Anti-aging and Parkinson/Alzheimer’s prevention: Enzymes and apple cider vinegar

Boosting Your Enzymes Levels Naturally

There are four ways to naturally increase your enzyme levels:

1. Increase your intake of raw, living foods
2. Eat fewer calories
3. Chew your food thoroughly
4. Avoid chewing gum

The very best way to get enzymes into your body is by consuming at least 75 percent of your foods raw. For many of you, you’ll have to work toward this goal gradually.

While all raw foods contain enzymes, the most powerful enzyme-rich foods are those that are sprouted (seeds and legumes). Sprouting increases the enzyme content in these foods tremendously. Besides sprouts, other enzyme-rich foods include:

• Papaya, pineapple, mango, kiwi, and grapes
• Avocado
• Raw honey (the enzymes actually come from the bee’s saliva)
• Bee pollen
• Extra virgin olive oil and coconut oil
• Raw meat and dairy

The best way to bump up your metabolic enzymes is to provide your body with the raw materials and energy it needs to make them. By eating these types of foods, you supply your body with the amino acids and the enzyme co-factors needed to boost your own natural enzyme production.

Another way to lower your body’s demand for enzymes is to reduce your caloric intake. Did you know the average person spends 80 percent of his available energy simply digesting food?

By reducing overall consumption, as well as introducing more living foods, you reduce your need for digestive enzymes, which allows your body to put more of its energy into producing metabolic enzymes.

Which brings us to chewing. Quite apart from the esthetic pleasure of an unhurried meal, there are important physiological reasons to chew your food well.

Chewing stimulates saliva production, and the more time you spend chewing, the longer your saliva enzymes have to work in your mouth, lessening the workload of your stomach and small intestine. Chewing also stimulates a reflex that sends a message to your pancreas and other digestive organs, “Gear up—we’ve got incoming!”

And don’t chew gum.

Chewing gum fools your body into believing it is digesting something, so it pumps out digestive enzymes unnecessarily. Why waste those precious resources?

Digestive Enzyme Supplementation

If you suffer from occasional bloating, minor abdominal discomfort, and occasional constipation and suspect your enzyme production is low, you might want to consider a digestive enzyme supplement in addition to eating more of your foods raw.

Digestive enzymes should be taken WITH a meal. There are hundreds on the market, so how do you choose a good one? You should look for an enzyme formula with the following characteristics:

• It should contain a mixture of different types of enzymes, to help digest all of the different components of your diet (including lipase, protease, and amylase)
• The ingredients should be high quality, all-natural, and free of allergens and additives
• The supplement should be labeled as to the enzymatic strength of each ingredient, not just its weight
• It should be made by a reputable company with rigorous quality control and testing for potency

Besides digestive enzyme supplementation, there is another way to use oral enzymes—for systemic use. This requires taking enzymes between meals so they can be absorbed through your gut and into your bloodstream, where your cells can use them metabolically.

Systemic Enzymes—Playing Catch-Up with European Medicine

Getting enzymes from your digestive tract into your bloodstream isn’t as easy as it would seem. As I’ve already discussed, enzymes are very susceptible to denaturing and must be helped to survive the highly acidic environment in your stomach. They are often given an “enteric coating” to help them survive the journey through your digestive tract.

And then, there is the matter of absorption.

For nearly 100 years, medical dogma insisted that enzymes taken orally were too large to pass through the digestive tract wall.

However, there is now a good deal of research that they can indeed pass through your intestine intact and into your bloodstream and lymphatic system, where they can deliver their services to the rest of your body… one of the mysteries of medical science.

Now that we know this is possible, systemic oral enzymes have been used to treat problems ranging from sports injuries to arthritis to heart disease and cancer, particularly in European countries. But most of the research has been published in non-English language journals.

This systemic use of enzymes is just now taking off in the United States.

It is crucial that, in order for enzymes to be used systemically, they must be ingested on an empty stomach. Otherwise, your body will use them for digesting your food, instead of being absorbed into the blood and doing their work there.

Let’s take a look at how systemic enzymes can benefit your health by examining their applications for two major health problems we face today: heart disease and cancer.

How Systemic Enzymes Battle Heart Disease

It is now fairly well recognized that heart attacks and strokes are related to inflammation, which is why C-reactive protein (an inflammatory marker) can be predictive of cardiac events.

However, according to an excellent article about systemic enzymes by Michael Sellar, French researchers have proposed that bacteria might be a causative factor in coronary artery disease. Very high levels of bacteria were found in their patients’ arterial plaques, possibly explaining elevations in C-reactive protein.

