why should you not purchase commercial items containing mangosteen?

Products that contain mangosteen flavouring or mangosteen pulp (and not the pericarp) will not give you the benefits as described above. The best way to consume this fruit is to purchase the fruit in its whole, and use a juicer to juice the entire fruit. Products such as Xango are reputable, however oxidation of this juice is probable. The Xango product does have other fruit juices added to the juice however it is mostly all mangosteen juice (rind included) – look on Ebay to find Xango at a cheaper price. Remember, FRESH juice is best (taking the fruit and juicing it yourself with a juicer), but Xango is second best (in my opinion).

Where can you buy mangosteen?

Mangosteen is commercially available in the US (especially the southern states, and Hawaii) – look for it at your local Asian markets or grocery stores. The fruit is most abundant in Asia, specifically Thailand. You can also find places to order mangosteen online (finally! This option was not available until 2008!). Mangosteen fruits are not cheap either – they are rather expensive – however I would rather take good care of my health than risk cancer any day! Look up “fresh mangosteen+order” on google.

What other benefits does the mangosteen fruit have?

The mangosteen has been shown to include/help the following:

Anti-aging, Anti-biotic, Alzheimers, Parkinsons, Anxiety, Antioxidants, Anti-Allergy, Anti-depressant, Periodontal (gum health), Eye health, Migraines, Skin rashes, Hypertension, Pan systemic, Energizer (Energy booster), Anti-Inflammatory, Anti-Tumor, Analgesic (Pain reducer), Nerve pain, Anti-pyretic (Lowers fevers), Anti-viral, Stimulates red blood cell growth, Ulcers, Osteoporosis, Immune Modulator (help immune system), Cardio protective (helps protect heart), Cataracts, Irritable bowel syndrome, Anti-fungal, Anti-pathogenic (reduce pathogens), Anti-parasitic, Supports weight loss, Hardening of the arteries, Anti-lipidemic (lowers blood fat), and Anti-diabetic (lowers blood sugar).

*Disclaimer: This natural strategy is not meant to be used as a substitution for any doctor recommended treatments, but instead an addition to them. I can offer you a large measure of hope that this natural treatment will heal you on your way to great health. You must take care of your body and decide what is best for you – thinking critically is key.

Read more at http://livelovefruit.com/mangosteen-for-cancer-prevention/#iXHTdSCPzEJL2mM2.99

The Effect of Garlic 

on Good and Bad Bacteria

We love garlic as an antimicrobial for the gut.  It covers so many possible pathogens.  These include Escherichia, Salmonella, Staphylococcus, Klebsiella, Proteus, Bacillus, Clostridium, Neisseria, Proteus, Pseudomonas, Shigella, Mycobacterium and Helicobacter Pylori— all potential poster bacteria for life threatening diseases.  (Ankri and Mirelman, 1999; Belguith et al., 2010; Deresse, 2010; Gupta and Ravishanka, 2005; Uchida et al., 1975; Cellinin et al., 1996; Sivam, 2001 respectively).

The antimicrobial power of garlic doesn’t stop here, for it has also proven to be a very effective antifungal (i.e. inhibiting and killing Candida albicans), antiprotozoal (think of Giardia and Cryptosporidium, both dangerous infections prevented and stopped by garlic) and antiviral properties - garlic kills viruses upon direct contact, including those responsible for viral meningitis, viral pneumonia, as well as herpes infections.  (Ankri and Mirelman, 1999; Harris et al., 2001)

So there is substantial evidence to support the claim for pathogens, but what is the effect of garlic on the good gut bacteria, the probiotic organisms such as Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium?

Booyens and Thantsha (2013) investigated the antimicrobial effects of different garlic preparations on five strains of Bifidobacteria and one strain of Lactobacillus.

What Booyens and Thantsha discovered was that certain strains of Bifido where more susceptible to garlic’s antimicrobial effects than others, with B. lactis being the least effected, following by some B. longum strains (but not others) and then Bifidum being the most sensitive, whilst the L. acidophilus was not affected at all.

