Our Immune System (and overall health) Begins In Our Gut!

Enzymes
Enzymes are organic molecules from living things that act as catalysts. A catalyst is a molecule that can speed up a chemical reaction without being consumed in the reaction. For example, sulfuric acid "speeds up" the dissolving of a metal such as gold and there will be sulfuric acid left.

Enzymes are the chemical workhorses of the body. Enzymes make every biochemical reaction in the body possible, from cellular DNA replication to the production of hormones and neurotransmitters. Without enzymes we couldn't digest our food or activate our immune system to ward off an infection.

Enzymes are energy's spark plugs for activating the various functions of the body.
There are 3000 to 5000 enzymes in the human body and without them there is no life. Now, here is the key secret the human body will wear out faster if it has to make all of its own enzymes! That's right, if we are not getting a good supply of enzymes through our diet, our body loses vitality and becomes weaker.

See (image below) how your gut influences your health

Dr. Edward Howell, who has written two books on enzymes, theorizes that humans are given a limited supply of enzymes at birth, and that it is up to us to replenish our supply of enzymes to ensure that their vital jobs get done. If we don't replenish our supply, we run the risk of ill health. Howell postulates that, "The length of life is inversely proportional to the rate of exhaustion of the enzyme potential of an organism. The increased use of food enzymes promotes a decreased rate of exhaustion of the enzyme potential." (Howell, Dr. Edward, "Enzyme Nutrition, The Food Enzyme Concept")

In Other words, the more enzymes you get, the longer and healthier you live. That is why eating raw organic foods and taking nutritional digestive enzyme supplements is believed to help ward off chronic and degenerative diseases, maintain an optimum balance of health and increase overall vitality. By ingesting enzymes from organic raw foods and supplements, the body gets a break, does not have to work so hard, and may last longer.

Besides breaking down food, enzymes (particularly the proteases) can help with gut healing, controlling pathogens, and immune support.

As We Age...
As we age, changes take place in our digestive tract; food begins to move more sluggishly through the digestive process because our body produces fewer digestive enzymes with age. Studies show that, every ten years, your body's production of enzymes decreases by 13 percent. So by age 40, your enzyme production could be 25 percent lower than it was when you were a child. And by the time you're 70, you could be producing only ONE-THIRD of the enzymes you need.

Your state of health begins in your gut! And if you have enzyme and digestive issues, chances are your immune system isn't functioning as well as it should be. Everything we eat and drink has to go through the gut. Our Gastro Intestinal (GI) tract is embedded with millions of bacteria (good and bad). Imbalances within this ecosystem will impair the gut barrier and increase risk of developing disease.

Stressful lifestyles, environmental toxins, and food lacking in real nutrition, can compromise the gut lining allowing proteins and other "foreign" particles to seep into our blood system, creating a host of ailments and diseases.

When food enzyme supplies run short and our enzyme-producing capacity is exhausted it creates a high demand for other enzymes called metabolic enzymes, which every cell in your body needs in order to function. If our cellular system is negatively affected then it is an open invitation to all kinds of heath issues!

Enzymes (digestive & metabolic) are required for....

• Energy production
• Absorption of oxygen
• Fighting infections and healing wounds
• Reducing inflammation
• Getting nutrients into your cells
• Carrying away toxic wastes
• Breaking down fats in your blood, regulating cholesterol and triglyceride levels
• Dissolving blood clots
• Proper hormone regulation
• Slowing the aging process

Enzymes to be effective need assitance.

Food Enzymes

CoQ10

Magnesium

Enzymes rely on other elements to accomplish their tasks, such as certain vitamins and minerals. These elements are called "coenzymes."
CoQ10 (coenzymes) is found in the mitochondria (power centers) of your cells where it is involved in making ATP, every cell's principal energy source. Another example is magnesium, which participates in over 300 enzyme reactions.

The digestive system should function like a smoothly flowing river that has fresh, clean water with no debris. But like a river that gets stopped up, the digestive system can become like a "swamp," in that it becomes sluggish and prone to the growth of unfriendly microorganisms. Enzymes are used in ponds, pools and sewer systems to degrade and clear out debris and algae by balancing the pH of the water.  It works the same in our bodies. 

