Has anyone tried digestive enzymes?

[LAJ12345]

I was wondering whether they might help absorption of nutrients if food isn’t being broken down properly? Yes or no?

[Hidden]

My experience with digestive enzymes and hydrochloric acid is that they are very useful for improving digestive issues as well as comforting related pain and other perturbances. Once things calmed down, I was able to discontinue both.

To answer your question, I believe, yes, at least for me!

Art

[LAJ12345 in reply to Hidden]

Thanks Art. I thought I would give it a go after watching the vegan man videos a while back as he recommended them, as well as probiotics and probiotics and it seems gut health is crucial. I don’t know if he is having digestive issues as he doesn’t seem to have any pain etc but I have noticed a weird thing which may be nothing to do with the enzymes. He has always had an unusual sweat smell which I put down to different people smelling different but now I think it might have been the PD smell that has been discovered. It is a bit sour, a bit fatty - hard to describe, but not quite like a diabetic smell. I have just noticed he now smells a bit more like other people smell when they haven’t had a shower and have been exercising. He has also been taking Restore Gold recently plus has been put back on antidepressants etc so could be any of the above. Interesting though.

[Hidden in reply to LAJ12345]

If the smell is strong enough to be an issue around others, he can try taking chlorophyll to see if it helps to tone it down or eliminate it from the inside.

Art

[LAJ12345 in reply to Hidden]

It’s not that bad and only noticeable up close so others might not notice it but just different.

[glenandgerry in reply to LAJ12345]

I know that smell you're trying to describe as my husband used to have it but now he doesn't sweat anymore, he doesn't have the smell. Either that or I've gotten used to it (which I doubt) or the B1 may have something to do with it. I can't remember if the smell dissipated when he first started taking B1 as he has been taking B1 in various forms (benfotiamine, allithiamine, HDT, etc) for around 18 months.

Glen has never taken digestive enzymes but I do from time to time.

[LAJ12345 in reply to glenandgerry]

Yes I wondered if the change in smell means digestion is a little different somehow. With diabetics it is a ketone smell, his seems to be something to do with fatty acids I think as it smells oily so now it has changed to normal sweat smell maybe his fats are digesting better.

[Hidden in reply to LAJ12345]

As digestion takes place in the intestines, any supplement has to be able to cope with the rigours of stomach acid. Ensure that anything you take to aid the gut is in a format that will not be destroyed by stomach acid.

[LAJ12345 in reply to Hidden]

What form should that be in?

[Hidden in reply to LAJ12345]

Many digestive enzyme supplements have hydrochloric acid (stomach acid) as a main constituent. The enzymes along with the hydrochloric acid work together to help properly breakdown the food you eat. Sometimes hydrochloric acid alone is enough to improve digestion and help to eliminate what many people describe as acid indigestion. Yeah, I know, odd to take an acid supplement for acid indigestion, but that was part of my digestive problems and the extra acid worked. Usually doctors will prescribe a proton pump inhibitor for acid indigestion and it works too, but can lead to other problems.

I can explain a bit more about this if you want, just let me know. Here is a product I used in the capsule form which worked very well for me :

amazon.com/NOW-Super-Enzyme...

Although this product worked very well for me, I didn't really care for it in the tablet version, but rather the capsule version.

Art

[LAJ12345 in reply to Hidden]

They look good with the betaine hcl and ox bile. I have the vitacost ones but they are missing that but they do have a bigger range of enzymes. The restore gold has tudca in it which is a bile extract which he had been taking a few weeks (stopped temporarily while he gets the current anxiety attack under control in case something in it is causing the problem). Wonder if it does a similar thing. I have betaine anhydrous but that’s not the same thing.

[Hidden in reply to LAJ12345]

Does he take a proton pump inhibitor like prilosec?

Art

[LAJ12345 in reply to Hidden]

No, I don’t know what that is. Is a a prescription one? What is it for?

[Hidden in reply to LAJ12345]

It (proton pump inhibitors) are prescribed for acid indigestion, acid reflux, GERD or similar and I believe the method of action is acid production inhibition, but sometimes the real problem is not enough acid when needed for proper digestion. This is a fairly common problem as we age and hydrochloric acid production declines. For me, what I have found is that adding hydrochloric acid as a supplement has resolved the too much acid issues I used to have.

What I did was start with a relatively low dose and I noticed that my symptoms started to decline and the heartburn feeling went away. I continued to slowly increase my dose with the passing days and meals. Eventually the heartburn came back with the last dose increase and I immediately neutralized the excess acid by drinking a cup of water with baking soda in it. At the next meal, I took one less hydrochloric acid capsule and that went fine for about a week and then I got heartburn once again which again I neutralized with another cup of water with baking soda in it. At the next meal I used one less hydrochloric acid capsule and again everything was fine. I continued following this pattern until I no longer needed even one hydrochloric acid capsule and that has worked for years with no more heartburn or need to take hydrochloric acid capsules. The whole idea is that you retrain your body to make enough hydrochloric acid on its own. I can't remember exactly because it has been years, but it seems like the process took me about 6 weeks to get to where I no longer needed the extra hydrochloric acid or baking soda water. I was taking hydrochloric acid in the form of Betaine HCI in fairly low dose capsules to make it easy to work my dosage slowly up and then slowly back down.

