Digestive Enzymes

[Shallah Kali]

Has anyone ever tried these for a digestive issue? I started taking a strong broad spectrum enzyme about a month ago as I have multiple food sensitivities including celiac and what probably is IBS. With celiac doctors will tell you that the damage do the villi stops your body from making lactase so you can't digest milk properly until the villi recover. When even a strict - even paranoid - diet did not stop my symptoms something I read gave me the idea to try enzymes. Well while I am not cured I do feel like a different person. Before no matter what I ate it gave me gas and bloating. Actually I thought the bloating was overweight but after gradually building up to taking 1 or 2 enzyme tablets before each meal I went down almost a full size. I hardly ever burp any more unless I forget to take the enzyme before the meal or get impatient and don't wait 5 to 10 minutes before eating after taking the enzymes. I had acid reflux before that bothered even with medication. Now it hardly bothers and I am on half the dose I was before. I can only assume that my body was producing extra acid to digest my food as something, such as the damage from celiac, was causing me to not produce enough enzymes. I can now eat a chicken sausage with my rice pasta and sauce without being ill for the next couple of days! :woohoo:

Here is a site with a lot of good info on enzymes which while the focus is on how enzymes may help those with Autism much of it is everyone else imo:
http://www.enzymestuff.com


Oh btw for those curious this is the enzyme I am taking:
http://www.enzy.com/go/EnzymaticTherapy/productDetail.aspx?alias=EnzymaticTherapy&tabalias=productDetail&partcode=04250&sc=True

There are many reputable brands out there. I tried this one as it listen allergens, had a high dose and didn't cost an arm and a leg. If you try an ezyme be sure to compare the units of acitivity to make sure you have digesting power you want. Some brands don't list the activity units and some cost much more for fewer units.

[Celebration]

1. yes they are wonderful

for a lot of people. It makes no sense not to try these for things like IBS, allergies of all types, celiac, crohn's disease, etc. It probably should be standard care, IMHO. I have taken them off and on--whenever I felt like I needed them.

[Shallah Kali]

2. I wish I had learned how effective they can digestive issues ages ago

It would have saved me from so much indigestion and all that entails!!!

I did have to start small as my stomach was so sensitive that one tablet with the biggest meal of the day at first made my stomach burn. After the burning stopped I waited a day and then went up to two tablets a day, and so on. I am so glad something lead me to this. I was starting to think I might be allergic to everything and was dreading more tests to track things down when I gave this a go.

[Bluestar]

3. Hi Shallah--Thanks for posting this

I also have Celiac and am always on the lookout for natural therapies.

I have had great success taking L-Glutamine tablets (started with 1-2 grams per day and now take 6 grams per day). I read on a Celiac website that the Glutamine would start to heal the villi in the small intestine. I have been doing this for about a year and a half and it has made a huge difference in my digestive capabilities. Many people say you should take up to 20 grams per day, but my holistic doctor said that someone with Celiac would reject those large doses, so I started small and have had great success with just 6 grams.

[Shallah Kali]

4. I have some l-glutamine but haven't started it yet

I like to try things one at a time so I know which works or which one causes an unwanted side effect. Also I am trying to find out if it is true that aminos are absorbed best on an empty stomach. My innards are so touchy that I can't go without eating at least a small snack without getting very nauseated. I should probably bite the bullet and try adding that in next even if I take it with food for it surely is not helping me in the bottle!

After the l-glutamine I want to try a good probiotic as soon as I can find one that is dairy free. So far I haven't found one that isn't cultured in dairy and as I have dairy allergy I am leary of trying it even if the company says there are no detectable amounts :( From what I have read Celiac and leaky gut seems to have a strong connection and both l-glutamine and probiotics help strengthen the lining of the intestines.

[Silver Gaia]

5. So, you're saying this helped with acid reflux, too?

I have acid reflux realllly bad (and heartburn every day, too). I've got an appt. to see a doc about this on Thursday. I've had this problem for several years, but this will be the first time I've seen a doctor about it. It scares me. I wake up choking and can't breathe sometimes. If these enzymes helped you, I will certainly try it.

[Shallah Kali]

7. I have had reflux for several years and now all of a sudden it let up some

the only thing different in my diet was the enzymes. It could be one heck of a coincidence - or it could truly be connected. I think it is but again it has not cured me, just reduced it. I am not going to test this by going off the enzymes because I get the indigestion back if I don't take at least 1 tablet with each meal.

