Re: Vaccination/Treatment and Asthma question

[Lernermichelle]

I know that cats with asthma can use inhalers-- little masks you hold over their face for them to breathe into once or twice a day, which have medicine in them.    Stimulating the immune system is not necessarily bad for someone with an auto-immune response or allergies.  This is because there are 2 types of immune cells-- T cells and B cells.  B cells are the killer cells, which kill threatening invaders like viruses and bacteria.  T cells control the B cells-- tell them when to make more of themselves and when to back off.  Often when someone has an overactive immune response, it is because their B cells are out of control due to their T cells being too weak (this is what it means when they say someone has progressed from HIV+ into full-blown AIDS due to a drop in T cell count).  If you give immune supplements that stimulate T cells, this can help control over-active immune responses.  I have been told that things like Immuno-Regulin and many over-the-counter immune supplements work on T cells, not B cells, so are ok to give with over-active immune responses.  I can not say I am positive which ones do which, though.  But I think it is ok to try them, one at a time.  I would NOT give Transfer Factor to a cat with asthma, though, because it is milk-based (collustrum), and dairy increases congestion.   Michelle