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“Let
food be thy medicine and medicine thy food.”
Hippocrates
Gas,
bloating, constipation, diarrhea, food allergies, GERDS, hiatal hernia,
halitosis, “Leaky Gut Syndrome”, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Chrohn’s
Disease, hyper and hypoglycemia.
Pain
migraines, arthritis, sciatica, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue, compromised
immune system, cardiac problems, coronary artery disease, high cholesterol,
goiter, high blood pressure, asthma, air-borne allergies, chemical
sensitivities, PMS, reproductive and fertility problems.
Irritability,
depression, anxiety, loss of concentration, mental sluggishness and dullness,
memory impairment, eye strain, sinusitis, poly-neuritis and neuropathy,
pre-mature aging, eczema, psoriasis, auto immune disorders, herpes and fatigue.
It’s
difficult to believe that all the health challenges listed above could result
from the improper digestion of food, structural misalignment due to nutritional
stress, autointoxication and/or the lack of enzymes. Just because you INGEST something, does not mean you DIGEST
it! And even if you digest it, you
may not absorb, utilize or eliminate it. And
if there is a deficiency in any one of these processes, you cannot “let food
be thy medicine, or medicine thy food”. Isn’t it interesting that even back in Hippocrates’ time
they knew the importance nutrition played in the maintenance of health.
And yet, with all our medical knowledge, we are now just beginning to
once again focus on preventive health care rather than the “sick care” model
that has prevailed for so long. Unfortunately,
after penicillin was discovered, we went down the drug path rather than the
preventative one. We forgot that
the best way the body maintains health and homeostasis (the physiological
equilibrium between structure and function
of the body and all it’s systems)) is by the proper digestion,
absorption, utilization and elimination of nutrients.
Poor digestion (indigestion of any type) is the #1 health problem
in America!!! Over eight
billion dollars a year are spent on medications and over the counter remedies to
treat the wide variety of symptoms produced by indigestion, and yet the
suffering goes on. The problem is
that drugs do not treat the cause of the problem, nor are they able to return
the body to normal functioning and homeostasis.
They are a “quick fix” that merely retard or suppress symptoms, while
the underlying cause continues to get worse.
Even loading the body with healthy vitamins, minerals, supplements and
herbs can stress the body even further if it does not have the necessary enzymes
to digest and deliver them. Vitamins
and minerals are considered co-enzymes, as
they need to attach themselves to an enzyme molecule in order to be transported
where they are needed in the body. Therefore,
if there is an enzyme deficiency, much of their potential benefit can be lost.
Even the effectiveness of prescription medications can be affected by
poor digestion and enzyme deficiency. The
reason many people can become toxic taking supplements, is NOT because they are
taking too many, but because of their inability to completely digest and
eliminate any excess. This build-up
in the system is what causes the toxicity.
This is especially true of synthetic supplements.
The body does not recognize synthetic substances as easily as whole food
ones (you can’t fool Mother Nature!) and so has more difficulty breaking them
down and eliminating them. Whole
food and herb based supplements are always the best choice for the body and puts
the least amount of stress on it.
Digestion
is the most energy consuming process in the body. And if you are enzyme deficient and eating a cooked diet, it
even stresses your immune system by producing what is called “digestive
leukocytosis”. This means cooked
food, especially meat, and processed foods stimulates the production of white
blood cells so it can use the enzymes from them to aid in digestion.
Processed foods and red meat cause a severe enough increase in leukocytes
that it looks like food poisoning under the microscope.
Imagine the daily stress on the immune system if you are not using enzyme
supplementation! Enzymes are
usually not necessary if you eat an entirely raw food diet, but most of us
don’t. Heat above 118 degrees kills enzymes and food companies take
them out of food to prolong shelf life. Eating
some raw food with each meal is not enough to take the digestive stress off the
body. And it is only by
delivering the nutrients to the body in the form and amount it needs, that it
can continue to produce energy, repair itself, maintain normal structure,
support the immune system and maintain homeostasis. Once you understand the dynamics involved in the complex
system of digestion and nutrition, it becomes the starting point in any healing
process.