My first symptom of acid reflux was chronic horseness. AT times it got so bad especially when I first woke up all I could do was squeak instead of speak properly. I would still get that at times even on an acid controlling medication. I would also get the reflux especially at night burning my throat and if it was really bad it would come up to my mouth. This sometimes even happened on the medication. After being on the enzymes for a few weeks the occasional reflux in spite of medication let up and so I tried taking a half dose with no increase in reflux or squeaky voice.

I wish I could find a study or at least a bunch of anecdotes on this but so far nothing. All I can say is if there is nothing in the enzymes that you know to not suit you it might be worth a try for you. Some types of enzymes can increase bleeding and so can't be taken with blood thinners and another kind breaks down time released medication faster than intended so it is good to read up on the kind you intend to try if on medications.

[NJCher]

12. another idea for you--two very natural remedies

I used to have that problem, too, but then my dad told me about apples. Apples? Yes, apples!

After a meal, wait about 20-30" and then eat an apple. Whenever you have indigestion, eat an apple. Apples have the additional benefit of reducing cancer, too. I have the results of the studies taped to a kitchen cabinet and I'll post it later. But the reduction is rather dramatic--in the area of 30 per cent, etc.

Cortlands, cameos, winesap, and pink ladies are the best at helping. Granny Smiths don't do much (nor do any other green apples).

Google apples and indigestion and you will find some guy trying to sell info on apples and indigestion.

Another thing to do that really helps is to buy baking soda WITHOUT aluminum. That means going to a health food store or the organic section of your supermarket. This baking soda is so mild. I mix up a bottle of it with my Italian mineral water and label it. I keep a bottle in the frig, by the side of the bed, and in the car. It's so mild that you really don't mind drinking it. I drink a little even as a preventative.

Since I've adopted these practices, I don't have much of a problem with acid (and my problem used to be really bad).



Cher

[Shallah Kali]

39. baking soda

baking soda neutrlizes stomach acid and so gives relief but in the end it seems to me have the same issues as the danged acid reduction pills in that reduced stomach acid increase the changes of infection like the bacteria that causes ulcers and stomach flu bugs. My goal is to heal my innards enough that i can get off even the half dose of the drug I am taking now. Temporarily reducing stomach acid is better than letting it eat into my esophagus of course so for now I will continue.

Appels are wonderful and have excellent fiber pectin. I wonder if that is the particular part that heals indigetstion? unfortunatly right now I can't tolerate any fruit or fructose such as in honey. I *used* to eat it just fine but about a year ago I stopped tolerating it. I suspect I am not making fructase enzyme and so far have yet to find tablet that contains that so I can start eating fruit without side effects.

[davsand]

35. I used to have it but cutting my processed carb intake helped that a lot.

When I follow a diet low in processed carbs I have zero problems with heartburn. When I start eating white things (Flours, breads, spuds, pastas, etc) sugars, or processed veggies the heartburn will return in a matter of days.

YMMV, but I'd try a change up in my eating plan before I'd start on regular meds or do anything really drastic like a surgery or something. The worst thing that will happen is that you might realize how little you actually LIKE potatoes and white bread!

YMMV.


Laura

[elleng]

6. Thanks.

I posted link at 'chronic health problems.'

[Shallah Kali]

8. Hi & thanks, I didn't think of doing that as enzymes are not prescribed therapy for ibs, etc.

I tried them as I was sick of feeling sick and could find no facts to show they were likely to cause harm. At worst I would be out some $. At best I would feel some relief which I am very happy to say I did receive :)

[elleng]

9. Glad you found some relief.

That's why I posted it. Many peeps have similar issues/complaints, and just looking for SOMETHING that might help.

[truedelphi]

41. Enzymes work wonders, and so do probiotics

In 1998, I saved myself from having an operation for diverticulitis by taking probiotics.

And went from being unable to eat, unable to walk even across the room, etc to going back to my old self in just two short weeks.

[Shallah Kali]

42. I am so glad probiotics worked so powerfully for you!

I am still trying to find a diary free one that is truly dairy free as I have diary allergy even to goats milk. Some companies say dairy free but still culture in diary which might have a trace amount for me to react to.

[truedelphi]

43. I didn't know this in 1998, but an operation for diverticulitis can leave

A person with a colostomy bag for the rest of their natural life!

It was all a big coincidence - i was so ill from Div. that my husband was trying to do anything that he could to cheer me up.

He found a book called "Foods that Heal" and bought it because it had a chapter on vitaligo - a skin condition I have.

