Editor's note: If you're at all skeptical about the effectiveness of these digestive enzymes, we challenge you to take two to four caplets or scoops of WZyme™ with each meal for about three to five days; then, stop taking them altogether for one to two days. You'll immediately notice the contrast as your body goes back to what you will now realize was your earlier sub-par state of poor digestion and low energy.

The State of Our Digestion-Understanding the Role of Digestive Enzymes
by Jordan Rubin, N.M.D., C.N.C.

According to the Surgeon General's Report on Nutrition and Health, eight out of 10 leading causes of death in the United States are diet related. Digestive problems comprise the number one health problem in North America. Digestive complaints including everything from hemorrhoids to colon cancer result in more time lost at work, school, and play than any other health-related problem. Many of these digestive problems were rare or non-existent less than a century ago.

Why is this? And how can we return to the health of our ancestors? Consume enzyme-rich foods and "live" enzyme supplements.

It is easy to understand that a stable supply of all enzymes is necessary for the human body and is of paramount importance. "Alas, our increasingly toxic eating habits and lifestyle not only deprives us from the enzymes we must import into our body, but also deteriorates the organs in charge of producing the body's own enzymes," notes Dr. Peter R. Rothschild, of the Faculty of Natural Medicine at the Peoples University of the Americas. "The progressive, overall depletion of enzymes leads to a situation in which we can neither digest the food we eat, nor can our body synthesize the materials required for cell repair and maintenance.

"Therefore, not only general but also a partial, specific enzyme deficit is unquestionably responsible for many of the diseases that escalate in the wake of our relentlessly deteriorating lifestyle.

"Summing up the situation, the corollary to our increasingly worsening enzyme deficiencies is a progressive failure to digest proteins, fats, sugars, starches and other carbohydrates, which causes a great variety of diseases."

Lymph Gland Blockages
It is in the area of lymph gland blockage that the work of Dr. Rothschild truly shines and should grab the attention of both health-conscious consumers and a wide range of health professionals.

"Incompletely digested protein and/or carbohydrate molecules trigger a domino-effect insofar that the fragmentary breakdown compounds produce a secondary carbohydrate- polysaccharides-which condense in the tissue fluids of the body, and combine with excess proteins forming a substance known as mucoproteins," says Dr. Rothschild. "This is an aggregate of undigested proteins, forming long chains of polypeptides that adhere to unassimilated carbohydrates. In a worst-case scenario, mucoproteins can also condense in plasma. The accretion of mucoprotein is the main cause of lymphatic congestion, which is the foremost trigger factor of a great variety of severe pathologies…"

It's worth taking the time to explore the consequences of lymph gland blockages. The lymphatic system defends the body from foreign invasion by disease-causing agents such as viruses, bacteria, or fungi. The lymph system contains a network of vessels that assists in circulating body fluids. These vessels transport excess fluids away from interstitial spaces in body tissue and return it to the bloodstream for eventual elimination. Lymphatic vessels prevent the backflow of the lymph fluid. They have specialized bean-shaped organs called lymph nodes that filter out destroyed microorganisms. If your lymph system is malfunctioning, internal toxicity is quite likely. And that will lead to disease.

Why We Need Enzymes
Certainly one of the keys to improving our health, especially unblocking the lymph system and maintaining healthy immune function in the gut, is to insure an optimal amount of enzyme activity in the body. Enzymes are catalysts in the body, protein-like substances, that help maintain the tissues, orchestrate the many functions of the body, and digest food. Unfortunately food enzymes are destroyed at temperatures above 118şF. Thus, all cooked and processed foods are devoid of food enzymes.

If one does not consume proper levels of enzymes from foods or supplements the following symptoms may occur: excessive gas and bloating (particularly after meals), diarrhea and/or constipation, heartburn, low energy, acne, arthritis, allergies, insomnia, high cholesterol and many more. Once enzymes have completed their appointed task they are destroyed.

For life to continue you must have a constant enzyme supply which requires continual replacement of enzymes. The best way to assure your body receives an adequate amount of enzymes every day is to consume a diet high in "live" raw and fermented foods and to consume a high potency, broad spectrum digestive enzyme supplement such as WZyme™.

Repeated laboratory assays as well as regular quality control tests reveal that Garden Of Life's WZyme™ contains very high levels of proteases for protein breakdown and other proteolytic functions; lipase for fat-breakdown; and amylase for digesting starches. These and other enzymes present in this supplement do not only effectively aid digestion in general, but also help to remove accumulated, sticky waste adhered to the lining of the intestines and colon, that originate a whole array of digestion-contingent diseases.

Another reason WZyme™ is unquestionably the premier digestive enzyme formula now available to consumers is the Poten-Zyme™ process. By utilizing our unique Homeostatic Soil Organisms™ and additional organic beneficial bacterial cultures, Garden of Life is able to ferment our botanical blend of cat's claw, ginger, turmeric, and barley grass juice. Fermentation with Poten-Zyme™ produces a powerful array of beneficial enzymes, antioxidants, and other unique substances that also aid digestion. This is the "alchemy" present in all Garden of Life formulas.

In brief, WZyme™ participates in both cleansing and maintaining both the small and large intestinal environment of toxic residues and waste. This is an essential condition for achieving appropriate assimilation of nutrients.

Disclaimer: These Articles and or information are not intended to mitigate the symptoms or cure the specific diagnosis of cancer or cancer related disease states.