| Go Glandular! Niche Supplements Are Poised for Renewal © VR | |||
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By Lisa Turner
Now, however, as manufacturers are implementing strict control procedures and guaranteeing toxin-free sources, glandulars are coming back again. "There's no question that they offer tremendous benefits," declared John Burgstiner, president of Preventive Therapeutics, Atlanta, GA. "For practitioners who understand how the body works, glandular therapy is an extremely valuable way of helping people." The Endocrine System The endocrine system is made up of a number of glands, including the hypothalamus, pituitary, thyroid, parathyroid, adrenals, pineal, reproductive glands (ovaries and testes) and the pancreas. These glands produce and secrete hormones, which regulate metabolism, growth, sexual development and other body functions and systems. (Although the endocrine glands are the body's main hormone producers, some non-endocrine organs, such as the liver, brain, kidneys, thymus, placenta, heart and lungs, also produce and release hormones.) Hormones, acting as chemical messengers, transfer information between cells; they act to regulate mood, growth and development, and aid in tissue function, metabolism, sexual function and reproductive processes. Levels of these vital hormones are influenced by stress, infection and changes in the balance of fluid and minerals in blood. Too much or too little of any hormone can be harmful to the body. A malfunctioning endocrine system can induce a number of problems, including diabetes, osteoporosis, adrenal insufficiency and thyroid disorders; overall health and well-being will be affected as well. "If hormones are out of balance, we age more quickly, we experience stress in a different way and our emotions are affected dramatically," said Theresa Dale, ND, founder of the Wellness Center in West Lake Village, CA. By working on a hormonal level, glandular supplements can safely help correct a number of imbalances and disorders. "Glandulars are well-suited to addressing issues such as stress, digestion, blood sugar balance, immune support and energy production," said Jeff Kuklenski, marketing manager of Natra-Bio in Ferndale, WA. "They also allow you to treat the master gland–the pituitary–which allows proper secretion of vital hormones." Glandulars refer to supplements derived from animal gland tissues or organs; these include adrenal, pancreas, spleen, thymus and thyroid. It is thought that they supply biologically active hormones and thus provide the raw material needed to enhance the function of the corresponding human gland. Thus, bovine adrenal tissue would have a biological effect on human adrenal glands, bovine pituitary tissue would have a biological effect on human pituitary glands, and so on. For example, the thymus gland is crucial to proper function of the immune system, and cow thymus has been shown to enhance immune function in humans (Kouttab NM, et al. Med Oncol Tumor Pharmacother 1989;6(1):5-9). "There's a lot of similarity between the biochemical activities of the bovine and human adrenal glands," said Rafael Avilia, manager of research and development at Nature's Plus in Melville, NY. "The hormones they produce are alike, and while the exact structure of the hormones may differ somewhat, the major building blocks are very similar. So the philosophy is that if you consume these glands, you will provide your body with the necessary raw materials to enhance the health of the corresponding gland or organ in your body." The idea of consuming glandulars for corresponding glandular support isn't new. "The use of glandulars goes back centuries," said Burgstiner, "and it's actually used in allopathic medicine too. Modern medicine replaces the thyroid gland with thyroid hormone, the adrenal gland with cortisone, the pancreas gland with insulin and the ovaries with estrogen and progesterone. This is nothing new. It's time tested and established." Even so, glandular sales have decreased during the past few years, according to most manufacturers interviewed for this article. One primary reason: consumer fears about contracting "mad cow disease," or bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), a chronic, degenerative disorder affecting the central nervous system of cattle. Other areas of concern include pesticides, antibiotics and environmental toxins concentrated in meat tissue. "I think that's why our sales dropped," surmised Rocky Heinrich, CEO of The Rockland Corp., Tulsa, OK. "We used to sell quite a bit of glandulars, but over the last two or three years, it started dropping." However, as manufacturers pay more attention to quality control measures, and find ways to ensure consumers of clean products, sales of glandulars should begin to rise again. "Glandulars are coming back, slowly but surely," stated Barry Warkentin, president of Premier Labs, Temecula, CA. "And that increase will probably continue for some time." Sourcing Glandular Materials Are consumers' concerns about contaminated glandulars justified? "Absolutely," emphasized Sunil Kohli, vice president of Health Plus in Chino, CA. "The thing most consumers are concerned with now is 'mad cow,' or BSE. The good news is, we know where it's prevalent at the moment, so we can avoid those areas for sourcing." One of the main ways manufacturers ensure safe glandulars is by sourcing from domestically raised meat or from countries known to be free of BSE. Because of strict surveillance and import measures implemented by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), it's extremely unlikely that contaminated meat could enter the United States. "Natra-Bio uses only bovine products that have been collected under USDA inspection," said Mary Beth Watkins, R&D manager of Natra-Bio in Ferndale, WA. "All animals receive pre- and post-mortem inspections and have been found suitable for human consumption." Some manufacturers source meat from Canada, where BSE is not known to exist, and all meat products are tightly regulated and controlled by the Canadian equivalent of the USDA. New Zealand is also considered a safe source. "We have certification from the New Zealand department of agriculture and forestry stating that the cattle and animals in New Zealand have never had BSE, hoof and mouth, or any of a dozen other diseases," said Warkentin. Most manufacturers will also insist on certification from suppliers that their meat sources are healthy. "We have veterinary certificates for all animals that may be used in our glandulars," said Avilia. "We also ask our suppliers to guarantee meat has not originated from, traveled through or been in the same container as meat from BSE-contaminated countries." Conventionally raised meat sources raise additional purity concerns, such as antibiotics and pesticides. These toxins can be accumulated in the glands of animals, so glandulars derived from organically raised meats are another alternative. "You need to be using organic sources of meat to avoid antibiotics, pesticides and hormones," said Burgstiner. "If you use glandulars from animals that aren't raised organically, you're going to be ingesting high levels of whatever that animal