We didn't realize until about a week later that there was a three page entry about probiotics and diverticulitis. An since acidophilus only costs abt $ 14 a bottle - what did we have to lose? I knew within 72 hrs that it was working - I could get up and dress myself, and could drink water and juice without any pain.
(The diverticulitis left me so anemic that I was bedridden, and the doctor had threatened to put me in a nursing home.)

The weird thing is - after the probiotics got me all healthy again, my doctor was totally uninterested in the fact that this simple remedy had healed me.

[Why Syzygy]

44. The doctor's reaction is disturbing. All too true though. nt

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

10. My doctor makes up her own

with the help of a compounding pharmacist. She also sells many different kinds, and my husband has taken them.

It is said that cutting edge research has shown that taking digestive enzymes on an empty stomach can help those with suspected cancers. The idea is that cancer cells coat themselves with a shell so that the white blood cells can't latch onto them and kill them. Since the enzymes don't have food to eat in an empty stomach,they get into the bloodstream, where they eat away this coating, allowing the immune system to take care of the cancer cells. My husband had some suspicious cells in his liver area, and did this--next test of liver function found everything normal. So there is another use for them.

[all.of.me]

11. I also heard this about clogged arteries.

A friend of mine, at 44, had a major heart attack. I can't remember who suggested this, but it was enzyme therapy on an empty stomach several times a day. The idea was that the enzymes would eat out the stuff in your arteries. This was over ten years ago, so I don't remember the details.

[yellerpup]

13. A year ago on Christmas I had what I thought was my last party

I was on the most powerful antacids for acid reflux and unable to swallow. I also suffered from intractable diarrhea and 'vomited' at least once during every meal. I had lost 35 pounds and was wearing baggy size 0 jeans. I also had to sleep sitting up on the couch because I couldn't lie down without stuff coming up. A friend who came to the party (whom we hadn't seen for over 2 years) is a drug researcher and she was appalled at my appearance. We met in ballroom dance class, so she know that I was usually very fit but also due to my native American heritage that I am allergic to cows milk & all dairy related to cows. She advised me to see a specialist right away (we had just gotten health insurance after 20 years of not having it) and in the meantime she sent over three things to help me through. I stopped taking the antacids and substituted probiotic enzymes, I added a CoQ10 supplement, cut out the vitamin C tablet, and had a jigger of aloe vera juice before bedtime. The enzymes stopped the diarrhea that had plagued me for 10 years within two days. I saw a specialist and ended up having surgery for a rare condition (1/100,000) called achalasia. I had never had acid reflux, as it turns out, it was the lower esophageal sphincter that went haywire and caused me not to be able to swallow. However, being on antacids had inhibited the abiity of my bowel to absorb nutrients and if it hadn't been for the probiotic enzymes I may have starved to death before I could have had surgery. The surgeon actually gasped when I went back for my post-op checkup. She said, "I have never seen anyone heal this fast." I am 58 years old. Next month will be a year since the surgery. I wear size 6 jeans now, live an active life without taking any medication, and have my brain power back. It's worth it to learn the chemistry. Many if not most doctors are completely in the dark when it comes to nutrition.

Edit for typo

[Shallah Kali]

23. I am so glad you found out what was ailing you and it worked so well!

It is sad that few doctors know about nutrition and how probotics and enzymes can be so helpful. The next thing I want to try to improve my health is to find a good dairy free probiotic as I spent so much of my childhood on antibiotics with one sinus, ear, and throat infection after another. Proboitics actually improve digestion and put out b-vitamins the lovely little symbiotes :)

[yellerpup]

25. I'm grateful to you for bringing up the subject.

Our bodies (in most cases) can fix anything that goes wrong with us. We just have to open our eyes to the alternative ways of stimulating our immune systems. Thanks! :hi:

[Shallah Kali]

27. Our bodies always seek to be whole. imo true healing is the restoration of what should be

such as taking probiotics to make up for the good bacteria lost to antibiotics. The past few months my body has craved odd things like tomato paste by the can and a couple of big onions sauted in a bit of olive oil. I give into these cravings strange as they are and always feel more energetic the next day. I figure my body must desperately crave certain nutrients found in these foods. I can go through a 10lb bag of onions in a couple-3 weeks by myself! yum!

[yellerpup]

30. Honor your intuition and your cravings (exception: sugar)

We have onions both raw and cooked at least twice a day. Garlic, too. Happy days!