Some people will use vitamin B-6 to try and increase natural production of hydrochloric acid, but this can add complications because some people also have problems with increased B-6 intake.

Art

[LAJ12345 in reply to Hidden]

Mmmm that is very interesting. I am not sure if he has too little HCl. I don’t think he gets heartburn except if he has a very fatty doughy pizza which he no longer eats. I just though he might not be digesting fats well because of the oily smell but that might not be right. He has very oily skin too. His tee shirts get so oily they are hard to wash. Not sure if that is a digestion issue or not.

[Hidden in reply to LAJ12345]

Very low zinc level can cause oily skin. Foods like sweet potatoes high in beta carotene can also reduce excess skin oil. Cinnamon spice is also useful for this purpose.Proper vitamin d serum levels can also reduce excess oily skin. There are many natural ways to reduce excess skin oil.

Art

[glenandgerry in reply to Hidden]

Art, this is so interesting. Glen definitely used to have oily skin with that same 'oily' smell that LAJ12345 mentioned. However, it has now disappeared. I didn't know why but he takes a small amount of zinc every day. Also I cook sweet potatoes fairly frequently & I love cinnamon, although Glen doesn't so much. 😊 We both also take a high daily dose of Vit D as a spray under the tongue.

[Hidden in reply to glenandgerry]

Yes, it doesn't eliminate the excess oil overnight, but the combination works gradually if you stick to it. How long did it take to work in Glen?

Art

[glenandgerry in reply to Hidden]

I don't really know as it wasn't something I was specifically monitoring. I just noticed a couple of months ago. Oh well at least one good thing.....should be thankful for small mercies I guess.

[LAJ12345 in reply to Hidden]

Art. You are a wealth of knowledge! He has had zinc and vitamin d tests done and D was very high due to supplement he was taking so stopped taking it a month ago and now it is summer I think it should be ok. Zinc was normal as he is taking a multi with some in it. sweet potatoes we have 3-4 times per week so maybe it has gradually been coming right. Cinnamon isn’t something we have much of though.

Maybe cinnamon and sweet potatoe pie might be nice? Like pumpkin pie. Not sure if that is a thing? Might be a bit too sweet I suppose.

[Hidden in reply to LAJ12345]

How high is very high on the 25 (OH) d test? The range is 30 ~ 100 ng/ml. If you are actively trying to treat something, you want to be closer to the top of the range than the bottom of the range and then there is that study that showed a very significant effect in a vitamin D / PD study as I discussed here:

healthunlocked.com/parkinso...

Well, cinnamon on its own is not sweet although the superior tasting variety (Ceylon) is much smoother tasting than the common variety which is typically used in many commercial products. I would think that would make an interesting combination and enough cinnamon intake can help the body to deal with sugar intake also. No wonder cinnamon is used in so many recipes requiring large amounts of sugar! Myself, I really like cinnamon and it has multiple health benefits and is also available in an extract form which is also beneficial health wise. Oh, and last, but not least, cinnamon has shown potential to be beneficial in PD studies!

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?te...

Art

[MylovedhasPd in reply to LAJ12345]

My american sisterinlaw cuts and peels sweet potato, drizzles with a little oil and cinnamon, tosses the lot to cover well. Then sets in rows to bake in the oven. Always delicious

[LAJ12345 in reply to MylovedhasPd]

Yum, I will try that.

[glenandgerry in reply to LAJ12345]

Would be keen to know how hubby gets on with the Restore Gold when he starts taking them again. Please keep us posted. Thanks.

[LAJ12345 in reply to glenandgerry]

Ok, will do. He will start again once anxiety drops if it ever does! Hopefully after Christmas and holiday is over he should feel better, although we have a few family visitors in feb and March which usually he would be excited to see but now he doesn’t seem to be able to distinguish excitement from anxiety.

[MylovedhasPd in reply to LAJ12345]

EFT tapping and Foot reflexology worked for my husband and I did these myself.

[Hidden in reply to LAJ12345]

Any form that will get through the stomach unscathed. That is particularly important when introducing good bacteria to the gut.

[LAJ12345 in reply to Hidden]

Ok thanks

[Getz in reply to LAJ12345]

Enteric coated capsules only release their contents in the intestine. The coating protects them while they are in the stomach.

[LAJ12345 in reply to Getz]

Ok does it say that on the bottle?

[PJSammy in reply to LAJ12345]

Finally, people confirming "the smell". Before I was diagnosed with Parkinson's Ì noticed a distinct body odour, kind of like Parmesan cheese. No one else noticed it; my family doctor couldn't smell it; I don't have an intimate partner who might have confirmed it. Now, a few years later, I seldom notice it. But it is good to know others experience it - I'll try to educate my doctors.

[LAJ12345 in reply to PJSammy]

My husband has had this smell as long as I have known him (20 years, age 39). I just put it down to pheromones being different for different people. I wonder if it is a biproduct of Adrenalin/cortisol as he has always been anxious or incorrect digestion. I think it is as distinctive as the diabetes smell.

[4000Nights]

I am not sure whether this relates, but I have been taking (glass a day) of a probiotics drink (Kevita) and it has significantly helped relieve constipation and related discomforts. I have seen no reduction in the effectiveness of other meds and in fact am better in all regards.