CONQUER INFLAMMATION WITH SERRAPEPTASE
By Zoltan P. Rona, M.D., M.Sc.
“As an anti-inflammatory, nothing surpasses the ability of Serrapeptase to safely stop inappropriate (sometimes it is needed) inflammation in its tracks. No matter the cause or the location (it even crosses the blood brain barrier), Serrapeptase gets to work stopping the inflammation. If that is not enough, it has the ability to dissolve any dead or non-living tissue that may be gumming up the works, particularly mucus and inflammation associated with pain.”
Robert Redfern Author, “The Miracle Enzyme”
Why Is Inflammation Important?
Inflammation is the number one reason that an individual consults any health care practitioner. Arthritis, gastritis, colitis, dermatitis, nephritis, neuritis and cystitis are just some of the common inflammatory conditions that bring people to their doctors every day. If the doctor’s diagnosis ends in the four letters, “itis”, by definition, inflammation is involved.
There are also numerous diseases or health challenges that you might not think involve inflammation but that are closely linked to it. For example, heart disease, especially coronary artery disease, is thought to be directly associated with inflammation. Inflammation is now considered to be a more important risk factor for heart disease than high cholesterol levels. There are laboratory tests for inflammation that will indicate one’s risk for heart disease. These include ESR, hs (high sensitivity) - CRP (C-Reactive Protein) and fibrinogen. All three tests indicate the presence of inflammation in the body and, if elevated, a higher risk for heart disease. It is also an interesting fact that statin drugs like Lipitor and Crestor routinely used by the medical profession to lower blood levels of cholesterol are actually anti-inflammatory in their mechanism of action.
Cancer spread is accelerated by inflammation and many cancer therapies utilize anti-inflammatory drugs such as steroids to keep the features of inflammation (swelling and pain) under control. Obesity, dementia, migraine headaches and Alzheimer’s disease involve inflammation. So do all infections, allergic conditions such as hives and virtually all-autoimmune diseases. Asthma, diabetes, psoriasis, other skin disorders and irritable bowel syndrome also all involve inflammation. The medical treatments for all these conditions are anti-inflammatory drugs as the main therapy. Sports injuries (e.g. tendonitis, bursitis) and any musculo-skeletal injury sustained in a motor vehicle accident involve inflammation. If you are alive, chances are high you are or have been inflamed in some way.
Conventional doctors have always treated inflammation with drugs and surgery. In some cases, interventions such as surgery for an inflamed appendix are life saving. So are short-term antibiotics for some infections such as pneumonitis (pneumonia). Modern medicine is wonderful in treating acute illnesses but fails miserably when it comes to chronic disease or prevention. In the majority of cases of chronic illness or inflammation, current medical treatments only serve to suppress symptoms without making any dent in the disease process itself.
For example, if you have osteoarthritis, doctors will prescribe NSAIDS (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs). Osteoarthritis is a life long illness and most people who suffer from it are on NSAIDS for life. These include drugs such as ibuprofen, naproxen and numerous others. The trouble with all of these drugs is that they induce blood loss from the stomach or other areas of the gastrointestinal tract if taken for any extended period of time. One NSAID called Vioxx had to be banned from the market a few years ago after it was proven to cause heart attacks and death in hundreds of users. This is hardly a good solution for chronic inflammation.
Other drugs prescribed for chronic illnesses like rheumatoid arthritis or lupus are even worse. These drugs suppress the immune system dramatically (Imuran, Remicade). Some are chemotherapeutic agents (methotrexate) and anti-malarial drugs (Plaquinyl). These can damage the liver, the bone marrow and other organs. The horrendous side effects of these drugs are sometimes worse than the disease itself. No wonder large segments of the public are flocking to naturopathic medicine.
The one common denominator of all the current medical and surgical treatments for chronic inflammatory conditions is that they do not address the underlying cause of the illness. Doctors say that the use of anti-inflammatory drugs addresses the cause but, if that were really true, why does the disease persist despite the medications?
You do not make hives better by suppressing the hell out of the immune system with steroids like prednisone. You do not cure any form of arthritis by prescribing drugs that cause heart attacks, hemorrhage and peptic ulcers. You do not reverse prostatitis with a year’s prescription of broad-spectrum antibiotics that lead to chronic yeast infections. You can mask and suppress symptoms for years with powerful drugs, but you will never reverse the disease process. With symptom suppression one pays a huge price in terms of side effects and often, finances.
