Changing the Question

There is only one question when it comes to your health: “What is stopping your body from healing?” Conventional medical care is primarily focused on managing symptoms, using medications that alleviate pain and prevent symptoms from worsening. Though we may get some relief, the underlying cause often remains untreated. We need to change the question from “How can we most effectively manage symptoms and pain?” to “How can we help your body heal?”

Cause of Symptoms, Pain & Discomfort

When the tissue systems of your body (ie: digestive, nervous, endocrine, respiratory, skeletal) are under stress for an extended period of time, they lose their ability to absorb the nutrients they need to properly function. They then lose their ability to support the needs of your life. The body begins to break down and symptoms arise. You get some or all of the 5 cardinal signs of inflammation: fever, redness, swelling, pain and painful motion in the affected tissues of your body.

Stress comes in many forms. There is the stress of life. There is also mechanical stress caused by an accident or the repetitive stress of work or sports. There is also biochemical stress caused by the medications we take, poor nutrition, and the environment. Subjected to stress over a long enough period of time the body will break down.

Regardless of its source, the effects of stress are always the same. As our body breaks down, symptoms arise. Once that momentum of dysfunction starts, the body needs a kick-start to begin the process of healing. Enzyme nutrition can provide our body with the momentum to resolve symptoms and begin to reach true health and vitality.

Enzyme Nutrition can Heal

When you first read the words “Enzyme Nutrition,” you might say to yourself, “What’s the big deal? I eat healthy foods. Why do I need enzyme nutrition?” However, we eat not only because food tastes delicious, but to sustain our body’s 35 trillion cells. The healthiest diet imaginable is useless if your body cannot absorb food’s essential nutrients. The saying “you are what you eat” is not true; “you are what you absorb” is much more accurate.

Enzyme nutrition is the process through which we can restore our ability to fully absorb the food we eat. It provides three basic steps to healing.

1. It will help identify and remove the sources of stress.
2. It will nourish stressed organs/ tissues.
3. It will help the body flush out accumulated waste.

If we can do these three things the body will begin to heal itself.

The Importance of Digestion

The digestive system plays two essential roles in our bodies:

1. It is responsible for ingesting, digesting, absorbing, transporting, utilizing, and eliminating food.
2. Seventy percent of the body’s immune system lives directly in your digestive system. Your digestive system is the first line against all diseases.

When the digestive system malfunctions, these critical responsibilities are impaired and a host of conditions can arise, including but not limited to the following:

Warning Signs of a Compromised Digestive System

1. Allergies (food & environmental)
2. Arthritis
3. Asthma
4. Bronchitis
5. Constipation or diarrhea
6. Fibromyalgia
7. Gastro-intestinal Disorders (Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, IBS)
8. High blood pressure
9. High cholesterol
10. Frequent headaches and migraines
11. Sinus problems
12. Skin problems such as psoriasis, eczema, and acne
13. Stomach problems (gastritis, ulcers, acid reflux)
14. Unresolved muscular & skeletal pain
15. Chronic fatigue
16. Gradual weight change
17. Depression, anxiety

The Role of Enzymes in Digestion

Enzymes coordinate almost all biochemical processes in an organism, plant or animal, serving as catalysts for chemical reactions within the cells. Dr. Howard F. Loomis, one of the pioneers in nutritional enzyme therapy, explains that enzymes are the “spark of life itself, for life is not possible without them.” They are key elements of pre-digestion in the mouth, as well as digestion in the stomach, small intestine, large intestine, and colon.

Returning to Well-Being

By providing our bodies with sufficient enzymes, removing stressors, and detoxifying, our bodies will begin to heal. The body’s default setting is one of health and vitality: it can regulate itself when provided sufficient water, air, nutrients, and exercise. Through appropriate assessment tools we can discover your enzyme deficiencies; detect biochemical, emotional and mechanical stressors; and identify the most effective detoxification methods.