[lildreamer316]

33. I was thinking about posting a thread about that. However, I have to differ with you a bit..

I have noticed over my lifetime that certain types of sugars (I don't mean that in a scientific way exactly) work for me, and certain types work against.

I've always craved sugar. I do actually have low blood sugar (hypoglyceimia); but am not diabetic. I used to eat sugar out of packets all day; used to eat whole jars of sugar cane molasses (iron also). I know what sugary foods I can deal with, and which ones do not do me any good. It's very individualized and weird, but I follow my cravings, and so far, so good. I fluctuate in weight about 5 to 8 lbs over a month or two, but am never really outside my healthy range for my height and body type.

I really believe that we do need to honor our cravings and intuition!! I think this is so very important.

One other sugar that for some reason seems to do me more good than harm: Coca-Cola. ONLY that soda. Any other type seems to give me extra weight. I have no idea why this is so. I don't drink it in excess, but my body does crave it sometimes, and especially after certain foods. I drink that, hot tea w/honey, cold southern tea, and water.

Love me some onions, garic, olives, and yes...cheese. Cheese is my weakness. Oh, and i refuse to use anything but real butter and olive oil for cooking.

Simple is best...

[yellerpup]

34. Actually, when I excepted sugar from following cravings

it's because I can eat say, a 2# box of chocolates at any one sitting and after I do I can crave it the next day and the day after that, etc. LOL I can be such a piggie with sweets, so I guess I was speaking mainly to my own obsessive desires. I agree with you about using butter and olive oil and have spatted with my sister over this many times. I explain to her that your body recognizes the molecules in butter and olive oil and knows how to process the nutrients. The senses can be fooled by "I Can't Believe It's Not...etc." but the body doesn't really know how to process those molecules, so they become dangerous in that they can short circuit your immune system because your body doesn't recognize them. I can't have cheese (except for goat cheese which I love) because of lactose intolerance. I do cheat occasionally, though, with a nice cube of sharp cheddar or one of the fattier cheeses like brie (the higher the fat content, the lower the lactose). I take extra acidophilus for the inevitble reaction and can clear it up in a day...I suffer but it's worth it. I don't drink sodas any more. My mother grew up severely underpriviledged and considered it cruel to make us drink milk, so she would pour Pepsi's for us for breakfast! When I do have soda, I prefer me some good-o Co-Cola! :hi:

[MorningGlow]

14. This is intriguing, Shallah

My brother has had IBS for years and years, yet his doctor can't figure out how to treat it. He can barely eat anything--just some meat and bread--and he is always rushing to the bathroom 20 minutes after he finishes eating. He also has tremors (hands shaking), probably from a lack of nutrition getting into his system. So of course his doctor is speculating that it's Parkinson's, even though he doesn't have any other Parkinson's symptoms. :eyes:

I am going to send him these links--it's gotta be worth a try--what has he got to lose at this point? Wait, scratch that--I'm going to send them to my sister-in-law. My brother is the type to ignore ANY health advice, especially something like this (not prescription medication), but my SIL is more open to alternative medicine.

Thanks, Shallah! :hi:

[Shallah Kali]

22. Tell your SIL also to look into calcium carbonate

It slows digestion and as long as you stay within the RDA and have no health problems that require limiting calcium intake it should be safe. As it is usually only sold in a tablet combined with vitamin D be sure to make sure your SIL knows to keep that in the safe range as well.

Magneisum has the opposite effect and care should be taken with supplementing it until one can find the right amount one can take without causing problems. So far I haven't tried introducing magnesium myself. I want to get some magnesium in power form so I can tightly control the amount I take.

Between testing for food allergies (including Celiac), calcium, and enzymes I am down to 1 imodium per day. Please consider encouraging your brother to make sure he has been throughly tested for possible food sensitivies to make sure he does not have a combination of issues like me Celiac, dairy allergy, ibs, fructose malabsorption. If someone has Celiac even parts per million amounts cause a reaction. I have gotten ill from washing my hair with a conditioner with wheat in it :eek:

Oh I forgot enteric coated peppermint oil capsuels. There have actually been a few studies on this showing it help a signfigent number of people. The only problem is if you have acid reflux it makes it worse. I tried it for 3 days and couldn't stand the increase in reflux.

[MorningGlow]

31. I will do that, thanks

I talked to my SIL yesterday after I posted and asked her what kinds of food my brother was able to eat and what kinds of food made his IBS act up. She said he can eat meat and bread, as I remembered, but can't handle any dairy or sweets whatsoever. He's on an antispasmodic for his IBS and an antianxiety drug to stop his hand tremors, but his IBS still isn't being diagnosed (as to the cause) so it can be treated properly.

