Colostrum, Have u tried it/ heard of any results?

Has anyone out there tried Colostrum caplets? My sister read about a few studies with Colostrum which is taken from the mother cows first milk for her calf. She read that it helps with the immune system and with immunoglobulin. I will be trying this stuff out this month. Its hard for me to judge if it is working completely because I am also taking Nplate, but that hasnt been balanced yet and I have been taking weekly injections since last September.
Thanks
Gen

Be sure to tell your doctor that you are taking something that could interfere with the nPlate.
Erica

Why would colostrum interfere with NPlate? I'm not advocating she use it (although I've used it), I'm just looking at it strictly from a food point of few. Colostrum is the first milk that all mammals get. It is high fat, high protein, etc. In a million years I can't stretch my brain enough to figure out how on earth that could "interfere" with NPlate. I don't really care one way or another. Just trying to make sense of that statement.

Colostrum on the whole is typically used to attempt healing an immune system that is out of balance when used in conjunction with other modes of naturopathic healing. Just not gettin' the interference thing unless that's just your standard line of verbage.

If a compound is said to ' helps with the immune system and with immunoglobulin', and you have an immune disorder you are taking a relatively new drug for, wouldn't it be wise to let your doctor know this so that any unexpected interactions could be addressed promptly? How does colostrum do those things? What are the side effects? Things that help infant cows with normal processes do not necessarily help adult humans with immune disorders. And nplate has surely not been tested for interaction with colostrum from cows.

It would be wise to keep your treating doctor informed of all drugs, herbs, whatever you are taking. What if colostrum raises or lowers your level of something or other and that in turn affects how the nplate works so all of a sudden you have 2 million platelets? Grapefruit juice and lipitor - there's a combination that is a bad thing. Of course we wouldn't think before the interaction was discovered to tell our doctors that we were drinking grapefruit juice.
It's all chemicals and very complex. I think it's smart to give all the professionals as much information as possible.
Erica

Colostrum has been mentioned here so many times since 1998 I'd be rich if I had a dime for each mention. I haven't seen anyone report that it works. I looked into it myself back when I was diagnosed. I can't remember the reason, but I decided against it.

eklein wrote: If a compound is said to ' helps with the immune system and with immunoglobulin', and you have an immune disorder you are taking a relatively new drug for, wouldn't it be wise to let your doctor know this so that any unexpected interactions could be addressed promptly? How does colostrum do those things? What are the side effects? Things that help infant cows with normal processes do not necessarily help adult humans with immune disorders. And nplate has surely not been tested for interaction with colostrum from cows.

It would be wise to keep your treating doctor informed of all drugs, herbs, whatever you are taking. What if colostrum raises or lowers your level of something or other and that in turn affects how the nplate works so all of a sudden you have 2 million platelets? Grapefruit juice and lipitor - there's a combination that is a bad thing. Of course we wouldn't think before the interaction was discovered to tell our doctors that we were drinking grapefruit juice.
It's all chemicals and very complex. I think it's smart to give all the professionals as much information as possible.
Erica

Nah. Not for me. But I do enough research I'd have no trouble personally doing that. And I've never yet met a doctor who thought anything natural would help anything medical. And anytime I have mentioned stuff (I guess I learned the hard way) it was always responded with "it won't help so what's the point?" But I'm not one to get on a forum and ask if "such and such will work." I'm one to read and read until I have a comfort level one way or the other that I do or don't want to try something. So, to each his own. None of what you said would phase me with colostrum.

Some related questions that occur to me:
My dog eats grass for stomach upset. Should I have my son do the same? Should I be concerned that my dog pees and poops on the same grass or does that just add to the goodness and naturalness?

How is cow colostrum gathered, processed, purified, packaged? Who monitors it for strength (of what?), purity, impurities?

What research will you find that will tell you what will be the reaction between cow colustrum and any pharmaceuticals? Would it be colostrum dose-dependent? How do you know what the colostrum dose is (see second question).

