M OST PEOPLE DO NOT REALIZE the major role that enzymes play in maintaining healthy immune function. In my 20 years of clinical practice, I have found that enzymes can help to prevent disease, heal chronic health problems, reduce the body's toxic burden, and help eliminate stress—all factors which have a direct impact on the immune system's ability to function efficiently. My experience has convinced me that no other supplements can offer such dramatic improvements. Why Must We Replenish Our Enzyme Supply? Without enzymes, our bodies could not carry out their most basic functions. In their role as organic catalysts, enzymes make possible the millions of biochemical reactions that take place within us daily. They arc the powerful engines that digest food, transport nutrients, carry away toxic wastes, purify the blood, deliver hormones, balance cholesterol and triglyceridcs, nourish the brain, and build protein into muscle. White blood cells are especially rich in enzymes, which help them to digest and destroy any foreign substances—such as viruses and bacteria—that invade the body. While the body uses its enzymes over and over again, they can perfonn only a certain amount of work before they become exhausted and must be replaced. Poor diet, digestive stress, illness, and trauma also reduce them. This is why we must constantly replenish our enzyme supplies. When we do not have sufficient enzymes, this takes a toll on virtually every system that depends on enzyme support, especially digestion, immunity, and tissue repair. How Undigested Food Weakens the Immune System There is no way that I can over-emphasize the importance of good digestion in maintaining a healthy immune system and protecting the body against disease. In my clinical experience, the two primary underlying causes of immune dysfunction are poor digestion and food sensitivities, which occur when the body cannot properly digest and assimilate a particular type of food. You can identify a food sensitivity in two ways—cravings for that type of food and/or bloating and gastric distress when you eat it. Studies suggest that people with food sensitivities have leakier intestinal walls than those without sensitivities, which means that a greater than average number of undigested food particles can pass into the bloodstream. This creates a vicious cycle because the inflammation that occurs with the immune response can make the intestinal walls even leakier. Over time, this cascade effect can overwhelm the immune system. Here's how this works: When the immune system senses these undigested food particles (antigens), it labels them as foreign invaders and begins pumping out antibodies to attack and neutralize them. They do this by joining with them to form circulating immune complexes (CIC's). These highly inflammatory immune complexes can create damage within the body, even if they are present for only a brief period of time. Fortunately, the body is aware of this fact and has an inbuilt defense mechanism, a large number of cells known as macrophages that go into action to remove the CIC's from the bloodstream. If the CIC's are small enough, the macrophages gobble them up like Pac Men and transport them to the liver or the spleen where the blood can be cleared of them. Problems arise when the macrophages become so saturated with CIC's that they are no longer able to remove them from the bloodstream. When this happens, the CIC's tend to deposit their contents into certain tissues and organs, such as the kidneys, joints, and blood vessel walls, where they trigger inflammatory conditions that eventually lead to illness. Where the CIC's settle depends largely upon two factors: (1) heredity and (2) weakness in an organ, organ system, or joint caused by injury or trauma. This is why symptoms of food sensitivities can vary so greatly from one person to the next. While one person might develop joint pain, another might experience migraine headaches. Still others will experience kidney disease or even failure when the kidneys become so scarred that they can no longer function. Dr. Ellen's Prescription for Good Digestion One of the most important strategies for maintaining a healthy gut is to take a full-spectrum, Ph-balanced, vegetarian digestive enzyme formula. If the food one eats is thoroughly broken down, fewer food particles travel to the intestinal wall and, from there, leak out into the bloodstream, triggering an immune response. Dr. Ellen W. Cutler is the nation 's leading authority on enzyme therapy, the founder of BioSET™, and the author of The Food Allergy Cure and MicroMiracles: Discover the Healing Power of Enzymes. For more information please visit www.bioset.net nfeTW