C-reactive protein functions to stop the spread of bacteria in your body.

Since enzymes inhibit platelet aggregation, help your immune system combat pathogens, and break down fibrin (which makes up clots), they may offer significant benefits for vascular diseases like thrombosis, phlebitis, and varicose veins.

Sellar quotes enzyme researcher Rudolph Kunze:

“Although enzymes reduce inflammation and we used to think that was all they did, we now believe that the central target of systemic enzymes is the immune system. It is my belief that heart disease is an immune disease very much, although obviously not totally, related to bacterial pathogens and other invaders.”

Systemic Enzymes in the Treatment of Cancer

The use of enzymes to treat cancer has its roots all the way back to 1911 with John Beard’s The Enzyme Treatment of Cancer and Its Scientific Basis. Beard believed cancer was a result of diminished pancreatic enzymes, impairing your immune response.

A study in 1999 suggests he may have been right on target.

Ten patients with inoperable pancreatic cancer were treated with large doses of oral pancreatic enzymes (along with detoxification and an organic diet), and their survival rates were 3 to 4 times higher than patients receiving conventional treatment. Proteolytic enzymes can be helpful in treating cancer because they help restore balance to your immune system.

Dr. Nick Gonzalez in New York City, NY has also done a lot of work on enzymes in cancer treatment and has written a book on the subject.

Some of the ways proteolytic enzymes can be helpful in the fight against cancer are:

• Boosting cytokines, particularly interferon and tumor necrosis factor, which are very important warriors in destroying cancer cells.
• Decreasing inflammation.
• Dissolving fibrin: Cancer cells hide under a cloak of fibrin to escape detection. Once the cancer cells are “uncloaked,” they can be spotted and attacked by your immune system. It is also thought that fibrin makes cancer cells “stick together,” which increases the chance for metastases.
• German studies have shown that systemic enzymes increase the potency of macrophages and killer cells 12-fold.

For more about the difference between digestive enzymes and systemic enzymes, click here for a video interview with enzyme expert Nena Dockery.

Hopefully you can now appreciate just how important enzymes are to your overall health, right down to the cellular level. Once you understand this, you may begin to see just how important it is to eat a diet rich in fresh, organic, raw foods. You may even want to try juicing some of your vegetables as a way of getting more nutrients—and enzymes—into your body.

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Apple cider vinegar (ACV) is getting more and more attention as its many benefits become known. It may take a bit to get used to the strong smell and taste, but once you’ve made it regular part of your routine it’s not so bad. It provides some great benefits to your digestive system and other parts of your body, that it’s good to keep it handy and use it as directed as part of a weight loss plan, or as part of your daily quest at good health and overall wellness.

1. Burns Fat

Perhaps the best reason is that apple cider vinegar can help you lose weight be helping to burn fat that’s stored. It even targets the fat in your midsection, which is a trouble spot for many of us. It’s also been noted for being able to make you feel full for longer periods of time, helping you make it to your next meal and avoid eating when you’re not truly hungry. The iron content in ACV helps get your metabolism going, so if you’ve noticed you run an iron deficiency, or that you have a sluggish metabolism, you may want to give it a try and see it it helps turn things around.

2. Good for the Digestive System

Apple cider vinegar helps to rev up your digestive juices, so you can more easily digest your meals. It has been attributed to lower instances of indigestion, and To get the most from this benefit try drinking a glass of water mixed with ACV 30 minutes before a meal. You’ll notice that it not only helps you get to mealtime more easily, but when mealtime does arrive you’ll be hungry for it and then digest it more easily. It does this by giving your gut what it needs in the form of enzymes that specifically help to break down food. It also contains acids that the body can use to help break up foods and absorb the nutrients from them.

3. Can Be Used as a Mouthwash

If you’re tired of the burn that comes with some popular mouthwash brands on the market, you might want to give apple cider vinegar a try as a more natural alternative. You’ll want to mix it with water and not swish it in your mouth at full strength, as it is rather acidic. What it does is naturally kill the bacteria on your tongue and inside your mouth that causes bad breath. It’s also able to break down plaque, giving it the same kind of properties as the high-priced mouthwashes you’ll find in stores.

4. Possible Wart Treatment

If you have a wart you’ve been wanting to get rid of, you can try using ACV in order to treat it. It’s an easy enough process to use apple cider vinegar, and you may find that it’s a reliable and cost-effective way to go instead of having it professionally removed or using an over-the-counter wart removal product. You simply wash and dry the affected area, douse a cotton swab in ACV, apply to the wart and cover with a bandage to keep it in place. Let it work its magic while you sleep, and attend to it again in the morning. Repeat the process until it’s completely healed.

