What’s in this Article:
- Enzymes Explaining these internal workers
- Where they come from
- Chew!Chew! Chew
- The role-of-white-blood-cells and enzyme population density
- The-Role-of-Enzymes
- Finding Enzymes
ENZYME USE:
What are Enzymes?
Enzymes are workers
There are over 5000 enzymes or workers in your body. Each enzymes/worker has a specific task. Splitting nutrient molecules are digestive enzymes. Digestive enzymes, for example, Protease splits protein molecules for digestion and absorption, Lipase splits lipid molecules. They are integral. Enzymes are involved in tissue repair, they clean, they are part of the Immune system Army. They are previous to our good health.
Enzymes are at the very core of life. No metabolic function can occur without enzymes being present to perform that function.
Enzymes are specialized workers. Enzymes are also described as catalysts. A catalyst is a substance that initiates a chemical reaction. Digestive enzymes, the focus of this article, are tiny workers that split or break nutrient molecules for the specific purpose of absorption and utilization by organs in the body. Enzymes are present in every cell in the body.
Enzymes, like all health giving components in our body, work best in a clean environment, at the proper pH balance.
The following analogy might best describe how enzymes work:
Imagine a construction zone, there is dry wall, hammer and nails but no workers. Nothing gets done until the workers show up. Same thing with digestion. All live foods, foods that have not been alerted by heat (108 degree heat) contain little workers that, once you have thoroughly chewed and swallowed your food, get to work taking the rest of the nutrients apart and to optimize digestion. Enzymes are those workers that break apart food molecules to be absorbed through the intestinal wall to the blood stream to the liver. Each nutrient has its own little worker; fats or lipids are disassembled by the enzyme Lipase. Protiens are disassembled by the enzyme or worker, Protease. You see the connection.
There are over 5000 different enzyme workers found in the body, they fall under three basic categories.
- Metabolic enzymes that run the body
- Food enzymes found in raw food
- Digestive enzymes that digest food.
For our purposes we are going to examine digestive and food enzymes.
Where they do enzymes come from?
Enzymes are found in fresh, live food. Fresh vegetables and fresh fruits are rich with digestive enzymes. Cooking any food over 108 degrees destroys these critical little workers. Enzymes are
present in saliva. Enzymes begin the digestive process in saliva as soon as we start chewing our food.
Saliva is abundant with enzymes like amylase, to breakdown carbohydrates and with lipase, to break down fats or lipids.
Enzymes are also produced by the pancreas, one of our other main digestive organs. Enzymes are also present all along the digestive system. There are three main enzymes that break down the three main food groups.
- Amylase – to breakdown carbohydrates
- Lipase – to breakdown fats or lipids
- Protease – to breakdown protein
Good enzyme contact and the release of nutrients for absorption can only be accomplished by breaking down the cell walls of food. This means
-
Chew! … Chew your food to a liquid to break down the cell walls, release nutrients and to ease the digestive process. Remember if you swallow food chunks three very critical destructive things happen in digestion: You loose nutrient value, teeth are in your mouth, not in your stomach
- You expose yourself or make yourself more susceptible to food sensitivities. Your immune system reacts to molecule clumps and recognizes them as foreign bodies and sets up a defensive histamine reaction.
- You predispose yourself to that horribly painful and potentially destructive condition called GERD or Acid Reflux
90% of all food allergies could be eliminated with proper chewing. Breaking down food components neutralizes the allergens. (pg. 93 – Allergies, Disease in Disguise )
Food, chewed well, mixes with enzymes from the saliva. This action allows for more complete digestion through the stomach and intestinal tract. Studies show a diet low in food enzymes or poorly macerated food, stresses the pancreas. A diet deplete of either supplemental or food enzymes (fruits and vegetables) also burdens the pancreas. Chronic stress on the pancreas can cause it to become enlarged. Enlargement is typical of any organ stressed beyond normal function.
A diet deplete of fresh foods or supplemental enzymes also stresses the immune system. When the pancreas is over stressed other systems in the body come to assist, namely leukocytes from the immune system.
The role-of-white-blood-cells vs Natural Enzyme density
White blood cells or leukocytes play an integral role in our immune system. They engulf and destroy invading organisms, bacteria and viruses. White blood cells are rich with enzymes. When food enzymes are not present white blood cells are called to duty, assisting in the digestion of food. Digestion is NOT the primary role of white blood cells, immunity is.
Rerouting and requiring white blood cells be called to digestion rather than their job as Soldiers of your Immunity, can have other detrimental effects:
- Renders the body vulnerable to incoming foreign bacteria because the leukocytes are busy digesting food.