The conclusions we take from this research is that Lactobacillus Acidophilus maintains its status as resistant to garlic and therefore is a probiotic that can be taken with garlic at the same time, whereas, regarding the Bifido species selection as the authors of the research state, “Caution is therefore advised when using probiotic Bifidobacteria and garlic simultaneously.”

In another study, Lactobacillus Casei a probiotic found in the majority of commercial yogurt and sour cream products, showed a degree of resistance to garlic, indicating that its consumption may favour the growth of these beneficial bacterial species in the gut. Garlic intake has the potential to temporarily modulate the gut microbiota.

References:

Booyens and Thantsha, 2013, Antibacterial effect of hydrosoluble extracts of garlic (Allium sativum) against Bifidobacterium spp. andLactobacillus acidophilus, African Journal of Microbiology Research, 7(8), pp. 669-677.  (See the full research)

Effect of garlic powder on the growth of commensal bacteria from the gastrointestinal tract. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22480662

Garlic Effect on Probiotics http://bioimmersion.com/blog/garlics-effect-on-probiotics/

Ankri S, Mirelman D (1999). Antimicrobial properties of allicin from garlic. Microbes Infect. 2:125-129.

Belguith HF, Kthiri A, Chati A, Abu Sofah J, Ben H, Ladoulsi A (2010). Inhibitory effect of aqueous garlic extract (Allium sativum).  Food Sci. Technol. 37:263-268.

Deresse D (2010). Antibacterial effect of garlic (allium sativum) on Staphylococcu aureus:  An in vitro study.  Asian J. Med. Sci. 2:62-65.

Gupta S, Ravishankar S (2005).  A comparison of the antimicrobial activity of garlic, ginger, carrot, and turmeric pastes againstEscherichia coli 0157:H7 in laboratory buffer and ground beef. Foodborne Pathog. Dis. 2:330-340.

Uchida Y, Takahashi T, Sato N (1975).  The characteristics of the antibacterial activity of garlic.  Jpn. J. Antibiot. 28:638-646.

Cellini L, Campli D, Masulli E, Bartolomeo DS, Allocati N (1996). Inhibition of Helicobacter pylori by garlic extract (Allium sativum). FEMS Immuno. Med. Microbiol. 13:273-277.

Sivam GP (2001). Protection against Helicobacter pylori and other bacterial infections by garlic. J. Nutr. 131:1106S-1108S.

Harris JC, Cottreli SL, Plummer S, Lloyd D (2001).  Antimicrobial properties of Allium sativum (garlic).  Appl. Microbiol. Biotechnol. 57:282-286.

10 Tools To Start Reversing

 Your Autoimmune Disease

Living with an autoimmune disease can be a lonely experience. Many people wait years to find out why they're sick, and once they're finally diagnosed, they receive few options from their doctor.

The problem with the mainstream model of care is an outdated model that treats your body like a machine with separate parts. You're diagnosed with a disease, and it's matched with a corresponding pharmaceutical drug. If you can't be diagnosed, you're often labeled as depressed and given an antidepressant. You're referred from specialist to specialist: gastroenterologists, endocrinologists and rheumatologists, and given more drugs, namely immunosuppressants or steroid therapy. In reality, your body is a complex, interconnected web of brilliant biochemistry. There are no magic pills.

In my last article, I went over the causes for the epidemic rise in autoimmune conditions. Autoimmune conditions often start with a genetic susceptibility, but there are many external factors that are also linked with autoimmunity. The old view of genetics was that if your mom or dad had a disease, you were predestined to have this health condition.

Today, however, science takes into account the field of epigenetics, or the lifestyle and environmental factors that instruct your genes how to be expressed. The foods you eat or don't eat, the nutrients you are taking or not taking, your stress levels, sleep habits and exposure to toxins are dynamically determining your gene expression. So instead of viewing genetics as an immutable verdict on your life, we have to take into consideration how these epigenetic factors are turning on and off good and bad genes.

