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1.
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Why does this
MGN-3 immune system supplement have such a
strange brand name — BioBran?
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To some people
the name “BioBran” sounds like a laxative, which
can be off-putting to those involved with
conditions more life-threatening than
constipation, and for those with delicate
stomachs. BioBran, however, has its name for
good reason: it is a fractionated pre-digested
(using enzymes from the shitake mushroom)
biologically active rice bran product. So
BioBran is a good descriptive name for this
supplement, although those interested in
marketing might prefer something more scientific
sounding — perhaps with an “immuno” in the name.
However, it must be remembered that, apart from
its efficacy, the most important aspect of
BioBran is its safety, and being a pre-digested
bran product makes it very safe indeed. Also, as
a soluble fibre, it has no laxative effect.
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2.
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Is BioBran
MGN-3 an immune booster or an immunomodulator?
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BioBran is an
immunomodulator; it does not artificially boost
the immune system. As a consequence, those who
benefit most from taking it are those with weak
immune systems (if your immune system is already
strong BioBran supplementation will not make a
lot of difference). It should be remembered that
modulators are much safer than boosters or
stimulants because they bring biological
parameters to balance rather than pushing up
specific parameters at the expensive of others,
which can cause side-effects due to metabolic
imbalances. |
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3.
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Is BioBran a
cure or a treatment for specific diseases?
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BioBran is a
nutritional supplement that helps to modulate
immune function. If, in the process of
modulating immune function, some of the symptoms
of a particular disease or condition abate, then
all well and good. BioBran, however, is NOT in
itself a treatment or a cure for any disease or
medical condition. It is most successfully used
as an ajunct or addition to a proper treatment
program (conventional or otherwise) supervised
by a health care practitioner. Indeed, Professor
Ghoneum himself promotes conventional tumour
treatment as an effective “debulker” whilst
using BioBran MGN-3 to help the body’s own
immune function mop up any remainder and help
the body to restore integrity. |
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4.
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Would BioBran
be beneficial for X, Y or Z disease?
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Generally,
anyone with a disease that involves a lowering
of the immune system as a symptom is likely to
receive some benefit from BioBran
supplementation, although once again it should
be stressed that BioBran is NOT a treatment in
itself, but a useful supplement to take
alongside treatment. Generally, virally caused
diseases/infections and cancerous conditions
respond best with BioBran supplementation
alongside proper treatment, although you are
always advised to inform your doctor of any
supplementation. As conventional cancer
treatments such as chemotherapy and radiotherapy
also severely deplete the immune system,
lowering quality of life, it comes as no
surprise that one of the most reported benefits
of BioBran supplementation is that it can help
increase quality of life during these treatments
by reducing some of the side-effects. |
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5.
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Should BioBran
MGN-3 be avoided if one has an autoimmune
disease?
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Autoimmune
diseases are those conditions in which the
immune system attacks its own body — it has lost
the ability to differentiate between self and
non-self. Examples of autoimmune diseases are
rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis,
psoriasis and Crohn’s Disease. If the problem is
serious, doctors will prescribe
immunosuppressant drugs in order to weaken the
severity of this self-attack. Immunosuppressants
are also prescribed for cell, tissue or organ
transplants in order to minimise rejection by
the immune system. So if you are taking
immunosuppressant drugs then you are obviously
advised NOT to take BioBran, or at least check
with your doctor first. If, on the other hand,
you have a less serious autoimmune disease (like
mild rheumatoid arthritis) for which you are not
on immuno-suppressants, and you want to take
BioBran to help strengthen your immune system,
then you must bear in mind that your symptoms
might temporarily get worse for about a month,
after which they may significantly improve. |
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The reason for
this which was given to us by Daiwa
Pharmaceutical (and this has not yet been
substantiated by third parties) is that those
with autoimmune diseases tend to have lowered NK
cell activities and substantially fluctuating
macrophage numbers. Under such circumstances,
BioBran can help boost the NK cell activity and
help to damp macrophage fluctuations. However,
activating white cell activity before the
fluctuations are sufficiently reduced might
aggravate symptoms for a period of about a month
after the start of BioBran administration. For
this reason, the manufacturer advises a lower
starting dose for that month period and then a
gradual increase. |
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Another factor
that should be taken into consideration is the
anti-inflammatory effect of BioBran. Dr. Yuzo
Endo, Head of Research and Developement at Daiwa
Pharmaceutical, himself originally started
taking BioBran for his rheumatoid arthritis. He
was so impressed with the results that he
started examining the other aspects of this
supplement |
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6.
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Can I take
BioBran with X, Y or Z medication?
