Finally a product comes on the market that actually walks the talk.

Imunozen - modulates the immune system (think boosts, though technically some parts of our immune system are over worked and it mellows them out and other parts it enhances).

What is it good for? Well your immune system effects EVERYTHING going on in your body including recovery from training etc.

This product is so high quality that the patent and a study done on it is posted on the site.

Basic history.

A Canadian nuclear(Alan - I personally met and talked with) physicist got prostate cancer (well he's a Brit living in Canada at least). Before he had volunteered at a hospice and met a guy who had conventional treatment for prostate cancer. A couple things went wrong (they usually keep quite about that stuff but its not that rare) and at 64 he was in diapers, couldn't get it up, leaked etc etc Alan said he would never get the conventional treatment...

Of course he gets prostate cancer. Being a very experienced researcher he looked at what would be best to do. He was getting phytosterols from the UK and his levels were going down!!! In 2000 Codex came in and he couldn't get them any more... he had a 6 month supply left and his doc figured he need conventional treatment after 6 months again..

After 6months his levels kept dropping and the doc asked him what was going on... he held up a pill and said he made it...


Allan, with the help of Jack (Irish marathon runner - ran in numerous international events for Irland - a Brit and an Irishman lol) researched and developed their own product. Alan is now cancer free (read the patent closely for the products claims - you have to prove it does what you say to get a patent, usually patents simplify and understate in case. Alan said he didn't want to do that and went gungho ...cause it works!

Personal experience.

After researching it (I am pretty skeptical of products) I started taking.
I had some detox symptoms which is pretty common and a good thing.
My energy levels were up and I had worked without a day off 2 weeks straight, a few days over 12 hours plus a baby and not sleeping the best.
I also use to pee multiple times a night since before I was 20 I think - now once or not at all...

My wife - had an allergic reaction to alcohol added to the detox she was experiencing and had some mercury leak into the body - the skin reaction developed into psoriasis. Less than two weeks gone..

Know a woman that had tried everything for psoriasis (15 years had it). 13 days on imunozen - gone.

My sis in law - was constipated (going once every 5 days) first day on went and everyday sine.
Was on anxiety meds as needed (about 5 times a day) started to forget to take.
Pain in knee - doc sending to specialist - gone.
Hadn't had a period in 7 months... since starting 2 regular ones..

Getting it out to some fighters yesterday and prob tomorrow...

The immune system effects ALL and recovery is all about it.

It was designed for personal use.
Started going out to doctors and naturopaths (used it with AIDS, Hodgkin's etc with great results). 6-8 months ago it started to get marketed to the public.

The mix of sterols, antioxidants, fats etc is champ.
The quality of the ingredients is very high! (also all non GMO)

It has an enteric coating which means it dissolves in the intestines after leaving the stomach instead of in the stomach - which would destroy much of the goodness and have to take 10 pills instead of just one!!! (many companies know this but are in the business of selling pills you see)

www.shibumilife.com/11172
To order (not sure about international but will look up soon)


patent info
http://www.shibumilife.com/formPDF/literature_ImunoZenPatentInformation.pdf

pilot study (sterol 117 aka imunozen)
http://www.shibumilife.com/formPDF/literature_Celt%20Sterol117Trial.pdf


This IS a network marketing company (like Kiosaki, Trump, etc talk about). To order you do NOT have to commit to anything or sell anything. You may order for simple personal use!!!

(I was at a meeting and heard a bunch more personal stories - people going off meds, symptoms disappearing, energy, depression and bi-polar etc)

Usually notice great results with allergies, asthma, high colesterol, any autoimmune dis-ease, colitis, IBS, crohns etc

Because it modulated the immune system it helps your body do its own healing where ever you need it!!!

Please do the research - those who research this almost always get it. My opinion is it is good.

I have listen to Jack and Alan talk (story on site too) and they are not sales men in my opinion. They have their heart in this product. I have spoken with Alan personally as well and think these guys are wlking the talk.

(Side note if you believe in the power of intention - very specific intention goes into this product I believe)

Enjoy and share your results!!!

http://www.shibumilife.com/11172/joinus.php
order page
(you can simply buy for yourself and family etc)

Buy the way.

Send the empty bottle back if not completely satisfied for a full refund.
Billme any extra shipping costs if you want.

Diabetics - if you take keep an eye on blood sugar levels and work with your doc cause many people have reported great results on blood sugar levels etc

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0060919833/healingchoice-20

Waiting back from Jack to confirm which book but recalled the author etc

Love, Medicine and Miracles Dr Bernie Siegal (surgeon) was recommended by Jack(this or another of his first) for anyone who gets cancer or something big etc. Dr Bernie Siegal wrote his first book on healing etc after many patients he thought were terminal survived. As I understand it he started to look at what they had in common and what they did etc

There is no magic pill out there. It's life style, beliefs, nutrition etc

That said, imunozen is pretty powerful.

"[0024] Additionally, the invention is original and novel because it can not only assist in preventing possible causes of cancer,
but, it inhibits or reduces cancer cell growth in breast, colon and prostate cancer cases, and facilitates the removal of the dead
tissue arising from the death of the said tumors. That is, the composition can modulate or optimize, as opposed to only
boosting, the immune system, as discussed below."

find a product that's patent says that. oh and there's more too...