When it comes to autoimmune conditions, once that genetic switch has been turned on, it doesn't turn off again. With that said, the autoimmune response can be dampened and reversed tremendously, naturally. It's up to us to modulate our immune systems and regain our health. Here are some great tips to start taking your health back into your own hands and reclaiming your life:

1. Know the level of your gut permeability.

Your gut is where the majority of your immune system resides. When your guts protective lining is compromised, it can give rise to an autoimmune response throughout your body. I run labs to look at the level of my patients gut permeability so we can address this major underlying component to regaining ones health.

2. Heal your gut.

Once you know the level of your gut permeability and whether you have any secondary issues like small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) or chronic bacterial, yeast or parasitic infections, you will want to start the healing process. There are many approaches to this aspect of health, but for here's some great general information on natural ways to heal the gut.

3. Know your antibody levels.

Depending on your specific autoimmune conditions, there will be elevated antibodies, proteins that are a part of your immune defense system. Knowing your specific antibody levels will help gauge your healing process from an objective lab perspective. Knowing your antibody levels associated with other relevant autoimmune disorders will give you insight to any secondary issues to deal with.

4. Avoid gluten.

If you have an autoimmune condition, you don't really need a lab to know you should avoid gluten. This protein, which is found in wheat, spelt, rye and barley, is linked to many autoimmune conditions. Though I do run comprehensive gluten intolerance labs for some autoimmune cases to definitively know the level of their intolerance, removing gluten for 60 days, then reintroducing it, can also be a helpful test for some people. 

5. Find your cross-reactive foods and remove them.

Even gluten-free grains like corn and rice can flare up the immune system in some people. Molecular mimicry occurs your body confuses your own body tissue for the similar proteins found in some foods, is something that I see very often in my practice. Find out if you are having any cross-reaction with the food you are eating. This can be very helpful for people who have cleaned up their diet but are still having symptoms. 

6. Make detoxification a regular practice.

People with autoimmune conditions can also have altered detoxification pathways, so helping your body on a daily basis to remove toxins is a good idea for people with autoimmune conditions. Eating a variety of green leafy vegetables like kale and spinach and avoiding sugar and processed foods will aid your body in many different ways. 

7. Add green tea and turmeric into your diet.

These foods have been shown to dampen the autoimmune response in the body, especially the brain. 

8. Avoid refined table salt.

Table salt has been shown to aggravate and increase some autoimmune conditions. 

9. Manage stress.

It's no surprise that chronic stress is like gasoline for an autoimmune condition. Many of my patients even noticed the onset of their condition to have first appeared during very stressful life events. Regular practice of meditation or tai chi can help give you tools to better manage stress and balance your immune system. 

10. Increase your glutathione levels.

This important nutrient is also deficient in many people with poor health. Eating plenty of sulfur-rich vegetables like onions, cabbage and broccoli aid in methylation, a biochemical pathway which produces glutathione naturally. 

Bringing it all together

Autoimmune disease is not curable, but can be manageable, and there's so much you can do naturally to put your autoimmune into remission. These tips are great steps to reversing autoimmune disease and living a vibrant, healthy life. I've seen countless people with horrible autoimmune symptoms completely regain their health 

Source: http://www.mindbodygreen.com/

Beta Glucan for Boosting Your Immune System

Why is the Immune System so important?

Cancer (or any disease) simply cannot exist in someone with a healthy immune system.

Watch this short video (https://youtu.be/dkyVXqOphWo) and you will hear 17 Experts, Researchers, Medical Doctors, and Cancer Survivors, tell you about the importance of your immune system

As you heard in the video, a healthy immune system is the most important thing in the fight against cancer.

(also: https://vimeo.com/129097082)

Bob Wright, the founder of the AACI (American Anti-Cancer Insitute) stated that “No doctor has ever healed anyone of anything in the history of the world; the human immune system heals and that is the only thing that heals.”

Dr. Rashid Buttar, D.O. said that “cancer first and foremost is a problem with the immune system.  You cannot have cancer if you have an intact immune system.”