(clearly I'm avoiding some work tasks!)
Erica

Thanks for the responses, I am new to the discussion boards so I am sorry if you have seen this question a million times. I am learning something new each day and glad to have found such an awesome place for people to embrace each others thoughts and experiences with ITP. I definitely told my Dr. about Colostrum before taking it. I am blessed to have both a wonderful Primary and a great Hematologist. I have asked some really silly questions and these two doctors always listen and help me research. My Primary doctor has a great outlook on holistic medicine and I am greatful to have found him. I do agree that with anything you take...herbs, medicine, whatever...it is always important to talk with your Doctor about it. There have been some herbs that my sister has recommended that my Doctor said could interfere with certain medications I was taking. I understand that Colostrum is not an herb and is considered a "super food" but I do the best to keep my Doc up to date with what Im doing. I have to admit my sister gets very frustrated with me sometimes and doesnt understand why I am hesitant but I am that way with anything I take. I do read up on everything I take and do the research, with this particular topic I was curious if anyone else has tried it, I didnt post this to sway my opinion on Colostrum, I did it to see if anyone else with ITP has tried taking it and what there results were. I am going to try to journal every day while I am testing out the Colostrum and heres to hoping it will help with my platelets and immune system! Thanks again everyone and have a great week, hopefully with a ton of platelets!!!

Sorry gk, I didn't mean to sound harsh to you. I was reacting to a different post. Be careful was all I was trying to say and it sounds like you are.
Erica

Same here GK - I wasn't complaining about your question, just letting you know in my own overly-blunt-Sandi-way that no, I haven't seen any positive responses.

I also tried Liquid Chlorophyll and my counts dropped. I don't blame the Chlorophyll, I think my platelets were just doing their own thing.

I think it's great that you are talking to your doctor and researching.

Im sorry I get so sensitive...I know everyone means well!

Its hard when every conversation is read instead of heard, its easy to take things the wrong way, and I am notorious for doing so. I know you mean well and I agree that its important to keep the Dr. involved. Thanks for your opinions. I am glad people have responded.

You just don't know us yet. We're the good, the bad, and the ugly, but we all love each other. Right, guys?

It is harder when you can't hear the tone of voice. Everyone means well.

eklein wrote: Some related questions that occur to me:
My dog eats grass for stomach upset. Should I have my son do the same? Should I be concerned that my dog pees and poops on the same grass or does that just add to the goodness and naturalness?

How is cow colostrum gathered, processed, purified, packaged? Who monitors it for strength (of what?), purity, impurities?

What research will you find that will tell you what will be the reaction between cow colustrum and any pharmaceuticals? Would it be colostrum dose-dependent? How do you know what the colostrum dose is (see second question).

(clearly I'm avoiding some work tasks!)
Erica

Not arguing for or against colostrum. Just answering your questions.

1) Do you drink cow's milk? Because if you do it's no different then using colostrum from the same cow. ALL food affects the immune system (plenty of studies showing sugar, fats, etc.). Do you eat? Do you ask your doctor about every food you eat? Same principal. Colostrum was created by God to give humans and animals an initial boost to their bodies. If you can drink cows milk without issue, I don't see how cow colostrum would be either.

2) Depends on where you get your colostrum. I bought mine raw from a company that froze shipped it overnight to me. It was raw, not powdered. But honestly, after all the FDA recalls of drugs AFTER they've been on the market and actually killed more people then colostrum, are you more concerned about whose checking, monitoring, testing the drugs then the colostrum? I mean really? That argument is completely disingenuous in light of the number of drugs the FDA has had to pull for far more serious issues then anything I've ever seen with colostrum (which is nothing BTW).

3) See answer to question #2. Half the drugs the FDA has out they can't answer your questions. And yet you expect everyone natural to be able to answer all the same questions? I'll give you the same answer the FDA gives for half the drugs listed in the PDR. UNKNOWN. :ohmy:

:silly:

Patti and EK, I think you both bring up some very good points. I think its important to atleast fill your doctor in on every type of supplement, super food, otc meds, vitamins, etc. THis way if there is a reaction and lets say your in the er, your doc will have a list of everything. I know it sounds crazy but there are certain foods I stay away from when I have low platelets. Lunch meat, lettuce, mushrooms, raw uncooked veggies. For me personally I have terrible stomache cramps that turn in to much worse sometimes for days. At first I didnt know what was happening to me but then I read a few articles about ITP and what foods seem to help and which ones seem to be less helpful and possibly make you sick. I am just trying to have you see from my point of view here...the Colostrum I have I got from my sister. Its in capsule form and the ingredients say 100% Colostrum. My nurse wanted to know where I got it, if there was a website and phone number...not because it isnt FDA approved but to make sure it was 100% Colostrum with no additives. At the end of the day we all have our own opinions, all I am asking is that you respect mine and everyone else who posts on here.