Digestion
is defined as the breakdown, absorption, transport, utilization and elimination
of nutrients. How your body goes
about accomplishing each one of these processes determines how much
“nutrition” you receive from what you ingest, and how toxic you are.
Digestive processes can only take place in the presence of enzymes.
Enzymes are biologically “alive” substances that are produced in
every cell of the body. But for the
cells to continue doing so, they must have the necessary nutrients to produce
the metabolic or systemic enzymes. Enzymes
are not inert catalysts, but rather living forces, and are therefore not
destroyed in the chemical reactions they create, but continue to WORK until they
are completely used up. No enzyme
is ever wasted and excreted by the body before it has been totally used.
Digestive plant enzymes are not destroyed in the lower stomach by
hydrochloric acid, contrary to most medical opinions, but rather inactivated by
the acid pH until deposited into the alkaline duodenum of the small intestine
where they are reactivated and combine with bile and the pancreatic juices and
enzymes to finish digestion.
There
are three major classifications of enzymes:
·
The
largest is the metabolic enzymes (systemic)
which play a role in all bodily processes.
A subset of these metabolic enzymes acts to neutralize toxins and
carcinogens
·
The
second category is the digestive enzymes, of which there are about 22 in
number. Most of these are
manufactured by the pancreas and are secreted into the duodenum to help complete
digestion. There is also amylase,
protease, and lipase in the saliva to start the digestive process in the
stomach.
The third
category is the food enzymes. These
are present in all raw foods and plants. They can initiate digestion in the upper stomach as
they contain proteases for digesting protein, lipases for digesting fats,
amylases for digesting carbohydrates, and cellulases for digesting soluble
fiber. Plant enzymes, used as supplemental digestive enzymes,
come under this category. Dr.
Loomis’ are grown on aspergillus for later processing into capsules of
digestive enzyme powder. Plant
based digestive enzymes work best in the human body because their peak activity
is in the range of pH and temperature of the stomach, where pre-digestion of
food is important.
Animal
enzymes, like pancreatin, do not predigest food in the stomach, as they work
only in the small intestine, and therefore, do not spare the digestive stress on
the body. Other enzymes that are
often put in formulas are papain and bromelain, whose peak activity levels are
reached at temperatures and pH levels higher than the human body.
Another frequent and highly unnecessary enzyme formula ingredient is
betaine HCL. This can help somewhat
with protein metabolism in the liver, BUT does not make or increase hydrochloric
acid in the stomach, which is what it is touted as doing.
And it will only cause further digestive problems in the long run by
leading to a bicarbonate deficiency that then decreases the ability of the
pancreatic juices (that also include the enzymes necessary to finish digestion) to
alkalize the bowel. If the bowel
remains too acid, not only will the bowel lining become irritated and inflamed,
but the digestive enzymes that were deactivated in the lower stomach will not be
re-activated. Ox bile, although not an enzyme, is often recommended to improve
digestion, but does not help and ends up irritating the mucosal lining of the GI
tract. Invertases, carbohydrases, sucrases,
lactases and other types of amylases and proteases (like acid stable protease)
are fine and work well. Another
thing to watch for on enzyme labeling is the listing of amounts, activity, etc.
There is NO standardized testing in the USA, so it has NO meaning in
comparing the efficacy of one enzyme product to another.
Taking antacids (see article on Loomis website) to address your digestion
problems for any length of time will not resolve or heal them and can lead to
further complications down the road as regards your acid-base balance.
And taking proton pump inhibitors (those little “purple” pills for
excess acid) don’t cure anything either, they only mask the symptoms.
Because their action is to decrease the production of stomach acid (HCL),
they cause less pepsinogen to be converted into pepsin.
And since pepsin is what digests protein, your protein digestion is
severely compromised and you produce less amino acids, which are the building
blocks of the body to repair and heal itself.
It doesn’t seem that masking one problem and creating another is a
sound solution. Enzymes can take care of this without compromising any
system and can do this without any side effects to worry about or endure.
Because
digestion is a very complex and complicated process, in the interest of
providing the average person with a good overview, I will address all of it’s
components as simply as possible.