Dr. Keith Scott Mumby stated that “Many people, I’m one of them, see cancer as basically a disease of the immune system. Especially in our modern world, I don’t think there is any way you are going to stop cells from firing off and going wrong and turning into rogue cells. There are just too many toxins. But a good immune system will pick them up very quickly and eliminate them. So in a very strong sense, cancer is a disease of the immune system. So, you want to do everything in your power to help the immune system; that means you know the right kind of nutrients that will help it. It also means removing the stresses that will stop it from working.”

Now that we understand how critical the immune system is in the fight against disease, if you have cancer you may be wondering, what went wrong with my immune system, and how can I help it?

Now there are many factors that can play into a weakened immune system, not enough sleep, stress, eating the wrong diet, not enough exercise, etc.

What is Beta Glucan?

β-Glucans belong to a group of physiologically active compounds called “biological response modifiers” and represent highly conserved structural components of cells walls in yeast, fungi, and seaweed.

Technically Beta Glucan is an immunomodulator which helps make your immune system smarter. It can help raise your immune system’s response so your body can naturally fight off and kill cancer. The term immunomodulator here is the real key; it is not an immune stimulate. Immune stimulation presumably occurs with substances like Echinacea and Colostrum. Beta Glucan modulates or activates but never over stimulates, which is key to the safety of this product.

Dr. Vaclav Vetvicka Ph.D. said in his book on beta glucan “there are other agents that stimulate the immune system. However, glucans are in a class apart, because those other agents can push the immune system to over stimulation. This means they can make matters worse in the case of auto-immune illnesses such as lupus, multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, allergies and yeast functions. Glucans however do stimulate the immune system, but never to the point where it becomes overactive. In addition glucan is one of the few natural immunomodulators for which we know not only the composition but also the mechanism of action.”

Beta Glucan is a safe all natural fiber molecule that scientists all over the world are researching. In fact Beta Glucan is the most studied natural immunomodulator on earth. More and more classically trained medical doctors are even waking up and using and/or recommending its use. They are finding and proving that it has many benefits, not only helping the immune system, but also in combination with certain drugs, doing a better job to overcome cancer once it has established a foothold in the body.

There are many different sources Glucans are derived from. Glucan Derivatives are contingent upon what natural resources the country has. Most popular are yeast, mushrooms, grains, seaweed. (Glucans can be isolated from almost every species of yeast. Wikipedia shows that 1,500 are currently described). With all these different sources you must be careful on which one you choose.

Which Beta Glucan is the Best?

If you do not want to read through all the research and information on laboratory testing for yourself, then you can just go here and buy the Transfer Point Beta Glucan that I recommend.

For those of you who want to see the research and testing for yourself, please see my extensive list of studies at the bottom of this page.

You can read more about Beta Glucan and see how other Immune Supplements like MGN-3, NSC-24, RM-10 Ultra and over 50 others compare to the Transfer Point Beta Glucan I recommend here

In an interview I found with Dr. Vetvicka on his website, he was asked:
“So if I had cancer, or if I wanted to avoid it, which Beta Glucan should I  buy?”

Dr. Vetvicka answered: “We asked ourselves the same question! So we carried out a study called B-1-3 Glucans, Silver Bullet or Hot Air? An evaluation of the immunological activities of commercially available Beta Glucan. We found that Glucan #300 from Transfer Point in the USA was the most effective one against cancer. (Please note that I am a scientist. This is an objective result.  I do not sell beta-glucans for Transfer Point or any company).

Dr. Vaclav Vetvicka, Ph.D.

Dr. Vetvicka has over 20 years of research, 200 peer-reviewed publications, seven books, and five international patents. Dr. Vaclav Vetvicka is the world’s leading researchers on beta glucan and s member of the American Association of Immunologists. He is currently the head of the pathology department at the University of Louisville and researcher at the James Graham Brown Cancer Center. Dr. Vetvicka research and books are mostly focused on the topics of the immune system, cancer, and beta glucan.

You can read more about him here 

Interview with Dr. Vaclav Vetvicka, PhD. on Beta Glucan from Better Way Health.

Beta Glucan used to Treat Cancer and other Disease

Beta Glucan has been approved as a drug in Japan, Australia, South Korea, and Taiwan as an immunoadjuvant therapy for cancer for the last 30 years.