Hi GK, when I was first DX I started taking colostrum. My drop in platelts was steady at around 2-3 points per month. Yes I did discuss first before taking colostrum with my Dr & Haematologist. Both said yes they had no problem with the idea if that is what I wanted to do. I took it for about 1yr and kept loosing platelets @ 2-3 points per mth.

So I decided to see what would happen if I stopped taking it. At that point I was having blood tests once per mth & visits to my haemo every 3mths. I dropped from 74 to 52 and got an infection. Antibiotics stopped the infection, my platelets went up to 67 and I started my colostrum again. At my next appointment with my Haemo I told him what had happened. He told me that was normal fluctuations of platelet movements, put me on 3mth blood tests & 6mth visits to see him.

That was 6mths ago, I am still taking colostrum & my platelets at last check were still at 67. The reason I wanted to take colostrum in the first place is that I am an ex dairyman and have seen sick calves which I thought where going to die, bounce back to good health after being given colostrum for a few days. I had witnessed this phenomenon over many years. Is colostrum doing me any good, "who knows"?

I purchase my 100% colostrum capsules with no added fillers,flavours,colours or preservatives. ref www.healthandherbs.co.nz go to radiance & scroll down to colostrum capsules for more information. I am on no treatment for my ITP as my counts are in the safe zone so on watch & wait only. I hope telling you of my experience gives you some information you were looking for. Regards Benny.

Hi Benny,
Thank you for sharing your experience! I really like hearing that it helps sick calves. I have such a low immune system and I hope that by taking these pills it will help me to ward off infections. So far there have not been any negative side effects so I will keep taking it as well. I am not sure if it will help build my platelets up but I have hope that it will help with the strength of my immune system. I hope your platelets stay in a healthy range, and good luck!
G

colostrum is not patented

freckles wrote: colostrum is not patented

LOl! thank you freckles. You crack me up. And you are so right on.

You are both driving me nuts on here!! (Patti, freckles) WHO CARES!! Obviously your not here to discuss experiences you just get on here and dis people. Its bogus! I get that you might be miserable, we all have those days but that does not give you the right to take it out on others who are actually trying to make the best of their day. I can appreciate constructive criticism but when you bluntly attack another persons opinion, then you have gone too far. :blink:

Hi freckles, I could not agree more. NOR did I say or suggest it was. Benny.

gkilianek wrote: You are both driving me nuts on here!! (Patti, freckles) WHO CARES!! Obviously your not here to discuss experiences you just get on here and dis people. Its bogus! I get that you might be miserable, we all have those days but that does not give you the right to take it out on others who are actually trying to make the best of their day. I can appreciate constructive criticism but when you bluntly attack another persons opinion, then you have gone too far. :blink:

Excuse me? :S I commented to Freckles. Not anyone else. And my other response was strictly to Erica as she asked questions. So, not sure where you're coming from..............:ohmy:

Freckles is our friendly drop in guy to give us his comments. They're always hilarious and right on and always counter AMA (my kind of guy). I'm just not sure how his one line comment was an attack on anyone. He made a true statement. If you don't know his background here it might do you well to look him up and read. At least then you'll understand with what voice he makes the comment. :whistle:

patti wrote: Why would colostrum interfere with NPlate? I'm not advocating she use it (although I've used it), I'm just looking at it strictly from a food point of few. Colostrum is the first milk that all mammals get. It is high fat, high protein, etc. In a million years I can't stretch my brain enough to figure out how on earth that could "interfere" with NPlate. I don't really care one way or another. Just trying to make sense of that statement.

Colostrum on the whole is typically used to attempt healing an immune system that is out of balance when used in conjunction with other modes of naturopathic healing. Just not gettin' the interference thing unless that's just your standard line of verbage.

Patti,
This post is where I started to feel that you werent just posting your opinion you were verbally attacking someone else's post (EK to be exact) After this post it went on and on...my question is why? IF this is supposed to be a place for support, why are you attacking people who are just trying to have a conversation. It was never said that Colostrum is dangerous, it was simply said to make sure the doc knows Im taking it. WHich I agree is the right thing to do. So after this comment and a few others that were made I started to get aggravated with the way you were communicating to others on this post..then came the comment that colostrum is not patented....ok so whats your point and why is that so funny? I never said it was patented and that was never part of the conversation at all. SO I felt that you both were mocking my post and I thought that was rude. That is why I got upset and wrote my last post. If you both can honestly say that I took it the wrong way and you were not mocking me, then yes I am sorry for my post. I just felt like I needed to stick up for myself and explain my feelings.