You certainly cannot prevent inflammation in the body with any drug or surgical procedure. The fact that doctors and surgeons continue to do so without even attempting a natural approach first is deplorable. Worse is the fact that many of them still tell their patients that diet has nothing to do with inflammation when there is overwhelming scientific evidence to the contrary.
Serrapeptase Against Inflammation
No doubt many of you have heard of fighting inflammation with a hypoallergenic diet and nutritional supplements like fish oil, vitamin D and herbs like boswellia and tumeric. While all these may be effective in given individuals, nothing approaches the natural anti-inflammatory potency of an enzyme supplement called Serrapeptase. Doctors in Europe and Asia have been prescribing it in ever increasing frequency for just about every form of inflammation for at least the past 30 years.
Serrapeptase (a.k.a. Serratio Peptidase) is a proteolytic enzyme. In other words, it breaks up and digests protein. Unlike other proteolytic enzymes that are derived from pigs, fungi or yeast, Serrapeptase is produced by bacteria in the gut of silkworms. In the concentrated form of a tablet or capsule, Serrapeptase acts as an anti-inflammatory and a pain blocker similar to aspirin, ibuprofen and other NSAIDS (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs). Aside from this very desirable property there is growing evidence that Serrapeptase inhibits the build up of plaque in the arteries. Thus, it prevents atherosclerosis, arterial blockages, strokes and heart attacks. Unlike aspirin, ibuprofen and other NSAIDS, Serrapeptase does not cause stomach ulcers or gastrointestinal tract bleeding.
How Serrapeptase Works
Because of its protein chopping action, Serrapeptase helps thin out the fluids formed from injury, thus facilitating the drainage of these fluids. This speeds tissue repair and relieves pressure that causes pain. Serrapeptase also inhibits the release of bradykinin, a substance that induces pain.
Serrapeptase is fibrinolytic which means it digests excessive amounts of the protein known as fibrin. Fibrin causes the blood to clot or become sticky. The more fibrin, the greater the risk of heart attack or poor circulation. If one is able to keep fibrin levels under control, one prevents excessive stickiness of the blood flow, hence heart attacks and strokes. This is one of the mechanisms by which one can dissolve atherosclerotic plaque with Serrapeptase.
Serrapeptase only dissolves non-living tissue, leaving living tissue alone. Blood clots, cysts and arterial plaque are all gradually dissolved. Over 50 clinical trials from Europe and Asia attest to the ability of Serrapeptase to successfully treat conditions ranging from sprains, torn ligaments, post-operative swelling (edema), fibrocystic breast disease, deep vein thrombosis (DVT), carpal tunnel syndrome, ear, nose and throat infections and atherosclerosis. Serrapeptase literally digests inflammatory tissue.
Serrapeptase was popularized by research done by the late and legendary Dr. Hans Nieper, an internist from Hanover, Germany who used this powerful enzyme to treat virtually all degenerative diseases, including cancer, autoimmune diseases, crippling arthritis, atherosclerotic heart disease and dozens of other disorders.
Conditions and Discomforts Benefitted
Cancer: Serrapeptase can make other cancer treatments, both natural and conventional, work better. This is because it can dissolve the outer protective layers of cancer cells and tumors. This then enables the immune system, drugs or natural anti-cancer agents to attack the cancer cells.
Proteolytic enzymes like Serrapeptase can stimulate the body to produce something called tumor necrosis factor (TNF). TNF has been shown to kill cancer cells and stop viruses from reproducing.
Serrapeptase has been shown to improve the penetration of antibiotics into lung tissue. In a similar fashion, it can help anti-cancer drugs and natural substances penetrate deeper into cancer tissues.
Cardiovascular Disease: Plaque in the arteries consists of fat, cholesterol, cellular waste products, calcium and fibrin. This non-living gunk can end up blocking coronary arteries leading to heart attacks. It can also obstruct crucial brain arteries leading to stroke and damage kidney arteries leading to high blood pressure. Many alternative health care practitioners to clean out the arteries have used intravenous chelation therapy but this involves 40 or more intravenous sessions of 2 hours or more at a fairly high cost. The only other alternative appears to be the insertion of stents or bypass surgery, an adventure that most people would like to avoid. Serrapeptase has been shown gradually dissolve the plaque that is associated with cardiovascular disease. It basically digests dead and inflamed tissue. It also reduces or eliminates the inflammation at the root of plaque formation. This process may take a year or longer, depending on the individual but it’s safe to say that anyone who suffers from any form of cardiovascular disease should be taking Serrapeptase on a regular basis. Cholesterol lowering drugs that cause liver damage, memory loss and muscle destruction are the wrong solution.
