Life happens—and, as we all know, it often leaves scars. We can see them on our knees, elbows and elsewhere, but did you know that you can get scars inside your body, too? These sometimes occur after surgery or an injury such as a broken bone, but other times in response to less obvious insults, including simple inflammation. Heart attack and stroke leave scars—but in fact, these are internal injuries. Inflammatory conditions, including asthma, sinusitis, Alzheimer’s disease, multiple sclerosis, arthritis and others also leave destructive scar tissue in their wake. These internal scars can affect our health in surprising ways—but there’s a therapy that can speed healing while smoothing scars on both the inside and outside of the body.
THE PURPOSE OF SCARS
Scars are the body’s typical and appropriate response to injury—which is to generate healing fibers (called fibrin) where damage has been wrought. These eventually weave together to heal the damage done, but the results won’t be seamless—remember how it looked when your grandmother used to darn socks? In the case of your body, however, cells are continually regenerating, and over time such scars should disappear until there’s little if any evidence left.
Our bodies accomplish this by producing enzymes (called fibrinolases) that dissolve scar tissue and replace it with healthy tissue. Sometimes, though, our natural healing powers aren’t up to par. This is where the intriguing therapy comes into play—they can be bolstered by using an enzyme isolated from the silkworm. It’s called serrapeptase—this is the substance that allows the worm to dissolve its carapace so that it can become a butterfly. Since it comes from the same class of enzymes as those produced to heal the human body, supplements have been formulated from it, says Daily Health News contributing editor Andrew L. Rubman, ND. While the transformative powers of serrapeptase aren’t quite so lyrical for we human beings, they can improve our health.
CLEAN-UP CREW
Serrapeptase seems to help healing along. As a way to visualize how, Dr. Rubman suggests picturing serrapeptase as an internal carpet-cleaning formula. With repeated applications and some scrubbing, a stain—or, in this case, scar tissue—will begin to dissolve and dissipate.
In the wake of all that activity, however, serrapeptase is apt to leave a mess behind. This detritus has a tendency to accumulate and can end up thickening your blood. That’s why Dr. Rubman routinely prescribes a second enzyme to be taken along with serrapeptase—nattokinase. Nattokinase is made from the traditional Japanese fermented soy product, natto. It’s like a vacuum cleaner, he says—along with plasmin, the body’s own natural anticoagulant or blood thinner, nattokinase serves as a clean-up crew to dissolve errant fibrin and other tissue particles. This completes serrapeptase’s job and encourages good blood flow throughout the body.
WHO NEEDS ENZYMES?
At certain times—typically with illness, stress, when you’re eating poorly or just with age—your body’s natural production of enzymes such as serrapeptase and nattokinase may decline, but taking supplements can help you pick up the slack. Dr. Rubman explains how these enzymes can be used to improve various health problems…
- Respiratory disease: Serrapeptase thins the dense mucus often present in people with chronic asthma, bronchitis, sinusitis and other pulmonary diseases. Studies show that it helps repair damage to the structure and function of delicate mucous linings.
- Pain and inflammation: Together, serrapeptase and nattokinase have antiinflammatory properties that serve as natural analgesics. They ease pain by relieving swelling, fluid accumulation and pressure. Serrapeptase also speeds tissue repair and blocks the release of pain-inducing chemicals called amines from inflamed tissue.
- Cardiovascular health: Rubman prescribes a combination of serrapeptase and nattokinase to reduce arterial plaque and break up small blood clots that clog arteries in the cardiovascular system. Together these enzymes thin the blood, promote circulation and bring down levels of LDL cholesterol (the “bad” cholesterol) and C-reactive protein (CRP, a marker of inflammation and heart disease). (Note: When prescribing these two enzymes together for his patients, Dr. Rubman likes a product called Neprinol, available from the manufacturer and at The Vitamin Shoppe stores.)
- Women’s wellness: Some women experience an imbalance between estrogen and progesterone that triggers inflammatory responses such as the development of scar tissue. This abnormal tissue may accumulate in the breasts or uterus, where it can lead to fibrous breasts or uterine fibroids. To control these conditions along with the pain and pressure that many women experience with menstruation, Dr. Rubman prescribes Fibrovera (also from ArthurAndrew.com and The Vitamin Shoppe), a product he helped create, that combines serrapeptase, nattokinase and the enzymes bromelain (extracted from pineapple) and papain (from papaya).
USE UNDER MEDICAL SUPERVISION
While serrapeptase and nattokinase are safe and effective supplements for most people, Dr. Rubman says that they should be avoided by those with a bleeding disorder or who are taking blood-thinning drugs such as warfarin (Coumadin). Other interactions are sometimes (though rarely) problematic, including those with aspirin, fish oil and vitamin E.
According to Dr. Rubman, the most effective enzymes are “enteric-coated,” which means that the active ingredients are covered with a protective layer that lets them survive exposure to stomach acid and pass into the intestine intact. Enzymes should be taken 30 minutes before or 90 minutes or so after eating. Supplementation with enzymes can be complicated, Dr. Rubman said, so they should be taken only under the supervision of a trained professional… that said, these powerful enzymes have the potential to improve your health in a way that you may, indeed, find transformative.
