In step 2, I discussed the oxidative process and antioxidants, and in step 1, I introduced the basics of diet and the importance of foundational vitamin and mineral supplements. In this chapter, you will learn about the importance of digestion and how to use dietary and supplemental enzymes for the rejuvenation of the immune system.
Steps 1–3 equip you for the fundamental construction of natural health and are a cornerstone of your viral immunity plan. The information contained in these steps is an essential requirement for healing degenerative chronic disease conditions and viral illnesses.
Life as we know it could not function without enzymes, referred to in medicine as the “sparks of life.” We produce thousands of different enzymes in our bodies every day. Enzymes are critical catalysts involved in every chemical reaction in our bodies including cell metabolism, hormone metabolism, and digestion. Without these substances to enhance cell metabolism, the immune system could not function.
The pancreas manufactures digestive enzymes that facilitate the breakdown of food into particles small enough to be absorbed. In addition, metabolic enzymes are produced in our cells and are responsible for all biological and chemical processes from reproduction to movement, vision, hearing, breathing, and very importantly, for immunity.
Enzymes are also commercially produced from animal pancreas tissue, concentrated out of enzyme-rich fruits, and grown on special microorganisms. The most commonly used plant sources for commercial enzymes are papaya and pineapple. Supplemental enzymes are provided in specialized products sold in health stores or prescribed by doctors as tablets or capsules. Enzymes also have medical uses for specific conditions and are administered intravenously or by injection, but those uses, though clinically important and interesting, are not part of the scope of this book.
Enzyme Sources: Enzymes are found throughout nature, especially in plants. Plants process sunlight and air in their leaves through a process called photosynthesis, and that creates energy which is converted into plant products such as starch. In this process, mainly occurring at night, plants use carbon dioxide and give off oxygen—another reason to keep green living things in your personal environment. Plants also produce pigments that include green chlorophyll; polyphenols including flavonoids; carotenoids; lignins; fiber; and thousands of other substances including hormones, vitamins, protective substances, as well as enzymes.
Dietary enzymes are found only in fermented foods, and raw fruits, vegetables, and herbs. Though all foods contain natural enzymes, some are richer in enzymes than others. Those with the highest amounts of enzymes include apples, papayas, pineapples, melons, sprouted grains and beans, fermented foods (like tamari, tempeh, yogurt, buttermilk, pickles, and olives), brewed beer, wine, the fresh green shoots of grasses (barley and wheat grass), and various salt- and freshwater green and blue-green algae.
Cooked foods do not contain active enzymes. The pasteurization process, heating foods to destroy microorganisms, also destroys enzymes in beer, milk, and other food products. This is not to say that a diet of completely raw foods with raw milk and dairy products is the best diet. In fact, such a diet can be very unhealthy over a period of time, weakening the body and depriving it of proteins for muscle, carbohydrates for energy, and cholesterol to make hormone precursors. Raw foods also harbor bacteria and mold that, over time, may accumulate in the intestinal tract and make you more susceptible to disease.
The daily diet should be balanced between cooked and raw foods; it should be pleasing to look at, good tasting, and matched to your individual body type, temperament, age, and lifestyle. It should be supplemented with vitamins and minerals, especially antioxidants, and complemented with raw foods and juices and other enzyme-rich foods in small amounts, included in the daily fare to make it more appetizing and varied.
What Are Enzymes? Enzymes make chemical reactions proceed more efficiently. They are catalysts and support life by making all bio-chemical processes possible at body temperature. A catalyst is a substance that triggers chemical reactions without itself being consumed in the reactive process. Enzymes are used in very small amounts, and can be reused again and again; however, they are very specific and have affinity for a single reaction only.
Like proteins, enzymes are composed of two parts: the protein component, called an apoenzyme, and a non-protein part. This “non-protein” part is called a coenzyme if organic elements, such as vitamins, are involved, or a cofactor if it is made up of inorganic minerals such as magnesium. Since many enzymatic reactions require both coenzymes and cofactors, you can again see how important it is to have a good diet and supplemental vitamins and minerals.