A little more from the patent.

[0026] The basis of the present invention is the use of a combination of phytosterols, anti-oxidants and fatty acid complexes
for the following purposes:

[0027] 1. To modulate the Human Immune System;

[0028] 2. To prevent or treat diseases of the Human Immune System, for example but by no means limited to:

[0029] Common cold and flu;

[0030] Microorganism infections, for example viral, yeast and bacterial infections;

[0031] Allergies;

[0032] Rheumatoid Arthritis;

[0033] Lupus;

[0034] Chronic Fatigue Syndrome;

[0035] Fibromyalgia;

[0036] Asthma;

[0037] Diabetes; and

[0038] Eczema.

[0039] 3. To inhibit or reduce cancer cell growth in breast, colon and prostate cancer cases;

[0040] 4. To maintain CD4 Lymphocyte counts in HIV patients;

[0041] 5. To treat enlarged prostate problems;

[0042] 6. As an anti-inflammatory agent; and

[0043] 7. Modifying blood lipid parameters, as discussed below.

"hey bro just thought i would update you on how im doing since i started takeing imunozen. well i dident have any simtoms of detox but i did notice a huge jump in energy i was on about 3 monster drinks a day and still felt like sleeping all the time and i was eating maybe 3 times a day at best

now i have a small coffee in the morning just to get the day going and thats it im good all day at work and i am eating lots and pooping even more ha ha ha i love it and i would say that my body acne has improved for sure no doubt about its almost gone all together

and im not sure if its the pills or the better diet im on but my joints feel much better after training im not so sore and recovery time is kick ass

my girlfrind and her kid had a bitching cold or flu something like that and it kicked there ass for over a week and i almost got it but as soon as i felt it kickin in on me i started on 2 a day pills again and 2 days later im GRRRRREAT!!! lol.. i have been telling people about this stuff im a big fan of the stuff for sure

THANKS AGAIN DUDE"

- MuayThai/MMA fighter

-note "recovery time kick ass"

above

-"huge jump in energy"
-pooping more
-"body acne improved, almost gone" - docs wanted to put on drugs
-"joints feel much better after training" - enjoys training again
-"recovery time is kick ass"
-stopped cold? likely helped a lot


This is a high quality product like little else out there.

Mark, how long does a bottle of this last, how many doses etc?? Also do you ship to the UK??

Regards

I believe you can get in the UK - I will check details on that...

Here you can order for $45+tax CA with 45 capsules in it (normally one a day). After the first two weeks that would be a 45 day supply. The first two weeks are a loading period.

Considerations are upping it close to an event etc

The designers are from England and Ireland though living in Canada...
I know Jack was talking about some runners in Ireland that were taking it (he is a former professional runner for Ireland himself).

"In the UK you can go to a company called Biopathica, they carry the product under the name Immuno-300.

Google the name Immuno-300 and their site will come up. You can order or have your contact in the UK order from them. They are a very nice group and will welcome your orders.

Jack"

http://www.immunity-health.co.uk/index.htm

For anyone in the UK that may be interested

You guys know how picky I am on quality and how I'm pretty skeptical right?

Well this stuff stands the tests in my experience and research. When I first looked at I was skeptical.

I had some samples sent to a friend that works with athletes, his credentials include CHEK III, HLC II, Metobolic Typing Advisor, Boisignature Modulation Practitioner PICP I, NCCP I, Olympic Lifting Coach. He helped me in what questions to ask and where to look to make sure of quality (everything from specific ingredients to independent lab testing etc). So I'm looking forward to his feed back - he is giving to some clients and I think himself.

Thanks for info MTK

What age can you start taking this ???

Briancal - I think any age should be ok but let me check first.

We have a lactation consultant that introduced the product to us and I can get hold of the guys who designed it too.

Cool thanks.

Mark L I have read a lot of your posts and you have become a good informative read on a lot of things but this product sounds too good to be true.

Question if this does what it says wouldnt this be a great product for mass use against swine flu to strenghen the imine system to help prevent coming down with it?

Thanks Mark I have ordered some from the UK supplier and will report back after a couple of weeks.

check out swine flu tread - my opinion is it is way less of a concern than malaria or getting hit by a car. Its hype and fear mongering in the attempts to sell billions worth of product and also to dumb down a population in my opinion.

That said yes, in my opinion it helps the immune system and at the core of it, in my opinion, that is the focus on strengthening (vaccine weaken the immune system)

Does sound to good.. I looked into it a lot.

Please look into and try...if no good cool :)

please post on another thread about swine flu but here are some links

http://www.facebook.com/ext/share.php?sid=102781739878&h=sLUAj&u=EyPt8&ref=

http://www.facebook.com/ext/share.php?sid=102820928790&h=4Dgpf&u=PLyfI&ref=mf

http://www.facebook.com/ext/share.php?sid=96333304763&h=Z25HI&u=7yGFc&ref=mf

OK Positive the UK supply company are on the ball ordered Sunday the product arrived yesterday and I have started to take it today. So will let you know how I get on.

