Dear Subscriber,
This is a continuance of the series of informative posts by Dr. Dan Kenner. Proteolytic enzymes are amongst the most valuable natural therapies around. I was aware of the work of John Beard more than a century ago on his trophoblastic theory of cancer. He wondered how a clear histological cancer, the trophoblast invasion of a mother’s uterus, suddenly converted to a mature placenta around 20 weeks gestation and ceased invading her. He reconciled it to the fetus beginning to make pancreatic enzymes at that stage of gestation. His work was embraced by William Donald Kelly who cured his own and the cancers of many others with diet and proteolytic enzymes. His work was carried on by my friend Nick Gonzales, MD of New York, until his mysterious demise several years ago.
Please enjoy this enzyme update from Dr. Kenner!
To Enhancing your Excellent Health!
Robert Jay Rowen, MD
From Dr. Kenner:
My Favorite Supplements: Proteolytic Enzymes
Proteolytic enzymes, also called “proteases,” are enzymes that break down and dissolve proteins. Most of them are produced in the pancreas for digestion, but they are also actively used throughout the body. The Scottish embryologist Dr. John Beard proposed in 1906 that pancreatic proteolytic digestive enzymes represent the body's main defense against cancer, and that enzyme therapy would be useful as a treatment for all types of cancer. Dr. Beard's thesis attracted some attention in academic circles, particularly during the first two decades of the twentieth century, and several case reports in the medical literature documented tumor regression and even remission in terminal cancer patients treated with proteolytic enzymes. In 1911, Dr. Beard published a monograph entitled “The Enzyme Therapy of Cancer and Its Scientific Basis,” which summarized his therapy and the supporting evidence.
Proteolytic enzymes reduce inflammation, prevent blood clots, prevent the formation of scar tissue as well as initiate breakdown of tumors. They also have an antiviral effect. Proteolytic enzymes were being used by doctors in China in the early days of the COVID pandemic, because they can dissolve the spike proteins that emerge from the surface of the virus, but can sometimes even destroy the entire virus.
The pain from acute injuries and even from chronic conditions like arthritis is from inflammation resulting from the immune system trying to break down dead tissue. The immune system uses proteolytic enzymes from the pancreas for this purpose. Adding extra enzymes from food sources or supplements accelerates this process; extra enzymes help this process of inflammation do what it is supposed to do. Enzymes break down and remove the barrier to circulation caused by swelling and the debris from tissue injury.
Many doctors in Europe use the enzymes instead of aspirin to prevent blood clots. Formation of clots is the cause of heart attacks (myocardial infarction) and strokes. They are used more commonly by doctors in Germany, Austria and the Netherlands where there is a substantial literature on their use. Proteolytic enzymes do not thin the blood but they will break down any fibrin, the blood protein that binds up blood clots, as soon as it appears. In other words, the enzymes are fibrinolytic and they don’t thin the blood but they prevent it from thickening.
Conventional doctors might not agree with this, but in over 30 years, I have seen no complications doing this, and have followed up on each patient’s surgery. There are no toxic effects because proteolytic enzymes produced in the body by the pancreas are one of the principal mechanisms the body uses to resolve inflammation. The supplements used are food: tropical fruit extracts and organ meat.
These are the three reasons for using proteolytic enzymes after surgery:
1. They reduce swelling and speed up healing
2. They prevent scar tissue formation
3. They prevent complications from thrombosis
I use a product called Lysozyme Plus. It is a proteolytic enzyme formulation similar to the original German product “Wobenzym,” but Lysozyme is manufactured in the U.S. Most enzyme combinations contain bromelain, from pineapple and noni, and papain, from papaya. Pancreatin comes from sheep or pork pancreas. The enzyme products come in capsules and the dose depends on the size of the inflamed area.
A low dose of Lysozyme Plus would be around two capsules once a day. The highest dose I use is when someone has surgery. Five or six capsules three or four times a day, an hour away from food each time, for the first three days after surgery reduces swelling, speeds up healing and prevents adhesion and scar tissue formation. For ordinary use for most of us, the correct dose is somewhere in between and may change from day to day based on what we have eaten (or overeaten) or if we have pain or swelling from more than the usual amount of physical activity. People who have had cancer surgery are strongly advised to take large doses of proteolytic enzymes immediately after surgery, even a biopsy, to help prevent metastasis. There is no reason to take any prior to surgery, but they should be taken as soon as it is possible to keep anything in the stomach. After cardiovascular surgery I strongly recommend continuing with one or two capsules twice a day for at least six months. This may seem like a long window of time, but in my experience, there is a considerable risk of blood clot formation that can cause strokes during that time period.
Blood Clot (Thrombosis) Prevention and Treatment
I use Lysozyme Plus at a low dose for most people in place of aspirin for thrombosis prevention, but for high-risk patients I use an enzyme called Bacillopeptidase F (Product name: Plasmanex), which is derived from nattokinase, which is an enzyme product derived from fermented soybeans (natto).
Boluoke, an enzyme derived from earthworm, has also been researched extensively in Japan. Earthworm is actually an ingredient in some traditional Chinese “herbal” formulas.
Nattokinase has been extensively studied for its beneficial effects in preventing and treating cardiovascular disease. Nattokinase benefits people with heart and vascular diseases, in part by breaking down blood clots that can impede circulation. Among the conditions nattokinase is purported to prevent or treat are:
· Angina
· Atherosclerosis
· Deep vein thrombosis (DVT)
· Hemorrhoids
· Myocardial infarction (heart attack)
· Peripheral artery disease (PAD)
· Stroke
· Varicose veins
· Alzheimer’s Disease
There are five enzymes obtained from natto: Metalloprotease, Subtilisin protease, Extracellular protease, Neutral protease, and Bacillopeptidase F. Subtilisin protease has some effect on dissolving blood clots, but Bacillopeptidase F (Plasmanex) was found to be more than 100 times stronger than Subtilisin. Bacillopeptidase F is the active antithrombotic ingredient.