- Leukocytes are fortified with fewer enzymes and therefore fewer defenses to destroy bacteria.
- Over stimulation of the pancreas causes other detrimental effects. It disrupts the sensitive acid/alkaline balance of the body. When food particles are emptied from the stomach into the small
- intestinal tract they are very acidic. The pancreas neutralizes the acidic contents to a more alkaline state with bicarbonate. An over stressed pancreas can not effectively neutralize stomach
- acids, digestion is inefficient and the body is in danger of becoming acidity. Harmful bacteria are more likely to proliferate in an acid pH environment.
- Finally, insulin production is compromised. Insulin is critical to the efficient transport of glucose (cell food) across the cell wall. Diabetes, ketosis, and cell starvation can be implicated. These
- are primarily the direct result of eating a diet without fresh whole foods or digestive enzyme supplements. Secondary problems, as a result, are as insidious. Food allergies, headaches,
- fatigue, moodiness, ear infections, inflammation in joints, are a few secondary problems.
Be prudent in your food choices.
Do not buy into the notion that prepackaged, reconstituted, convenience “foods” have any nutrient quality. At no other time in history has food ended up on tables
looking like it does today.
- Stay out of the middle aisles of the grocery stores!
- Eat simple, eat whole some, and eat wise
- You are the sum total of the health of every one of your 30+ trillion cells and the weakest ones are the needy ones
- Add fresh foods in the form of fruits, salad with lightly steamed vegetables
- Raw milk and cheeses would be a welcome addition to our tables
- When you eat a fully cooked meal be prudent and add plant enzymes
Everything you need to purchase and use high quality enzymes and digestive aids are listed at the end of this e-Book. Purchase them and use them with confidence. Directions are also included so
you know exactly how to introduce into your diet.
The-Role-of-Enzymes
- Enzymes are also intimately involved in weight loss. Obesity is epidemic. Consumption of hydrogenated fats, trans – fatty acids, rancid fats, saturated foods in the middle aisles of all grocery stores are on the increase. In each cell of your body, you have a cancer fighting enzyme. These denatured, ugly fats interfere with the active of those enzymes.
Stay away from the middle aisles of the grocery store and stay away from unhealthy fats, including margarine’s of any description.
Back to weight loss….
- Enzymes improve efficient digestion and contributed to the digestion of food in a more timely fashion. It is very unhealthy to have undigested foods sitting in a hot, fluid environment for over 8 hours. This is not health promoting. Undigested foods lead to weight gain through excess water retention and toxicity. Basic metabolic rate becomes sluggish and fatigue sets in.
Feeling tired, carrying excess edema, and general ill health further diminished the ambition to exercise, build muscle and burn fat. Enzymes can contribute to the correcting of that situation. When enzymes are taken with food they act to digest it. When enzymes are taken on an empty stomach, they act as scavengers and are very energizing.
- Enzymes are an important factor to our good mental health. As mentioned, enzymes are made of amino acids. These amino acids are precursors to neurotransmitters. Tryptophan and tyrosine are precursors to serotonin. Serotonin, in brain, is a feel good chemical. Most popular pharmaceutical anti-depressants are known as serotonin re-uptake inhibitors. The result is to, hopefully keep serotonin circulating at the synapses longer.
- Enzymes also help the body scavenge toxins and allergens, leading to clearer thought processes, and diminished brain fog.
- Enzymes play an active role in the anti-inflammatory process. Inflammation, resulting from either injury or infection, is painful. Whether it’s arthritis, or any ‘itis’, supplemental enzymes can
be effective. Enzymes are present in the processes of inflammation reaction, repair and renovation. Proteolytic or protease enzymes help eliminate or clean up inflammatory debris and promote renovation or healing. Supplemental enzymes accelerate that process. They also, contain the affected area and keep it from spreading. They also play an active role in breaking up blood clots.
Proleolytic enzymes perform key functions in inflammation and repair. They inhibit inflammation while either positively affecting or at least not negatively affecting the immune system – many pharmaceuticals anti–inflammatory medications suppress the immune system.
- Enzymes reduce swelling and pain.
- They inhibit and assist in dissolving blood clots. They improve blood supply and increase nutrient supply to promote healing and they improve blood circulation. Use proteolytic enzymes along with zinc, bioflavonoids and vitamin C to improve healing.