Please do!!

I know im probably rocking the boat a bit here, but a quick search on Imunozen brings up many sites selling or recommending this product with great anecdotal “evidence”. this is no more than a sales pitch on a website trying to push their latest wonder pill. I tried to find credible research on imunozen, an found nothing. If you type the words imunozen and research into google the third site that is found is this thread, hardly an advert for a new wonder drug.

http://www.588firm.com/id83.html
this site makes grand claims for imunozen and states that a double blind test at the university of guelp can have a beneficial effect on immune parameters, this is next to no evidence at all. A single trial (which I am unable to find on their website or anywhere else) which the site claims without referencing and the fact that I cannot find any evidence on this product in any medical journals (the lancet,BMJ etc) leaves me slightly mistrustfull.
I suggest before you invest some hard earned cash on this product you do a little thinking on the Placebo effect. During the Vietnam war when Morphine ran out it was found that in 60% of cases an administration of saline (under the guise of morphine) had similar pain relieving effects. The placebo effect of telling kids, teachers and parents in durham that fish oil will improve concentration lead to a rise in exam passes, however the “trails” were not carried out in any proper scientific manner and were therefore unreliable (their was a small rise in marks, however this is assumed to be because the kids were all told they would concentrate more and so they did”) this has lead to massive sales of omega3 oils. There is a common assumption that new age/old world/organic/homeopathic remedies are better than modern medicines which are of course part of the new world order and controlled by “the man”. This is eronous and often dangerous.
I don’t want to ramble on too much and perhaps ( but I doubt it) this product does what it says on the tin, time will tell. I do suggest though you try reading Bad Science by Ben Goldacre. http://www.badscience.net/. This is very enlighting.

stevie

Plasebo is huge...

I am not going to go into it all now and I think researching it is GREAT!

This was a product made by someone for himself the study at Guelf was paid for by himself. You're not going to get in JAMA etc real easy...

I am a big skeptic... Try looking for Sterol 117. I recall finding the study on line before I as sent a copy...

I'll post more soon...

Personal experience will go further than any research also.

For every bit of praise you will find a negative I always believe for £44 you can make your own mind up about something.
I have been using the product a week and havent found any great difference but a weeks not much of a trail so I will keep you in touch.

Great point Dave.

You have been doing the loading amounts I assume?

Not everything is for everybody and not everybody getting benefits will notice them.

Pay attention to over all mood. Bowel movements- frequency, consistency of stool etc... energy levels, recovery levels, breathing clarity/depth, soreness, recovery, healing times, digestion...

For some it might not be good, for many might be subtle and for many be huge. The healthier you are the more likely for it to be subtle in noticibility.

Missed the bit about loading what is the suggestion for the first two weeks is it two per day?

Yes! :)

Just got some to a friend with IBS.. she has a baby almost a year old.

She says her energy levels are way up (not needing coffee in am now) and her bowel movements are much improved!!!... she also said she's not near as bitchy (her words lol).

Been on it 4 days.

ive reading posts and after doing a bit of research ive ordered it

as a sufferer of atopic eczema and sometime contact dermitites im eager to see if it will have any effect on them! :)

ordered them on sunday, arrived this morning. loading for 2 weeks.

going to keep a camera log of the areas which have a touch of eczema and post to show results or lack of :)

Brilliant PLEASE keep us informed _ if there is something real and true with this supplement i know lots of people who could benefit.

The shit is legit (working on my rap rhymes lol)

Nothing is for everyone.

smcd - 2 a day for first 2 weeks (personally I would take two a day all the time if it was cheaper) depending on your caloric intake you might do better on more..

Especially if you have lots of energy expenditure.

For real specifics it can be beneficial to take more till the issue goes away or at least starts...

Keep us posted and feel free to email... it is possible you may feel detox symptoms which can be almost anything.

dont know if this counts as detox symptons but had a bad head ache for the first 2 days of taking the tablets

on a brighter note - had a shave today and its the first time in as long as i can remember that i didnt need to drown myself in moisturiser andmy skin in general seems alot better, more hydrated

Detox can manifest as almost anything... You'd have to see what else is going on in your life and any other changes however i would say there is a good bet there is some stuff going on and some work happening.

Awesome to hear on skin being better already!!!

Keep us posted

keep your water intake up too!

The pills are great, however there is no magic pill and it is just a piece of a puzzle.

HI Mark,

does this work or have side affects when used with "weight loss pills!" such as apidexin or T5s??? also im really interested in getting my sis on to this to help with her bi-polar, if

I don't know about the pills you mentioned - my guess is no...

I have had one person tell me they're too sensitive.
2 people say it made allergies worse.

All three of these I think is the body purging or detoxing etc... reballancing and the recommendation is to up the amount.

Other than that a little stomach discomfort at first i have seen a few times - i had also...

mostly awesome feed back

nothing works for everyone - immunozen is way worth a shot imo

lots of positive feed back with mental emotional including "bi-polar"

Cheers Mark!
well I have ordered some - and will report back with feedback!
I have also mentioned this to a friend with Crones and he is intrigued by it so will prob give it a go......