A while ago my SIL and I talked about holistic MDs--the place where they live (SoCal) is lousy with 'em, including one right by my brother's law office--and we tried to get him to go, but he refused. He's a stubborn arse--it runs in the family.
:rofl:

SIL and I decided to renew our campaign to get him to a doctor who can help him when we visit in June. In the meantime I sent her your links. She came back with something she said was mentioned on 60 Minutes--Colocerin, I think? I did some 'Net research and it's about 50/50 for opinions--some people swear by it, others refuse to touch the stuff ever again in their lives. It doesn't have any probiotics, but it does have goldenseal, which confuses me, as that's a purgative--so why would it be in a drug to control IBS? To clear you out and start over? I think it's counterproductive, myself, and told her to try the enzymes first. We shall see...

[Shallah Kali]

36. Colocerin - interesting herbs. White Oak Bark is anti-diarrheal

from what I have read it is wonderfully binding. I am thinking of getting some (oak bark { http://www.vitacost.com/Natures-Way-White-Oak-Bark } not colocerin) to try when something sneaks through my normal paranoid food prep such as a relative deciding that wiping their gluten-bread crumby hands on the kitchen towel intended for people to dry their freshly scrubbed hands with or butter their toast over the open silverware tray. argh.

Back to the colocerin http://www.colocerin.com/ - goldenseal I believe is used to help constipation and it certainly effects me that way. It is wonderful antigerm so that may help even those with ibs-d in spite of the draino effect. Aloe ditto. Slippery elm is soothing to mucus membraines and is supposed to help soothe both constipation and diarrhea. The other herbs I would have to look up but I wouldn't try such a formula myself as it has things that are used to treat C as well as D.

Whatever you do as tempting as it is to trying a bunch of things at once it is much better to try one at a time to make sure you know which is helping, which is hindering, and which does nothing.

Another thing I found I had to go slow starting enzymes as I got the detox/ herxheimer effect I have read of. I would feel good for several days and then have one where I felt exhausted. I took that as a signel to decrease my enzymes by 1 tablet for a few days and then go back to the same dose until eventually I got up to two tablets per meal. I didn't believe in the herxhierm reaction until I got it at a couple days a week after starting enzymes. The days I didn't reaction I felt more energy and awake than before btw :) More on the herx effect - scroll down to the bit on Die Off http://www.enzymestuff.com/conditionbacteria.htm

[MorningGlow]

37. Excellent tips, Shallah--thanks so much

Also, serendipity strikes--on the front page of our newspaper today was a story about a local woman who has been nearly cured of her Crohn's disease by participating in a stem cell trial at a nearby hospital. The more I read about her symptoms, the more I realized I was reading all about my brother, my mother, and my grandmother. So I e-mailed my SIL and asked if my brother has been tested for Crohn's. Gave some printouts to my mom to take to her doctor too; she's been diagnosed with polymyalgia, but doesn't have any joint pain. :eyes: Standard treatment for both Crohn's and polymyalgia is steroids like Prednisone, which she is on, but it's not curing her bowel problems.

It looks like we might be onto something that could help both her and my brother. My grandmother died of colon cancer; perhaps we can avoid that outcome for mom and bro?

In any case, I've read that probiotics and enzymes are also used to treat Crohn's. Hmmm...!

I told my SIL that when I get to Cali, we are going to get my brother to a new doctor, preferably a holistic MD, if we have to truss him up and throw him in the trunk of the car.
:rofl:

[Shallah Kali]

38. May i suggest you also read up on leaky gut syndrome? So many digestive disease seem linked to it

Probiotics strengthen the intestinal wall reducing excessive permeability as well as driving out bad bacteria, secreting digestive enzymes and b-vitamins.

I did a google search for probiotics +"colon cancer" and found a few things that indicate it might inhibit it:
http://www.google.com/search?num=20&hl=en&safe=off&rls=GGGL,GGGL:2006-23,GGGL:en&sa=X&oi=spell&resnum=0&ct=result&cd=1&q=probiotics+%2B%22colon+cancer%22&spell=1

Also as you probably already know regular calcium intake has been linked to lower rates of colon cancer. My Mom had some polyps removed a few years ago that the specialist said were the precancerous form. Thank all that is holy her doc finally had her tested before it took hold! I have ragged on her ever since to take her minerals every day and now I have been pushing probiotics instead of the crap yogurt she eats. I dislike nagging but I will do it since these things are so good for her.