- Enzyme therapy has had a long standing role to play in cancer therapy. Dr. John Beard, a Scottish embryologist, studied enzymes and incorporated them in an active role against tumor growth. He used the pancreatic juice of young animals and injected it into the veins or gluteal muscles of his cancer patients. He also injected it directly into the tumor where possible. His studies showed the tumor growth was inhibited and the patients enjoyed a longer survival time.
In the 1950’s, Dr. Wolf and his colleague Helen Benitez treated cancer patients with enzyme therapy and noted they were effective in degrading cancer cells. Cancer cells are deceptive in their attempts to out wit the immune system. They grow a fibrin coating to hide their identity. This allows them to grow out of control with out detention until they travel through the blood stream and lymphatic system. Certain enzymes can strip the fibrin coating exposing the antigens and leaving them susceptible to be devoured by macrophages of the immune system.
- Toxicity in the body can be improved with the presence of food enzymes and supplemental enzymes.
Keep your enzyme count high
Stay out of the middle aisles of the grocery store – unless you are looking for high quality canned tomatoes or legumes – Stay out of the prepackaged, processed section
- Enzymes help against red blood cell stickiness, and clotting. They improve blood flow equilibrium.
- Enzymes can be taken without fear of side effects or negative effects on the immune system. They do not interact with pharmaceutics and in fact, may help get the job done more efficiently.
- Enzymes decrease healing time, decrease scarring, improved immunity, are imperative for digestion. We are the sum total of what we absorb in our nutrients. Enzymes are an integral part of any anti-aging protocol.
Generously consume your enzymes
Seek to use only the highest quality enzymes
- Use them personally.
- Encourage your family to use them.
- My clients use them.
- Use them with confidence
Super Digestive Enzymes
Directions for Use:
If you are under the age of 25 years, you probably already produce ample pancreatic enzymes. If you eat very late at night, especially if you have eaten a heavy protein or pizza or fries, hamburger, you get the picture, you will benefit from taking one super digestive enzyme before bed.
Between the ages of 25- 40 years: If you have a history of chronic indigestion, heartburn, constipation, diarrhea, bad eating habits, here are a couple of things to consider:
- While you are healing your digestive system, take 1 super digestive enzyme before each meal for the next three months. This will facilitate the healing process. Start chewing your food to a liquid. At the end of the three month period, you can probably go to a broad spectrum plant enzyme to supplement your diet. I would keep a bottle of super digestive enzymes on hand and use them if you eat red meat, port or complex carbohydrates with gluten in them.
40 and over: You will benefit from either intermittent or regular use of these amazing enzymes. If you have a history of digestive problems, use them as mentioned above, one before each meal. If that does not seem to ease the situation, add one at the end. You can take two to three before heavier meals like lunch and/or supper.
At the beginning of the healing process, it is reasonable to use two to three, depending on how much discomfort you are in. By changing your quality of masticating, in order words chewing, and by adding enzymes, you will notice a difference after three months. Following three months, try cutting back to one along with a broad spectrum plant enzyme.
Broad Spectrum Plant Enzymes:
- Essential Enzymes
This is a broad spectrum plant enzymes. Anyone who has studied and researched enzymes, knows the author of this enzyme profile. Dr. Howell was the original Physician who actually discovered the presence of enzymes. It is a fascinating story of the devotion of one Physician to human health.
Direction for Use:
These enzymes can be used liberally and safely for any member of the family. In fact, if the truth be known, any member also means the furry ones. When you think about it, how much enzyme activity is present in your pet food?…. If your animal was living in the wild and feeding, the food would be fresh and live with enzymes. Thankfully, our pets are safe and sound in the loving comfort of our homes. But, there food is devoid of enzymes and consequentially they, like us, suffer depleted enzyme sources as a result. Add a couple of plant enzymes to the high quality dried food you purchase for your pet and mix the enzymes in. I open a capsule and sprinkle it over the food and just quickly mix it in. We have enjoyed the company of our beautiful pets till grand old age. For our older pets, over the age of ten, I have added one super digestive enzymes plus a couple of broad spectrum enzymes.
For the human folk, here are a few suggestions for super enzyme saturation:
Take 2-4 in the a.m. upon rising. Enzymes are wonderfully efficient at cleansing the digestive system and revitalizing the body. I also take a couple of enzymes before bed to cleanse the digestive
system.
If you are eating a cooked meal, take a couple before. If you happen to forget to take them before hand, don’t fret, just take with the meal. Ideally speaking enzymes are very efficient when they are present before you have eaten, but they are efficient at any time.
- Bromelain
Directions for Use:
Bromelain is derived from the delicious pineapple. Bromelain is a protein enzymes. Protein enzymes are both designed to assist in the digestion of proteins and acts as anti-inflammatory agent when taken on an empty stomach.
