Glandular Therapy - An Introduction

Introduction

Glandular therapy is based on the concept that ingesting glandular material from specific animal glands can enhance the corresponding human gland's function. This leads to a general improvement in glandular function, a fundamental principle in oriental therapy.

In cases of immune system deficiencies or infections, thymus and spleen extracts have demonstrated their effectiveness. Glandular therapy is extensively used in the treatment of cancer and AIDS.

History

Before the 1940s, glandular extracts were widely used worldwide, including in the Western world, and research was ongoing to support their application. With the development of antibiotics and modern pharmaceuticals, research shifted towards more profitable avenues, resulting in a halt in glandular therapy research. However, this shift in clinical research focus does not diminish the therapeutic value or usefulness of the glandular therapy approach. It remains a cornerstone in Traditional Chinese Medicine and India's Ayurvedic Medicine. Glandular therapy is also regaining interest as a treatment for cancer.

What is Glandular Therapy?

Glandular therapy involves using purified extracts from animal endocrine glands to aid in restoring a patient's overall metabolism. Commonly used glandular extracts include those from the thyroid, thymus, and adrenal glands.

Glandular and organ extracts are typically derived from animals, known as protomorphogens. These extracts play a crucial role in comprehensive nutrition programs, offering both immediate and long-term benefits. Extracts can be sourced from:

• Pituitary
• Thyroid
• Adrenals
• Pancreas
• Heart
• Liver
• Kidney
• Thymus
• Other glands and organs.

Glandular and organ extracts are recommended when a patient's endocrine system underproduces or undersupplies a specific hormone, or when an organ is weakened or diseased, as frequently observed in cancer patients. This treatment approach is widely acknowledged for its effectiveness.

Benefits of Glandular Therapy

Three primary nutritional benefits are associated with glandular and organ extracts:

1. Active Components

   It is believed that glands and organs in animals and humans contain similar biochemical substances due to their analogous functions. This is especially true with sheep, the source of many extracts. For example, sheep have digestive enzymes closely resembling those in humans, including two unique enzymes:

   1. Aldose reductase, an enzyme for sugar breakdown.
   2. Steroid 17-20 lyase, an enzyme involved in producing steroidal hormones and detoxifying these hormones from the body.

   Using biochemical compounds from animals often serves to substitute an externally generated source for an internally generated deficiency.

Examples:
Thymosin from the thymus.
Thyroid hormone from the thyroid gland.

2. Associated Nutritional Factors

   Glandular tissues are rich in nutrients, including vitamins, minerals, amino acids, fatty acids, polypeptides, enzymes, and various other substances. Glandular therapy efficiently fulfills essential nutritional requirements.

3. Adaptogenic Effect

   For tissue cells to repair or regenerate, they require the necessary raw materials. Glandular therapy provides these raw materials to failing organs, glands, and tissues, initiating the regeneration process.

   Biochemist Jeffrey Bland, Ph.D., proposed a rational explanation for how glandular therapy products function. He suggested that glandular-based food supplements may contain small polypeptide, protein-like substances with specific messenger activity, influencing target tissues. Dr. Bland proposed that hormones found in glandular tissues, even at low concentrations, can exert potent tissue-specific effects. For example, a small polypeptide in one tissue can selectively stimulate another tissue in a different body location to produce hormonal materials, thereby affecting a final target tissue and altering its physiological function.

   The thyroid gland is a vital organ for metabolism, regulating energy production in all body cells by releasing hormones. Administering thyroid extract helps cells eliminate waste and accelerates their restorative functions. A healthy thyroid is crucial for a robust immune system.

Pharmaceutical Spleen Extracts

Pharmaceutical-grade bovine spleen extracts offer valuable support in treating infectious conditions and enhancing the immune system, particularly for cancer patients.

Their benefits stem from small-molecular-weight proteins, such as tuftsin and splenopentin, which activate macrophages found in the liver, spleen, and lymph nodes. Macrophages are large cells responsible for engulfing and eliminating foreign particles, including bacteria and cancer cells. Macrophages play a crucial role in safeguarding against microbial invasions and cancer.

Tuftsin also aids in mobilizing other white blood cells to combat infections and cancer. A deficiency in tuftsin is associated with frequent infection symptoms.

Splenopentin, another small-molecular-weight protein, enhances the immune system's response by regulating colony-stimulating factors. These factors stimulate the production of white blood cells and boost natural killer cell activity.

Primarily, spleen extracts are used following a splenectomy (removal of the spleen), which increases the risk of infection, especially bacterial infections. Spleen extracts can be highly beneficial in such cases.

Additionally, spleen extracts are employed in the treatment of low white blood cell counts and bacterial infections, often used as an adjunct in cancer therapy.