Since enzymes are a hot topic nowadays, and everybody who is anybody says you oughta take them, we need to talk about this.

First, some background.

Everything our bodies do, they do via the good graces of enzymes. About a gazillion of them. Lots of different kinds to do lots of different things. Enzymes are important, even crucial, to life.

So important, in fact, that our bodies are all set up to make the enzymes we need to keep life moving along with joy and style. This natural approach worked great for years and years.

But I guess all good things must come to an end, and the enzyme saga came to a screeching halt when health poobahs started insisting we had to keep our bodies from making all those pesky enzymes if we wanted to be healthy.

They didn’t put it quite that way, of course. Oh, no, they told us their information was news only because Philistines had been running the health show, such as it was, but now the smart people were here to enlighten us.

And what was their news? Protein is bad for us. Health-conscious people should eat only small amounts of protein–if any. Oh, yes indeedy, a low-protein diet would transport us to health, wealth and a great physique.

Just one teensy little problem with all their hoopla. You know those enzymes I talked about a couple of paragraphs ago? Our bodies use the protein in our diet to make them.

If we don’t eat enough protein to keep the enzyme factory going full steam, things get sticky. To keep the party going, our bodies cannibalize protein from our muscles. This substitution slows things down. Life becomes more of a drag than a party.

And second-class enzymes start us down the path to disease.

After a while people started questioning if this down-in-the-dumps feeling was really the way good health should feel.

So the poobahs came up with another fine idea. Take enzymes! That’s the ticket!

Actually, not so much. While the body works with precision, creating exquisitely detailed enzymes in specific types and amounts to meet specific needs–which are calculated 24/7–the enzymes we take are crude imitators, with no match to our actual needs. Chaos ensues.

Especially if we have thyroid or, especially adrenal problems–which damage the lining of the small intestine, causing erratic digestion. Which connection nobody seems to know about! Good luck with getting that fixed. And it can get pretty bad.

Some years ago, I became all but housebound because of the digestive tango. I broke modern indoor speed records daily just getting to the bathroom in time. My flimsy, ridged fingernails pointed out I wasn’t absorbing nutrition. My energy level was at zero–and falling.

After the gastroenterologist made things worse, my regular doctor suggested I take enzymes. That, she said, would fix everything.

Holey Moley! Some fix that was! Why not just shoot me!

I quit the enzymes and started to research. It took nearly a year, but I learned about the thyroid/adrenal/small intestine link and, better yet, figured out how to fix it. Desperation works wonders.

Over the years I’ve learned that a band-aid approach, such as enzymes, doesn’t fix problems. Quick fixes and good health don’t seem to go together.

It’s better to find the root of any problem and learn what your body needs to do better. With good support, our bodies are marvelous self-healing machines. They have genius-level IQs when it comes to knowing what they need.

Bottom line: Eat protein–meat, eggs, fish, all the good stuff. And plenty of it. Your enzymes will thank you.

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Bette Dowdell has studied how the body works–or doesn’t–for years to dig herself out of a ditch when doctors didn’t help so much. Now she offers an e-zine to share her knowledge with you–what’s good, what’s bad and what’s the difference. Subscribe to her free weekly e-zine at http://TooPoopedToParticipate.com and discover how to get your energy back so you can take on life with enthusiasm.

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