Enzymes can reduce inflammation, shorten post-exercise recovery time, or be part of a functional medicine protocol.
How do we balance the nervous system for optimal digestion?
A prerequisite for being able to digest food is that the parasympathetic part of the nervous system is activated. If we are under stress - or haven't had time to unwind after a stress peak - the sympathetic nervous system is still activated. It is important that we can adjust to peace & tranquility inside, otherwise the digestive fluids will not be secreted as they should.
You can support your nervous system for better digestion.
You can:- do some breathing exercises
- meditate
- hum or sing
- walk barefoot for a while, preferably directly on the ground
- exchange human touch or a hug
- drink tea on bitter herbs or lemon alt. vinegar water
- eat lactic acid vegetables with food
The pH value in and between cells can depend on digestion
The reason why we do not break down our proteins can be more. If we eat things our immune system reacts to, inflammation is created and it takes energy and minerals for the body to handle this. Many semi-finished products and even things that are considered useful, the body perceives as foreign and reacts to them. It may not be noticeable at once, but several years of low-grade inflammation can suddenly produce effects such as fatigue, susceptibility to infections, allergies and hypersensitivity, pain, longer recovery time, etc.
If the body is given the conditions to digest the food, it produces more effects than just easing symptoms from the stomach and intestines.
Eating a low-inflammatory diet such as GAPS, Western A. Price, paleo or AIP can relieve the immune system. Adding enzymes and hydrochloric acid can be part of this. When the body gets access to its building blocks again, everything built in the body can get a restart. Allergies and inflammation can be suppressed and more energy becomes available for hormone and signaling substance synthesis.
If digestion works, we become more robust and resistant to all possible diseases, infections and imbalances.
Other uses of enzymes
- before and after training
- prevention against inflammation, plaques and blood clots in the vessels
- in the treatment of parasites and "insidious" bacteria
- correct the pH in the body
The last point above may seem contradictory, since HCl is an acid. But – many amino acids in the body produce an alkaline effect. In the stomach, the pH must be low, but not in the cells where the amino acids act as building blocks, or in the space between the cells.
The body wants different pH in different places. (In the blood it is a completely different matter, there the pH is regulated automatically if we are not really badly ill).
Many elite athletes and sports practitioners use enzymes to have faster recovery after hard training. Enzymes help inflammation to subside and injuries to heal faster. In these cases, you can also take enzymes between meals. Then the enzymes can have a more systemic effect, i.e. in the whole body.
NOTE . If a preparation contains HCl (hydrochloric acid), it should always be taken with a meal. For other uses of enzymes than for food, you should consult an experienced functional medicine nutritional therapist or doctor. So, IF you get it as a recommendation, GUTzyme without HCl can be taken between goals to provide an anti-inflammatory effect.
Do you have stomach ulcers or broken mucous membranes in the gastrointestinal tract?
Then you should not take a supplement with HCl or enzymes.
If you have mild gastritis/burning in the upper part of the stomach, you can try:
- free amino acids that are healing for the mucous membranes. They exist, e.g. in home-cooked meat broth, addition of glutamine or in the product Collagen
- get your stomach used to a little acidified vegetables or homemade kefir at a time (teaspoonful) and/or take probiotics according to the advice here
- drink mild herbal teas such as chamomile, calendula, mallow, red elm bark or licorice root between meals
- after a few weeks: add Rosita's cod liver oil and/or Beef Heart from Nordic Kings. When the inflammation in the mucous membranes has subsided, the tissue is ready to absorb more nutrition for continued reconstruction and healing.
If the problems persist, contact a functional medicine therapist or doctor.