MOUTH:
Digestion
first starts in the mouth with the
secretion of amylase from the parotid glands, lipase from the sublingual glands
and protease from the submandibular glands.
Since enzymes can’t digest what they can’t get to, IT IS EXTREMELY
IMPORTANT TO CHEW YOUR FOOD WELL! Since
food is swallowed fairly rapidly, most of the work of these enzymes takes place
in the upper stomach.
UPPER
STOMACH (CADIAC STOMACH)
Food
first goes down the esophagus and into the upper, cardiac, or pre-digestive
stomach. It is held there for 30 to
60 minutes while hydrochloric acid (HCL)is being secreted in the lower portion
of the stomach. In younger people,
studies have shown that approximately 40 to 60% of starches, 30% of protein and
10% of fats are digested before the HCL lowers the pH of the stomach below 3.
The percentages are much lower in older individuals.
If additional plant enzymes were taken with the meal, it would
dramatically increase the percentages of digestion taking place.
LOWER
STOMACH:
Stomach
acid (hydrochloric acid = HCL) does NOT digest protein.
It has only two purposes: 1) to convert the pepsinogen secreted by the
gastric chief cells into pepsin, which is what digests protein, and 2) to
maintain the pH of the stomach at 3 or below so that the pepsin can continue to
work. This is why drinking large
amounts of fluid with a meal is not the best idea…but
8oz or so does not interfere with the process.
The plant enzymes are inactivated by the low pH during this phase of
digestion. When the lower
stomach pH drops to 3, the food
descends into this portion of the stomach where it is mixed with the gastric
juices and pepsin, and is rendered
into chyme. If the meal is larger
than normal and more than what the pepsin can digest, the stomach secretes more
HCL to activate more pepsin and this can result in the “excess acid” that
produces heartburn. “Excess
acid” is really a misnomer. It is
only the body’s normal response to overeating.
Another reason for heartburn is a compromised mucousal lining. If it has been thinned or eliminated by stress, the HCL with
a pH of 3 will make your stomach
burn. Hiatal hernia can be
another complication of indigestion.
If you overeat and carry extra weight around your mid-section, it pushes
on an overly full stomach that is already pushing up against the diaphragm. This weakens and enlarges the hole where the esophagus passes
through the diaphragm. The enlarged
hole allows the top of the stomach to push up through it causing severe
discomfort or pain. It also allows
the acid to push past the cardiac valve of the stomach and up into the lower
esophagus. Aside from the
heartburn this causes, it can also cause what’s known as Barrett’s
Esophagus, a per-cancerous condition.
As
digestion turns the food into chyme, it drips out of the pyloric valve of the
stomach and into the duodenum. The
acidity of the chyme stimulates the release of the hormones secretin and
cholecystikinin. These two hormones
signal the pancreas and gallbladder to release bile in order to degrease the
remaining fats, and pancreatic enzymes in the amount and kind necessary to
finish digestion along with pancreatic juices to alkalize the bowel.
Once the bowel is alkalized, the deactivated enzymes now become active.
As the food winds it way down the small intestine, it is broken down into
bio-available nutrients that are absorbed through the gut wall. However, if there are insufficient enzymes to break down all
the food particles, these undigested molecules of food irritate the lining of
the gut wall, making it permeable, thus allowing toxins and undigested food
molecules to escape through it. The
micro-flora in the small intestine also feed on the undigested food molecules,
and they excrete toxic wastes that also irritate the gut wall and pass through
it. This is often referred to as
“Leaky Gut Syndrome”. These
toxins and undigested food molecules that circulate through the lymphatics and
blood and are known as CIC’s (circulating immune complexes). They are recycled by the liver, returned to the blood
and excreted by the kidneys. But if
they can’t be completely excreted by the kidneys, they are returned to the
blood where they are carried throughout the body and eventually deposited in
places they shouldn’t be, causing more health challenges down the road.
This same scenario also takes place in the large intestine and, if not
rectified, the cycle repeats daily.
LARGE
INTESTINE:
No
digestion or absorption of nutrients takes place in the colon.
Its main function is to reabsorb water and salts as the liquid feces move
down to the sigmoid colon where it will be stored until it is eliminated.
