Customer Reviews

Enzyme Cure: How Plant Enzymes Can Help You Relieve 36 Health Problems (Alternative Medicine Guide)

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1 star:		(2)

 

 

"The fact is, without enzymes, nothing works in the body," Lita Lee, Ph.D. states in her book, The Enzyme Cure: How Plant Enzymes Can Help You Relieve 36 Health Problems. Enzymes are "necessary for every chemical reaction in your body and the normal activity of your cells, tissues, fluids, and organs."

The human body contains three types of enzymes: metabolic, which are necessary for all body processes, such as breathing; pancreatic, which are required for digestion; and plant, which also aid in digestion. While the pancreas produces some enzymes, the body gets most of its enzymes from fresh, raw foods. A diet based on unprocessed foods is essential for good health.

Symptoms of enzyme-deficient diets include "allergies, fatigue, bloating, gas, indigestion, or any symptoms of undigested food," including "rashes, hives, nausea, headaches, diarrhea, or constipation."

Dr. Lee includes samples of the questionnaires and charts she uses to help diagnose enzyme deficiencies. She also discusses the various kinds of tests that can be used, with information on how to obtain them. All medical terms are explained with "quick definition" boxes on the same page, making it easy to follow her discussion.

The first part of the book explains enzyme deficiencies and therapy in general terms. The second, and largest, section delves into 36 specific health problems, with "success stories" drawn from her clinical practice. The causes of each condition are explained, along with preventative measures. Dr. Lee details the recommended enzyme therapies and dietary changes needed for each disorder. When appropriate, she recommends additional alternative therapies.

Included in the 36 health problems she discusses are arthritis, diabetes, headaches, heart disease, and weight problems.

Extensive appendices go into detail about hormonal balancing, especially as it relates to hypothyroidism; commercial enzyme formulations for those who cannot obtain adequate enzymes from diet; a list a enzyme practitioners; and product contact information.

Originally a chemist, Dr. Lee spent over 30 years in chemical and medical research before training as a clinical nutritionist in 1980. She has practiced as an enzyme therapist since 1987 and writes extensively in the fields of nutrition, medicine, and the environment. Readers will find the recommendations in The Enzyme Cure useful in achieving and maintaining good health.

When I first found this book I had heard of enzymes but wasn't sure what they were, what they did or how they could help me and my family. I bought this book because it was from the Burton Goldburg group and I trust this line of books and information. The book is set up very precisely so not only is it very easy to read and understand but there are little side-bar notes defining things the average person would have not clue on. I never once got bored or found it hard to finish. It is packed full of wonderful information and success stories and broken into condition-specific chapters. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in learning more about natural treatments for common conditions or anyone who just wants to learn more. There is also a very helpful index to help you find an enzyme therapist in your area.

Let me address comments by two other reviewers before I share my opinion.

I share the same concerns about the test for upper back problems that one viewer shared. The test itself may cause injury to the back in some people. However, I am not willing to toss out the wisdom in the rest of the text based on one sidebar that concerns me. I read everything with discernment. This book is nearly a decade old and I expected to cross reference the information in this text with other more recent sources.

A second reviewer stated that this was a book for novices. I believe this is a strength. It is easy to read and understand even if you don't have a medical background. Because it breaks the book into sections by specific health problems, it is easy to skip to that particular section of interest. This book offers an overview of MANY different health conditions. Someone looking for an in-depth study of one specific health condition may want to search for a book that targets that particular health condition. This book does an excellent job of covering a lot of territory in a single volume.

I approached this book wanting to know what enzyme therapy could offer me and/or my family members with specific health conditions. I wanted to expand my knowledge of enzymes and learn how to apply them to improve our health. I wanted THE recipe for a cure for each of the health conditions reviewed. The book did not quite deliver a neat recipe for each *cure*.

What it did deliver was information on how to test for deficiencies and offered case histories of patents who were treated using enzyme therapy and what worked for them.

The enzyme therapies discussed in this book revolve around two brands of enzymes. (Remember, this info is almost ten years old.) A visit to a local health food store and a search online turned up many enzyme supplement choices. Potency levels were vastly different among the brands I investigated. Health practitioners may have access to products that are even more potent than the over-the-counter brands.

I noticed that most of the formulas listed in this book contained four basic enzymes at the beginning of their ingredient lists. Since I wanted to start taking a broad based enzyme formula immediately, I settled on Enzymedica Digest Gold that was available locally. (MUCH cheaper online.)

I contacted the Enzyme Therapy Practitioners hotline listed in the book (1-800-662-2630) to locate a practitioner in my area--Oregon. I was delighted to discover that one of the authors, Lita Lee, is practicing in Portland, Oregon, phone: 503-775-2251. I called her office to obtain more info. For about $235, her office will send out a urine test kit and evaluate the results. The fee includes a one and one half hour office or phone consultation with a 15 minute follow-up. She also sells enzymes.

Dr. Lee has about ten more years of research under her belt since she wrote this book. I hope she will update her book and add or delete information that research has improved upon.

I got more than my moneys worth when I purchased this book.

A very helpful book in understanding how enzymes work in your body and how to help you thyroid to produce them. I have given several copies as gifts.

I didn't really like the book. I've found it to be OK for novices who don't know what enzymes are and what they do. I wanted some practical information for a particular condition but didn't find it here. While I won't say "Don't read this book", I wouldn't recommend it to my friends if they wanted some practical information. Glancing over it in a book store is all one would need to grasp most of the information in the book.

As a Licensed Enzyme Therapist from the Loomis Institute of Nutrition I can say that I truly enjoyed this book. It is great to see Lita Lee's clinical approach to writing and how she uses real patient stories to illustrate the importance of Plant Enzymes. However, at times I thought it was a little too much of a cookbook for different disorders and I believe people should be examined by a licensed professional in order to know which enzyme formulas are specific for them. Overall a great read and good for people interested in learning about enzyme nutrition.

Dr. Todd Rodman, DC CSCS
[...]

should be enzymes, regardless of what you eat. If you only take one supplement, make it be enzymes, because if you're like a LOT of people, you won't absorb anything else very well anyway. Clean up your GI tract with enzymes, because undigested food residue in your GI tract can breed trouble and kill you.

Great book full of really good stuff that is much better for you than big pharma synthetics. My whole family uses this and other natural remedy sources to maintain excellent health.

If this is how you run your business I'm glad the american food producers aren't that bad or we'd all starve.

Whatever other pearls of wisdom this book may have to offer, the sidebar on page 212 destroys the author's credibility. It reads, "Do You Have a Neck Problem? A Simple Test Can Tell You" -- then, courtesy of Howard Loomis, D.C., you are instructed to lie on your back on a table with your arms crossed on your chest, raise both legs simultaneously while keeping your knees straight, then lower both your legs. You may not have a neck problem as "diagnosed" by using this technique but CONGRATULATIONS! -- you now will have a lower back problem. Lita Lee, Ph.D., was definitely remiss in not "road testing" this one! I tried this and then found out it is literally a prescription for lower back strain. It cost me three days off work, a trip to the doctor's office, a prescription for an anti-inflammatory and a prescription for a muscle relaxant. Gee, thanks Lita! The only piece of information that would be even more valuable is where to find the nearest trash receptacle so I can do justice to the rest of your book.