Chronic Bronchitis: This horribly annoying condition involves chronic coughing, heavy sputum (or mucous) production, chest pain and difficulty breathing. Conventional medicine treats it with repeated prescriptions for antibiotics, steroid inhalers, expectorants and other toxic compounds. Serrapeptase loosens sputum and reduces the frequency of cough and expectoration. The bronchi and lungs get a better chance of healing and dependence on drugs is markedly reduced. Studies indicate that, when antibiotics are used in conjunction with Serrapeptase, more antibiotics are delivered to the site of the bronchial infection. This enables the antibiotic to be more effective. Reducing the sticky and obstructing mucous with Serrapeptase can make a big difference for healing.
Ear, Nose and Throat Discomforts: People that complain of chronic ENT symptoms and use steroid nasal sprays, gels or even pills will be happy to hear that there is a solution that has no significant side effects in Serrapeptase. Some of these annoying problems for which people spend far too much money medicating include chronic nasal congestion, allergic rhinitis, anosmia (loss of a sense of smell), difficulty swallowing, constant throat clearing, post-nasal drip, hoarseness and a metallic taste in the mouth.
Fibrocystic Breast Disease: This condition, often a forerunner of breast cancer can involve painful swollen breasts, especially premenstrually. Cysts and areas of hardness in the breasts can be quite uncomfortable for most women. Double blind studies conclude that Serrapeptase can reverse this condition.
Irritable Bowel Syndrome: This is the number one condition that sends people scurrying to their friendly neighborhood gastroenterologist who promptly prescribes all manner of toxic and semi-toxic drugs that do nothing but suppress symptoms until the prescriptions are changed by the second or third gastroenterologist to even more outrageous drug prescriptions, antibiotics or exotic bowel manipulators. Serrapeptase can help without side effects because it can digest dead and inflamed tissue that prevents healing. The diet can be cleaned up and Serrapeptase can prevent the build up of toxic waste causing the irritation.
Pain Control: Serrapeptase can be considered to be a natural pain control substance because it blocks the release of pain inducing substances from the inflamed tissues. It is an excellent alternative to NSAIDS for conditions as wide ranging as tennis elbow to migraine headaches.
Repetitive Strain Injury (RSI) and Carpal Tunnel Syndrome: These conditions are often treated with surgery but Serrapeptase in conjunction with bromelain (another proteolytic enzyme and vitamin B6 could be used as suitable alternatives.
Scarring: Scars of all types can be reduced significantly with the use of Serrapeptase for 3 or more months. This is because this enzyme dissolves fibrin, a component of scar tissue.
Sinusitis: Serrapeptase can help acute or chronic inflammation in the sinuses tremendously. By reducing the viscosity of mucous, Serrapeptase improves airflow, breathing and reduces the pain of inflammation.
Other Diseases: If it’s a disease or condition that involves inflammation or excessive mucous production, Serrapeptase should be able to help either reduce the severity or eliminate it entirely. Any kind of arthritis will respond. So will asthma, bronchiecstsis, cysts of any kind, DVT (deep vein thrombosis), emphysema, vascular headaches, varicose veins, snoring, prostatitis and an enlarged prostate. Serrapeptase has been well studied in animals and is extremely effective in veterinary medicine.
Serrapeptase Toxicity
Is Serrapeptase safe? On a scale of one to one thousand with one being harmless and 1000 being highly toxic causing death, we have aspirin, ibuprofen and corticosteroids at close to 1000 while Serrapeptase is closer to one. Yes, Serrapeptase can cause mild gastric irritation in some elderly people but that’s really quite rare. The one caution about Serrapeptase is that long-term safety studies have not been done. On the other hand, the supplement has been in wide scale use for over 30 years and nothing deleterious has been reported on a consistent basis. As with most nutritional supplements that are gras (generally regarded as safe), any adverse reactions that occur are usually in the mind of the individual using the supplement.