Awesome - take about 30min before eating (or 2 hours after) and start with 2 a day for 2 weeks. (they say one twice a day)

regarding crohn's - strongly recommend looking at mental/emotional stressors especially close to on set of symptoms.

update :)

the areas of contact dermititas are on the verge of disappearing

the atopic eczema is still present be it somewhat reduced in severity

so good knows all round :) i had to miss 2 days worth as i came down with gastroenteritis and i wasnt able to keep the tablet in my system long enough!

sounds great -how long so far?

is this dead then with no reports???

sorry, as i missed the last few days of the stacking process, i started over!

dermatits is almost gone, skin is less dry all round and i can apply more products, E.G shaving cream and aftershaves. i can use cleaning products for cleaning the house without sever reaction

my atopic eczema, well in my opinion is it has helped but alot of things factor into that.

hayfever, since ive started taking it, ive had no irritation in my eyes and ive not been congested, also my tolerance to animal fur has gone up considerable.

i can also say i have more energy in mornings (shouldnt be a problem at only 20 but it is) and i also feel i have more in the tank when training.

bowl movements, feel more cleaned out, like my body is actually using more of the food i put into it but i did have a gut infection and now that ive recovered that may be the reason.

Wow - awesome results and in what time frame???

Thanks for sharing it with us.

Nothing is for everyone... Nothing!

This product in my opinion will do well for almost everyone!
Depending where you're at health wise you may notice more or less. If you are very healthy you may have to pay close attention.

Hi Mark

Great product, I've been using it around a month now and my allergic asthma has just about disappeared, my body acne is nearly clear and I'm so much more energetic with much less sleep (due to a new baby).
I've got a question though, on the side of the bottle it says if you are nursing, consult your physician. I'd like my girlfriend to take it but not sure as she's breastfeeding our 10 week old baby. As for consulting our physician, the NHS doctors in England aren't the most knowlegeable when it comes to alternative medicines to say the least.
She's planning to carry on breastfeeding for a while yet but I think that she would really benefit from immunozen, any reason why it would be unsafe?
Any help is much appreciated,

Thanks

Ian

NHB

My wife was nursing and used some... we know a lactation consultant that thinks its fine. If you look up the makers of the stuff and send them an email I bet they will respond - great guys!

That said I would think twice before doing.

One consideration is that you can get a detox effect which may come out in the milk...

If I were to try some I would not do the loading stage and maybe go on and off a little a couple days on and one off or something and slowly increase to one a day then look int upping it as I think it will also be great for baby.

Again I am no expert and I would ask the makers there opinion and if they can connect you with a someone with personal experience...

The lactation consultant we know thinks it is good. Again if i chose to use it I would not load and start slow.

Any detox signs (look up on line detox in general) I'd back off and leave a few days and try again with maybe a smaller amount before again increasing.

That is my unprofessional opinion and you should consult a medical professional (who will have no idea lol)

Awesome to hear it works for you!!!

Sterol supplements such as Imunozen are specifically not recommended for pregnant or nursing mothers because they can interfere with hormones. Particularly for pregnancy I would only get advice from a professionally qualified dietician, GP or midwife, as the label recommends.

Personally I wouldn't bother with Imunozen at all, pregnant or not. A generic sterol supplement from Boots contains 5 times as much (1500 mg instead of 300 mg) but at a much lower cost: £10 for 60 pills. The source is the same in both: a byproduct of the pine wood pulp industry called tall oil which is also used as a cheap ingredient in soap and varnish. Sterols appear in food anyway, particularly seed based oils such as corn or soya. As with all food supplements any excess simply passes through the body and goes down the loo. Sterols can interfere with cholesterol reducing medicines such as statins so people taking them are advised to get medical advice first. The plant sterol esters that appear in these supplements can also reduce the uptake of vitamin E, so people are advised to eat more foods (not supplements) containing this.

The other ingredients are antioxidants and some unnamed fatty acids. The antioxidant theory has been comprehensively debunked. The most common antioxidants are vitamins A, C and E, beta carotene and selenium. A Cochrane review of 250,000 people in 67 trials found that vitamin C and selenium needed more research to find if they do anything, and the others can actually increase the mortality rate. If antioxidants are required, a supermarket multivitamin supplement is much cheaper. However, again these nutrients appear in food and any excess is excreted by the body.

What this means is that the only thing left is the placebo effect. However the high cost is a bit of a waste of money: you could buy a lot of good food for the same as one bottle of Imunozen. You could spend the money on something like a trip to a health spa or a day out with family. There's also nothing preventing you from buying cheaper generic supplements. Most of the active ingredients are made by the same pharmaceutical companies anyway.

Imunozen is an unregulated food supplement. Its marketing is very clever: it claims to alleviate symptoms rather than curing diseases, and other people come up with anecdotes for it. However the manufacturer's publicity has massive disclaimers to avoid the FDA or NICE asking awkward questions about things like efficacy or side effects. Once you get past all the new age waffle all you're left with is a food supplement that contains small amounts of sterols and vitamins. I daresay the disclaimer for Immuno-Care (same product, different name) says all you need to know, and not just that they can't spell:

This information has been compiled for educational purposes only. Celt Naturals makes no claims as to treatment, daignosis, curring or preventing any disease. We recommend consultation with your doctor
or healthcare professional
*This product is not available for sale or distribution in the United States
No statements or information on this site have been
evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration

"A generic sterol supplement from Boots contains 5 times as much (1500 mg instead of 300 mg)"

please be more specific exactly what type of sterols and the source as the above is a very general statement sounding one way but short on facts.

