What happens when we start to run low on enzymes?

Here's bottom line. Many illnesses and poor health conditions are result of a digestive malfunction causing toxemia inside body. This malfunction is result of insufficient quantities of Digestive Enzymes to properly digest and metabolize nutrients. Significant short- and long-term health problems could develop when these nutrients are not digested.

Some lifestyle problems like high blood pressure, kidney disease, liver problems, indigestion and heartburn, adult onset diabetes, fibromyalgia, migraines, PMS, even hyperactivity in children, often have their starting point in nutritional problems.

When our body is stressed by a shortage of digestive enzymes two things can happen and both are bad.

1.Because our body finally becomes so overworked it can't make enough enzymes to properly digest our food. As this undigested food begins to pollute our body, chances of chronic disease increase. 2.Our body continues to work overtime to create needed enzymes required to digest our food. This extra stress adversely affects our immune system and lowers our ability to protect ourselves from and fight off disease.

Supplemental digestive enzymes will deliver necessary nutrients to fortify your body and can enhance your body's healing system, often resulting in improved overall health and vitality.

What can I do to restore and/or maintain my enzyme levels?

You don't need to be in this predicament and there are some ways to stay out of it. The digestive enzymes you need for process of restoring and maintaining your health are available through several sources. One of them is author’s website, at bottom of this page. However, you are urged to follow advice given in closing paragraph.

Which special health conditions might benefit from enzyme treatment?

Here are some specific health problems or conditions which may benefit from specific enzyme treatment.

1. Chronic indigestion, heartburn, or gastric disorders (i.e., gastroenteritis).

2. Nervousness, anxiety and difficulty sleeping.

3. Irregularity, constipation and diarrhea.

4. Digesting fats (lipids) including whole milk, a situation often associated with high cholesterol, heart disease and obesity.

5. Weight problems, either high or low.

As you may be aware there are extensive studies and research on soy that have discovered remarkable and wide-ranging benefits to good health. Soy's beneficial health properties have proven successful in alleviating many hormonal-related issues (such as hot flashes), preventing bone density loss, reducing some cancer tumors, lowering cholesterol levels, and promoting cardiovascular health to name just a few. The problem with soy products (see digestive problems above) is that “good soy” has virtually all, worldwide, become contaminated with Genetically Modified (BMO) versions.

Disclaimer: These articles in no way should be taken as medical advice on any product or condition, nor do they constitute in any way medical advice endorsing any specific product, specific result, nor any possible cure for any condition or problem. They are meant as a source of information upon which you may base your decision as to whether or not you should begin using a greens product as a dietary supplement. If in doubt, or if you have questions, you should consult your physician and, if possible, consult a second physician for a possible different opinion. The author bears no responsibility for your decisions nor for outcome of your actions based upon those decisions.

Digestive enzymes and food enzymes basically serve same function, which is to digest our food so it can be absorbed through walls of small intestine into blood stream. From this viewpoint only real difference between food enzymes and digestive enzymes is whether they come from inside our body or from food we eat.

This is accomplished in one of two ways. Food enzymes are already present within foods we eat. Food enzymes exist naturally in raw food. If food is cooked, however, high temperature involved in cooking process will destroy enzymes. An alternative source, then, of enzymes is required. Such food sources as “enzyme rich” supplements, i.e., “greens” (not leafy stuff like lettuce, etc.), is called for.

Why are enzymes so important for digestion?

Most food, when it is uncooked, contains enough natural food enzymes to digest that food. When you cook food enzymes are inactivated (denatured) and can no longer assist in digestive (breaking down) process. Eating raw food is totally acceptable in some cases and quite unacceptable in others. We eat raw fruit and many raw vegetables, but less often do we eat raw meat, raw fish (not withstanding sushi), or raw pork. Eating uncooked rice is nearly a guaranteed trip to your dentist! So, obviously, we cook our food.

Here's where problem occurs. Cooked food contains no enzymes because they have been destroyed. If you eat a meal consisting of a salad, a steak and a baked potato, there are likely enough food enzymes contained in salad to digest it (break it down so your body can use its nutrients). But, there are no extra enzymes available to help digest steak or baked potato. Because steak and potato are cooked, there are no FOOD ENZYMES available to digest them, so our body must take over and internally create needed amount of DIGESTIVE ENZYMES to handle digestive task.

The more we depend on our internally generated DIGESTIVE ENZYMES, more stress we put on our body's systems and organs and less time these systems and organs have for rebuilding and replacing worn out and damaged cells and tissue and keeping our immune system strong. Your body’s top priority is making sure it has enough nutrients to run its systems. This means digesting food and converting it into nutrients. There is no activity more important to body than this. This takes a lot of energy and enzymes, particularly if body must make most or all of these enzymes. Remember that no food can be digested without digestive enzymes.

Dr. DicQie Fuller, in her book The Healing Power of Enzymes, emphasizes importance of enzymes for digestion: "Eighty percent of our body's energy is expended by digestive process. If you are run down, under stress, living in a very hot or very cold climate, pregnant, or are a frequent air traveler, then enormous quantities of extra enzymes are required by your body. Because our entire system functions through enzymatic action, we must supplement our enzymes. Aging deprives us of our ability to produce necessary enzymes. The medical profession tells us that all disease is due to a lack or imbalance of enzymes. Our very lives are dependent upon them!"

In Part II of this article we will discuss which enzymes digest which type of food, whether I have an infinite supply of enzymes, what happens when I start to run low on digestive enzymes, what I can do to maintain my enzyme level and whether there are certain enzymes I can take for specific health conditions.

Disclaimer: These articles in no way should be taken as medical advice on any product or condition, nor do they constitute in any way medical advice endorsing any specific product, specific result, nor any possible cure for any condition or problem. They are meant as a source of information upon which you may base your decision as to whether or not you should begin using a greens product as a dietary supplement. If in doubt, or if you have questions, you should consult your physician and, if possible, consult a second physician for a possible different opinion. The author bears no responsibility for your decisions nor for outcome of your actions based upon those decisions.