What are enzymes? And what do they do? In this episode we talk to Wade Lightheart, President of BiOptimizers.com on the topic.

I was thrust into the world of digestive issues when Lander. With one of his chemotherapies, Vincristine, the extreme common side effect of constipation is due to the slowing down of intestinal contraction or even the paralyzation of a section of intestines. The standard medical approach is a common over the counter powder which retains water to help allow bowels to move through by being more lubricated - osmosis laxative. However, the petroleum based medication is not without side effects, and a quick internet search is pretty eye opening.

Early on with our cancer journey, this is exactly what we did but I wanted to understand digestive complications and natural ways to help his system. There were about 5 times with Lander I honestly didn’t know how to cope. One of those times was when he became so compacted he had to get an NG tube with fluids to unstop his bowls. It was truly an awful experience for everyone involved. Having a tube run up your child’s nose down to their stomach while they are begging you to stop was possibly the worst non-coping moment as I just mentioned. Once we were through, I vowed to never go through that again, but it would not be the last for a completely unavoidable situation.

On digestion and avoiding problems, I found constipation can occur due to low Magnesium, dehydration, lack of dietary fiber, and dysbiosis (imbalance in the gut microbiome). An absolutely crucial component to the digestive process is digestive enzymes. These tiny proteins act as the catalyst or key to chemical reactions. Basically, they help break down foods we eat into smaller and more usable forms. Enzymes are found in fresh foods but are destroyed by heat/cooking. Our body produces enzymes in saliva, the pancreas, stomach and intestines. There are many different ones but 3 important ones are Amylase breaks down starches and carbohydrates into sugars. Protease breaks down proteins into amino acids. Lipase breaks down lipids, which are fats and oils, into glycerol and fatty acids. The incorporation of supplemental enzymes has made a significant difference in our lives and has since provided relief in more ways than one.

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