5. Balances Blood Sugar

Apple cider vinegar can help you keep your blood sugar levels in check. Many of the claims made by proponents of ACV are not scientifically founded, but rather rely on anecdotal evidence to back them up. But this benefit is one that has a strong backing from the medical community, and has been shown to help diabetics manage their condition. It does so by helping to reduce the amount of glucose in the body.

6. Can Be Used to Treat a Sunburn

Even though apple cider vinegar has a sour and acidic taste to it, it’s actually able to soothe a sunburn when applied topically. You can actually make a bath with ACV in it, which will help you treat all of your sunburned areas at once. Use cool water if you go this route. You can also provide an easier way to apply an ACV solution to your body by using a spray bottle. This way you don’t actually have to touch the sunburn, and can experience a cooling mist hitting your skin. The apple cider vinegar will stay on your skin after the water evaporates.

7. Helps the Sinuses

Apple cider vinegar has been shown to help treat a sinus infection, and if you use it at the first sign of sinus trouble, you may be able to avoid it altogether. The method to use this as sinus relief is to add it to your humidifier so you can breathe it in, or add hot water to it so that you can breathe in the steam. The goal is breathing it in through your nose, so if it’s already stuffed up you might be too late to help matters. It’s always recommended to check in with your doctor if your sinuses are creating a bigger problem for you.

8. Helps When You’re Tired

Taking apple cider vinegar can help boost your energy levels, and help when you’re starting to feel fatigued, or even exhausted after a workout. The reason why it helps with your energy levels can be attributed to its effect on your blood sugar, as well as the way it can boost your immune system. Drinking a shot of ACV as a pick-me-up may work for you, and would be a more healthy tactic than reaching for the afternoon cup of coffee or an energy drink.

9. Can Make Your Teeth Whiter

You can use ACV to whiten your teeth, but you’ll want to make sure to rinse really well after using it, as the acidic nature of apple cider vinegar can be counterproductive if left on too long. It’s most effective at treating stains on your teeth, so if you have an overall yellowing of your teeth this may not be the best way to go. You can use it directly just as if you were brushing your teeth with it. When you rinse, be sure to do so until as much of the acidic taste has left your mouth as possible.

10. Can Be Used as an Acne Treatment

You can use apple cider vinegar as part of a comprehensive program to treat acne naturally. The neat feature of ACV in relation to acne is that it can be used both internally and topically to help the situation. It helps to bring balance to the pH of your skin, and you can use it on your face and other areas of your body, making it great for those that suffer from acne on their back and other parts. You can also drink it and see if you notice an improvement, but using it as a sort of toner to help your skin directly seems to produce better results.

11. Helps Reduce Heartburn

Apple cider vinegar helps to prevent indigestion, and helps your digestive system break down your food. Whether or not it helps with heartburn will vary from person to person. If your digestive system is overactive and produces too much digestive acid, ACV will only serve to exacerbate the problem. But if your heartburn is being caused by other factors, it may be just what you need. There isn’t much backing these claims as far as scientific studies go, but it’s one of those instances where the number of positive peer reviews makes it a method worth trying.

12. Relieves Sore Muscles

This involves swabbing the area with ACV instead of ingesting it. You can also make the process easier and even more relaxing by adding it to your bath. It’s the acid in apple cider vinegar that gets the credit for the relief. It helps to relax both the skin and the muscles so you end up feeling better after soaking for only a few minutes.

Apple Cider Vinegar FAQ

How is apple cider vinegar different from other vinegars?

The main thing that separates apple cider vinegar from others like white vinegar, wine vinegar, rice vinegar, or malt vinegar, is that it’s made with apples, whereas the others are made using other ingredients. This is what gives ACV its distinct taste, and also why it provides health benefits that you can’t get from regular vinegars. It’s not the same kind of vinegar that you’ll find on store shelves for use in cooking, and you won’t get the health benefits listed above by using ordinary vinegar.

Will apple cider vinegar lower triglycerides?

Studies on rats has shown that ACV can lower triglycerides, but at the same time it was shown to raise levels of bad cholesterol (LDL) in the body, and lower levels of good cholesterol. That means it is not the best way to try to get your triglyceride levels to a healthy place. Most health experts recommend more exercise and dietary adjustments as the most effective way to go.

Will apple cider vinegar make you break out?

Drinking apple cider vinegar shouldn’t lead to a break out, and in fact it’s been shown to be a way to treat your acne topically. There is anecdotal evidence that suggest drinking ACV helps to clear up the skin and results in fewer blemishes, but these findings are not backed by clinical studies. There are also reports that when you start drinking ACV you may notice more breakouts before things calm down and eventually improve.

