the MISSING PIECE of the EQUATION - enzymes in well-being and proper function of digestive organs

Vegetarian Times, Oct, 2000 by Robin Westen, Janet Webb

Inselman prescribed five plant-based enzyme supplements to aid Dubiel's digestion. He also put her on a low-carbohydrate, high-protein diet because she wasn't eating enough proteins. Six months later-Dubiel's condition had improved significantly. The first thing she noticed was an increase in energy. "I went through the winter with only a mild cold--a first for me."

Enzymes, East and West

Practitioners from Eastern traditions concur with their Western peers that enzymes are an important part of the digestive equation. All agree that a healthy digestive system can prevent illnesses and increase vitality. And because enzyme therapy is just one way to improve your digestive health, ultimately the best approach is finding out what works best for you.

Digestion is considered the root of most diseases in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and Ayurveda, the classical Indian medical system. But these practitioners depart from enzyme therapists when it comes to raw foods.

TCM, for instance, tries to oppose the elements, recommending "warming" foods in winter and "cooling" foods for summer. "Over time, eating too many raw foods can deplete spleen energy, which is what pulls nutrients and chi [life force] out of food," says Higgy Lerner, R.N., L.Ac., an acupuncturist and Chinese herbalist in Chico, Calif. But Lerner believes enzymes can energize the digestive system by removing stagnation so chi circulates freely.

Ayurvedic doctors also believe healthy enzyme function is critical for digestive health. But they believe digestion is controlled by another force, agni, (or "fire") in Sanskrit. In Ayurveda, all matter is composed of five elements: fire, water, earth, air and ether. Agni, the elemental force or "central intelligence controller" of digestion, has no Western equivalent, says Sunil Joshi, M.D., an Ayurvedic physician practicing in Albuquerque, N.M. "It's the software in the computer that makes it work," he says, adding that enzymes are controlled by agni. "If agni is not functioning properly, enzymes will not be produced and your pancreas will be overworked."

For a healthy agni, Ayurvedic doctors recommend spices that stoke this digestive fire, such as coriander, turmeric, toasted fennel and asafetida. Raw foods often have the opposite effect on agni, says Joshi, who recommends a diet of at least 60 to 70 percent cooked foods. But his actual recommendations vary

according to individual constitutions.

Observing how your body reacts to different components in the diet is the key to fine-tuning the digestive system, other alternative practitioners say. "There's no question that enzyme therapy can improve digestion," says Joseph Pizzorno, N.D., the former president of Bastyr University in Kenmore, Wash. "But people should try for themselves and see what produces the best results for them." (For a step-by-step guide, see "Tuning Up Your Digestion," p. 97.) Pizzorno also explains that enzyme therapy is good protection against increasing amounts of chemicals in the food supply.