Dietary Enzymes
Why do we need them? They facilitate our digestion by breaking down our food into smaller and smaller molecules so we can absorb it’s nutrition. The more nutrition we are absorbing from our food, the better equipped our bodies are with the building blocks they need to make a fully functioning body.
Enzymes in general are responsible for every chemical reaction in our bodies. They are good building blocks for the body to take care of itself as they drive minerals and hormones into the body where they need to go. They allow our bodies to build up and break down the molecules quickly. In short, they make things happen faster.
If we already have enzymes in our bodies, why do we need more?
You may need more enzymes if your diet is high in processed foods since it quickly deplete our enzymes. Illnesses, exercise, hot and cold temps are tough on enzymes. Enzyme levels drop with age.
How do I know if I am not getting enough enzymes?
If you don’t have enough enzymes you could have trouble digesting foods. You’re going to have a combination of seemingly unrelated symptoms. Some people may have small bacterial overgrowth in their small intestines. Things like skin rashes, acne and eczema, any allergic reactions on the skin can actually be a byproduct of not having enough digestive enzymes. You can also have mood swings, headaches, brain fog, joint myofascial pain, and all of it could indicate you don’t have enough building blocks to give your body what it needs so that it can optimally function. Look at your gut if everything you put on your skin gives you a rash.
What do enzymes do?
They decrease the energy that it takes for reaction to work and it increases speed of reaction. This will drive minerals and vitamins into your cells faster. They are highly specific. If an enzyme is shaped like a C, the only thing that’s going to fit into it is something that would fit in middle of the C. It has very specific shapes it fits into. The enzyme itself does not change based on the reactions so they do their task and then they stay the same, so they just hang out there being good old enzymes.
Young Living carries a variety of dietary enzyme supplements: Essentialzyme, Essentialzymes-4, Allerzyme, Detoxzyme. and Mightyzyme. Let’s look at what each does
Essentialzyme
Essentialzyme is a bilayer caplet which has a delayed release and also has an immediate release. This is special because it has two special ingredients. It’s the only one with pancrealipase which breaks down fats, proteins and starches and allows you to turn all of those different ingredients into energy. Pancreatic enzymes are important for preventing fatty bowel movements. You don’t want fat in your stool, it should all be absorbed in your body. It also has pancreatin which is used to replace digestive enzymes when the body does not have enough of its own. Pancreatin is obtained from either porcine or bovine pancreatic tissue. So this is not good for the vegan or vegetarian friends. The other ingredient is hydrochloric acid. The good thing is that when you have hydrochloric acid at the right time (which is around the time of your meal), it can help support optimum digestive function. That’s why Essentialzyme should be taken about 35 or 40 minutes before the meal.
Essentialzymes-4
Never going vacation without them! Completely different formulation. There are two capsules. The yellow capsule is an immediate release capsule that has your proteases that break down proteins, your amylases and your phytases which help a breakdown sugars. Then in your white delayed release capsule you have your lipases which break down fat. They also contain Proteases and Peptidases. Proteases breaks down protein and peptidases break down peptides which are tiny versions of proteins. Both Essentialzyme and Essentialzymes-4 contain HPMC which is an ingredient that helps hold the capsule or caplet together so that it makes it further down into the digestive tract.
Allerzyme
This is a vegetarian product. Dr. Lindsay doesn’t feel that it or Detoxzyme are as potent as the animal-based products. It contains multase which breaks down special sugars that are found in brown breads and it also has lactase which is helpful if you are lactose intolerant. Alpha galactosidase is a special enzyme that breaks down sugars that are found in beans and legumes. If you have somebody who is “beans, beans good for your heart…” they need this. Allerzyme contains barley grass so if you are super sensitive to gluten you should not use this one. It is also slow acting and has the most enzymes as well as essential oils of all the products.
Detoxzyme
Is a great option for people who are supersensitive to taking essential oils by mouth because it has the fewest essential oils as well as the fewest herbs associated with it. It is faster acting.
Mightyzymes
This is the only one that is chewable. It’s labeled for children who are a bit older so you have to make your own decision about when you want to start your child on this.