But helping with cancer is just the beginning of what this amazing supplement can do. There have literally been thousands of studies showing this product can; protect against infections, lower your cholesterol, lower blood sugar, reduce stress, increase your antibody production, heal wounds, help radiation burns,  overcome mercury induced immunosuppression (like the Thimerosal used as a preservative in vaccines), help with diabetes, and even naturally prevent Metastasis (or the spreading of your cancer).

The University of Louisville’s School of Medicine is now working other cancer research centers testing Beta Glucan on cancer patients,  and they have been credited with the:

First use of beta-glucan as an immunostimulant for human cancer therapy

• Brown Cancer researchers, led by Dr. Gordon Ross, discovered that beta-glucan can markedly enhance the immune response of mice to injected tumors. This treatment is now being tested for the first time in humans at the University of Louisville and Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York.

In fact Dr. Gordon Ross has shown in some of his studies that Beta Glucan administered alone has reduced tumor weight by almost half in the subjects.

Most common Questions on Beta Glucan

Q: Why haven’t we heard about beta glucan before?

A: For over 50 years now, the benefits of beta glucan have been studied by universities, medical schools, teaching hospitals, and even Canada’s defense department. However in the past, for the general public this supplement may have been too expensive to be on anyone’s radar. Recent breakthroughs in manufacturing processes have brought this supplement to be affordable to anyone.
Dr. Vetvicka said “You have to remember that since 1983 it is an official drug in Japan and It’s used ever sense; so the rest of the world knows about Beta Glucan. It’s more that the western world doesn’t know.

It is a problem of the philosophy because in Eastern medicine, meaning the Chinese medicine, the Japanese medicine, they are more interested about results. So If it works, let’s use it.

Here in Western Europe, the United States, we have to know everything. We have to know exactly what each molecule is doing, how long, how fast, where it goes, how it goes back in our body, etc.  And as long as we don’t understand it fully, it is not approved or accepted here.

Q: Will beta glucan made from yeast cause a yeast infection or yeast allergy, or make either worse?

A: No. Beta 1, 3-D Glucan is intensely purified from baker’s yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) and does not contain enough yeast proteins to cause an allergic reaction. Also, beta glucan is not live yeast, therefore it cannot cause or aggravate a yeast infection. The Beta 1, 3-D Glucan I recommend is rated GRAS (Generally Regarded as Safe) by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Q: Is beta glucan safe to take with other medicines?

A: Yes. The Transfer Point brand I recommend, when taken with prescription drugs, has no known adverse effects. In fact, research shows Beta 1, 3-D Glucan enhances the effectiveness of many drugs, including anti infection, cholesterol-lowering, and chemotherapy drugs. However, make sure you do not take it with immuno suppressants (for transplant patients)

Q : Do you think that beta-glucans have a place in the medicine of the future?

Dr. Vetvicka says: “There are no doubts in my mind that beta-glucan will eventually be approved as a drug. Its effects are just too significant not to be officially used in the treatment of serious diseases.”

Q: Can I just eat bread or Mushrooms to get all the Beta Glucan I need?

Although the new Cheerios Beta Glucan advertisements on TV may lead you to believe otherwise, the answer is a definite, NO. Whole Yeasts alone are not the optimal source of active beta glucan. The content of available glucan in whole yeast is not high enough, which may result in the impurities acting against the biological effects of glucan molecules. In addition, due to their large size, they are normally not phagocytosed by the gut cells and, therefore insufficient potential glucan can enter the body. For mushrooms the beta-glucans need to be separated from the rest of the raw material. They need to go through a process that will free up their health enhancing properties. But eating lots of mushrooms is already a good start, and Japanese people who eat a lot of them have a lower cancer rate because of their beta-glucan content.

Q: How do we know Beta 1, 3-D Glucan enhances the immune system?