Stike out colon cancer with good nutrition
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0FKA/is_1_61/ai_53459784

[starchimes]

15. I take digestive enzymes and cayenne pepper capsules. It has

done wonders for my food sensitivities. I found a website yesterday about milk and how bad it is for you. I haven't eaten any dairy in years, but found it very interesting. www.notmilk.com.

[Shallah Kali]

20. Hot peppers are excellent for digestion but too potent in capsules for me

Years ago i tried taking caynne to see if it would help me loose a little weight (thermogenic). It did but it irritated my digestive tract and so I gave up on it. I am glad your body can handle it as cayenne is such an excellent herb.

http://www.herbs2000.com/herbs/herbs_cayenne.htm
http://www.vitacost.com/Healthnotes/Herb/Cayenne.aspx

[conscious evolution]

28. Changing to a spicy diet

got rid of my acid reflux.
The first week or so was hell but then it went away and has not been back.

A friends reflux went away after he quit drinking.

[Grateful for Hope]

16. Wow...this is great advice!

I, too, have an issue with gas and bloating. I have tried beano, and, to some extent, it works. But, it is probably not the highest quality digestive enzyme product.

I am going to try Mega-Zyme.

Thank you!

[Shallah Kali]

18. Beano works on one kind of thing so it won't help if you are lacking enzymes for protein or fat dige

I tried Megazyme as it covers protein, fat and carbs and I wasn't sure which I lacked. Some formulas focus on certain things like protein or dairy and others are broad spectrum. Just remember to compare not just milligrams but units of activity to get an accurate idea of how powerful a product is.

BTW if you do online shopping prices for vitamins and the like tend to be lowest at Swanson Vitamins http://www.swansonvitamins.com and Vitacost http://www.vitacost.com

[Grateful for Hope]

19. Thanks for the tip, Shallah!

I went to the website and searched for a store in my area that carries it. There is a health food store pretty close to me that does, apparently. I figure I'll save the shipping costs if I buy it locally. Am going to buy it tomorrow!

[Shallah Kali]

21. Good luck! If you have the time ask about enzymes and see if they have any brochures to learn more

I don't have a health food store nearby so I do my shopping online. Also the cost is nearly half of what I found when I finally did make it into the closest store Whole Foods aka Whole Paycheck.

[Grateful for Hope]

24. I will!

Also, while the health food store near me is a small, local one, I will check the price compared to the online price. Good point!

[Shallah Kali]

26. BTW the online vitamin stores have specials at times like free shipping if you spend so much $

And if you have a friend or family member who also needs to save on their vitamins you can order together and split the shipping. My Mother and I will buy together and we try to order at the same time as my grandparents saving us all a few dollars :)

[Celebration]

17. medical research

For those who want to consider various alternative ways to approach conditions, one way to do it is go to

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?db=pubmed

and do a search

If you want to search on enzymes, Wobenzym, a German product, has a lot of research connected with it. Enter Wogenzym and you can get an idea for what these things are used for.

You can also enter a condition, and see various abstracts on that.

Also the Life Extension Foundation website has some abstracts for various conditions.

www.lef.org

There are a lot of other places that are good too.

I'd actually like to see more alternative healing posts here--there really are relatively few OPs on this subject.

[Why Syzygy]

29. Great thread, Shallah.

I have *always* taken a product by American Health, "Chewable Original Papaya Enzyme".
http://www.iherb.com/ProductDetails.aspx?c=1&pid=5082

It is probably on the mild side according to the scale you mention. I don't have any ongoing digestive issues. I started out taking them mostly to cure hiccups. I'm not religious about taking any one thing. I seem to rotate through various supplements as I feel they are needed.

I have started taking a cayenne capsule every night. What a miracle herb that is! My tummy sometimes gets a burn, but I drink lots more water and it passes quickly.

I'm also a believer in An Apple a Day! At least one. They are great for digestion too.

Probiotics, always a good idea. IMO, you have a much greater chance of recovery, or at least management, when you strike out on your own for alternative approaches. Brava for that action! It's nice to be reminded of things I can do for myself also. Keep us posted on your progress/experience.

[Brewman_Jax]

32. They're great to have available

I have the papaya enzyme tablets in addition to the digestive enzyme capules. I carry a small pillbox if I know I'll be eating restaurant food as opposed to my own cooking. Since another birthday has arrived, I'd better get better at taking care of myself.