Metabolic Enzymes (Taken between meals)

"Metabolic enzymes are intimately involved with running your circulatory, lymphatic, cardiac, neurologic, endocrine, renal, hepatic, and reproductive systems, and maintaining your skin, bones, joints, muscles and other tissues." (Dr. Mercola M.D)

Lack Protease High Potency can be a causal factor, in a wide variety of symptoms, among them are aching joints, allergies-both food and sinus - autoimmune disorders, back weakness, bacterial infections, candidiasis, constipation, diarrhea, fungal and yeast infestations, gum disorders, hearing problems, hepatitis/liver disorders, herpes, hormonal imbalances, parasites, sinusitis, skin eruptions, sports injuries, urinary infections, viruses, and weakened immunity. 

Adequate enzymes in the body are the key to living longer and better with plenty of energy.

* Protease breaks down protein-based invaders in the blood that cause inflammation and facilitating their removal via your blood stream and lymphatic system.
* Parasites, fungi and bacteria are all protein-based organisms. 
* Viruses have a protein-based film covering the nucleic acids inside them, Protease breaks up these proteins so the immune system can do its job of destroying them and clearing them out of the body. 

Enzymes are known to accelerate the healing process and the formation of new, healthy tissue. Hundreds of studies have been done that show pancreatic enzymes act quickly to reduce inflammation and swelling of sports injuries. 
Enzymes are completely safe-there are no drug reactions. 

Protease Plus, in addition to 60,000 HUT protease, also contains a concentrate of full-spectrum plant-derived trace-minerals to help activate the enzymes, which can double their activity in breaking down proteins. 

We suggest taking Protease Plus or HP Protease  between meals (or on an empty stomach) because the goal here is to get the protease into the blood stream. Once in the blood stream, its fibrinolytic and proteolytic action benefits circulation, the immune system, inflammation, and detoxification.

L-Glutamine

High Potency Protease

Probiotic Eleven

Probiotics

The good bacteria inhabiting the intestines are called friendly flora or probiotics. Biotic is from a Greek word that refers to life. So probiotic means favorable to life. This in contrast to the word antibiotic, which literally means against life. 

Antibiotics weaken the immune system because they destroy the friendly flora.
These friendly flora are actually part of the immune system. Friendly bacteria enhance the immune system in several ways. First of all, they form a sort of living "blanket" that coats the intestinal tract and inhibits other species of microorganisms from "gaining a foot-hold" on the intestinal mucosa. They compete with other microbes for food, which also holds down the growth of infectious organisms.

Friendly bacteria even produce chemicals that are deadly to harmful forms of bacteria, so they act as natural antibiotic agents against harmful bacteria. Another benefit of friendly bacteria is that they have a stimulating effect on the body's immune system. For instance, animal studies showed that S. thermophilus and bulgaricus increased proliferation of lymphocytes, stimulated B lymphocytes and activated macrophages. 

A well-known benefit of friendly flora is their ability to keep yeast, such as candida albicans, and harmful bacteria, such as E. coli, in check. When antibiotics, chemotherapy, Chlorine or other chemicals or drugs destroy the friendly flora, yeast multiply out of control. Yeast secrete a toxin that weakens the intestinal membranes and reduces the immune response. Probiotics are the antidote to this problem, helping to restore a healthy intestinal microflora. 

Probiotics also help overall colon health. They reduce the risk of inflammatory bowel disorders such as colitis, 
Crohn's disease, and irritable bowel syndrome. They also reduce the risk of colon cancer. They should be used as part of a natural treatment plan for these diseases. 

Healthy intestinal microflora improve the body's ability to digest fats and proteins. 
Probiotics synthesize certain vitamins the body needs, including B1, B2, B6, B12, folic acid and biotin. The synthesis of B12 by probiotics is particularly important for vegetarians who are not getting this vitamin in their diets. 

The friendly flora also help detoxify certain poisons in the digestive tract. For instance, they help break down ammonia, cholesterol and excess hormones.

We suggest taking probiotics such as Bifidophilus or Probiotic Eleven at bedtime because the gut is at rest during the night. The probiotic organisms have the best opportunity to adhere to the intestinal wall for colonization during this time of least activity in the GI tract. We may also suggest additional probiotics first thing in the morning to assist with bowel regulation, and the probiotics may also be taken with meals to reduce digestive discomfort from gas and bloating.