I know not all sterols and sources are the same - I am curious as to what the specifics are of Boots by comparrison.

- it is great to look into and make educated decisions.. I have personally looked into, read the studies, talked with people taking and experimeted wth my self and seen friends and family take. I have personally conversed with the makers on phone and in person.

I am happy to here more details, rather than general statements.

As stands I feel good about the product.

i think Dara sums this up pretty well, Nutritionists, homeopathics new age cures- get in the sack.

Marcus has raised some good points. The placebo affect is a powerful thing. Most supplements that people take get pissed out, including a large amount of the protein contained in whey protein shakes, which people spend millions on! Ridiculous waste of money

I agree most are crap at best.

One thing I like with immunozen is the enteric coating so that it doesn't not dissolve in the acid environment of the stomach but absorbs through the small intestines more alkaline environment which makes for better absorption... this is a costly and difficult process, especially when using vegetable based coating.

You will almost for sure not find this on any other sterol suppliment... please correct me if you can find another.

This way you don't need as much as the acidic stomach juices aren't destroying as much... many companies know this but its about selling a product... these guys worked hard, I believe (personally talked with makers) to do their best.

Again it was not made to put on the market but for personal use originally (designer had prostate cancer)

"real science" if medicine is real science has anyone looked at the history and track record??? LOL propaganda people...


Doctors in US 3rd leading cause of death - this comes from conservative!!! numbers for JAMA!!! (Journal Of American Medical Association) - very esteemed, conservative med journal...

A little off topic but the social conditioning and propaganda/advertising has lead people to ridicule so called alternative (read none harmful) methods

the general public don"t look at actual numbers or logic and even have stopped asking the medical system to back up its method scientifically (yes, show me the studies with most procedures, medicines, vaccines on safety and effectiveness - you'd be surprised how little they are there) - the propaganda/advertising has the masses laughing, a great defense, at anything that threatens the medical systems stasis quo and money generating factor...

one simple fact from the medical system!!!
not even the full picture as these are conservative figures that can directly be linked and proved - note many people will ridicule this without even looking - nor consider the source is JAMA etc

• 12,000 deaths per year due to unnecessary surgery

• 7000 deaths per year due to medication errors in hospitals

• 20,000 deaths per year due to other errors in hospitals

• 80,000 deaths per year due to infections in hospitals

• 106,000 deaths per year due to negative effects of drugs

Thus, America's healthcare-system-induced deaths are the third leading cause of the death in the U.S., after heart disease and cancer.

quick search

Number of deaths for leading causes of death
•Heart disease: 631,636
•Cancer: 559,888
•Stroke (cerebrovascular diseases): 137,119
•Chronic lower respiratory diseases: 124,583
•Accidents (unintentional injuries): 121,599
•Diabetes: 72,449
•Alzheimer's disease: 72,432
•Influenza and Pneumonia: 56,326
•Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome, and nephrosis: 45,344
•Septicemia: 34,234

I was following this discussion for a while before my original post. The marketing for Imunozen makes a lot of pseudo medical claims so I wanted to find out what the active ingredients are that cause the effects claimed and how effective they. This included reading through the patent, the Guelph study and a number of other papers at places including Medline Plus which is a standard site for academic research papers for evidence based medicine. I also found a site with questions and answers about plant sterols at http://www.bfr.bund.de/cd/9581 which provides a more objective view than some of the places trying to sell them. It's tricky to get a lot of details because the manufacturers of Imunozen don't list everything that goes into those compounds with names that are trademarks. What I could find out is that Imunozen is not suitable for vegetarians because the ingredient called Cellasate contains fish oil extracts. There may be some confusion because the capsules have a vegetarian coating. Something all the studies into sterol supplements agree on is that they should not be taken by children, pregnant or nursing mothers, people who've had organ transplants, people with diabetes, people with MS or people taking other medication except under the advice of a doctor. This includes the manufacturer's instructions and the Guelph study which included a pregnancy test for the 16 women involved.

One mistake I made in my original post that I'm happy to correct is saying that the sterols in Imunozen come from tall oil. In most food supplements it is but Imunozen comes from processed soya oil. It does however contain other ingredients extracted from pine bark. Actually there is another product that has soya-derived sterols and contains pretty much the same proportion of beta sitosterol as Imunozen. This is called Cholestatin. Each pill contains 400 mg rather than 300 mg of sterols and 160 mg of beta sitosterol. Multiplying this by 3/4 gives you 120 mg which is virtually identical to the 117 mg that Imunozen contains. Cholestatin doesn't contain the fish oils, vitamin C or flavinoids that Imunozen contains and neither does it claim to "modulate" your immune system. On the other hand it only costs US $8 from Amazon. The body is actually pretty good at modulating things on its own: it's a biological process called homeostasis.

