Glandular Therapy

One of the basic concepts of glandular therapy is that the oral ingestion of glandular material of a certain animal gland will strengthen the corresponding human gland. The result is a broad general effect indicative of improved glandular function. Thus, glandular therapy increases the tone, function, and/or activity of the corresponding gland. This principle is a mainstay of oriental therapy.

In case of infection of immune system deficiencies, thymus extracts and spleen extracts have been found to be quite useful. Glandular therapy is used extensively in the treatment of cancer, and AIDS.

History

Prior to the 1940s, glandular extracts were in wide use all over the world including the western world, and a considerable amount of research was in progress to support their use. With the development of antibiotics, and the advent of "modern" technological medicine, the research was concentrated on developing more and more antibiotics and other pharmaceutical drugs that was more profitable to the drug companies. The research in glandular therapy came to a halt as a result. Just because the glandular approach was not being pursued in clinical research does not invalidate the usefulness of the approach or diminish the validity of its therapeutic value. It is still one of the cornerstones to Traditional Chinese Medicine and India's Ayurvedic Medicine. Glandular therapy is also receiving renewed interest as a treatment for cancer.

What is Glandular Therapy?

In glandular therapy, purified extracts from the endocrine glands of animals are used to help restore a patient's overall metabolism. Key glandulars frequently used are thyroid, thymus, and adrenal.
Glandular and organ extracts are usually taken from animals. These are known clinically as protomorphogens. Protomorphogens can be an important component of a complete nutritional program. They provide short term (immediate) as well as long term benefits. Typical extracts drawn from animal sources include extracts from the:

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

Glandular and organ extracts are indicated when a patient's endocrine system is underproducing or undersecreting a specific hormone or when an organ is weakened or diseased, such as is often the case with cancer patients. The treatment is generally recognized as effective.

Benefits of Glandular Therapy

There are three principal nutritional benefits to glandular and organ extracts:

1. Active components

It is believed that glands and organs in animals and humans contain similar biochemical substances as their functions are very similar. This is especially true with the sheep from which most of these extracts are prepared. For example, sheep digestive system produces enzymes very similar to humans. Sheep tissue contains 2 enzymes found in only one other living organism-the human body. These enzymes are
(1) Aldose reductase, an enzyme for sugar breakdown

(2) Steroid 17 -20 lyase, an enzyme for both producing steroidal hormones and for the subsequent detoxification of those hormones from the body.

Thus, the effect of using the biochemical compounds extracted from animals is often one of "substituting" an exogenous (externally generated) source to make up for the endogenous (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 many other substances. Glandular therapy can supply essential nutritional needs in a highly efficient manner.

3. Adaptogenic effect

For a tissue cell to repair or replace itself, it must have the raw materials necessary. Glandular therapy provides the raw materials to the failing organs, glands, and tissues so that they can start the process of regeneration.
Acharyajisuggested a rational explanation for how glandular therapy products work. According to him, glandular-based food supplements may contain small polypeptide, protein-like substances which have specific messenger activity and which act on target tissues. Acharyaji suggested that many of the hormones found in the glandular tissues, even at low concentrations, still have potent tissue-specific activities. For example, a small polypeptide material present in one tissue can have selective effects in encouraging another tissue at a different site in the body to produce hormonal materials, which then may affect a final target tissue and change its physiological function. (1)

One of the key organs for metabolism is the thyroid gland. It regulates metabolism by releasing hormones that control energy production in all the body's cells. Administration of thyroid extract helps cells eliminate cellular waste and speeds up their restorative functions. A healthy thyroid is an important prerequisite to a healthy immune system.