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Like any
product, it would be impossible to test BioBran
with every one of the tens of thousands of
medicines currenly available. However,
understanding that BioBran is a digestible bran
supplement or glyconutrient, and that it has
been taken by tens of thousands of people
worldwide without incident, makes it a very safe
supplement with no reported contraindications,
apart from, obviously, immunosuppressants. It
has also passed strict hospital evaluation
tests. That said, it is always recommended with
any product (or indeed radical change in diet)
that you inform your doctor or practitioner. |
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7.
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What
determines the cost of BioBran MGN-3?
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Although
BioBran is “merely” pre-digested rice bran that
has been fractionated to select certain
molecular sizes, the process itself is quite
complex to do under pharmaceutically controlled
conditions. Also, the yield of BioBran from rice
bran during this process is actually very small.
This makes BioBran an expensive product. Add to
this the product development and research costs
that Daiwa Pharmaceutical have borne over the
years and you begin to understand the costs
involved. In the future, this price will
gradually reduce as development costs are
recouped, hospitals carry a larger percentage of
the research costs, and production is scaled up. |
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8.
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Why do the
1000mg sachets of BioBran have a net weight of
2000mg?
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The sachets
each contain 1000mg of active BioBran whilst the
tablets each contain 250mg of active BioBran.
The rest of the weight for each is from the
excipients that are added to stabilise the
product, help keep it together (for the
tablets), help it to flow (for the sachets), and
to keep the BioBran dry (it is very
hydrophilic). |
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9.
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Is there any
difference between the efficacy of sachets and
tablets?
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The
manufacturers of BioBran MGN-3 have assured us
that there is no difference in effectiveness
between the forms that the BioBran comes in. So
taking 4 tablets is entirely equivalent to
taking one sachet: both contain 1000mg of
BioBran. (Tablets are more convenient for those
on smaller dosages and for those not wanting the
fuss of mixing the powder in half a glass of
water.) However, as the sachets are more readily
absorbed, ideally they should be taken twenty
minutes after a meal whereas the tablets should
be taken with a meal. |
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10.
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How much
BioBran MGN-3 should I take?
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As a general
rule, higher doses of BioBran tend to get to the
optimum immune level or normalization point much
more quickly than lower dosages and so are
recommended for more serious conditions where
speed of recovery is important. |
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Dosages vary
from 500mg a day (half a sachet or 2 tablets)
right up to 3000mg a day (3 sachets or 12
tablets) or more for a standard-weight adult. A
fairly healthy adult, or someone with a mild
cold or infection, would take 500mg a day for
general immune protection and disease
prevention. For more serious immune deficiencies
or for faster recovery one would take 1 sachet a
day (4 tablets or 15mg/kg/day), whilst for very
serious immune deficiencies, such as those
associated with cancer, one would take 3 sachets
(12 tablets or 45mg/kg/day) a day for 2 months
and then drop down to a maintenance dose of 1
sachet (4 tablets) thereafter. (If, whilst on
the maintenance dose, treatments like
chemotherapy or radiotherapy are given, it is
advisable to increase the amount again to the
full 3 grams a day or more from a week before
the treatment until a couple of weeks after.)
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It is always
better to divide dosages throughout the day
between the meals, so for example, someone on 3
sachets or 12 tablets a day should take 1 sachet
or 4 tablets with the three main meals of the
day — breakfast, lunch and supper. |
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11.
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If I stop and
then start BioBran supplementation, how much
should I take?
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Those taking a
gram (1000mg or 4 tablets) or more of BioBran a
day will reach optimum immune modulation after a
two month period. If BioBran is stopped at any
time it will immune function will generally fall
back, over a month period, to its original
weakened level because of the continued
immunosuppressant factors such as disease
presence, poor diet, stress, toxicity etc. It is
advisable, therefore, not to interrupt a course
of BioBran for more than a very occasional
unavoidable few-day period. |
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12.
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When can I
safely stop taking BioBran?
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BioBran MGN-3
suffers no hyporesponsiveness or tail-off in
effectiveness over time, and so it can be taken
indefinitely. However, the cost of long-term
supplementation can be prohibitive and so many
want to know when they can stop taking it. If
you have taken it for a particular condition and
that condition has been successfully treated,
then BioBran supplementation can be stopped or a
very small maintenance dose can be continued. If
the condition persists or is ongoing, it is
probably better to continue taking it. When
stopping BioBran you are always recommended to
adopt healthy lifestyles in order to maximize
your unaided immune system levels. |
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13.
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Can I reduce
chemotherapy dosage if I take BioBran?
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Some research
has suggested that as the body’s ability to
fight for itself has been increased,
chemotherapy dosages can be reduced. Whilst this
has tentatively been shown in some animal
studies, we would NOT recommend this. Always
consult your oncologist. |
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14.
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If I am having
chemotherapy/radiotherapy and choose to take
BioBran alongside, when should I start taking
it?
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The sooner the
better provided your oncologist does not object.