I had a read through the Guelph study and there are a few areas that concern me. It only covered 20 people, 16 of them women, and only lasted a month. There were 2 groups, one taking Imunozen and one not. It has been known for some time that plant sterols reduce the absorption of cholesterol: Benecol and Flora Proactive are sterol enriched margarines that have been available for years. The Guelph study tested the hypothesis that sterols reduce the absorption of cholesterol but it did NOT attempt to find out the optimum amount of beta sitosterol required to do this. A more detailed study involving more people for a longer period and trying varying amounts of different sterols ranging from none to the maximum recommended amount of 3000 mg a day would be the way to do this. This one shows a good way how to do it, covering 106 people over a year Another study covering 1,551 people over 12 months also demonstrates some of the methodologies needed for a more conclusive study.

Something else I found out is that big pharma and the alternative health industry are very closely related. Imunozen contains a compound called Enzogenol which is made by Enzo Nutraceuticals Ltd of New Zealand. In the US this is distributed by a company called B&D Nutritional Products (source: http://www.bndni.com/products.html) whose suppliers also include Eastman Chemical Co and Kemin Industries Inc among others. Eastman started off by making photographic chemicals and was spun off from Eastman Kodak in 1994. Kemin is a multinational that makes ingredients for agricultural foodstuffs among other things. Celt Naturals might not see itself as part of big pharma but it buys from a company that is supplied by it. Some of the biggest food supplement manufacturers are pharmaceutical companies. Between 1999 - 2001 Hoffmann-La Roche, BASF, Aventis SA, Solvay Pharmaceuticals, Merck, Daiichi Pharmaceutical, Esai and Takeda Chemical Industries were fined hundreds of millions of pounds by the EU, US, Canadian and Australian governments for operating an illegal cartel to fix the price of vitamins. Merck's vitamin subsidiary in the UK is Seven Seas Ltd.

"Alternative" medicines are not necessarily inherently harmless. As I mention above, there are groups that are specifically told not to take sterol supplements because they can have undesirable effects. Another one is St John's Wort which can have serious side effects if taken with other medicines. Foxglove was also once used as a "natural" medicine until the active compound was identified and synthesised, and obviously the plant is still highly toxic.

The JAMA article isn't really relevant to a discussion on a food supplement made from fish, pine bark and processed cooking oil, but there's a full version at http://silver.neep.wisc.edu/~lakes/iatrogenic.pdf. From reading it I get the impression that Dr Starfield's point is not that doctors are bad but that the US medical system requires reform and that people without medical insurance are more likely to die due to poor medical care and not being registered with a GP. For a start it is entitled "Is US Health really the best in the world?" She says that the Canadian health care system is the 3rd best and the British the 9th best whereas the US system is the 12th out of 13. Germany was the 13th. As the final paragraph says:

Recognition of the harmful effects of healthcare interventions, and the likely possibility that they account for a substantial proportion of the excess deaths in the United States compared with other comparably industrialized nations [my italics], sheds light on imperatives for research and health policy. Alternative explanations for these realities deserve intense exploration.

Strangely enough this paragraph doesn't appear everywhere that quotes the headline figures from the article and it puts a very different emphasis on things. This isn't quite the same emphasis that some places give but it ties in with the research interests and other articles listed on her web pages at Johns Hopkins University. The main point is more "why isn't US health care as good as in other countries?" than "why do doctors kill so many people?"

mh - awesome for looking just started reading and may post as I go...

pregnant/breast feeding - certainly look into for self in this area.. it has been my limited experience that it is common for things to be said not safe when no studies have been done to prove safe... this is common with many western medicines (which I avoid). They cover their ass just in case cause they don't know. I know a lactation consultant (person who told my wife about immunozen) who recommends it... again, one must look into it and make an informed choice.

I also agree that some of the companies selling the product i don't care for their sales or other products - I was very skeptical...

The Guelph study - I agree it is limited - it is also much much easier to play with numbers when you have hundreds of people.

Allan paid for the study out of his own pocket also. Though this can be seen as a conflict of interest it is also the only way a study would have been done and he sure doesn't have the cash to influence how it turns out i don't think.

Soy - I am very much against soy for human consumption as a food, largely due to the phyto-estrogen's (never mind most soy is gmo these days also)... this was a big concern for me and I also found connections to other soy studies at Guelph that made me even more hesitant.

Again, talking to people taking and talking to the makers gave me enough confidence to experiment with myself, friends and family.

I'd like to look at the other product you mentioned more closely - (what country is that available in also?)


If I get time I think I'll forward your lat post to Jack and or Allan and see if they would like to respond. :)

Awesome for looking so deep. I'll keep your suggestions and thoughts a close read in the future knowing you do some personal looking!

I emailed Jack and will post response.

This is an old email I thought you may be interested in.