Any undigested food not eaten by the micro-flora and excreted as toxic
wastes, putrefies, also becomes toxic, irritates the lining of the colon and
lets the toxins pass through the gut wall.
The bowel can produce up to 38 different toxins.
So between the excreted wastes of the micro- flora and the toxins from
the putrefied food, it sets up a condition in the bowel of intestinal toxemia or
autointoxication, often referred to as INDICANURIA.
If there is no elimination once or twice a day, and the toxic feces is
allowed to just sit in the colon, you can begin to understand why we get toxic
and colon cancer is so prevalent. It
has been known for many decades that INDICANURIA can
produce the following:
Dermatoses
Eczema Psoriasis
Mal-assimilation & weight loss
Disease of middle & internal ear Eye Strain Diseases of nasal accessory sinuses
Breast
pathology Eclampsia
Thyroid goiter
Arthritis
Low back pain & sciatica
Fibromyalgia & myofascitis
Depression
& melancholia Epilepsy
Excessive worry In-coordination
Senility
Lack
of confidence Memory
loss &concentration Mental
sluggishness & dullness Schizophrenia
Tachycardia
Arrythmias Migraines
Gas
& bloating Constipation
Diarrhea Crohn’s disease
Food allergies
Foul
stool odor Gastritis
Heartburn Inflammatory bowel disease
Food
allergies Ileocecal
valve problems Hiatal
Hernia
Halitosis
Body odor Asthma
So
you can see how important proper digestion is to every cell, organ and body
system in the maintenance of homeostasis and the prevention of dis-ease.
Providing the body with the proper nutrients and the enzymes needed to
make them bio-available, gives the body what it needs to heal itself under most
any circumstance. So aside from
eating a balanced raw food diet, what can you do to support proper digestion?
And what if you are already experiencing digestive and health challenges?
The Loomis program of Visero-Somatic Stress Management™ may have the answer for you. It
has helped thousands across America take back their life and health, sometimes
having almost miraculous results.
Dr
Howard Loomis is the leading national authority on Visero-Somatic Stress
Management™ and clinical enzyme replacement therapy.
His research takes over where Dr. Edward Howell’s, nationally known as
the “Father of Enzymes”, leaves off. Dr.
Howell’s work on enzymes in the 30’s and 40’s was essential to
understanding how enzymes were a determining factor in health, illness and
longevity. There is a wonderful
interview by Dr. Howell that everyone should read (see the link at the bottom of
the page). Dr. Loomis
has researched and successfully used enzymes in his clinical practice for over
25 years. Besides being an
advanced chiropractor, he has a degree in biochemistry.
All of Dr. Loomis’ formulations are developed by him and then field
tested before he allows his practitioners to use them with clients.
Nothing is developed in the “library”, like so much you find on the
health food store shelves. He also
uses whole herbs in his formulations, as taking out the active ingredient in
them loses the important synergistic effect of the herb.
The whole herbs used in many of his formulations are
there, along with the necessary enzymes to break them down and deliver them, to
nutritionally support the identified organs, systems or tissues under stress,
and are put together in specific combinations, to enhance their synergistic
nutritional effect.
And if you are concerned about allergic reactions to any of his products,
no need to worry, as he puts the needed enzymes in each product necessary to
break it down and deliver it. Allergies
are merely reactions to substances the body cannot breakdown and then sees as a
foreign invader to be attacked. So
you can feel safe using his products.
During his years of clinical studies and application, he developed a
program that is individually tailored to each persons specific needs.
There is NO one size fits all, just as there is no “normal” or
“average”. The Loomis
program of Viscero-Somatic Stress Management™ consists of the following:
Includes
a history and brief physical exam, a visero-somatic stress point exam, an in
depth structural exam, a nutritional consultation and a signs and symptoms
questionnaire related to enzyme deficiencies, inabilities to digest protein,
fats, carbohydrates and fiber, and
structural-functional symptoms..
