"One of my first patients benefiting from her ingestion of the extraordinary homeostatic soil organisms was a fortynine-year-old female forest ranger named Maria Strang who was infected with Lyme disease. The illness had sapped her of strength. She could hardly rise from bed and of course wasn't able to work as a state forest ranger," Maxine Murray, N.D., CNHP, MA, told me during our recent interview. "Just a week-and-half after I had put her on ten daily capsules of Primal Defense^TM, my patient joined some friends for a jaunt on her bicycle. Maria underwent a complete restoration of strength, and she kept taking the capsules for a month more in order to get on with her life.

"In another case, Manfred Rechsheim, a twenty-eight-year-old construction worker consulted me last year for the treatment of red hot, open, bleeding sores all over his body and on his face. He felt emotionally depressed, had been fired from his job for absences caused by the skin lesions, and offered a long history of taking therapies. Mr. Rechsheim received every possible treatment one could imagine, all of which had failed miserably.The treatments were part of the patient's case study. Three different dermatologists had been unable to produce a single viable diagnosis. Ruling out psoriasis and eczema, this undiagnosed condition had been part of his life since the man was fourteen years old.

"While I had no ready answers for him, I thought giving Primal Defense^TM a try might do something for the unfortunate fellow. I told him that the skin is a reflection of what's happening in his intestinal tract. He took twenty capsules a day for six weeks until the skin lesions were entirely gone," declares Dr. Murray. "They just disappeared. Frankly, I was amazed at the result. Although there were no more eruptions, I had him continue with ten capsules of Primal Defense^TM daily for three months to insure that he remained well. Today he takes five a day as a preventive measure, with his skin remaining smooth, clear, and flawless.

"I think that this patient's skin troubles came directly from the gut and the poisonous junk foods he had been eating. He ate sausage or pizza on and off the job. Primal Defense^TM did not act as a calmative for the man's skin; rather, this product had eliminated his persistent gastrointestinal tract toxicity," Dr. Maxine Murray confirms. "It's my belief that toxins within the GI tract are the prime sources of much pathology we health professionals are seeing every day in our treatment rooms."

Board-certified gastroenterologist Joseph Brasco, M.D., is associated with renowned family medicine specialist Joseph M. Mercola, D.O., at the Optimal Wellness Center in Schaumburg, Illinois. Exhibiting a passion for treating complex chronic illnesses by integrating lifestyle changes with innovative tools in nutrition and energy medicine, both physicians routinely prescribe or dispense this same potent, proprietary probiotic formula, Primal Defense^TM.

"I believe that Primal Defense^TM is applicable as a food supplement for everyone, whether a person is sick or not," affirms Dr. Joseph Brasco. "The probiotic micro-organisms found in this formula are proven to be helpful for the enhancement of health and prolongation of life. Such proof has been shown ever since mankind inhabited the earth. Primitive man absorbed the product's soil-based organisms from the environment in different ways; for instance, he buried meat and other food in the ground as a form of preservation. Such meat would combine with soil-based bacteria and be eaten to become a part of the human physiology, thus changing into what science now identifies as body based organisms. Such friendly microorganisms, having established themselves in the human gut, create an environment for optimizing human nutrition.

"Eating vegetables directly out of the soil as part of food was good for primitive man. The organisms living in that soil caused primal man to thrive. But today it's different! Given the paranoia that modern men and women in western society feel against ingesting soil of any kind, these ancient soil-based organisms no longer are part of our food supply," continues Dr. Brasco. "Yes, times do change! It used to be that a pioneering farmer working his fields, the so-called 'sod-buster,' who became hungry simply dug into the ground, pulled up some carrots, brushed off the dirt, and chomped away on vegetables containing the residual dirt and all. The farmer kept his gastrointestinal tract functioning well by ingesting these extracurricular homeostatic soil organisms.

"But that's not the way it is anymore," sadly reports this gastroenterologist who exclusively practices natural medicine. "So fastidious are residents of Western industrialized nations that too much cleanliness has become somewhat detrimental to one's gastrointestinal tract. We have to eat dirt once in awhile.