Types of Enzymes: There are six main types of enzymes: oxidoreductases, transferases, hydrolases, lyases, isomerases, and ligases. The oxidoreductases are made up of two groups of enzymes that assist oxygenation processes, discussed in the preceding chapter on antioxidants. One group, oxidizing enzymes, speed up oxidation by adding one oxygen atom or removing two hydrogen atoms from a molecule; the other, reducing enzymes, help in removing oxygen. Hydrolases, or hydrolytic enzymes, require water to catalyze reactions, and are the main type of enzymes discussed in this chapter.
For practical purposes, enzymes can be divided into three groups: metabolic enzymes, food enzymes, and digestive enzymes. We can influence metabolic enzymes by providing sufficient coenzymes and cofactors in the diet, through vitamin and mineral supplementation, and by reducing metabolic stress from toxic exposure, overwork or excessive exercise, and psychological stress.
Other factors that influence metabolic enzyme processes are temperature and pH. Enzymatic activity increases with warmer temperatures and slows down in colder temperatures. There is also an optimal acid-alkaline balance at which enzymatic reactions occur. In general, the body functions best in a slightly alkaline environment.
Food enzymes are provided in plant foods, and their levels can be effectively increased by using concentrated juices, green drinks, and phytonutrient-enzyme-rich foods. Digestive enzyme function can be improved by eating a healthy diet (or worsened by an unhealthy one of refined foods and high fats), along with exercise, hatha yoga, and stress reduction.
Digestive enzymes are mainly secreted by the pancreas but also in the mouth, and by the stomach and small intestine. This group includes amylase, disaccharidases, trypsin, chymotrypsin, protease, lipase, and cellulase. Amylase digests carbohydrates—like those found in potatoes, bread, and pasta—breaking them down to smaller molecules, all the way down to glucose, the simplest form of sugar and the energy fuel of the cells of our bodies and brains.
Disaccharidases assist the processes of reducing disaccharides, substances composed of two sugar molecules, like sucrose (cane sugar) and lactose (milk sugar), into glucose. Trypsin is one of the principle enzymes that break down proteins, and is often found with chymotrypsin. Proteases also digest proteins, breaking them down into amino acids. Lipase digests fat and cellulase breaks down fiber. Cellulase is not manufactured in the body and must be supplied in the diet or by enzyme supplements.
Enzymes play vital supporting roles in maintaining strong immune function. By themselves, enzymes do not directly attack viruses, but their indirect role in natural immunity is substantial and they perform many roles in a comprehensive viral immunity plan.
Enzymes work in oxidative processes to reduce the effects of harmful pollutants and assist in the management of cancer. They are very important in controlling excessive inflammation and are necessary in tissue repair and for fighting infections. Enzyme preparations have been shown to increase the cytotoxic activity of macrophages, influence interleukins, remove excessive immune complexes in tissues, and many other immune mechanisms. Twenty-two enzymes are known to be involved in the immunological complement system.
Microorganisms also produce enzymes, especially proteases involved in cellular metabolic processes, including viral replication. Protease inhibitors, a class of antiviral drugs used to treat HIV infection (and being researched for HCV), inhibit viral proteases and thereby reduce their replication. The structure of proteases for cytomegalovirus and other herpes viruses is also known, and scientists may develop protease inhibitors for these viruses as well. Unfortunately, protease inhibitors not only affect the viral protease but also the metabolism of normal cells. Thus this class of drugs does not cure AIDS and is in fact associated with numerous side effects due to their toxicity.
One side effect, called lipodystrophy, is a syndrome similar to Syndrome X, an insulin resistant related metabolic disorder. Both are characterized by an accumulation of fat around the central part of the body (abdomen and trunk) and a withdrawal of fat from the face, arms, legs, and buttocks. Triglyceride and cholesterol levels are elevated and insulin resistance is present; 8–10 percent of lipodystrophy cases progress to Type 2 diabetes.
