Dr. Rosenbaum on Colostrum

Colostrum is Nature’s gift to newborn babies. Colostrum is a precious maternal secretion that is made for only the first few days of an infant’s life to protect the vulnerable newcomer against a hoard of opportunistic microbes and activate its immune system. Colostrum is not milk. It contains none of the major milk proteins or lactose and should not produce a milk allergy when ingested. Pure colostrum, unmixed with any milk, is secreted for only the first day after the mother gives birth. For that reason, colostrum used for nutritional supplementation is best collected during the first twelve to twenty-four hours after birth.

• Colostrum is critical for the health of a newborn. What it does for the newborn, it can do for you: Jump start the immune response.
• Neutralize invading microbes with an impressive immune arsenal of antibodies, (immunoglobulins) lactoferrin, and transfer factor.
• Colostrum contains antiadhesive properties that block the ability of bacteria and parasites to stick to the intestinal wall so they slip and slide their way out of your body.
• Promote the growth and healing of skin, bones, muscles, and cartilage. Colostrum is perhaps the only known food supplement that contains IgF-1 (Insulin Growth Factor -1) the anabolic wonder substance that the liver makes in response to growth hormone. IgF-1 produces many of the exciting antiaging effects of growth hormone including more lean body mass, thicker skin with fewer wrinkles, more energy and an overall improved sense of well-being. In addition, colostrum contains growth factors which rapidly promote healing throughout the body.
• Reduce pain and inflammation. Colostrum contains small fragments of proteins called peptides that convey immune messages to immune cells and the brain. These infopeptides modulate the immune response to maintain a healthy equilibrium. One immune messenger, interleukin-10 or IL-10, specifically reduces inflammation. Colostrum may help the body to control allergies and when used as a topical paste, can speed the healing of burns and wounds.
• Normalize blood sugar. IgF-1 is very similar in structure to insulin. It may help to expunge the main culprits thought to be responsible for heart disease, obesity and adult-onset diabetes – elevated blood sugar and high blood insulin – the telltale signs of insulin resistance.
• Enhance mental alertness and overall sense of well-being. There is evidence that colostrum has the ability to modify levels of the brain transmitters which affect mental alertness and mood.

Colostrum has been used with success to combat common bacterial infections of the nose, sinuses, and urinary tract. It can mitigate the threat of food poisoning caused by salmonella, commonly found in chicken and eggs, and listeria found in soft cheeses. Saavy international travelers say colostrum is effective against “turista” and other endemic infectious diseases.

Preliminary data indicate colostrum is effective against Cryptosporidium– a parasite that resides in the digestive tract and is not uncommon in urban water supplies. This microscopic parasite can cause unremitting diarrhea that can last for months and is resistant to antibiotics. Cryptosporidium can be a doctor’s and patient’s nightmare – especially if the patient has a disease such as cancer or AIDS that compromises the immune response.

There is no conventional medical treatment for viral illnesses because antibiotics do not destroy viruses. The only treatment a physician can recommend for a common viral illness is rest, fluids, and patience. Preliminary studies indicate that colostrum may be the answer to reducing the impact of viral illnesses. Diarrhea in children caused by the common rotavirus has responded favorably and even the life-threatening virus that causes hepatitis C has been reported to respond to treatment with colostrum.

The introduction of antibiotics has resulted in widespread complacency towards infectious diseases. For decades we have believed that we no longer have to fear armies of microscopic invaders. The last decade has given health professionals a rude wake up call. In the early 1990s scientists were dismayed to discover that bacteria have the ability to mutate rapidly into drug-resistant strains. Today, physicians are seeing a resurgence of infectious diseases we thought were long gone – tuberculosis, gruesome strep infections which literally dissolve the body, drug-resistant pneumonia and E-coli, salmonella – and our arsenal of drugs is severely depleted. To add to the nightmare, researchers have discovered that what were thought to be one-time infections can actually cause chronic degenerative diseases such as heart disease, arthritis, and Alzheimer’s. Hopefully, natural healing substances like colostrum, will give us the upper hand.

Michael E. Rosenbaum, M.D., who practices in Corte Madera, California, is Springboard’s Chief Medical Advisor.

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