"Where Primal DefenseTM kicks in is that its microorganisms are unlike other probiotics or beneficial gut bacteria. Rather, they are quite unique. Their homeostatic soil organisms maintain intrepid health for modern men and women the way primitive man experienced it," Dr. Brasco says. "Where people specifically find advantage in using Primal Defense^TM is in situations involving chronic disease of gut origin. Since my expertise lies in the area of gastrointestinal disorders, this product is a primary therapy that I utilize on a routine basis. Certainly with my seeing patients suffering from inflammatory bowel disease, it is one of the main tools I employ for treatment. I use this probiotic, which combines plant sterols and sterolins plus cereal grass juice in a formulation that is ever being improved, exactly as the manufacturer dictates. Garden of Life, Inc., located in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, makes an excellent adjunct to the food supply.

"I give everyone a trial on Primal Defense^TM. My standard procedure is to work up a patient to his or her optimal dosage and then maintain that dose as long as it's effective. So, I use it both preventively and therapeutically because the product's homeostatic soil organisms [HSO^TM] have definitely been part of the human diet for many thousands of years. Only, the HSOs^TM have been lost as a result of our modern food processing methods," states Dr. Brasco. "People with arthritis, chronic const pation, Crohn's disease, colitis, and other gut-linked systemic conditions improve by supplementing with the Primal Defense^TM whole food ingredients.

"Allow me to offer an illustrating case history. About sixteen months ago, Marion Frome, an eighteen-year-old manicurist from a nearby Illinois town consulted me for the treatment of Crohn's disease. She arrived after many forms of therapy had failed her. It was only after I prescribed Primal Defense^TM that her diarrhea came under control, abdominal cramping stopped, malabsorption corrected itself, and fistulae around the anus healed. She had an exceedingly positive response, and my perception has been that this is standard procedure for Primal Defense^TM," says Dr. Joe Brasco. "My medical associate has had similar experiences with the product, too."

"Based upon Dr. Brasco's excitement with Primal Defense^TM, I became interested in the product approximately two years ago. Today, this probiotic has become the A-number-one nutritional supplement that we use in our Optimal Wel1ness Center," confirms Joseph M. Mercola, D.O. "From its possessing at least fifteen different strains of beneficial bacteria efficacious for the gut, we are getting marvdous results with Primal Defense^TM. I have literally put thousands of people on it, which is incorporated into a full detoxification program by me. The product is an incredibly potent and effective agent for the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease [IBD], and most especially for this condition's subset, Crohn's disease. I recommend all of my IBD patients to take it.

"If I see any reduction in results from a person's daily usage of Primal Defense^TM, I switch my patient off the product and onto something else. I use only what is working for the individual. That has been my rule in this medical center during the entire length of its operation for the past fifteen years," says Dr. Mercola. "And successful case histories are easy to come by; for instance, a couple of years ago I was visited by Mrs. Sarah Haimes, a thirty-eight-year-old homemaker being treated with various steroids and antibiotics for the control of symptoms related to irritable bowel syndrome [IBS]. She suffered with recurrent abdominal pain accompanied by spastic colon, functional diarrhea, a great deal of psychological stress, and emotional conflicts, all of which are characteristic of IBS. Mrs. Haimes was desirous of having a child, too, but the constant discomfort of her symptoms prevented conception.

"But then the situation changed for this patient. After she took Primal Defense^TM for a period of six weeks, all of her health problems had become better. In fact, some months later Sarah reported that she had impraved so much, she was able to become pregnant. Today, I'm happy to advise that mother and baby are doing very well," Dr. Mercola says.

Those Friendly Bacteria in Primal Defense^TM
Homeostatic soil organisms - truly potent probiotics - comprise the main ingredients in Primal Defense^TM; their inclusion is vital for the illness prevention and therapeutic efficacy of the product. Probiotic bacteria favorably alter the intestinal microflora balance, inhibit the growth of harmful bacteria, promote good digestion, boost immune function, and increase resistance to infection^1,2.