These viral proteases are not to be confused with naturally occurring human protease, a hydrolytic enzyme produced in the body that circulates in the serum and is secreted in the digestive tract to break down protein foods. Taking oral proteolytic enzymes does not interfere with these drugs. In fact, numerous scientific studies have shown the effectiveness of oral proteolytic enzymes in cancer, acute and chronic inflammation, chronic prostatitis caused by chlamydial infection, and antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Proteolytic enzymes have also been used to treat herpes zoster (shingles), hepatitis C virus, and HIV infection. European studies by the Medical Enzyme Research Institute in Germany have shown that the progression of AIDS is slowed and symptoms are considerably improved with oral enzyme therapy.
Though the Chinese did not describe specific enzymes in the manner of modern Western medical science, they were well aware of the importance of enzyme-rich foods and condiments. Soy sauce, miso, tofu, Japanese-style pickles, and many other fermented products are common to the average Oriental diet. Other enzyme-rich foods used by the Chinese include bird's nests made from the salivary secretion of swallows, varieties of fungi, and seaweeds.
The Chinese also used enzyme-containing herbs to treat illnesses of the digestive system as well as deficiencies of energy states. For example, herbs that enhance digestive function such as mu xiang (Saussurea lappa) are frequently added to herbal formulas that tonify the qi and benefit the stomach and spleen to improve digestive power and create more energy. Several other herbal medicinals rich in naturally occurring enzymes, like sprouted rice nuo dao gen xu (Oryza sativa) and shen qu (Massa fermentata), made from fermenting a mixture of wheat and several herbs, are used to improve digestion and treat gastrointestinal disorders like gastritis and liver disease.
Central to the Chinese concept of health is huo qi or “fire energy.” Ayurvedic medicine has a similar concept called agni. In both systems, this fire energy is said to be responsible for digestive power and it also influences temperament. If a person has too much huo qi, he will be restless and hotheaded; too little and the person becomes lethargic, passive, and has poor resistance to disease. The most desirable state of huo qi is one of moderation and balance. The person's temperament is not too aggressive, yet they have plenty of energy. They do not tire easily, do not easily get sick, and they have a good appetite and enjoy eating.
Huo qi is said to come from the heart and is influenced by pi qi, or “spleen energy.” Interestingly, in Chinese medicine, the heart is paired in a yin / yang relationship with the small intestine, and along with the spleen is associated with pancreatic function—both organs (spleen and pancreas) that are predominantly responsible for the manufacture and secretion of digestive enzymes. Therefore, keeping the digestive organs, especially the pancreas and small intestine (both enzyme-secreting organs), healthy is necessary for adequate enzyme production.
The Chinese consider good digestion to be crucial to health, saying that without good digestive power, one is listless, weak, and in poor health. Western functional and naturopathic medicine also value the importance of good digestive function. A healthy digestive tract begins with sound teeth and good dental hygiene, and includes proper gastric and small intestine function, along with a healthy liver and pancreas.
Eating easy-to-digest natural foods, combined correctly and prepared properly, facilitates digestive function. Eating too quickly, eating when stressed, overeating, and eating highly processed and fried foods, all greatly disrupt digestive function. Providing the body with adequate fluids, but not over consuming iced water during meals, also aids digestion. Culinary herbs like basil, coriander, and ginger help digestive function; herbal bitters like gentian root can improve appetite. Exercise in general, and yoga postures in particular, enhance digestive function. Let's turn now to specific plant foods high in nutrients and enzymes.
The Chinese consider good digestion to be crucial to health, saying that without good digestive power, one is listless, weak, and in poor health. Western functional and naturopathic medicine also value the importance of good digestive function.
Phytonutrient-rich foods include the cabbage family (cruciferous vegetables including all cabbages, broccoli, brussels sprouts, cauliflower, collards, and kale); soyfoods (tofu, tamari, soy sauce, tempeh, edamame [green soybeans in the pod], soybean sprouts);1 sulfur-containing thiol substances (garlic, ginger, citrus, bioflavonoids); carotene-containing foods like carrots; quercetin-containing onions; lycopene-containing tomatoes; and chlorophyll-containing alfalfa and sunflower seed sprouts. All these are among a long list of commonly available, naturally occurring enzyme sources.