Having a strong immune system when you first
start chemotherapy will make the chemotherapy or
radiotherapy treatment much easier to take with
milder side effects. You should start with the
higher dose of 3 grams or sachets a day
immediately to get your immune system normalized
as rapidly as possible. Normally you would
reduce the dose of BioBran to 1 sachet or 1 gram
a day after 2 months, but in the case of an
extended period of chemo or radiotherapy, it is
recommended that you remain on this higher dose
throughout actual treatment to help mitigate the
side effects. (Ideally, the high dose should be
taken from a week before the treatment to two
weeks after.) |
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15.
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Can children
take BioBran MGN-3?
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BioBran has
been safely and successfully taken by children
of all ages. Doses tend to be reduced in
proportion to their weight to adult weight. So
for example, a child that weighs 20kg might take
about a third or a quarter of the adult dose.
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16.
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Can pregnant
women take BioBran?
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Pregnant women
have taken BioBran without any problems.
However, Daiwa Pharmaceutical have told us that,
as with any product or food, no matter how
seemingly safe, until extensive tests are done
on pregnant women they cannot endorse BioBran
supplementation for this group. |
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17.
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Can I give
BioBran MGN-3 to my pets?
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Many people
have given BioBran to their pets to strengthen
immune function. We have heard of it given to
mammals and birds only, although we are sure
somebody who feeds it to their pet iguana will
be contacting us shortly (less developed
life-forms such as fish have more primitive
immune systems and so it wouldn’t be
recommended). Again, as with children, the doses
need to be scaled down according to weight. Use
the formula of 15mg/kg/day to have the
equivalent dosage of an adult human being taking
1000mg or 1 sachet a day. |
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18.
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Does BioBran
pass through the blood-brain barrier?
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As yet, there
is no evidence that BioBran can pass through the
blood-brain barrier. BioBran has a large
molecular mass, much larger than glucose which
can go through this barrier, and so it is
unlikely that it can penetrate it. Does this
mean that BioBran is of no use for someone with
abnormal cell growths in the brain? No. BioBran
is still beneficial because the brain does not
have a separate immune system to the body so a
strengthened immune system will benefit all
regions of the body to some extent. And although
NK cells generally do not migrate across the
blood-brain barrier, any abnormal growths in the
brain would have a correspondingly increased
vascularisation (and one that is more haphazard
than normal vascularisation) and so NK cells are
more likely to be able to reach these abnormal
cells. Having said that, there is little data
available for the effect of BioBran on brain
growths, although it will definitely help with
quanlity of life of such patients. (Information
from Dr. Endo in Japan.) |
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19.
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Can BioBran be
taken during a stem cell transplant?
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When someone
is undergoing stem cell therapy, they are
invariably on immunosuppressants to help reduce
the risk of rejection of the stem cells. During
this period, nothing that increases immune
function should be taken. Once the stem cells
have taken and the immunosuppressants have been
stopped, provided your doctor is happy, BioBran
can be taken to help normalize the immune system
again. |
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20.
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Is BioBran a
sterile product?
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Like other
natural food supplements, BioBran is not a
sterile product. In fact, any process of
steralization, which usually involves high
temperatures and possibly pressures, would
denature the product. It is, however, made in a
pharmaceutical lab and is packed by a high
quality packer. So although there is extremely
low bacterial content in this product, it would
still be classified as very clean in comparision
to other health supplements on the market.
BioBran does not contain any harmful bacteria.
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21.
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Can BioBran
MGN-3 be home-made?
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Unfortunately,
the BioBran making process is much more complex
than just mixing shitake mushrooms with rice
bran. The enzymes have to be isolated from the
mushrooms, mixed with the rice bran and then,
after a set period of time, the low molecular
weight compounds of the resulting short-chain
polysaccharides fractionated off. This process,
therefore, is too complex to be done in a
kitchen. |
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22.
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Is BioBran
MGN-3 tested on animals?
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As BioBran is
a fairly new food supplement, Daiwa
Pharmaceutical is legally obliged to perform
animal tests for safety reasons. Whilst this is
regrettable, it is unavoidable. Without such
test data, no hospital ethics committee would
conduct any human trials or studies with
BioBran, and it would certainly not be available
to the public. |
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23.
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Does BioBran
MGN-3 contain GMO ingredients?
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Absolutely
not. BioBran is not genetically modified in any
way and contains no GMO ingredients.
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24.
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Why are agents
selling BioBran MGN-3 so reticent about
presenting its benefits?
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In most
European countries it is not legal for agents
selling any food supplement to make medical
claims. BioBran therefore is sold simply as a
supplement that can help boost weak immune
systems. In the US, promoters seem to have the
freedom to say a little more, although recently
Lane Labs in the US has been banned from selling
it because of the claims they made for it.
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