HOW ENZYMES SUPPLEMENT TURN LIFE AROUND

ENZYMES may not share the superstar status of certain vitamins, antioxidants, amino acids and other miracle nutrients, yet a growing number of studies suggest that enzymes very much deserve a standing ovation when it comes to improving overall health and the successful treatment of numerous diseases.Enzymes perform an all-encompassing function in the development and maintenance of the human body, Dr. Edward Howell, father of enzyme nutrition and therapy, stated that enzymes were the very substances that made life possible. Proponents and advocates of enzyme therapy regard enzyme bankruptcy as a lethal health catastrophe, causing countless bodies to shut down prematurely.Bodies of research have identified more than 3,000 types of enzymes in the human body. As organic catalysts, enzymes are known to initiate, speed up, slow down, alter or halt about 4,000 kinds of biochemical reactions. Millions of biochemical reactions take place in the body on a daily basis, including respiration, food digestion, assimilation and transportation of nutrients, detoxification of certain organs, blood purification, movement of muscles, production and regulation of hormones and cell renewal and repair, to name a few. "The enzymes make all these processes possible, and they are destroyed once they complete their respective tasks," Dr. Albert Egbuehi, an associate professor of Biochemistry, College of Medicine, University of Lagos said.Essentially there are three types of enzymes: digestive, metabolic and food enzymes. Digestive enzymes are produced by the digestive organs that aid in breaking down food into more assimilable forms. The four general classes of digestive enzymes are amylase, which digests carbohydrate, starch and sugar found in grains, fruits and starchy vegetables; protease, which breaks down protein found in meat, nuts, and cheese into amino-acids; lipase, which breaks down fats and oils found in dairy and meat products into fatty acids, and cellulase, which helps digest fibre.Metabolic enzymes on the other hand are said to be manufactured by the body’s own cells to perform highly specific tasks required in regulating the blood, tissues, and organs. They are responsible for the production and growth of new cells, the repair and maintenance of tissues and organs, transportation of blood to the different organs and detoxification of the cells, tissues, organs and blood. Metabolic enzymes also carry out the delivery and absorption of nutrients in various organs.The third kind of enzymes is the food enzymes. These enzymes are the vital life force naturally found in raw, uncooked food. By definition, raw food is food heated below 118oF, the highest temperature in which enzymes can still survive and function. There are a lot of well-documented cases that attest to the wonderful benefits and healing power of raw food. The enzymes present in raw food work synergistically with the other nutrients like vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals, antioxidants, and co-enzymes, allowing your digestive system to take its much needed rest and giving your immune system the necessary boost to successfully carry out its search and destroy missions.Therapeutic use of enzymes has been studied and used extensively in Europe, Asia and to a lesser extent the United States for at over 40 years.As early as 1912 Scottish physician John Beard discovered that pancreatic cancer patients were not making sufficient pancreatic enzymes, so he gave them fresh sheep pancreas extracts and they got better. In the 1970’s German physician, Dr. Karl Ransbager healed himself of a terminal kidney disease with enzymes he produced and sold to other doctors.In spite of what has been taught in medical schools, research has proven that systemic enzyme supplements are not destroyed by the stomach acid and in fact, have great benefits. Studies also show that there are no toxic levels of enzymes, so they are very safe, even for children and pregnant women. It is also important to note that if we provide the body with enzyme supplements, the body does not decrease its own enzyme production. The only precaution for using systemic enzymes according to experts is for those that are taking blood-thinning medication, as the enzymes naturally cleanse the blood and improve circulation, giving blood-thinning drugs a stronger effect. Proteolytic enzymes such as protease break down protein. Taken with meals, protease enhances the breakdown and assimilation of dietary proteins. When proteolytic enzymes are taken between meals they go about the business of cleaning up the bloodstream and tissues of foreign proteins including pathogenic bacteria, viruses, parasites, and fungal strains that cause respiratory illness and Candida. Proteolytic enzymes can digest this protective protein coating and render viruses inert and harmless to the body. Cancer cells also have a protein coating that is vulnerable to proteolytic enzymes.This, according to experts is possible due to the lock and key mechanism that ensures that enzymes target and destroy only substances that are harmful to the body, while leaving healthy cells alone. Proteolytic enzymes are also said to reduce the pain, redness and swelling of inflammation by targeting and eating away at the excess circulating immune complexes (CIC’s), or prostaglandins, that perpetuate the inflammation. Fibrinolytic enzymes are systemic enzymes that eat away the excess fibrin that forms scar tissue, adhesions and growths. Fibrin is essential for wound healing in that it lays down the framework for the new tissue to grow, much like a steel frame provides structure for a building. "In our youth injuries heal very quickly often without a trace of a scar due to healthy levels of fibrin-eating enzymes. As we get older, fibrinolytic enzymes decrease and wounds leave bigger scars. Uterine fibroids, fibrocystic breasts, and the hardening, shrinking, and decreased function of aging organs are a result of an accumulation of fibrin in the body due to a depletion of fibrinolytic enzymes." Egbuehi said.Excess fibrin is also said to be responsible for the spider web of scar tissue across the inside of blood vessels that forms the matrix upon which arterial plaque is laid down. Excess fibrin can also form in the kidneys contributing to high blood pressure and in the brain causing poor brain function and senility. The pain and suffering of fibromyalgia is said to have been caused by an overgrowth of fibrin in the muscles, known as fibrosis.Dr. William Wong, himself a former fibromyalgia patient and advocate of enzyme therapy, describes fibromyalgia as a condition that develops as a result of stress, estrogen dominance (due to environmental toxins) and fibrosis, which produces a tremendous amount of scar tissue in the muscles. "These knots of fibrosis in the muscles plug up the microcirculation that feeds the tissue resulting in pain. Fibrinolytic enzymes dissolve the excess fibrin in the muscles providing increased flexibility and blessed relief of pain," he said.The strongest fibrinolytic enzyme known is serrapeptase, which is what silkworms secrete to dissolve the silk that they produce. This is significant, since even a bullet cannot penetrate silk. For 30 years Dr. Hans Neiper used serrapeptase on cardiac patients to open up the blood vessels. Known as "poor man’s chelation", Neiper claimed that in two years this therapy could completely open the vascular system. Now serrapeptase is formulated from a plant source and has been remarkably successful when used in combination with other enzymes in treating fibromyalgia and dissolving arterial plaque, postoperative scars and keloids. Even old scars and adhesions respond to enzyme therapy.Indeed various experiments conducted on enzymes demonstrate their versatility and efficacy. Combined with a proper diet and other nutritional supplements, enzymes can perform tasks that are nothing short of miraculous. The use of enzymes among athletes suffering from injury and patients who underwent surgery accelerated the recovery and healing of both groups. In one study, a marked improvement was noted among arthritic patients consuming raw food. In another study, a control group of hypertensive and obese outpatients experienced a significant improvement in their conditions on a raw vegan diet. Enzymes have also been shown to reduce the side effects of chemotherapy among cancer patients.