All of these foods can be added to the diet and many can be mixed into your juices or blended drinks. Blends of phytonutrients, green foods, and soy isoflavone-containing concentrates are also available commercially. Small amounts of fermented foods and condiments add significant amounts of enzymes to the diet; therefore, you do not need to use large amounts, but rather, you can add them to your diet as condiments.
For example, soy sauce, prepared from fermenting soybean flour and roasted wheat or barley (using the fungus Aspergillus oryzae), is a phytonutrient- and enzyme-rich liquid; it contains highly active enzymes called pronases that help in the breakdown of meat protein. Many culinary herbs and condiments also contain enzymes, including mustard, basil, rosemary, and coriander seeds. The use of small amounts of fresh salsa made from tomatoes and green chili peppers is also a phytonutrient-rich condiment loaded with natural enzymes.
The Value of Fresh Juices: Around the turn of the twentieth century, nature cure doctors2 advocated the use of hand-cranked juice machines to extract the liquid from various fruits, vegetables, spices, and herbs for health. In the 1950s, Bernard Jensen, an American naturopathic doctor of international reputation, similarly promoted the health benefits of raw foods and juices. Dr. Jensen advised people to “use more foods from nature's garden.” He practiced what he preached at his Hidden Valley Ranch in Escondido, California, where he maintained a healing center and organic garden above the Southern California hills.
When I started in natural health more than thirty years ago, nature cure doctors were still called “quacks,” and juicing was considered part of the fringe counter culture. How times have changed! Now juice bars are found in nearly every shopping mall and many airports, and lots of people have juicers or high-speed blenders at home.
Traditionally, people have eaten fruits and vegetables as they come off the tree or vine—fresh and ripe. Then they learned to press out the juice and make wine, cider, and other fermented alcoholic beverages. This was followed by mechanical, hand-turned juice extractors, and then by electrical juicers. Next came concentrated green drinks made from wheat grass, followed by other green products made from algae or the young shoots of barley. The latest developments are highly concentrated plant mixtures from phytonutrient-rich foods. These phytonutrient-rich food supplements are not to be confused with medical foods marketed as liquid or powder products and used in weight-loss programs.
However, we cannot continue to eat only refined and highly processed foods, nor can we rely completely on these new medical foods for our health. To recover our health and prevent disease, we must utilize all the available nutrient-dense methods of providing concentrated dietary complements and supplements, especially in the form of raw juices.
The value of juicing is twofold. First, juices supply abundant flavonoid antioxidants like vitamin C and beta-carotene; second, they are full of live enzymes. Juices can be made from fresh (organic, if at all possible) vegetables, fruits, and herbs, and should be drunk immediately after juicing. However, if you cannot drink all of your juice just after it is made, fresh juices can be kept in a tightly closed container in the refrigerator for twenty-four hours.
Still, I highly recommend that you take your juice straight from the juicer directly to your mouth. The nature cure doctors said, “Chew your juices and drink your foods.” This meant that one should masticate well all solid and liquid foods so as to add salivary enzymes before swallowing. A good rule of thumb is to chew each mouthful of food at least thirty times, and to mix your vegetable juice with your saliva by swirling it around your mouth a few times before swallowing.
Mixed Vegetable Drinks: My recommendation for general health is 1 to 2 medium (4–6 ounces) glasses of fresh (organic, if possible) mixed vegetable juice each week. If you have an illness, I suggest a glass of fresh juice daily; during a cleansing program, you may drink fresh juices several times per day. Some ideas for healthy mixtures are given in the sidebar, but remember that each person has different tastes, so adapt the mixture to suit your taste.
Blended Mixed Vegetable Drinks: Blended vegetable drinks are made into an electrolyte-rich broth, rich in minerals like potassium, by combining different partially cooked vegetables in an electric blender. You may drink blended vegetable juice warm or cooled in the refrigerator. One advantage of a blended drink is that you can use other vegetables that do not juice well, such as zucchini or other squashes. Another is that since they are partially cooked, blended broths are easier to digest and are more beneficial for older people or those who are very sick and confined to bed.