[Shallah Kali]

40. Serrazimes or serrapeptidase

I hesistate to share this as there are so few studies to be read on this enzyme and most stuff on the net makes it sound like a panacea. Well it is no panacea but it has causes some changes for the better in me. When I was first reading up on enzymes I came across some info on serrapeptidase (Wiki http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serrapeptase ). I thought it sounded like snake oil but what if there was something to it? I have several health issues that while not life threatening they are life limiting. Anything that would reduce the limitation even partially, and do so without creating more problems, would be great.

So I read that Serrapepidase is supposed to break up protein specifically fibrin which forms in injuries. WEll I have a bad back from lifting much too heavy things and some minor injuries as a child and bad knees from an imbalanced workout program I joined to loose some excess weight (speaking of cures worse than the ailment!). Even after physical therapy with followup exercises at home they still bothered and made crunching nosies which made me :scared: So I wondered what if it was true this enzyme would help clean out the debris broken bits of cartilage, etc? And while no articles mentioned it I wondered what it would do to my back and those tiny tares and adhesions? Delightful rampant speculation! Then i read it broke up mucus and I a person who have had chronic sinusitis as far back as I can remember. What if it at least helped this? That would be worth a try as the only contraindication I could find was it thins the blood a bit and I have no problems that may be worsened by this. I found that Swanson's had a version of serrpetidase (serrazimes http://www.swansonvitamins.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?storeId=10001&langId=-1&catalogId=10051&productId=17849&R=4103&keyword=null&Ntt=serrazime&Ntk=Level1&productDropBox=null&Ntx=mode%2Bmatchallpartial&N=4294967175&brandDropBox=null&healthConcernDropBox=null) on sale at the same time as I was ordering something else and w/free shipping so I thought what the heck and bought a couple.

I started cautiously with 1 every other day and I would feel warm all over about 30 to 45 minutes after taking it first thing when I got up. Also in about 10 minutes after my sinus would drain like mad. After a nearly a week I went to 1 per day and later 2 per day every few days. Probably 3 weeks after I started I suddenly noticed my knees were more flexible when they started going backwards again when I was going down stairs. You see I have hypermobile joints or as most people call them double joints. I used to enjoy freaking people out a bit showing them how my knees and elbows go backwards visibly :p It was then I looked back and realized that even on really cold days my knees weren't aching like usual and my back wasn't so touchy. That is I could bend over for several minutes without my lower back muscles starting to cramp up. A few times I upped the dose to the maximum suggested dose but I didn't feel like it helped more so rather than feel like I was wasting it I cut back to 1 per day. It feels like there is only so much that can be done at a time and that a higher dose is wasted in me. Only in the past few days did I feel the need for 1 twice a day as I have been doing some heavy work and have the aching and stiffness to prove it. I have done things that normally would have me curled up in a ball unable to move or even straighten out until someone hauls me to a doctor for heavy duty muscle relaxants none of which i can take anymore due to allergens in the tablet fillers. Of all the convention and alternative things I have done this is the most improvement I have seen since I first tore up my back. I am in no way cured as yet but these improvements give me hope that with some more time my back with the enzyme and proper strengthening and *very* gentle stretching might get closer than ever to where it used to be!

[elleng]

45. Very interesting.

Anything more on the sinus/draining business?

[Celebration]

46. try XLear

Wash out the sinuses with XLear......or even a saline solution. And follow a lot of the recommendations here--casein free, gluten free, probiotics, address allergies with energetic treatments, etc. It was chronic sinusitis in one daughter that got me interested in energy treatments.

[Shallah Kali]

48. re: Sinus - well I got a lingering flu and so the results are not so powerful now

but then I am sticking to a small dose (1 or 2 per day @ 20,000 units not mgs) because with the increase stuffiness there is only so much drainage I can tolerate at one time. One good thing to note is that there is much less nausea from the drainage when I am taking my enzymes especially the serrazimes. Basically it is still unpleasant but several notches lower on the :puke: scale.