1. Who funded the research of the studies they are using?

the funding came from our own personal savings that we invested into the company. most companies that sell supplements do not want to do double blind studies, they are afraid the results might not show much of anything. we came from a differnt approach. we wanted to know what our pill was capable off. we want to do more studies, but they are very costly.
>
> 2. What is the source and quality of their ingredients?

we use only the highest quality of raw material. in fact even though the suppliers of the raw material send certficates of analysis to verify the product, we hold all new material in quaranteen and send it out again to check for microbials, and containaments, then when it is cleared we start to manufacture. Then the final product is sent to be tested again.
>
> 3. What lab formulates the product for them?we formulated the product.

no one else did it for us. we spent a long time getting it right. the product is very complex, and we have portions of it made in 3 different locations. not all manufactueres are able to do all the bits we require.
>
> 4. How does the source compare to food sources of these plant sterols?

sterols are found in seeds, nuts, fruits and begetables. however modern day processing destroys a lot of these valuable phyto-nutrients. we know from studies done in Florida by a UK university that many of the fruits and begetables that are sprayed with pesticides product much less of these phyto-nutrients and so the diet does not give out enough. also because the diet years ago had less fat content and fat in the diet blocks absorption of sterols, people are not getting enough of them in their diets to do the job of immune modulation.

>
> 5. The ancedotal evidence you mention is impressive, did the
> individuals make any other changes in their regime at the same
> time the started with
> this product?

in general most people started to take ImunoZen alone, and found it started to improve their symptoms. others were under the care of doctors, who in many cases were on special protocols, BUT when the doc introduced ImunoZen to the patients protocol, they noticed faster improvement.

>
> 6. What's the background of this company and how do they market their
> product?"

if you are asking what is our credentials, Alan is a UK trained nuclear physicist, and also has a chemistry background. Jack is a UK trained engineer. we never dreampt of starting a supplement business. but when other people asked to try the pill and found it helped them, things started to develop and before we knew it we were being asked by more and more people where they could buy the product. so we started off selling to doctors through a Vancouver distributor, and moved into retail health stores. we now sell in the USA, and UK and parts of EU. i guess thats concidered the traditional way of selling product. we have done it this way for 10 years. our goal was to help as many people as possible, but the traditional way is slow and hard. we were introduced to network marketing and saw that it opened up a beautiful area of being able to talk to people one on one. we want to make sure that we present our story, and our product in a very honest and credable way. the traditional network marketing of almost a "pentecostal revival approach" just doesnt sit with us. I think that came across at the Mapleridge get together. We had comments from many people that they were surprised it wasnt what they typically had expected from an MLM meeting.
>
>
>
- a misunderstanding in the email and some reworded questions much the same but with some new info...

1. Did Alan (or you both) pay for his own study?

we both paid for the study out of our hard earned savings. nothing has been given to us in donations, loans from banks, govment handouts, all from the sweat of our brows.

> 2. Phytosterols - non-GMO soy,
> enzogenol (antioxidants) - "Aqueous" Pine
>
Bark Extract Antioxidant,
> derived from the New Zealand "Pinus Radiata" tree & pure waterthis species gives over a much higher amount of flavanoids and oligomeric proanthocyadins. these are basically the active ingredients in the antioxidant compound

> Cellasate - EFA mix etc (can I get more info
> on this?)

cellasate is an essential fatty acid complex. from peptides. it has components that help to make the nutrients more bioavailble to the body. many supplements on the market today have very low absorption rates. sterols are easily destroyed when isolated from foods, so had to protect them by also enteric coating in order to get the right therapeutic results we were after

> Could you give me the names of the labs for testing
> and any other related
> info please.

> 3. What lab?

we test our product in a independant lab in edmonton called "Labsmart" they are Health Canada approved and it is important that products be tested and cotrolled. most supplements cut corners, or do a sampling of tests once in a while. Many companies that have products with multiple ingredients in them, only spot check one or two of the actives. they concider that sufficient, we check everything.

> 4. I think what he might be asking here is the quality of the
> sterols in
> pill form as compared to in food form.

of course we have
> soil quality and
> realistic consumption amounts of veg etcas i mentioned above it is hard to get enough sterols in the average diet. we pull our sterols from organic, non-GMO soy beans. you would have to eat a lot of fruits and vegetables these days to get 300mg of sterols, most diets today to not afford this volume, nor would people eat that amount. there are all different grades of sterols at raw material source. many in todays market come from wood pulp. we do not like tis idea as they are from pulp mill affluent, and carry over some nasty chemicals used in the mills. most of the big food companies for instance that put sterols in foods are from wood derived sources, they are much cheaper.

> 5. got this one...

> 6. If you could write a sentance or two on this for me to
> pass on that
> would be great. I know a little about how it all started and a
> little about
> how MJ got involved but not about 117 or Immuno-Care as much etc

it was developed to initially help Alan battle cancer and to support his immune system, and allow his body to fight the disease without the use of pharmaceuticals. once we started research we knew that the body is capable of doing many things, and sometimes it only needs some gental encouragement. we did not think of a business aspect, only how we could help Alan, it took of from there, and we have been around now for 10 years.

Was talking with a friend of mine with a degree in political science... she took some courses on statistics and was also of the opinion that the smaller amount of people involved in in a study the harder it is to play with. She thinks statistics are almost totally malleable and easily made to look anyway you want - of course the bigger the numbers the easier.

