Proteolytic enzymes and systemic enzymes are pretty much the same product found on the shelf of health food stores, different than digestive enzymes.

The formulas are unique from company to company, but they all contain high amounts of a variety of enzymes that are enteric-coated. So, they digest in the small intestine instead of in the stomach, allowing them to move throughout the body.

Digestive enzymes have some similarity but are not enteric-coated so they help digest food, staying in the digestive system. Why use a systemic (enteric-coated) enzyme product?

Nowhere, that I’ve ever seen, is there such a collision between modern medicine/ science and natural health than in the use of enzymes. Science/medicine knows of thousands of enzymes found in our bodies.

It is well established that we must have enzymes throughout the body in order to live. We also know enzyme production drops as we get older and that some people simply don’t produce what is needed.

Metabolically, things change. You would think lots of studies would have been done evaluating the benefit on many diseases such as muscle degradation, clot formation, fibroids, cysts, yeast/candida overgrowth or just for the reduction of ongoing inflammation.

Research studies have been published when searching for proteolytic enzymes, 44,0261 show up on a PubMed search.

Yet, very few are in concert with the treatment of disease. You’d think the rational thing to do is to change this. That has yet to happen.

Compare this to the suggestions made by the natural health people who have seen the benefit of supplementing firsthand.

Muscle degradation, clot formation, fibroids, cysts, yeast/candida overgrowth, reduction of ongoing inflammation are all conditions regular medicine has a hard time dealing with by prescribing medicines.

Fibroids and cysts being benign (non-cancerous) tumors can only be dealt with via surgery and only done under certain conditions. Natural health is called upon by many knowledgeable people when medicine hits the wall.

Does it help to supplement with proteolytic enzymes?

There is a tiny, tiny amount of science supporting use. There seems to be a very large amount of people who experience benefit. I’m certainly content with yeast/ candida reduction when combined with probiotics and a diet change.

Common sense tells us since enzyme production drops as we age adding them back is likely to help.

My own personal experience is when I take two in the morning and, for me, three at bedtime I sleep better as body pain is greatly reduced, safely.