For people with chronic sinus and/or allergies a neti pot is wonderful if you can tolerate it. I could not tolerate the extra drainage before but maybe I can now with the added digesting power of enzymes. Also I was usually so plugged up by the time I would dig it out and try it again it was like trying to wash away set cement :p

The most powerful effects I have feel from regular serrazimes use is in my back which I never thought was going to improve. This past week I have been out bent over while chopping and shoveling ice and snow for a couple hours at a time and have only had one bad spasm that did not involve my entire lower back and did not immobilize me. I still hurt, ache all over, stiff, and have kept up the heat treatments (hot showers as soon after the activitity as possible & regular heating pad use) and yet I am not curled up in bed unable to move. And my knees are not howling in spite of being out in the cold for hours bending and kneeling. Stiff and achy and want to not get out of bed for a week - yes, want to cry from the pain - no.

[Celebration]

47. Thanks for the testimonial!!

It is also supposed to dissolve cholesterol in the arteries. In other words, if it was patentable, then the studies would be done, and, if they panned out, we would all be taking it, and it would cost a couple of hundred bucks a month, and we would be paying taxes and insurance to cover it all, and the big pharma executives would be earning big bonuses. Oh, I forgot all the ads we would have to sit through.

As it is, the studies are sparse, and it is pretty cheap.

[Shallah Kali]

49. YVW! I hope someone somewhere DOES study this stuff throughly

so the more open minded doctors and natural health pros can know when to recommend this for best results. We need a group like Germany's Commission E that throughly tested herbs but as long as the drug companies are more important than people's health we will have to wait for studies done in other countries to leak over here.

I had read it was used in Europe to dissolve cholesterol in arteries as you said and the recommendation was to start very slow at first as this would *increase* cholesterol levels as the particles are freed. This gives one's body the time to eliminate the freed cholesterol so it is not overwhelmed by more than it can process.

[Shallah Kali]

50. Enzymes & healing crisis aka herxheimer reaction

This was another thing I was skeptical of when I first read about enzymes. Some say that enzymes can help kill germs such as candida yeast and even viruses and as they die off the body can get overwhelmed trying to deal with all the debris from the broken dead bits of the foreign invader. I ended up having a day or two each week for nearly a month where I did feel like I might be getting the flu. I would go from increase energy and alertness to waking up the next day more tired and sluggish than usual. When unpleasant I took this as a good sign indicating the enzymes really were doing what people claim they do. Now from what I read some take the slow and steady approace to begining enzymes while others take the view that if you react it's time to increase the dosage. Me I am a wimp. I do not enjoy feeling ill which is why i tried enzymes to begin with so I stuck with the slow approace starting with one dose per day and slowly working up. When I had a sluggish day I would reduce the dose for a day or two to give my body a chance to clean house instead of shaking loose even more debris to muck things up.

I am sorry I did not include this in my first post but I was so happy to be doing so well I forgot about the sluggish days. I just wanted everyone to know that this *might* happen and to suggest you may want to go slow if you *do* end up reacting.

Enzyme Stuff has a nice section on enzymes and herxheimer reactions due to die off of yeast, parasites, etc here:
http://www.enzymestuff.com/conditionbacteria.htm

[tanyev]

51. Kicking this thread to say THANK YOU to Shallah for starting it.

I went out a bought some soon after reading the thread, but didn't get around to trying them until sometime later. (It's a pattern. *sigh*) Once I did take them, though, WOW! Felt better right away, day 1. I've been taking them about a month now, and I would say my chronic, nagging stomach pain is 98% better. I won't say 100% until I've tried some of the foods that I previously identified as irritants. Haven't worked up the courage to do that yet. But still, yay!

[I Have A Dream]

53. Very good to hear. Thanks for letting us know how successful they've...

been for you, tanyev. :)

[windoe]

52. After being introduced to Middle Eastern cuisine

I developed a taste for sour and bitter tastes. like sour cherries, pomegranates and tamarinds, and became fond of all the pickled vegetables served along with the meals, which are digestive aids. Sadly bitters are missing from the American diet, and these foods help to detoxify the liver. As we get older, many of us do not produce enough enzymes or produce as much hydrochloric acid to digest food properly, so we must add acidic foods to the diet. Unsweetened lemon water is another one of my favorites, and I cook with a lot of lemon and put it fresh on soups and salads.
Susun Weed is also a great resource for herbs and nutrition. She recommends making your own pickled vegetables with leftover fresh veggies in a big jar with apple cider vinegar. Vinegar extracts minerals from greens, roots and herbs, and if you add an egg shell to the mix, it will extract calcium as well. That way you can get a double benefit, digestive aid and a dose of natural minerals.
I have learned a lot from Susun Weeds Wise Women's Forum- a great resource for herbs and nutrition:
http://www.susunweed.com/weedforum/