(interestingly after she graduated she was devastated her teacher would not give her a recommendation for a job she wanted... he told her, and was dead serious, that if she actually did her job how she wanted she wouldn't last at best and might be killed as she doesn't think inside the box and wants to make real change - the prof comes from a fourth generation of diplomats and was brought up in the Egyptian palace, as his dead was a head gov rep posted there)

My family has a history of male pattern baldness and I'm scared I may possibly have a receding hairline. Will Imunozen help?

I'd ask the designers and my guess is they don't know :) though may have some thoughts etc

That said I think stress, worry, in the head too much etc is one of the biggest factors and it will help one handle stress.

I trade sessions with a Chinese doctor and we were talking about balding... trying to recall what came up... I think it was to do with too much yang (yin/yang balance)... I'll intend to ask her - she is in Indian right now...

Feel free to remind me... I owe her a session right now so I'll likely see her on her return.

What about halitosis?

My guess is more toxins coming in than body systems able to take out/imbalances... thats my guess

this product helps with the immune system and bodies natural detox.. some people (often) get detox symptoms when taking.

All the "issues" are just symptoms (the origin of the word symptom is signal!). Signals of imbalance, signals something isn't working. We are so conditioned by the media and school systems to think only that there is a defect and there is something out there for it... magic pill, medical procedure.

Diet and life style cover a huge!!! amount of stuff and even if there is something more specifc that needs to be done diet and lifestyle are the foundation, without the same signal will usually come back or a new one will show. (I knew a woman that said she was very happy with the western medical approach regarding cancer - she said it worked for her (breast cancer) 5 times!!! WTF!!!??? 5 TIMES!!! Maybe, just maybe you are dealing with the signals and shutting them up instead of the true cause (etiology)


This product helps balance the immune system and your immune system deals with loads, so I think it is great and can help a lot... I'd also consider what imbalances there maybe

(get some good probiotics and eat some organic virgin coconut oil daily is a small part in my opinion. And look at cutting out some toxins...

That is just a guess and opinion...

If I have a urine infection, can I dissolve some Imunozen in a glass of water (boiled of course) and bath my nether regions in it?

Nephilim - peace

MH - this is the response I got from forwarding your right up, research, questions.

"HI Mark,



Firstly we do not supply ImunoZen to Shibumi anymore.



Thanks for the email on the list of threads on the blog.



There are so many questions in this that it would take me ages to respond. I will respond quickly by saying that whoever mentioned the Now product Cholesatin didn’t read the label as it mentions there are citrus pectin in the product, but I didn’t see any in Now’s ingredient label. If there are citrus pectin in the product it is a source of dietary fibre, a gelling agent and little if any nutritional value. Citrus pectin known as a-D-galaclosyluronic acid would be a compound that would not work well with the sterols, it has a carboxyl group in the structure. Citrus pectin would also be destroyed by stomach acids.



The company “Now” mentions sterolins which we have found no research to support sterol ins having any therapeutic relevance. This sub-structure of sterols is not referenced correctly. A reliable source for organic compounds would be the Merck Pharmacopia, and it does not refer to “sterolins” but rather to the more accurate name of beta-sitosterol glucocide. (sugar)



Our study at Guelph was done on a small covert of people on a short period of time as it runs a higher degree of risk when done on small populations. Most companies will get a higher percentage of success if they do these studies on large population and over longer periods of time. It was also an investigation of potential immune/allergy parameters.



Hope you are well and keeping fit, which I am sure you are.

Cheers

Jack"

Ooh ooh, can you ask him if ImunoZen is, in fact, just asprin with a fancy name and pretending it cures cancer?

A study by Awad and Fink suggests that beta sitosterol can improve some of the symptoms of prostatic hyperplasia. However this does not lead to prostate cancer and the amount they found to be significant was 60 mg of beta sitosterol. The study suggested that sterols may offer protection from cancer but further research is needed. This study was published in 2000. However a study published in 2001 by Normén AL, Brants HA, Voorrips LE, Andersson HA, van den Brandt PA, Goldbohm RA entitled "Plant sterol intakes and colorectal cancer risk in the Netherlands Cohort Study on Diet and Cancer" found that "A high dietary intake of plant sterols was not associated with a lower risk of colon and rectal cancers in the Netherlands Cohort Study on Diet and Cancer." This covered a sample size of 120,852 people over a little more than 6 years, and 620 colon and 344 rectal cancer cases were detected. Another study, by Jourdain C, Tenca G, Deguercy A, Troplin P, Poelman D, found that while beta sitosterol may have a small effect specifically on the growth of prostate cancer cells, polyphenols from cocoa have a greater effect. In other words, chocolate is better, as is often the case.

To be honest my interest in this only goes so far. I'm a software developer with pretty good research skills and a high boredom threshold rather than a biochemist. My main points are that Imunozen is a very expensive way to get hold of things like sterols that occur naturally in food, and a lot more research is needed to find a causal link between taking them and the effects claimed. Personally I'd go by the findings of the study by Jourdain et al and spend the money on a selection of goodies from Hotel Chocolat or Thorntons instead.

mh cool cool

it is my limited experience that one can almost always find what they want from studies... well anything for that matter...

I have seen quite a few positive results and experience to me is huge.


Nephilim
I wish you well