EpiCor
Many feel that it was a miraculous, accidental discovery. Top



In Cedar Rapids Iowa, a quite Midwestern town where all the children have wide smiles and grandmas still rock on their porches at sundown, there’s a factory that makes supplements for livestock.

I’ve heard it said that if we raised our livestock using the same medicine we use on our human population, a good steak could run $250.00.

The animal supplement industry keeps our livestock (and our recreational horses) healthy by producing feed additives that keep immune systems, digestive systems, and cardiovascular systems healthy and balanced.

Ask anyone at the Diamond V® Mills in Cedar Rapids, and they will tell you that there’s no magic to making supplements; it’s pure science. They test and retest their products to make sure that they are the best they can possibly make.

The Diamond V® is a good company to work for. The pay is decent and all employees get health benefits. If you have a company that pays health benefits, then you will eventually be dealing with insurance adjusters.

It was the insurance adjusters who first noticed it.

The workers who worked in the factory and who came in contact with the fermented yeast products weren’t getting sick, while management took sick leave at rates that were in line with the national average.

In fact, while 2004 annual insurance premiums increased an average of 11.2 percent nationally, this company's 2004 premiums didn't increase at all. [Chris Meletis, ND, http://www.naturodoc.com/library/cancer/epicor.htm]

Something was going on, and since the company based its practices on scientific investigation, management commissioned a research group to find out what was going on.

Long story short, blood tests of those who worked with the fermented yeast products showed the following:

an increase in Immunoglobulins (sIgA) that stand as guards to our “entryways” laying down the first line of protection, not allowing pathogens to enter;
an increase in CD4 counts, coordinating T and B cells on a second line of defense;
an increase in NK (Natural Killer) Cell activity.
Interviews showed even more, with workers boasting of wonderful health and great attitudes. One person who had been diagnosed with an eye disorder that would eventually leave him blind felt that he was saved from the prognosis by his luck at working for Diamond V® Mills. You can view a short film about him and the company and their latest venture into the human supplement industry at this link: The Miracle Pill.

The process to create their fermented yeast product is not patented, but it is a trade secret that no competitor has yet to copy. An analysis of the product by investigators came up with even more startling details.

Squaline was found. Squaline comes mainly from shark liver but is also found in a handful of plants. Squaline is a precursor to steroids. Squaline makes a wonderful skin moisturizer, but we found at PDR Health: “Animal work suggests that indications could one day emerge for squalene in the prevention and treatment of some cancers, for immune enhancement and possibly for lowering cholesterol.” [http://pdrhealth.com/drug_info/nmdrugprofiles/nutsupdrugs/squ_0240.shtml]

Phenolics and phytosterols were also found. These are both antioxidants; phenolics are the antioxidant that is found in wine. Phytosterols are plant sterols, which are suspected to have some effect in cancer prevention. As we discovered in the product Cell Forte with IP-6, plant sterols modulate the immune response and have been successful in treating autoimmune conditions such as lupus and rheumatoid arthritis. Phytosterols have also been shown to positively affect allergic rhinitis, sinusitis, and asthma.

If you drink green tea you are familiar with Catechins, which were also found in EpiCor. Catechins belong to the flavan-3-ol class of flavonoids and have antioxidant properties. The health benefits of green tea are attributed to the Catechins,

One final chemical found was Resveratrol , which is part of our Alternative Cancer Therapies. Resveratrol inhibits the body's production of the COX (cycoloxygenase) enzyme which stimulates tumor growth and suppresses the immune system. Resveratrol is very important in preventing cancer and supporting the immune system.

The product was next tested for stability and toxicity. It passed with flying colors. It was found to be extremely stable at temperatures above room temp for 22 months. Toxicity studies on mice showed it to be perfectly safe. Before human studies were conducted, they did another study that showed that it does not interfere with drug metabolism (hence it can be used with “most” prescriptions).

With all this going for their product, they created a concentrated pill form for human studies and, if those successful, to market. It is called EpiCor.

EpiCor is now considered GRAS, by the FDA, or Generally Recognized As Safe. The company created to make and market EpiCor is called Embria Health Sciences. It’s parent company is still Diamond V® Mills. They have spent well over a million dollars on Research & Development and the money was well spent.

Researchers, according to Chris Meletis, ND, made some valuable discoveries concerning EpiCor. For one thing, EpiCor seems to influence “calcium signaling.”

As we all know, the human body has some remarkably complex systems. One thing that is certain in these systems is that they all work together for balance of the entire being. Calcium signaling is one very crucial part of the many inter cellular processes that if inhibited can result in diseases ranging from “abnormal cell proliferation,” such as cancer, and early cell death, such as occurs in premature aging.

Researchers also learned that EpiCor is an anti-inflammatory, an immunomodulator (which brings up a depressed immune system, or brings down an over expressive immune system as in autoimmune diseases), and a regulator of the lifetime of cells, from their beginning to their end.

It was during the human studies that they found they could tell by the blood samples alone who worked in the factory and who worked in management, 100% of the time. One research, according to Chris Meletis, ND, after reviewing the results said, “I've never seen anything like these results before. These people seem virtually immune from contracting almost anything.” The subjects using EpiCor had higher levels of glutathione and red blood cells, and lower C reactive protein (CRP) and Interleukin 6 (IL-6), which meant they had no signs of chronic inflammation. (See our article Chronic Inflammation.)

We told you already that initial blood tests of the factory workers showed and increase in immunoglobulin A, but the human studies discovered that the increase could go as high as 60%. Not only were CD4s raised, but if needed, they found CD8s, the suppressor T-Cells would rise, proving the immunomodulating effects of EpiCor. As for the NK Cell activity, the human studies showed a nearly 4 fold increase. These numbers are unprecedented. No wonder there has been such hype over EpiCor.

EpiCor is a preventive. If you have a cold, it won’t end it overnight. But the odds are, if you’re taking it, you won’t get that cold. Researchers believe that EpiCor is a more powerful antioxidant than blueberries, that it will protect against most known infections, reduce inflammation, fight off Candida, and support the growth of probiotics in the intestinal tract.

At the time of this writing, only a few published studies exist. Many will be forthcoming in the near future. And you can bet we’ll add EpiCor to our paper on How To Beat the Cold and Flu Season.

This post has been edited by stayin_alive: 14-Sep 2007, 05:22 PM

And you can get this product from your veterinarian.

or at iherb