ENZYMES, DIGESTION, ALLERGIES
AND YOUR HEALTH
by Linda
Beals, MT, BioSET Practitioner
Webster’s
Unabridged Dictionary defines digestion as, “to change food in the mouth, stomach,
and intestines by the action of gastric and intestinal juices, enzymes, and bacteria
so that it can be absorbed by the body.”
Digestion
is that wondrous, yet delicate, process that allows us to assimilate, not only
food, but life itself.
If
we are hurried and stressed in our lives, then more than likely our digestion
is suffering, as well. As primitive people, our “fight or flight” response kicked
in, in an emergency, and our blood was diverted from digestion and other processes
to feed the muscles we needed to survive. Today, in our stress filled lives, the
“fight or flight” response is “on” much of the time. As a result, our autonomic nervous system slows
our digestion, reduces secretions of gastric juices and enzymes, and our food
does not digest as it should. Added to this picture are bodily toxins in the form
of pollutants, processed foods, drugs and antibiotics, which reduce the numbers
of friendly bacteria (flora) in the gut. Any enzymes slated for the digestive
process are further reduced to handle bodily detoxification and tissue repair.
The end result is inadequate secretion of enzymes and lower numbers of friendly
intestinal flora which are needed to help the digestive process.
Instead
of complete digestion, the food in the digestive tract stagnates and putrefies,
and is absorbed into the bloodstream partially digested only to activate the immune
system causing food sensitivities and allergies. The faulty digestion also encourages
an imbalance of intestinal flora, causing a dysbiosis,
where organisms such as Candida can overgrow and cause a myriad of health problems.
The Role of Enzymes in the Body
Enzymes
are protein molecules that assist in every metabolic process of the body. Besides
digesting food, enzymes also digest blood clots, and attack invading microorganisms.
They make possible the beating of the heart, and our very breathing and thinking.
There are three types of enzymes: metabolic or systemic, digestive, and food.
Metabolic enzymes work in many places of the
body and have many functions. Taking systemic enzymes (such as protease) between
meals can help with wound healing and the reduction and healing of inflammation.
Digestive enzymes digest food in the gastrointestinal
tract. When we take extra digestive enzymes, we take the burden off the body so
the body can better detoxify, repair and heal itself. When supplementing with
digestives enzymes, it is important to take vegetarian enzymes from non-animal
sources as they work over a broad pH range and work throughout the digestive tract.
Animal source enzymes are destroyed by stomach acid and are often enteric coated
to bypass the stomach where digestion is also taking place.
Food enzymes are present in raw fruits
and vegetables, and the ripening of our produce are these enzymes in action. The
raw food enzymes also ease the burden of the digestive enzymes in the body.
Improving Digestion
Cooking
destroys enzymes, so one way to improve digestion and health in general is to
eat more raw foods. Raw fruits and vegetables supply some of the enzymes necessary
for digestion and, in turn, help our own digestive processes. Eating our meals
slowly and savoring each bite by chewing it 30 times before swallowing can allow
the enzymes in the mouth to fully mix with the food to healthfully begin the digestive
process. Another strategy to improve digestion is to take bitter herbs such as
gentian, angelica, and centaury before a meal to stimulate the appetite and promote
digestive secretions.
Conditions
such as acid reflux can be a result of food intolerances / allergies, or it can
also be from the lack of proper digestion from too few enzymes. If we are stressed
we make fewer enzymes, and as we age, we make fewer enzymes and less stomach acid. The stomach has to work harder to mix and
digest food when there is a lack of proper digestive factors present, and this
extra stomach action can cause stomach acid to be forced up into the esophagus.
If there is a tendency to have acid reflux, it is wise to refrain from eating
several hours before bedtime, and to walk for ten minutes or more after meals
to assist the body in assimilating food.
Food Sensitivities and Allergies
If
our health has been compromised by toxins (such as heavy metals, chemicals and
pesticides), stress, chronic infections, antibiotic use, surgery, or other health
challenges, then the digestive system can be negatively effected. When food particles
cross through the intestines into the bloodstream without being completely digested,
the immune system is alerted to these “foreign” invaders and mounts an attack.
The food is then after considered an enemy and becomes an allergy. A food sensitivity
can have similar symptoms of food allergies (sinus congestion, fatigue, mouth
sores, skin rashes, headaches, bloating), but usually are diminished with the
proper enzyme supplementation, food combining, or diet modification.