For prevention and health maintenance, if you alternate fresh juice on one day and a blended broth on another, you will enrich your diet immensely, and save money on vitamin supplements.
Fruit Drinks: Many fruits (especially papayas and pineapples) contain high amounts of enzymes and are important additions to a healthy diet. However, since fruits (and fruit drinks) are high in natural fruit sugars (fructose), they should not be consumed frequently. One or two times per week is more than sufficient. Fruit drinks can be made with any type of fruit, either juiced in the same way as vegetables, or blended with water, yogurt, or low-fat milk. Whey powder can be added to make a nutritious, high-protein drink.
Green Drinks: Chlorophyll is the pigment that gives plants their beautiful green color. The word chloros is from the Greek meaning “yellowish green.” Chlorophyll has been called “plant blood,” and indeed it is similar in its chemistry to human blood, with the exception of one molecule. Blood contains iron in hemoglobin which gives it the red color, whereas chlorophyll has a central magnesium molecule. With the exception of those who have green eyes, the only place in the human body that is green is the bile manufactured in the liver and stored in the gall bladder.
Combine the following ingredients in a blender with 2 cups of filtered or spring water. Blend at medium or high speed until thoroughly liquefied, then strain and serve.
Chlorophyll has a long history in natural medicine. Nature cure doctors touted chlorophyll as a blood cleanser. Along with herbs such as red clover, herbal blood cleansers were supposed to purify the blood and cure whatever ailed you. In the 1970s, Ann Wigmore popularized the use of wheat grass juice as a cure for cancer; she wrote: “It acts to strengthen the cells, detoxify the liver and blood stream, and chemically neutralize the polluting elements themselves” (Wigmore 1985). Of course, none of these claims were based on scientific evidence; however, intuitively, nature cure practitioners knew the importance of chlorophyll in healing.
We now know that chlorophyll contains several important nutrients for health, including vitamin K (for clotting and bleeding problems), and is rich in antioxidant carotenoids. It is reputed to have anti-inflammatory properties, is useful as a disinfectant for wounds and in gum disease, and eliminates bad breath and body odor.
Good sources of chlorophyll include green tea; all leafy green vegetables like spinach and chard; leafy green herbs like comfrey, dandelion, borage, and lemon grass; the young shouts of wheat, rye, and barley grasses; and many green and blue-green algae. Many aquatic algae, like chlorella and spirulina, provide chlorophyll and other important nutrients necessary for health. Commercially, chlorophyll comes as a concentrated liquid, in pressed tablets, capsules, lipid-bound concentrates in softgel capsules, and powders that are to be mixed with water. However, with a little creativity you can also make your own green drinks at home.
Sea Vegetables: Sea vegetables, commonly called seaweeds, have been used for centuries in the daily diets of the Japanese, Chinese, and traditional societies in the North Atlantic. There are over 2,500 different varieties of seaweed, and more than a few of them qualify as super healing foods.
Among the most commonly used are kombu or kelp (Laminaria japonica); nori (a processed form of red marine algae made into flat, dark-colored sheets used to wrap sushi rolls); wakame (Undaria pinnatifida); and seaweeds from the red marine algae family Dumontiaceae. In the 1970s, researchers investigated red marine algae for antiviral activity and found several varieties that inhibited herpes simplex virus. Though in 1990, Michael Neushul, Ph.D., of the University of California, Santa Barbara, updated and validated the earlier research (Neushul 1990), there has not been too much interest in further studies on the antiviral affects of seaweeds.
As the healthiest people in the world favor the use of small amounts of seaweeds in the daily diet, it makes sense for us to use them. Kelp can be found as a dry powder and sprinkled on vegetables or added to vegetable drinks. Nori can be cut into small squares and added to soups, salads, or main dishes as a garnish. Red marine algae is available in capsules or can be sparingly added to soups.