Take two before meals that have proteins present, especially meats.
If you have problems with inflammation anywhere in the body, internally and externally, take two to four between meals on an empty stomach and before bed
- Vegetarian Pancreatin
Directions for Use:
This is a broad spectrum plant enzyme. It is one of my personal favorites. It can be used in the same way Essential Enzymes are used.
These are safe for use anytime you are experiencing any amount of gastric distress as well as for good digestion.
- Lactase Enzymes found in Super Digestive Enzymes
Directions for Use:
Lactase enhances digestion of milk protein lactose. Lactose intolerance can be unbearable for individuals who suffer. Generally soured milk products like yogurt contain less than 70 grams of lactose. For some individuals less than 70 grams of lactose per serving does not constitute problems. For others, any amount of dairy is a recipe for cramping, pain and discomfort. In my Practice, I do not recommend the regular consumption of milk dairy but I do recommend soured or fermented dairy like organic yogurt, cottage cheese, kefir, sour cheese. Be prudent and add two Super Digestive Enzymes before consuming any dairy. If you suspect you have a lactose intolerance but have not been formally diagnosed, then again do the prudent thing, avoid dairy for one month and see how that change has improved or impacted your symptoms. If you have noticed an improvement, then stick to fermented dairy and add at least one super digestive enzyme before. It is reasonable to consider that if you have symptoms then deductive reasoning calls for action.
Natren Probiotics are the best, bar none. These are the only ones I use. Natren has a combination strain called ‘Healthy trinity’. I recommend starting with the individual ones, Superdophilus, Bulgaricus, Bifido. Take one of each per day before bed and on a relatively empty stomach so ensure better establishment of the probiotic. www.natren.com for more information. Natren probiotics can also be purchased at https://www.healthpalace.ca
Directions for Use:
If you are suffering gastric distress, you may also have a low population of probiotics which are friendly bacteria that line the intestinal wall. Life Flora is highly concentrated in the essential friendly bacteria that populations the intestinal tract. Friendly bacteria have many valued and important responsibilities in maintaining the health of your body. Digestion of proteins, production of lactase, crowding out unhealthy bacteria and immunity are a few of key roles of acidophilus, bifidum longum, paracaseii, that can be found in this product.
Take two at bed and two upon rising and two with each meal. Do this diligently for a year. It sometimes takes that long to change the flora ratio in your digestive system. With individuals who have had recent or intermittent antibiotic use, healthy intestinal flora are also impacted.
When the antibiotic use is ceased, the race is on to which bacteria will win the prestigious spot along the intestinal wall.
If this is you, take you probiotics as prescribed above and for two months following antibiotic use. If you have had chronic intermittent use, take your probiotics for at least six months and preferably a year. Use them at three months intervals after that for a period of one month. So basically every three months purchase a bottle and empty it using the above directions. You will be so rewarded for your efforts.
Pancreatic enzymes are helpful in conditions of low HCI as well.
Sufficient levels of HCI are important on many levels:
- The proper absorption of B12
- To stimulate pepsinogen to pepsiu and begin the digestion of proteins in the stomach.
- To kill viruses and bacteria that have made their way to digestive system.
These are just a few of the pivotal roles of healthy levels of HCI.
Directions for Use:
Take two early into your lunch and supper meal. If you eat proteins for breakfast, add one early into the meal.
Don’t take these on an empty stomach. You will experience a genuine burning sensation as a result of the HCI. I suggest my clients take a couple of bites first and then take a couple of these enzymes
There you have it. These enzymes are the best of the bunch and the most metabolically active. These are others. I have researched them. I am not convinced that the price reflects a substantive increase in quality. I am actually convinced that they are just expensive.
They are a wonderful source of energy for healthy digestion
More Reading on Enzymes – their Role and Importance
- The Nutrition Desk Reference – Robert Garrison Jr. M.A. R.Ph.
- The Enzyme Cure – Lita Lee Ph.D. Lisa Tumer Burton Goldberg
- Enzymes Nature’s Energizer – Anthony Cichoke D.C.
- Allergies Disease in Disguise – Carolee Bateson Koch D.C. N.D.
- Enzymes The Key to Health – Howard F. Loomis, Jr, D.C.F.I.A.C.A.
- Eating alive Prevention Thru Good Digestion – Dr. John Matsen N.D.
- The Power of Super Foods – Sam Graci
- Human Physiology – Schauf Moffett, Moffett
- Prescription for Natural Healing – James F Balch M.D., Phyllis A Balch CNC