I was NOT mocking you. My point is simply that colostrum is a food. And while grapefruit in particular has been noted to interfere with drugs, milk never has. I completely disagree with asking anyone's doctor anything about food/nutrition/supplements because quite frankly, most have no clue. But that is a personal opinion and I attempted to carefully walk around making that statement until now. I think you are totally missing what's being said here and I'm attempting to give you the benefit of doubt. I wasn't mocking Erica. I was specifically answering her questions. I"m not sure what you're reading or seeing, but obviously you're not seeing what's trying to be said.

The point freckles was making is that a doctor will never advocate something that isn't patented that a drug company isn't making money off of (and hence the doctor as well). But since you likely haven't heard much from freckles you wouldn't know that.

Being that this is the natural forum, perhaps a little homeopathic coffee will help you sleep off whatever is not making sense to you.

patti wrote: ...while grapefruit in particular has been noted to interfere with drugs, milk never has.

Patti since you obviously hate anyone or anything in the medical field [by the way, would you say your friend April is in the medical field?, I would] I am going to quote from a holistic site which I would assume is an ok site with you.

You said milk never has been noted to interfere with drugs:
www.holisticonline.com/herbal-med/hol_herb_med_reac.htm
"Orange Juice and milk should be avoided when taking antibiotics. The juice's acidity decreases the effectiveness of antibiotics, as does milk."

"Digitalis - Avoid taking with milk and high fiber foods, which reduce absorption, increases potassium loss."

patti wrote: ...The point freckles was making is that a doctor will never advocate something that isn't patented that a drug company isn't making money off of (and hence the doctor as well).

It really is a shame you and freckles and any others have had the misfortune to pick doctors who are money hungry, ignorant & stupid. Really I feel sorry for you. However it is wrong for you to lump all doctors into one big ball like that - it is ignorant actually. Not all doctors are like that - I have had doctors tell me to take something that isn't a patented drug, I have had doctors tell me to try alternative medicine. So to say "a doctor will never..." is totally wrong. You should watch those blanket statements you make - here are 2 that are wrong!


gkilianek your cat is beautiful! I miss mine, lots!!

From a UK point of view, this is a strange discussion.

I think doctors here would always prescribe the generic drug if one is available, because they are cheaper and doctors have limited drugs budgets. In fact, I think it would be difficult to get a prescription for a patented drug if something else was available. I've also had doctors tell me to go and buy medicines that are available over the counter at the chemist because it would work out cheaper for me than paying the prescription charge (around £7-8 last time I got one). Not treating is also a clear option, as shown by the different approach to ITP. It seems to me that Dougie would have been treated many times if he lived in the US. In fact, he has had two short rounds of (cheap) prednisolone.

Makes me grateful for the NHS! Ali

Hi Alison,
I think the American (or at least the patti/freckles) use of 'patented drug' includes generic drugs too - meaning prescription drugs as opposed to over the counter drugs. Or possibly they mean any drug that someone makes money on, so that would include over the counter drugs. I guess if you pick it in your yard and brew it into a tea it isn't a patented drug but possibly anything you pay for and someone makes money on because they manufacture it (it might not have to be an actual patent) would count in the casual use of the term 'patented drug'. I think the point in this discussion was more having to do with big companies making money from drugs.
I wonder if the money being made on treatments labeled homeopathic counts as patented drugs even when they are not able to be patented - certainly money is being made.
Erica

Hi Gen,
I have been wondering how you are getting on. Have you seen any benefit or side effects from taking Colostrum to date.(subject to the idea that you are still taking it). Here's hoping your immune system, general health and platelets are all on the up.

Wishing you all the best,
Benny.

Hi Benny!
Thanks for checking in...Im sorry I have not been checking in as much. Right now Im dealing with platelet counts under 5,000 for over 3 months straight. Im so tired, worn out, frustrated, depressed...Im just going through a funk right now. I have to admit I got off track with the Colostrum pills. I want to get back into a schedule of taking them and writing in a journal because I stopped that. I just have no drive right now to do anything. Its times like this I need to just keep pushing on. I hope I find that drive in me to just go a little further and I hope and pray that when I do that there is a light at the end of the tunnel!

Awww thanks Melinda! My cat is my buddy. He keeps me calm :0) He is about 15 years old so he has been there for me through thick and thin. Always laying by my side. I love him so much Hope you have a great week!