Endocrine and Neuroendocrine Systems

• Your endocrine system is a network of glands that produce and secrete hormones that send messages via the bloodstream to help keep your body functioning properly. Your neuroendocrine system, which is the endocrine and nervous systems combined, also sends messages, via hormones and nerve impulses, to various organs in your body. These messages facilitate functions such as control of digestion and waste processing in your gastrointestinal tract. They also regulate the flow of blood and air through your lungs.
  
  

Neuroendocrine Tumors

• An endocrine tumor is a growth in a part of your body that produces and secrete these hormones. A neuroendocrine tumor involves both nerve cells and endocrine cells. These tumors can include carcinoid (or cancer-like) tumors, islet cell tumors, medullary thyroid carcinomas, pheochromocytoma and Merkel cell cancer (neuroendocrine skin cancers). It is not easy to detect neuroendocrine tumors, particularly early on. Higher amounts of hormones are secreted because of the tumor, causing a variety of different, conflicting symptoms. Neuroendocrine tumors are often found during surgery for other problems.
  
  

Glycobiology

• Glycobiology is the study of saccharides, monosaccharides and polysaccharides, essential components in the human body. They particularly work to facilitate cell-to-cell interactions, as seen in the function of the neuroendocrine system. Ongoing studies, including research done by the Siberian State Medical University in Tomsk, Russia, and published in the November 2008 issue of the Bulletin of Experimental Biology and Medicine, have linked plant-based polysaccharides to the regulation of immune system and endocrine functions, the safe absorption of toxins in the body and anti-tumor activity. The polysaccharides used in this particular study came from Siberian plants, most notably flagroot (Acorus calamus).
  
  

Ambrotose

• Ambrotose is a proprietary-formula supplement produced and marketed by Mannatech. It contains a blend of plant-based saccharides, including Arabinogalactans from the bark of Eastern and Western larch trees; ghatti gum, which is a mix of complex polysaccharides from Anogeissus latifolia (a tree native to India); and gum tragacanth, which contains two polysaccharides. Ambrotose's product literature refers to it as a "glyconutritional" supplement, linking it to the science of glycobiology. The product literature claims that the polysaccharides in Ambrotose help promote cellular communication and support the immune system. These are both issues in the treatment of neuroendocrine tumors.
  
  

Effects

• No research or ongoing study links Ambrotose with treatment of neuroendocrine tumors. None of Mannatech's product literature addresses this issue. People who take Ambrotose to treat neuroendocrine tumors may be doing so because they have heard about the research into the effects of plant-based polysaccharides on the immune system and cellular communication. Mannatech says that, while its product is safe, anyone taking Ambrotose for a severe health issue, such as a neuroendocrine tumor, should not do so without working closely with a doctor or health care professional, and/or a holistic practitioner.