was exposed to." Other related issues include yeasts, molds and bacterial contamination, issues that can be addressed through adequate testing. For example, glandular raw materials received at Enzymatic Therapy, Green Bay, WI, are also subjected to a battery of laboratory analyses, including tests for contamination with yeast, molds, and bacteria such as E. coli, salmonella, and staphylococcus, according to Jennifer Peters, manager of medical communication and education. A growing number of consumers desire vegetarian or alternative (i.e., non-meat) sources of glandulars, like iodine-containing kelp for thyroid, that may also promote glandular support. But the consensus among glandular manufacturers is that these aren't generally as efficacious as gland tissues from animals. "The theory is that like cells help like cells," said Watkins. "This means that raw adrenal concentrate, for instance, contains a variety of known and unknown intrinsic factors that support adrenal function in the recipient." "There are hundreds of different compounds that occur in these glandulars," said Avilia. "If you're subscribing to the philosophy of glandulars, you need all of those raw materials. Attempting to consume those substances individually, especially in their pure form, would be impossible." "The bottom line," asserted Warkentin, "is that there are many nutrients you just can't get in vegetable products." Making Glandulars Most glandulars are powders, processed in essentially the same way to create a highly concentrated product. "To make our liver complex, for example, we start with 3,000 pounds of liver," said Kenny Soejoto, executive vice president of American Labs in Omaha, NE. "By the time it's dried and in powdered form, the yield is probably about 600 pounds–so it's very concentrated." Raw glands, a byproduct of the meat processing industry, are obtained from various sources. The glands are then freeze-dried, spray-dried or vacuum-dried at low temperatures to retain nutrients, then processed into concentrated powders. As the product is being processed, most manufacturers follow a series of quality control checks. "We have a very large staff that basically deals with the product from raw material all the way through to the very end," said Rod Schake, vice president of sales at American Labs. "For our company, manufacturing procedures have to follow FDA guidelines, since we make a pharmaceutical thyroid product." Burgstiner noted that Preventive Therapeutics' glandulars are tested three times during processing: when the raw materials are first received, in mid-production and post-production. "We're doing everything we can to ensure our products are free of contamination," he emphasized. Once the glands are in their raw, powdered form, they're made into final solid dosage forms. Manufacturers say there are advantages to all forms in terms of assimilation and availability. "We used to make our glandulars in tablets, but changed to capsules," commented Warkentin. "We didn't want to use the binders, fillers and other ingredients that have to be used in tablets." Other say tablets are superior. "We go with standard tablets," said Avilia. "We're trying to create a delivery system that mimics what you'd get in nature. If you ate raw thymus or spleen, it's in a matrix of protein and would take some time to break down. Our tablets do that as well, thereby releasing raw glands at the beginning of the duodenum." Homeopathics Homeopathic formulations offer their own distinct advantages. "Homeopathic glandulars work with less of the raw glandular material and work on an energetic level to stimulate the body's natural glandular function," described Kuklenski. "They help to normalize and balance either under- or over-productive glands, and they provide the safest form of glandular supplementation which use animal derived raw material. Even though 'mad cow' has consumers scared, those needing glandular support still have a safe option to turn to." As for single versus combination formulas, most manufacturers agree that, with very few exceptions, glandulars are better assimilated when combined with other glandulars or other nutrients, like vitamins, minerals or herbs. "My father (Carson Burgstiner) thought so," said Burgstiner. "In his clinical research, he studied the relative benefits of different doses of thymus and different combinations of thymus and other compounds. He found that adding vitamins and minerals to the glandulars gave him a three- to four-fold increase in hormonal activity. He reasoned that they were the cofactors, the catalysts that drive the anabolic processes that go on in the body." Glandulars are also included in comprehensive formulas designed to support and nourish the whole body. "There is no organ or system in the body that works by itself," said Kohli. "We take that approach sometimes–that we're going to nourish this and this alone. But every organ works in conjunction with others. Nourishing just one is never enough." Re-Introducing Glandulars Many retailers who have been in the natural products business for a couple of decades likely have scaled back their offerings of glandular supplements. Some may be highly reluctant to carry them at all, given the meat-source controversy. However, manufacturers encourage retailers to be assertive in ensuring that the glandular supplements are safe and effective. "A reputable supplier should be able to provide you with certification of quality, said Chris Conn, sales manager of American Labs. "We have a definite paper chain showing where our products come from, how we make them, the guidelines we follow and our quality control systems." Following are suggestions for successfully selling glandular products: • Inquire as to where the manufacturer gets its raw glandulars. Is it from a country that has no reported cases of BSE? Is it organic? "Ask for a certificate of analysis, or a written statement in terms of source and quality control procedures," advised Burgstiner. "And buy products from organic sources whenever possible." • Provide abundant information. Give out literature from manufacturers explaining sourcing and processing techniques. Also give customers the FDA's website on BSE (www.fda.gov). Make information available that explains how glandulars work and why they're used. • Use category management, said Watkins. For example, place thymus with immune support, ovary preparations in women's products, and so on. • Encourage your customers to be inquisitive. "While new data is emerging regularly regarding BSE and other diseases, there is still a great deal of information regarding the transmission of these diseases that is understood only poorly, at best," Peters said. "Consumers should not hesitate to ask questions on any issue that is of concern to them. Reputable manufacturers respect these concerns, and will respond with the appropriate information to resolve any apprehensions." In essence, today's health food retailer is in a positive position of reintroducing glandulars to a new set of clientele. In the ever-expanding realm of dietary supplements, glandulars do indeed occupy a worthy and viable niche. VR |
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