Of special interest is the fact that Serrapeptase does not interact with any prescription drug or nutritional supplement. There is some theoretical concern about people who use warfarin or other blood thinners while using Serrapeptase but, to date, no adverse reactions in this area have been reported. There is also a literature mention of a case of pneumonia that occurred in someone using Serrapeptase. The connection between cause and effect in this situation is unclear.
Serrapeptase is safe enough for even children as old as 2 years of age. No deaths have ever been reported with its use but this has not been the case for aspirin and NSAIDS that annually kill thousands in Canada and the USA from their side effects. Even carbonated soft drinks are more toxic than Serrapeptase but the medical profession doesn’t seem to be too concerned about that.
Pregnant women can take Serrapeptase before, during and after pregnancy and during breast-feeding. No, it doesn’t digest the baby.
The Right dosage
The recommended dosages for most inflammatory conditions appears to be 10 - 30 mg daily (that’s 20,000 – 60,000 units of activity) but some natural health care practitioners might recommend considerably higher dosages depending on the severity of the condition being treated. Serrapeptase is best taken on an empty stomach (1 hour before of 2 hours after meals). If combined or taken with food, it helps digest the food but does nothing to reverse inflammation. In purchasing Serrapeptase, make sure it is enteric coated so that it will not be broken down and inactivated by stomach acids. In that way, the enzyme can reach the small intestines from where it can be absorbed into the bloodstream and reduce inflammation anywhere in the body.
Dr. Zoltan P. Rona practices Complementary Medicine in Toronto and is the medical editor of “The Encyclopedia of Natural Healing.” He has also published several Canadian best-selling books, including “Return to The Joy of Health.”
REFERENCES
Redfern, Robert. The Miracle Enzyme. Naturally Healthy Publications: Cheshire, UK; 2009; www.serrapeptase.info
Mazzone A, Catalani M, Costanzo M, et al. Evaluation of Serratia peptidase in acute or chronic inflammation of otorhinolaryngology pathology: a multicentre, double-blind, randomized trial versus placebo. J Int Med Res 1990;18:379-88.
Nakamura S, Hashimoto Y, Mikami M, et al. Effect of the proteolytic enzyme serrapeptase in patients with chronic airway disease. Respirology 2003;8:316-20.
Tachibana M, Mizukoshi O, Harada Y, et al. A multi-centre, double-blind study of serrapeptase versus placebo in post-antrotomy buccal swelling. Pharmatherapeutica 1984;3:526-30.
Harris Interactive Over-The-Counter Pain Medication Study Sponsored by the National Consumers League. January 30, 2003. Chairman of Harris Poll, New York, NY: Humphrey Taylor. Contact: www.harrisinteractive.com and www.nclnet.org.
Tachibana M, et al. A muti-centre, double-blind study of serrapeptase versus placebo in post-antrotomy buccal swelling. Pharmatherapeutica; 1984; 3(8); 526-30.
Panagariya A, Sharma AK. A preliminary trial of serratiopeptidase in patients with carpal tunnel syndrome. J Assoc Physicians India; 1999; 47 (12); 1170-1172.
Kee WH, et al. The treatment of breast engorgement with Serrapeptase (Danzen): a randomized double-blind controlled trial. Singapore Med J.; 1989 30 (1); 48-54.
Sasaki S, et al. Serrapeptase-induced lung injury manifesting as acute eosiniphilic pneumonia. Nihon Kokyuki Gakkai Zasshi. 2000; 38 (7); 540-4.
Desser L, Rehberger A.
Oncology. Induction of tumor necrosis factor in human peripheral-blood mononuclear cells by proteolytic enzymes. 1990;47(6):475-7.
Koyama A, Mori J, Tokuda H, Waku M, Anno H, Katayama T, Murakami K, Komatsu H, Hirata M, Arai T, et al. Augmentation by serrapeptase of tissue permeation by cefotiam]. Jpn J Antibiot. 1986 Mar;39(3):761-71.
http://www.webmd.com/vitamins-supplements/ingredientmono-1115-SERRAPEPTASE.aspx?activeIngredientId=1115&activeIngredientName=SERRAPEPTASE
Use Enzymes for Fibrosis, Scars, Keloids, Lung Disease and Cancer.http://www.naturalnews.com/028285_enzymes_scars.html
Zoltan Rona
Author