Will apple cider vinegar remove a mole?

Apple cider vinegar works pretty well on warts, but how about moles? There are instructions online for how to remove a mole with ACV, and there are even pictures provided to show how the process goes. Be sure to have any mole you plan on removing checked by a doctor first to make sure it’s just a mole and not something more serious. Also consider using something like Dermatend for potentially better results.

Is apple cider vinegar acidic or alkaline?

Even though you might think that ACV is acidic because of the acetic acid it contains, it’s not about what a food is made up of, but how the body responds to it and processes it once it’s consumed. As it turns out, it’s alkaline-forming once ingested, and acts the same as other alkaline foods like asparagus, broccoli, and kale. If you are creating an alkaline diet for yourself be sure to know which foods react in an acidic or alkaline way.

Is apple cider vinegar a diuretic?

Apple cider vinegar has been described as a gentle diuretic, and has been used as a treatment for urinary tract infections because of the way it helps the kidneys and bladder. There are other natural diuretics that also do a great job if you’re trying to remove excess water and sodium, like celery, ginger, and cabbage. These foods either contain plenty of water, or encourage urination to help flush the body.

Is apple cider vinegar a probiotic?

Even though it isn’t classified as a probiotic, ACV helps with the digestion in a similar fashion as probiotics. The pectin it contains helps the body break down foods, and it is often recommended to drink water mixed with apple cider vinegar 30 minutes to an hour before a meal to improve digestion. Probiotics get their name because of the bacteria they contain. ACV contains enzymes but because of its acidic nature does not have bacteria.

Does apple cider vinegar work on toenail fungus?

There are those that say you can use ACV to help treat toenail fungus naturally, and all that is required is to apply undiluted apple cider vinegar directly to the affected area three times each day. The trick is that you have to remain diligent because if you don’t eradicate it fully it will end up coming back again, and you’ll have to restart the treatment process from the beginning.

Will apple cider vinegar help with allergies?

ACV has been shown to help with allergies by reducing the amount of mucous produced by the body, thus freeing up sinuses to function properly. While it can’t prevent you from having an allergic reaction to the things you’re allergic to, it may be helpful in reducing the side effects they cause to your body.

Does apple cider vinegar spoil?

Because it contains so much acid ACV can last a long time, and you typically won’t have to worry about it spoiling as long as you use it consistently. You’ll still find an expiration date on the bottle of the best brands on the market, but this is something that you don’t have to pay much attention to, as it doesn’t lose its beneficial qualities, even well after it says it’s expired.

Does apple cider vinegar prevent cancer?

The jury is still out as to what sort of effect ACV has on cancer prevention. Currently it appears to slow or even stop some cancers, while at the same time leading to an increase in others. At this point it can’t be verified to be an item you’d want to use to prevent cancer. especially when so many other have been proven time and time again to help the cause, such as tomatoes and broccoli.

Can apple cider vinegar unclog arteries?

It’s a source of potassium, which can help thin the blood, and it’s been noted for its ability to break down fats in the body and can help with your cholesterol levels. The combination of all of these features make it worthwhile to add ACV to your daily routine if you are looking to improve the health of your arteries.

Can apple cider vinegar lighten scars?

Apple cider vinegar has been shown to be able to lighten the redness of a scar. Do do this you wouldn’t want to use full-strength ACV, as that can irritate the skin and even burn it if left on for long periods of time. Instead, mix equal parts water with ACV and dab onto the scar in question. Do this once daily for as long as it takes to see improvement.

Connie Dello Buono

Cut sugar craving (sugar is food for cancer and other diseases) with probiotics and dietary supplements at http://www.teamasantae.com/clubalthea/

Prevent vascular disease, manage inflammation, get GYV health caps to boost ATP cells performance and speedy repair of your body, email connie to get the caps and join in spreading the benefits with extra income for you at motherhealth@gmail.com and text 408-854-1883

Parkinson and Alzheimer’s

In my observation as I was taking care of a client with Parkinson and Alzheimer’s disease, her diet and metabolism are affected by her lack of enzymes and the ability of the body to digest proteins which can lead to many aging related diseases such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimers.

I started giving her papaya, avocado and honey to bring her back to health.

After 30 days of caring for her with massage, exercise, proper nutrition and sunlight, she now have a good appetite, good sleep and feeling in good mood.

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Contact Motherhealth Inc for holistic caregiving for homebound bayarea seniors at 408-854-1883 motherhealth@gmail.com and for health coaching and dietary supplementation.