Food
reactions can be troubling, and sometimes debilitating
for the individual. Fatigue is a common symptom of food reactions, along with
sleeplessness, asthma, attention deficit disorder, hyperactivity, depression,
and mood swings. If the offending food is known, then avoidance is possible. For
“hidden” food reactions, a food elimination strategy can help to identify those
foods that are problematic. Removing one food at a time (like wheat or dairy)
for 10 days and then keeping a diary on symptoms is beneficial in identifying
a reactive food. Watching for a return of symptoms after the 10 day elimination
of that food is then definitive.
The New Technology: BioSET
For
those with food reactions, it is sometimes helpful to have these trouble foods
permanently “cleared” by the new technology called BioSET (Bioenergetic Sensitivity and Enzyme Therapy.) Ellen Cutler,
M.D., D.C. is the creator of BioSET and has her clinic
and headquarters in
California
.
Building on an old acupuncture technique, Dr. Cutler has taken an acupuncture
treatment and brought it into the 21st century. BioSET is a non-invasive technology and uses a computerized EAV biofeedback machine that
tests and clears up to 40 similar items, including “combination” allergens. Combination allergens are clusters of substances to
which an individual is allergic. For example, we may have to clear pollens and
sugars, or viruses and sugars as well as the effected bodily organs. Each BioSET treatment takes approximately one hour to test and
clear. The first session usually takes longer as initial health inquiry and exploratory
testing are done. BioSET is also an effective treatment
for chronic illnesses such as arthritis, irritable bowel, autoimmune diseases,
chronic fatigue, and asthma.
Along
with this new energetic testing technology, there is an “inversion” aspect that
assists in fully clearing an allergy or reactive substance. In physics, this phenomenon
is called “destructive interference.” The premise assumes that everything has a frequency
to it. The bodies we live in, the foods we eat, the chairs we sit on all have
their own distinct frequency that it vibrates at. When the frequency wave of a
substance is emitted, if a wave of the same frequency, but turned upside down,
comes back to meet it, then the two waves will cancel one another out. This cancellation
of the allergen frequency is an effective tool in permanently clearing allergens
from the body. Along with the testing and acupuncture theories for clearing, this
inversion technology makes BioSET a formidable weapon
against chronic illnesses and allergies.
Living
in the world at this time of unprecedented toxicity and stress has taken its toll
on our sensitive digestive systems. Anti-acid drugs are in the top 10 best sellers
of pharmaceuticals. If we adopt a practice of stress reduction, taking digestive
enzymes, and making mealtime a relaxing pleasurable experience, then our digestive
systems will thank us for it. For those that have reactions to food, enzymes and BioSET are a winning strategy for creating relief, better
health, and enjoyment at mealtimes.
SIDEBAR:
What
Enzymes are needed for digestion?
A
good quality product will contain a mix of vegetarian enzymes
in the following
dosages:
AMALASE 6000-20,000 DU (activating units)
LIPASE 150-600 LU
CELLULASE 200-900 CU
LACTASE 200-1000 ALU
INVERTASE 125-750 SU
PROTEASE 18,000-50,000 HUT
ALPHA GALACTOSIDASE 10-150 GalU
A
good enzymatic formula will also have malt diatase, pectinase, xylanase, phytase, or beta-glucanase to help
process nutrients from food.
Sources:
Cutler,
Ellen, M.D., D.C. 1998. Winning the War Against Immune Disorders and Allergies.
Albany
,
NY
:
Delmar Publishers.
Cutler,
Ellen, M.D., D.C. 2001, 2003. The Food Allergy Cure. NY: Three Rivers Press
Cutler,
Ellen, M.D., D.C. with Jeremy Kaslow, M.D. 2005. Micro Miracles: Discover
the Healing
Power of Enzymes. Rodale, Inc.
Mabey, Richard.
1988. The New Age Herbalist. NY: Macmillan
Publishing Co.
Website: www.enzymesinc.com
Personal Info:
Linda Beals, M.T. (Medical Technologist) and BioSET Practitioner, has been studying with Dr. Cutler since 2003, and has opened her
own practice in Weaverville. After suffering from multiple chemical sensitivities
from years in a medical laboratory, Linda regained her health with BioSET.