A: For decades, researchers have studied how Beta 1, 3-D Glucan works on the immune system. Thousands of scientific papers have been published by researchers from the University of Louisville, Tulane University, and Harvard University, to name a few. These research papers describe in detail how Beta 1, 3-D Glucan acts on the immune system. Many of these papers have shown our Beta 1, 3-D Glucan to be a highly effective immune modulator.

Q: Why are baker’s yeast beta glucans better than other kinds of beta glucans?

A: Research shows that beta glucans purified from baker’s yeast enhances the immune system better than any other type of beta glucan studied because they are highly-branched and biologically active particles. The Transfer Point brand of Beta 1, 3-D Glucan is intensely purified from the cell walls of baker’s yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae), yielding the highest purity and concentration of Beta 1, 3-D Glucan per capsule for the most economical price. Studies show that our Beta 1, 3-D Glucan is a superior immune modulator.

Q: Will beta glucan over-stimulate the immune system?

A: No. Beta glucan is an immune modulator. It binds to a specific receptor site on the surface of all immune cells with CR3 receptors. This binding enhances the readiness of these immune cells to attack any foreign body perceived as non-self (i.e. viruses, bacteria, fungi, cancer, parasites etc.) It is the presence of these non-self/foreign bodies that cause these immune cells to become stimulated.

Q: How much Beta 1, 3-D Glucan do I need each day to enhance my immune system?

A: The immune system is more enhanced with the more beta glucan you take. With the Transfer Point brand I recommend (highly potent Beta 1, 3-D Glucan) the immune system is greatly enhanced when taken daily. For Cancer Patients, how much you need is determined by body weight.

Dosage Instructions- To maximize the benefit of Beta Glucan, it should be taken on an empty stomach, with water. Then wait at least 30 min before eating or drinking. To reach a therapeutic value you need to take doses based on your body weight. 1 capsule of 500mg per 50 lbs. of Body Weight per day. Please understand these doses only apply to Transfer Point Beta Glucan, many other products out there on the market do not contain any therapeutic value at all and taking 100 of their pills per day will do little to nothing for your immune system.

● Weight Guide:
● 100 lbs or 45kg = 1,000mg daily (2 capsules)
● 125 lbs or 57kg = 1,000mg – 1,500mg alternating daily
● 150 lbs or 68kg = 1,500mg daily (3 capsules)
● 175 lbs or 80kg. = 2,000mg daily (4 capsules)
● 225 lbs or 102kg and any weight above = 2,500mg daily (5 caps)

For a younger healthy person, I would suggest you take 100mg per day for effective immune support. For older folks, I would suggest 500mg per day.

Q: Is it a good idea to take beta-glucans to prevent cancer?

Dr. Vetvicka said: yes, to protect yourself against cancer and many other illnesses that would normally be eradicated by a strong immune system. But remember, I am a scientist and not in business selling glucan: I cannot give you any guarantee that you will avoid cancer or any other illness, because there is still a lot we do not know.  Even though we can say that beta-glucans are the most significant anti-cancerous immuno-stimulants we know, they have not been tested against all kinds of cancers.

Also, we are exposed to carcinogens in our everyday life that are extremely powerful. Unless we run tests on beta-glucans against all of them, and find they work, we will not be able to say that it is a guarantee against everything. It is certainly effective against many carcinogens, though, so you would greatly reduce your risks of cancer).

*Many of these questions and answers came from:
AJ Lanigan here- http://aboutbetaglucan.com/faqand
Dr. Vaclav Vetvicka’s site here – http://glucan.us/glucanfaq.html

Also here is a link to a YouTube Playlist  with questions on Beta Glucan answered by AJ Lanigan, the world’s best manufacturer of the purest and best Beta Glucan, the Transfer Point brand that I recommend.

Studies done on Beta Glucan and Cancer

Cancer & Tumor Studies.