Those individuals with flourishing intestinal colonies of beneficial bacteria are better equipped to fight the growth of disease-causing bacteria.^3,4

Upon ingesting them, the homeostatic soil organisms incorporated into Primal Defense^TM maintain a healthy balance of intestinal flora by producing organic compounds such as lactic acid, hydrogen peroxide, and acetic acid, which increase the acidity of the intestine and inhibit the reproduction of massive amounts of harmful microorganisms.^5,6 The HSOs^TM also produce substances called bacteriocins, which act as natural antibiotics to kill almost any kind of pathological bacteria.⁷

Beneficial bacteria of the HSO^TM type promote healthy digestion. Enzymes secreted by them aid in the metabolism of food. They produce digestive enzymes such as protease, amylase, lipase, cellulase, and lactase, the enzyme required to digest milk, which is lacking in lactoseintolerant individuals.⁸ Symptoms of IBS frequently are alleviated by intake of the HSOs^TM in Primal Defense^TM. Among the populations of western industrialized countries, irritable bowel syndrome is likely the most common gastrointestinal disorder affecting 17.5 % of the people. It usually exhibits symptoms of bloating, abdominal discomfort, gas, and alternating diarrhea and constipation. Furthermore, IBS patients may suffer with backaches, fatigue, and other seemingly unrelated problems. A subtle but steadily increasing malnourishment from the habitual eating of overly processed foods such as hamburgers, frankfurters, pizza, and the like has recently come under suspicion as the main cause of IBS.⁹

Regular ingestion of HSOs^TM tends to eliminate the yeast syndrome (candidiasis) from the entire body, and its invariably present vaginal yeast infection in particular. The review of research on candidiasis will cause you to conclude that both topical and oral use of probiotics can prevent yeast infection caused by candida overgrowth.¹⁰ Most definitely, anyone can avoid ever again experiencing heartburn or associated GI tract symptoms by swallowing capsules of Primal DefenseTM and/or other probiotics on a daily basis.¹¹

Diarrhea is a devastating symptom that often complicates a variety of illnesses. Most damaging is that it flushes friendly intestinal microorgarusms out of the gastrointestinal tract, leaving the body vulnerable to opportunistic infections. Replenishing the beneficial bacteria by supplementing with Primal Defense^TM invariably helps to prevent new infections. The incidence of "traveler's diarrhea," caused by pathogenic bacteria in drinking water or undercooked foods, can be reduced by the prophylactic taking of probiotics, especially HSOs^TM.¹²

HSOs^TM are vital if the aim of treatment is to recolonize the intestine during and after antibiotic use. Supplementation with the friendly bacteria which make up Primal Defense^TM replaces the beneficial bacteria lost to antibiotics. Thus, up to 50 percent of reinfections are prevented from occurring after usual antibiotic usage.¹³

So what are the living components which make up these homeostatic soil orgarusms in the Primal Defense^TM formulation? Identifying them by their Latin names, these fifteen HSOs^TM consist of the following: Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus bulgaricus, Lactobacillus delbreukii, Lactobacillus caseii, Lactobacillus caucasicus, Lactobacillus fermenti, Lactobacillus plantarum, Lactobacillus brevis, Lactobacillus helveticus, Lactobacillus leichmannii, Lactobacillus lactis, Bacillus licheniformus, Bacillus subtilis, Bifido bifidus, and Sacchromyces boulardi contained in an HSO^TM host medium of plant derived minerals, ionic trace elements, and phytoplanktons. Also present are juices extracted from 100 percent certified organic gluten-free cereal grasses and a proprietary blend containing phytoSterols/Sterolins.

These HSOs^TM are derived from the soil and from plants. When you ingest them as capsules it's equivilent to eating a plant grown in pristine soil thousands of years ago. No more are you taking in pesticides, herbicides, antibotics, chlorine additives, fiuorine, pollutants, carcinogens, atherogens, allergens, mutagens, autointoxicants, toxic metals, and other pathology-producing substances. The homeostatic soil organisms act as neutralizers of the poisons that ordinarily float in our food supply.They come from unpolluted sources and are currently cultured in a pristine environment maintained in laboratories operating in the United States.

The HSOs^TM in Primal Defense are grown according to the discoverer's proprietarymethods.The substrate in which they are delivered contains trace elements, enzymes, and proteins from plant life holding more than seventy trace minerals and micronutrients. As a result, the product's friendly bacteria stay dormant in the capsule but become active through contact with the digestive fluids. Due to the proprietary Microflora Delivery System (MDS), the product does not require refrigeration.

