Your immune system is crucial for maintaining good health and recovering from major illnesses.

Your body has a network of organs that protect and defend you from attacks by foreign invaders (non-self). These organs make up your immune system. Transfer Point’s Beta-1,3-D glucan has been used in experiments designed to test the 5 major functions of the immune system. The prestigious institutions of Harvard, Tulane, and the US Armed Forces have produced hundreds of peer-reviewed medical articles on how beta glucan can safely and effectively enhance your immune system by:

• Directly increasing hematopoiesis
  Hematopoiesis is the process by which bone marrow produces stem cells. Stem cells are one of the most vital needs of your immune system, because stem cells ultimately become white blood cells. Specialized types of white blood cells are called phagocytes; these include macrophages, neutrophils, and eosenophils. One function of these phagocytes is to engulf invaders (or any foreign substance) immediately, without question. This process is called phagocytosis.

• Enhancing phagocytosis
  The phagocyte’s ability to engulf foreign substances is very important. The faster phagocytosis happens, the more debris the phagocyte can destroy. When a phagocyte digests an invader, it notifies the proper authorities (T cells), to let them know there is a foreign substance present. The T cells decide the best action to pursue in order to relieve the body of this foreign substance. Once the phagocyte presents the debris of the invader, the T cells have several options
1. Initiate a Humoral Immune Response, using acquired immunity, B cells, and antibodies. The antibodies are specific and use a chemical process to identify the invader and fight it. However, the antibodies are not produced or ready to use for the body for about 21 days. This type of immune response is most typically associated with vaccines.
2. Initiate a Cell Mediated Immune Response, alongside innate immunity's phagocytes and natural killer cells. These immune cells fight hand to hand with the invader, using ROIs, NOIs, and their stomachs. These cells do not need preparation; they are always ready to fight.
3. Initiate a Humoral and Cell Mediated Immune Response. If the T cell initiates a cell mediated immune response, all phagocytes that have flocked to the site of infection are assisted by other specific white blood cells. This charge of cells is called chemotaxis.

 

• Enhancing Chemotaxis
  When the phagocytes reach the site of invasion, they produce reactive oxygen intermediates (ROIs) and reactive nitrogen intermediates (NOIs). These ROIs and NOIs include hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and nitric oxide (NO), and are very important in helping the phagocytes to rapidly destroy the invader.

• Helping phagocytes produce more ROIs and NOIs.
  Therefore, the faster the phagocytes reach the site of invasion, and use ROIs and NOIs, the faster the intruder’s position is compromised. However, if the T cell initiates a humoral immune response, B cells are notified to create plasma cells, which create antibodies to fight the infection. These antibodies are actually chemicals designed to tag a specific invader, and take about 21 days to fully develop. When the antibodies are ready, they are sent out to target the specific substance for which they are made. Until these antibodies are ready, it is up to the innate immunity to directly come in contact, hand to hand combat, and ultimately engulf the intrusive substance. Innate immunity is what keeps you alive, until acquired immunity is established. In some cases, a person’s immune system programs itself to rely too much on a humoral (antibody) response versus a cell mediated immune response.

• Correcting an over-shifted humoral response to a cell mediated immune response.
  Anecdotal evidence and theory suggest this is helpful in allergies, autoimmune disease, and cancer.