Enzyme Therapy: Assessment Tools

At Ann Arbor Holistic Health we use three crossing points that allow for a comprehensive assessment of the body’s deficiencies: Signs and Symptoms Survey, 12-hour-fasting Nutritional Stress Test and Loomis 24-hour urinalysis. At a follow-up appointment, we present a complete “statement of findings,” explain the results, and suggest the appropriate enzyme therapy to address the conditions revealed.

1. Signs and Symptoms Survey

These 2 surveys provide your perspective about your heath and identifies the issues for which you are seeking. This subjective gauge gathers a wide range of information about your health, habits, and history. It starts with the basic information like medical history and diet and progresses with questions about your immune system, your state of mind, and digestion.

2. 12-hour-fasting Nutritional Stress Test

This thorough physical assessment examines over 30 stress points which identify nutritional deficiencies in the various tissues systems of the body. As each stress point is manipulated, your physiological response is communicated and recorded for later analysis. After a plant-based nutritional drink is administered and digested (roughly 45 minutes), the stress points are retested to see which points do not resolve. Those stress points that remain active are a direct indication of the tissues systems that are not able to access the nutrition they need for healthy functioning.

3. Loomis 24-hour urinalysis

Unlike other urinalyses that are based on a single random sampling, the Loomis 24-hour urinalysis tests all the urine produced in one full day. Since the general composition of urine fluctuates constantly, this testing method provides a more comprehensive appraisal of overall digestive health and absorptive functions. This test is also an effective blood analysis tool, since the nutrients not retained in the blood are dumped into the urine. Additionally, if substances that are critical to our health are found in the urine as waste products, we know our body needs help absorbing these valuable elements. The test is prognostic, not diagnostic. It is helpful in predicting our future digestive health if deficiencies are addressed appropriately. The urinalysis analyzes the following aspects:

a. pH: the average pH range for urine is between 6.3-6.7, however our urine tends to be more acidic in the morning after a sleep-induced fast. In general it is better to have more acidic urine than more alkaline, since excess alkalinity can lead to calcium metabolism problems, anxiety, immune dysfunction and protease deficiency.

b. Specific Gravity compared to volume: The optimum volume range should be between 1200-1800 mL. If an unhealthy volume is measured, issues such as polyuria or oliguria may be implicated.

c. Chlorides: In a healthy digestive system, the body will eliminate chlorides to compensate for excess acid reserves or keep chlorides to balance out an excess in alkaline reserves.

d. Calcium: Even with the healthiest of diets filled with organic, pesticide-free vegetables, many people are still calcium-deficient. The best way to maintain adequate levels of calcium is through eliminating refined foods from the diet and taking calcium supplements.

e. Vitamin C: A deficiency in vitamin C often indicates either an excess in refined food consumption, pregnancy/lactation in women, or a suppressed immune system. These issues manifest themselves in fatigue, joint pain, bleeding gums and adrenal exhaustion.

f. Indican: Partially digested food may enter the blood stream leading to food allergies, or it may remain in the colon where it putrefies and forms a group of toxic substances called indican. The liver detoxifies the indican as much as possible and expels the rest in our urine.

g. Sediment: A normal 24-hour urine sampling has ½ mL of “sediment,” the residue by-product of our digestion. Malabsorption often reduces the amount of sediment, indicating poor assimilation of food, nutrient deficiencies, or fat and protein intolerances.

h. Abnormal Solutes: The only part of the test completed in a pathology lab, this test checks for the presence of glucose, blood, proteins, bilirubin, nitrites and other substances that should not be present in our urine.

Take Command of Your Health

Eating a balanced diet is just the beginning of the path to digestive health. Many obstacles exist, but with careful observation and objective scientific tests we can unravel practical and straight-forward solutions. The body is a resilient and wise instrument that can achieve true vibrancy with care and awareness. Enzyme nutrition is an essential step in the journey toward healing.