How Do HSOs^TM Work?
Supplementing with capsules of Primal Defense^TM is the start of a major nutritional event for one's body. The capsules of HSOs^TM remain unaffected by stomach acids and the digestive process. Forming colonies attached to the intestinal walls as they travel by peristalsis through the human gut, these homeostatic soil organisms become activated and multiply in the gut's comfortable, warm, dark, and nourishing environment in which nature has adapted them to live. The HSOs^TM double their population every fifteen minutes. They undertake nature's assigned task of establishing the appropriate pH in the gut, absorbing its nutrients, and warding offor consuming pathogens, usually by phagocytosis.

These supplemented bacteria, which bring great advantages to the individual ingesting them, break down hydrocarbons and subdivide food into its most basic elements which allows for nearly total absorption through the gut's mucosa. Undoubtedly the increased absorption improves overall nutrition and enhances cellular development. Thus, if the consumer is eating properly and ingesting Primal Defense , he or she is receiving maximum nounshment from food intake.

Functioning on behalf of the body's metabolism at its optimal rate, HSOs^TM produce their effects within the gut.They dislodge accumulated decay clinging to the mucosa and flush out waste that gets dislodged. The HSOs^TM act as virtual internal colonic irrigations administered biologically rather than mechanically.

The proteins they produce behave like antigens by encouraging a person's immune system to produce large pools of uncoded antibodies. The production of B-lymphocytes, T-lymphocytes, and other white blood cellular elements, plus the extra influx of antibodies markedly boosts an individual's ability to ward off disease. There is a certainty that Primal Defense supplementation is an immune system modulator.

As mentioned, symptoms of the yeast syndrome respond well to HSO^TM ingestion, and in the same way this treatment is effective against pathological molds, fungi, bacteria, viruses, and parasites.

Working symbiotically with somatic cells from tissues, organs, and other body parts, HSOs^TM consume unused proteins and eliminate waste products resulting from cellular metabolism.

Finally, the living HSO^TM components provide an iron-binding protein called Lactoferrin which is essential for chelating (retrieving) the iron mineral from foods. This action occurs because the probiotic microorganisms produce Lactoferrin as a byproduct of their metabolism. All of us must have some quantity of iron as a vital mineral for bodily functions, but too much iron can lead to iron overload in the blood (hemochromatosis). Daily ingestion of HSOs^TM can prevent iron overload from occurring.

The action of HSOs^TM in the GI tract is succinctly and simply described to patients by naturopath Maxine Murray, N.D., of Redbank, New Jersey whose interview began our discussion. Dr. Murray explains to them: "The homeostatic soil organisms are able to eat up all the bad guys in the gut. These HSOs^TM come equipped with hard hats, breast plates, Uzi automatics, and combat boots to clean out those terrorists bringing about pathology along the GI tract.

"Adding to the essential HSO^TM actions, I have each patient drink 1/2 ounce of water for each pound of body weight per day spread over a 24-hour period," Dr. Murray says. "I further tell the patient: 'So much water gives you an internal showes Using the water and their own salutary techniques, these HSOs^TM do a massive amount of housecleaning. By Primal Defense bringing down the gut's population of pathogens which sap energy, destroy the life force, and eventually kill a person, your body is able to prevent illness and then take over to heal itself."

In Lake Charles, Louisiana, John Moreno, M.D., conducts the successful multi-faceted Lake Charles Advanced Medical Diagnostic Center, with two physician partners and other staff members. It is the largest practice of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) in his state. Dr. Moreno is the only practitioner of CAM in Louisiana who has been gsanted hospital privileges.

"If a patient has any form of gastrointestinal problem, I start that person off with Primal Defense^TM , because the product first stabilizes and then corrects GI proUems," Dr. Moreno says. "It is the one therapeutic item that I make use of routinely. The first improvement I normally see is an increase in the patient's energy level, and that's good because this individual is then able to recognize how well the product is working. Furthermore, within the first few weeks both constipation and diarrhea clear up. They just correct themselves. So the patient observes himself or herself getting better. Such an experience is important for winning a person's confidence.

