ENZYMES IN YOUR BODY

Why Talk About Enzymes

There are 3,000 enzymes known in the human body, but many more thousands have yet to be discovered.  Enzymes are required for the proper and normal functioning of every cell and organ in the body, and therefore, essential to life.  For most of us they are the things that aid in digestion, but in reality they direct, accelerate, modify or slow down every bodily function.  Without them our cells and tissues could not operate efficiently enough to meet our basic needs and death would result.

What Do Enzymes Do?

Enzymes are the work force of the body: they dismantle, control, protect, destroy, eliminate, and reassemble and so on. They are essential to fertilization and conception, immunity, detoxification (removal of carcinogens), inflammation and repair, blood clotting, hormonal balance and our nervous system.  Chances are your doctor has measured your blood enzyme levels at some point to gauge risk or progress with respect to a particular health issue.  

The FDA approves the use of enzyme-based medications to combat cardiovascular disease, gastrointestinal conditions, genetic disorders, topical wounds, cancer treatments and removal of toxic substances from the blood. We use enzymes to turn milk into cheese, malt into beer, grape juice into wine and dough into bread. 

Enzymes Origins and Deficiencies

We can get many important enzymes from our foods.  Unfortunately our food processing destroys many of the natural enzymes from foods:  microwaving, cooking, refining, pasteurization and the like.  Enzymes are damaged or consumed very rapidly by smoking, carcinogens, excessive sunlight exposure, drugs, radiation and more.  Diets lacking in enzymes force the digestive glands, especially the pancreas, to work diligently to compensate for the deficiency.  Eventually, the glands become enlarged and less efficient.  As a result our many biochemical pathways in the body begin to malfunction and there is either a backup (a traffic jam if you will) of unwanted substances or build-up of substances.  In short, our entire bodies are thrown out of balance.  In the long run this leads to the slow demise of our organs and brings about chronic diseases such as arthritis, heart disease, cancer, Alzheimer’s, osteoporosis, gastrointestinal disorders, emphysema, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, scleroderma, chronic allergies and more. 

The History of Enzyme Therapy

When a person is ill one can always assume that their enzymes are not functioning optimally and this is part of the health disturbance.  Enzyme therapy date back to the 1700’s when a scientist Jean Senebier applied animal gastric juices to poorly healing wounds such as varicose ulcers of his patients.  Plant poultices (topical application to the skin) have a long history in herbal medicine and are still used today.  It is the enzymes in these plants that often contribute to healing by eating away at rotten tissue and helping regenerate new tissue.  In 1937 biochemist Gaschler successfully treated certain types of cancer with enzymes.  The Mayas treated malignant ulcers by applying topical papaya leaves which are rich in enzymes. 

The Safety Records of Enzyme Therapy

Today there are institutions existing solely for researching enzyme therapies.  One of those is the Enzyme Research Institute in Oregon, USA.  One of the most remarkable things about enzyme therapy is their being virtually free of side effects.  Enzymes have been fed to numerous laboratory animals in doses one hundredfold larger than advocated for humans with only temporary changes in their appetites or tempers at most.  In fact, it was impossible to determine the ‘lethal dose’ since animals survived outrageously large quantities without damage.  Enzymes have been commercially available since 1967 in Europe and prescribed more than 20 million times.  There have been a total of 240 reported side effects and there were predominantly bowel gas, skin itching and/or increased bleeding tendencies following injuries or surgery. 

Impressive Studies: MS and Injuries

Studies on enzymes are very encouraging and explain their long and continued use in European history.  Here are two examples: (1) 107 Multiple Sclerosis patients were treated with enzymes.  71 experienced improvement, 45 substantial, 26 were stabilized and only 12 deteriorated.  Those 12 who didn’t fare well all had a history of receiving long-term treatments with the immunosuppressive drug Azathioprine.  (2) Dr. Zuschlag studied the prophylactic (preventative) use of enzymes in a control study involving 20 Karate fighters.  Those receiving the enzyme therapy had full relief from bruising in an average of 7 days versus 16 days for the control group.  Restrictions of movement were absent after 5 days in the enzyme group but lasted more than 12 days with the controls. 

Naturopathic Medicine and Enzymes

Enzymes have an exciting role in my practice today as their application is so broad, profound and safe.  As an adjunct to herbal remedies and dietary and lifestyle changes, I have found enzymes to be very effective in slowing down and reversing chronic illnesses as well as very helpful in treating acute injuries.  Athletes and surgery patients have both benefited from the use of enzymes as preventative treatments.

Of course one should not forget the importance of eating unprocessed and raw foods in our diet to provide us with enzymes the natural way.  Enjoy enzyme rich foods such as papaya and pineapples, sprouts and unpasturized fermented foods (tempeh, aged miso, sauerkraut, etc.).