Obtaining enzymes from plant food sources is important for the prevention of disease and the promotion of optimal health. However, when disease is present, food sources may not be adequate, and sup-plementing the diet with oral enzymes becomes very beneficial. There are two kinds of supplemental enzymes available: digestive enzymes and systemic proteolytic enzymes.
Digestive Enzymes: I often recommend pancreatic enzymes for elderly patients with chronically poor digestion and for other patients with poor carbohydrate or fat digestion with symptoms of abdominal distention, constipation, and belly pain more than twenty minutes after eating. Patients with food allergies also benefit from pancreatic enzymes, as do those with chronic inflammatory bowel disorders like Crohn's disease and irritable bowel syndrome Pancreatic enzymes are made from pig (porcine) pancreases. Plant-derived digestive enzymes are also available for those who would rather use a vegetarian source.
Digestive enzymes are rated by strength as established by the United States Pharmacopeia (USP). Each standard “X” contains not less than 25 USP units of amylase, 2 USP units of lipase, and 25 USP units of protease. Most digestive enzyme supplements are supplied as 4X pancreatin per 500 mg tablet or capsule. The recommended dosage is 1–3 capsules with or immediately after meals, though some nutritionally oriented physicians recommend 10X pancreatin.
Pancreatic enzymes are generally well tolerated and have no side effects or interactions in the recommended dosages. However, if you have difficulty digesting fats, proteins, and have a malabsorption syndrome, discuss taking enzymes with your doctor since, in general, pancreatin contains all three enzymes and they may compete with one another, aggravating your condition.
Systemic Proteolytic Enzymes: Proteolytic enzymes help digest protein in food, and are found in pancreatic enzymes (trypsin and chymotrypsin), papaya (papain), and pineapple (bromelain). Concentrated proteolytic enzymes are used to treat cancer and medical conditions, including acute and chronic inflammation.
European scientists were the first to develop commercial methods and the technology to manufacture and use enzymes for the treatment of disease. Wobenzyme, for example, is made by the German company MUCOS Pharma, the largest company of its kind in the world. Wobenzyme contains the proteolytic systemic enzymes bromelain, papain, plus pancreatin in concentrated dosages. These absorb well into the bloodstream and reach systemic saturation after several days of continued use. Numerous studies have shown them to be effective for the treatment of inflammatory diseases like rheumatoid arthritis, for the management of acute inflammation from trauma and sports injuries, in sinusitis and bronchitis, in urinary tract infections, and in cardiovascular disease.
Proteolytic enzymes may also improve immune function and are useful in all viral diseases. Though more clinical studies and research need to be conducted on the use of enzymes in viral diseases, they are considered useful as adjunctive therapy in any chronic viral condition, especially those associated with inflammation, like hepatitis.
In high dosages, concentrated proteolytic enzymes have been used effectively in thousands of cases of cancer. The idea of treating cancer with proteolytic enzymes was first put forth by John Beard, a physician practicing in the early part of twentieth century. Then William Donald Kelley, a Texas dentist, reported that he cured himself of pancreatic cancer using enzymes, and he went on to treat tens of thousands of cancer patients with nutritional therapies and enzymes.
In the 1980s, Kelley's results were reviewed by Nicholas Gonzalez, M.D., an oncologist trained at Cornell University Medical College, and were found to have merit. Dr. Gonzalez currently practices in New York City where he employs enzyme therapy for his cancer patients; he is also conducting a research study of enzyme therapy and cancer sponsored by the National Institutes of Health.
Proteolytic enzymes are safe to take over long periods of time and have no reported side effects. Bromelain can increase antibiotic concentration, and may increase an antibiotic's effect when they are taken together. This may make the antibiotic more effective, as in cases of staphylococcus infections. Unless supervised by a physician, however, do not take enzymes and antibiotics at the same time; space them out by at least two hours. Papain has anticlotting activity, and should not be taken with blood-thinning drugs like Coumadin. Proteolytic enzymes, like Wobenzyme, come in easily swallowed flat tablets and are taken by mouth 1–1 ½ hours before food. The generally recommended dosage is four tablets, three times daily.