Bacillopeptidase F (Plasmanex) was compared to subtilisin, tPa (“tissue Control, plasminogen activator,” or “tPa,” is the most commonly used drug for thrombolytic therapy), heparin (a powerful medical anticoagulant), and a control group. A thrombus was formed in human blood by stimulation of the coagulation system; tPa dissolved the blood clot in ten minutes, Subtilisin dissolved the blood clot in 3-5 minutes, but with Bacillopeptidase F and Heparin, the blood clot never even formed. Bacillopeptidase F and Heparin were the only ones to dissolve a blood clot on immediate contact.
Hitosugi M, et al. Anticoagulant and fibrinolytic effects of functional food materials produced by Bacillus subtilis natto, Journal of Japanese Society of Biorheology 2007; Vol.21, No.1.
Lysozyme Plus is available at www.ormedinstitute.com
Plasmanex is available from Daiwa Health Development:
https://daiwahealth.net/
Soft Tissue Injury and Joint Pain
Nearly 100 studies have been conducted that demonstrate how effectively proteolytic enzymes eliminate joint pain. In 1972, Dr. Max Wolff discovered exactly why as we age, our bodies, especially our joints, become chronically inflamed bringing on crippling arthritis. A double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of 80 people about to undergo knee surgery found that treatment with proteolytic enzymes after surgery significantly improved rate of recovery, as measured by improved mobility and reduced swelling.
Another double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of 30 people with chronic neck pain found that supplementation with these enzymes significantly reduced pain symptoms as compared to placebo.
Rahn H. Efficacy of hydrolytic enzymes in surgery. Paper presented at: 24th FIMS World Congress of Sports Medicine; May 27-June 1, 1990; Amsterdam.
Tilscher H, Keusch R, Neumann K. Results of a double-blind, randomized comparative study of Wobenzym-placebo in patients with cervical syndrome [translated from German], Wiener Medizinische Wochenschrift, 1996; 146: 91-95.
The Wobemugos Company, the developer of the original product Wobenzym in the 1930s, has done decades of research. In the 1960s they found that the product was effective for relieving herpes zoster (shingles). A research study comparing Wobenzym with Zovirax was carried out in the 1990s found Wobenzym was as effective as the drug for treating shingles (herpes zoster). Of course, there are no toxic effects, unlike Zovirax, because proteolytic enzymes are one of the principal mechanisms the body uses to resolve inflammation.
Important Note!! If proteolytic enzymes are being used for inflammation, tumor reduction, or protection of the cardiovascular system, they should be taken an hour away from food. If you have had a heavy meal you may want to wait an hour and a half or more. There is no harm in taking them with food, but they will get used up digesting the protein in food and not be available for breaking down anything causing congestion in the peripheral tissues of the body.
Sometimes taking high doses of enzymes can cause intestinal gas or gastroesophageal reflux. This is often temporary and can be relieved by using an alkalizer like Alkabase. Gas can be caused by the breakdown of mucoid material in the intestinal walls. For gas, anise seeds or oil of peppermint can be helpful but the dose of the enzymes should be adjusted to prevent discomfort and then gradually increased.
Who should take proteolytic enzymes?
1. People with vaccine damage
Vaccines produced with mRNA technology have been banned in Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Iceland, and restricted in other countries because of the incidence of myocarditis caused by formation of blood clots.
2. Aging populations worldwide
The world’s population is ageing: older people are increasing in number and make up a growing share of the population in virtually every country, with implications for nearly all sectors of society.
3. Aspirin is no longer recommended for heart attack and stroke prevention.
Recent studies that have found that the risk of bleeding caused by aspirin outweighs any benefits of preventing blood clots.
4. Widespread sugar addiction, widespread obesity and type II diabetes
People needlessly avoid meat and heedlessly indulge in sugar even though sugar is by far the greatest threat to cardiovascular health.
5. Cancer: The enzymes can help erode the surface antigens that disguise malignant tumors pretending to be normal tissue; reducing inflammation also slows cancer development, progression and metastasis.
6. Pain and soft tissue injury: pain relief and accelerate healing process.
Dosages of enzyme products vary because there are many proprietary blends on the market. There are even specialized ones that are specifically aimed at tumor reduction. I use Lysozyme Plus because it is wide-spectrum in its activity as an anti-inflammatory, an antiviral, an immune stimulant and even as a digestive aid. It was designed to be similar to the original German enzyme product. For cardiovascular protection (Blood clot prevention), one capsule a day, away from food by at least an hour and a half, is adequate; twice a day if there is a cardiovascular risk factor. For treating soft tissue injuries, I recommend two capsules twice a day, away from food, but that should be increased to three or four capsules per dose if there is a large area of the body that is painful, swollen or inflamed. For inflammation, it also depends on the degree of inflammation and if it’s widespread throughout the body. If the extent of inflamed or painful areas varies from day to day it’s OK to adjust the dosage. The effective range is usually between two and four capsules twice a day, again away from food. I recommend taking a massive dose immediately after surgery for several days. As soon as possible after the procedure, take five capsules, at least three times the first three days and then reduce the dosage to three capsules three times a day for another ten days. This is especially important for cancer patients because inflammation drives cancer development and metastasis. Take a large dose for at least three days even after a biopsy. The enzymes can be used after eating if there is indigestion, particularly if it’s from excessive protein consumption.
Dan Kenner, L. Ac, Ph.D.
anything canned. you can consider devoid of most nutrients and proteins denatured
natty is a food. eat as a food. nattokinase is a supplement for a specific purpose. we think better to take on empty stomach