A
24hr collection that is sent to a specialized research lab to evaluate what the
body is throwing off and what it is holding onto in order to maintain
homeostasis. Besides the routine UA
that is done at a hospital, the other components of the UA identifies the level
of Indicanuria ( bowel toxicity), what the body can’t digest (protein, fats,
carbs), calcium mineralization, pH balance, chloride and Vit C levels, kidney
function, water regulation and cellular dehydration, catabolism and specific
endocrine, hormonal and organ stressors and deficits.
Review
of the client’s results with recommendations for dietary and structural
modification and their specific nutritional and enzyme needs.
Dr. Loomis has more than just digestive enzymes.
He has multiple organ system supports (eg. adrenal, cardiac, respiratory,
thyroid, vascular, irritable bowel, hormonal etc.) as well as, those needed for
proper elimination and detoxification of the bowel.
He also has some that target trauma, inflammation and the immune system.
The need for periodic follow-up and repeat 24hr UA’s will be determined
by the acuity of the client’s health challenges and their willingness to
follow through with recommendations.
Because
there is no separating structure and function, this is an extremely important
part of the program. How your body
functions in a fasting mode can be completely different from how it functions
after eating. And this includes
what happens to it structurally. The
changes can be so dramatic as to look like the results of two different people.
And it’s all a result of what stresses it and where.
The only way to get a clear picture of this is by doing this test.
It starts with a fasting
exam of the structural components and a palpatory exam of the viscero-somatic
stress points followed by the ingestion of
“Challenge” powder consisting of a balanced formula of protein, fats
and carbs , and then the re-testing of the structural components and the V-S
stress points after 45 minutes to
identify gland, organ and body system malnutrition stress.
Although not absolutely necessary to the program, because it is very
beneficial in pinpointing the individual’s physiology of stress and digestion,
it is highly recommended and absolutely essential to do if someone is very ill
or not responding adequately to the program recommendations..
Although
not a necessity to the program's success, a standard SMAC profile, CBC, and
C-reactive protein can provide further information to pinpoint deficiencies,
even if the blood test results are within normal limits.
As
co-creator in the health care of my clients, I always encourage them to research
the information I provide, rather than just take my word for it.
Therefore, I have provided you with titles of the best books with correct
information (not all the information out there on enzymes is correct as you may
have begun to realize) and links to Dr. Loomis’ websites.
If you have any questions, feel free to contact me at any of the numbers
given at the bottom of the home page.
If I don’t answer, leave a message and I’ll get back to you
ASAP. You may also call
these numbers to set up an appointment. Should
anyone be interested, this program can be done long distance.
Although
these are not MY products, they are ones I think you at least need to know
about, so please check them out at the following site:
These
products (2) are on Fred Kaufman’s website. I know him personally and he is an amazing man and
extremely knowledgeable. I
have been using both his products for 7 years.
If you have been looking for a way to alkalize and purify your water
without having to buy an expensive ionizer/alkalizer, then his products are
for you. In liquid and sachet
form, they can be used anywhere and are easily transported in a pocket or
purse. Check them out at www.fredkaufman.com
. You won’t be sorry.
And take time to read his information, gathered from various sources,
even physician’s. It’s invaluable!
Helpful Links:
www.loomisenzymes.com
Click on RESOURCES
& then ARTICLES.
He has 10 short articles on digestion, enzymes and common health problems
created by indigestion. They are well worth printing out and reading.
EVERYONE should know the information contained in them!
www.loomisinstitue.com
Click on EDUCATION
and then MEDIA.
There you will find an interview with Dr. Loomis at the top of the page,
and towards the bottom two DVD’s about enzymes and the program that are
very informative and well worth your time.
And for women 35 and older, the interview at the top of the page called
“Enzymes, Menopause and You”. is
a MUST!!!
www.godsdirectcontact.com/vegetarian/abc/enzymes.htm
This is the link to Dr. Edward Howell’s
interview…so worth reading. There
are many other sites that also carry it…just type in any search engine
“Dr. Edward Howell’s Interview.”
Books:
Enzymes,
the Key to Health
Dr. Howard Loomis, Jr
Food
Enzymes for Health and Longevity Dr.
Howard Loomis, Jr
Enzyme
Nutrition: The Food Enzyme Concept
Dr. Edward Howell
The
Enzyme Cure Dr.
Lita Lee