"To illustrate, a fifty-year-old white woman, Ms. Kate Robarts, our city's most popular church organist, consulted me because of her constant feeling of fatigue, muscle pain, short term memory difficulties, and a sense that in her words she said: 'I think I'm dying' Although she did not exhibit any GI problem, I started her on Primal Defense and the probiotic worked. The patient's symptoms just did eliminate themselves," Dr. Moreno says. "Her improvement started with a vast elevation in the woman's energy. Songs she had seemingly forgotten on the organ keyboard came back to her mind, and the music she sent forth was reflected as sounds of great joy. Everyone hearing her play knew that Kate Robarts was feeling better.

"With her happiness restored, the lady has referred at least three dozen new patients to me. The music alone caused people to recognize that Dr. John Moreno had something going that was valuable treatment," says the physician. "Kate Robarts' case is the closest I've ever seen that could be described as a miracle response to a remedy I had prescribed."

Back about three-and-a-half years ago, Dr. Walker, you wrote an article published in the Townsend Letter for Doctors & Patients about soil-based organisms. I read it, was moved strongly to try the remedy you had described, and since that time I've dispensed Primal Defense^TM to hundreds of people.¹⁴ Other than occasional Herxheimer reactions [pathogen die-off], I find the patients have no adverse responses to the product.

"I use Primal Defense myself, taking two capsules twice a day strictly for gut maintenance purposes. If my daily stress increases, I will double my dose. It's one of the remedies that I believe strongly in - everybody should take Primal Defense each day," says John Moreno, M.D.

Primal Defense References

1. Sirnov, V.V.; Reznik S.R; V'iunitskaia, V.A., et al. "The current concepts of the mechanisms of the therapeutic-prophylactic action of probiotics from bacteria and the genus bacillus" Mikrobiolohichnyi Zhurnal 55(4):92-112, , 1993

2. Mel'nikova, V.M.; Gracheva NM.; Belikov, G.P., et al, "The chemoprophylaxis and chemotherapy of opportunistic infcctions." Antibiotiki I Khimioterapiis 38: 44-48, 1993.

3. Primal Defense - De Simone, C.; Vesely, R; Bianchi, S.B., et al "The role of probiotics in modulation of the immune system in man and in animals.' International Journal of Immunotherapy 9:23-28, 1993.

4. Primal Defense - Veldman, A. "Probiotics." Tidschrift voor Diergeneeskunde 117(12):345-348, 1992.

5. Primal Defense - Kawase, K "Effects of nutrients on the intestinal microflora of infants." Japanese Journal of Dairy Food Science 31:A241-243, 1982.

6. Primal Defense - Rasic, J.L. "The role of dairy foods containing bifido and acidophilus bacteria in nutrition and health." Northern European Dairy Journal 4:80-88, 1983.

7. Primal Defense - Barefoot, S.F and Klaenhammer, T.R. "Detection and activity of lactacin B, a bacteriocin produced by lactobacillus acidophilus." Applied Enviromnental Microbiology 45:1808-1815, 1983.

8. Primal Defense - McDonough, F.E.; Hitchins, A.D.; Wong, N.P., et al "Modification of sweet acidophilus milk to improve utilization by lactose-intolerant persons." American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 45:570-574, 1987.

9. Primal Defense - Newcomcr, A.D.; Park, H.S.; O'Brian, P.C., et al. "Response of patients with irritable bowel syndrome and lactose deficiency using unfermented acidophilus milk." American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 38:257-263, 1983

10. Primal Defense - Elmer, G.W.; Surawicz, C.M.; McFarland L.V. "Biotherapeutic agents." JAMA 27S(11):870-876, 1996.

11. Primal Defense - Balch, J.F. and Walker, M. Heartburn and What to Do About It. Garden City Park NY: Avery Publishing Group, 1998.

12. Scarpignato, C. and Rampal, R "Prevention and treatment of traveler's diarrhea: A clinical pharmacological approach." Chemotherapy 41:48-81, 1995.

13. Loizeau, E. "Can antibiotic-associated diarrhea be prevented?" Annales de Gastroenterologie et d'Hepatologie 29(1):15-18, 1993.

14. Walker, M. "Soil-based organisms support immune system functions from the ground up." Townsend Letter for Doctors & Patients 169/170:85-92, Aug./Sept. 1997.

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