• Beta 1,3-Glucan Cancer Research (overview of research)
• β-Glucans in promoting health: Prevention against mutation and cancer
  (Mutation Research 2007)
• Medicinal importance of fungal β-(1-3), (1-6)-glucans
  (Mycological Research 2007)
• Therapeutic Intervention with complement and β-Glucan in Cancer
  (Immunopharmacology 1999)
• Oral β-Glucan adjuvant therapy converts nonprotective Th2 response to protective Th1 cell-mediated imimune response in mammary tumor-bearing mice
  (Folia Histochemica et Cytobiologica)
• β-Glucan, a “Specific” Biologic Response Modifier That Uses Antibodies to Target Tumors for Cytotoxic Recognition by Leukocyte Complement Receptor Type 3 (CD11b/CD18)1
  (The American Association of Immunologists 1999)
• CR3 (CD1 ib, CD18): a phagocyte and NK cell membrane receptor with multiple ligand specificities and functions
  (Clinical and Experimental Immunology 1993)
• Regulation of CR3 (CD11b/CD18)-dependent natural killer (NK) cell cytotoxicity by tumour target cell MHC class I molecules
  (Clinical and Experimental Immunology 1999)
• Soluble b-Glucan Polysaccharide Binding to the Lectin Site of Neutrophil or Natural Killer Cell Complement Receptor Type 3 (CD11b/CD18) Generates a Primed State of the Receptor Capable of Mediating Cytotoxicity of iC3b-Opsonized Target Cells
  (Journal of Clinical Investigation 1996)
• Effects of β-glucans on benign hyperplasia of prostate
  (Herbert Open Access Journals, Pathology Discovery 2014)
• The application of fungal β-glucans for the treatment of colon cancer
  (Anti-cancer agents in medicinal chemistry 2013)
• β-Glucans and their applications in cancer therapy: focus on human studies.
  (Anti-cancer agents in medicinal chemistry 2013)

Chemotherapy And Radiation.

• Beta 1,3-Glucan Radiation Research (overview of research)
• Effect of Beta Glucan on White Blood Cell Counts and Serum Levels of IL-4 and IL-12 in Women with Breast Cancer Undergoing Chemotherapy: A Randomized Double-Blind Placebo-Controlled Clinical Trial
  (Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2014)
• Positive Effects of Oral β-Glucan on Mucositis and Leukopenia in Colorectal Cancer Patients Receiving Adjuvant FOLFOX-4 Combination Chemotherapy
  (Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2014)
• Oral WGP Beta Glucan Treatment Accelerates Myeloid Recovery after Radiation Exposure
  (BTR: Unified Science & Technology for Reducing Biological Threats and Countering Terrorism 2003)
• Glucan-immunostimulant, adjuvant, potential drug
  (World Journal of Clinical Oncology 2011)
• Orally Administered marine (1-3)-β-D-glucan Phycarine stimulates both humoral and cellular immunity
  (International Journal of Biological Macromolecules 2007)

Monoclonal Antibodies and Cancer.

• Yeast-Derived B-Glucan Augments the Therapeutic Efficacy mediated by Anti-Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Monoclonal Antibody in Human Carcinoma Xenograft Models (Clinical Cancer Research 2008)
• Beta-Glucan enhanced killing of renal cell carcinoma micrometastases by monoclonal antibody G250 directed compliment activation
  (International Journal of Cancer 2004)
• Oral (1-3),(1-4)-B-D-Glucan Synergizes with Antiganglioside GD2 Moncolonal antibody 3F8 in the Therapy of Neuroblastoma
  (Clinical Cancer Research 2002)
• Yeast whole glucan particle (WGP) β-Glucan in conjunction with antitumour monoclonal antibodies to treat cancer
  (Expert Opinion in Biological Therapy 2005)
• β-Glucan Functions as an adjuvant for monoclonal antibody immunotherapy by recruiting tumoricidal granulocytes as Killer Cells
  (The Journal of Cancer Research 2003)
• Mechanism by which orally administered β-1,3-Glucans enhance the tumorcidical activity of antitumor monoclonal antibodies in murine tumor models
  (Journal of Immunology 2004)
• C5a-Medicated Leukotriene B4-Amplified Neutrophil Chemotaxis is essential in tumor immunotherapy facilitated by Anti-Tumor monoclonal antibody and β-Glucan
  (Journal of Immunology 2005)

Source: http://www.cancertutor.com/beta-glucan/