If we are what we eat, then what we are is only as good as our digestion. When it goes awry, it generally affects our total well-being. Whether it’s mild nausea, a nasty virus, or a chronic disorder such as irritable bowel syndrome, a disorder of the digestive tract is usually impossible to ignore. If the condition persists, it can undermine our total health, eventually threatening our very lives.

Today the alternative medicine fields are rapidly attracting the attention of both patients and doctors alike because of a more organized and research oriented outlook of such fields. One of the foundation stones of all alternative medicines is the focus on digestion and the pathologies of digestion. The latest treatment to target digestive disorders is called Enzyme Therapy.

How does indigestion start?
In our daily life, we tend to eat highly devitalized and processed food which is stripped of all natural food enzymes. As a result an enormous load is placed on the person’s digestive system and trouble begins! Un-digested food ferments in the stomach and spews out toxic gases and micro-components which leaks into the tissues and leads to many problems which could be allergy, asthma, liver problems, skin problems, water retention, fatigue etc.

What are Enzymes?
The function of the enzyme, a specialized protein molecule, is to catalyze chemical reactions within the cells so that all physiological processes can occur. The human body makes approximately 22 digestive enzymes, capable of digesting protein, carbohydrates, sugars, and fats. The process of digestion begins in the mouth, makes its way to the stomach, and concludes in the small intestine. At each step in this process, specific enzymes breaks down different types of food.

There are three categories of enzymes: Metabolic enzymes, digestive enzymes, and enzymes found in raw food. Metabolic enzymes play a key role in running bodily processes. They also repair damage and decay as well as heal tissues. Digestive enzymes serve to assimilate carbohydrates, proteins and fats in the body. Raw food enzymes begin the process of food digestion and aid the body’s digestive enzymes.

What is Enzyme therapy?
Enzyme therapy is a plan of dietary supplements of plant and animal enzymes used to facilitate the digestive process and improve the body’s ability to maintain balanced metabolism. Enzyme therapy is based on the work of Dr. Edward Howell in the 1920s and 1930s. Howell proposed that enzymes from foods work in the stomach to pre-digest food. He advocated the consumption of large amounts of plant enzymes, theorizing that if the body had to use less of its own enzymes for digestion, it could store them for maintaining metabolic harmony.

Most foods have natural enzymes which aid in the digestion of that food. Some foods that can add enzyme to your diet can be:

Have more of papaya as papain, an enzyme, found in papaya is extremely beneficial for digestion. Similarly bromelain, found in pineapple, also aids digestion.
Have lots of salads as they are an extremely rich source of enzyme. You can add grate green papaya, sliced tomato, chopped lettuce, boiled chicken, some sprouts, spring onions, bell peppers (shimla mirch) and twist a lime, and there you have a wonderful enzyme rich food.
Eat chutneys with dhania (coriander), pudina (mint leaves), green mango, onion, garlic (lehsun) with some spices to flavor the chutney.
Consume foods with fiber. Carrots are one of the best sources of fiber. Fiber helps cleanse the colon and remove bowel toxins.
Eat whole organic foods. Processed foods don’t eliminate hunger. Eating smaller portions happens naturally when you substitute whole foods for their processed counterparts.
Use coconut oil as it helps balance thyroid function and also has antiseptic and immune-stimulating properties.
The future of enzymes therapy is bright. There are thousands of enzyme therapists practicing around the world. Many naturopaths and chiropractors use enzyme-containing medicines for many innovative functions including: cleaning wounds, allergic reactions, removing blood clots. Diagnosis of certain ailments and diseases such as cancer is being facilitated by the measurement of certain types of enzymes.