Serrapeptase

On Sunday, July 9, 2006, my friend Maggie sent me an email
about Serrapeptase after she'd been to my web page on how I've
been slimming. Maggie is a certified family herbalist. Her
approach to things is very thorough and she is an ardent
researcher.

I'd never heard of Serrapeptase before, so luckily she also sent
some links to learn about Serrapeptase. (I'm repeating its name so
as to build up familiarity with it. It sounds like Sarah-pep-tase.)

What Maggie wrote was this,

"Reading on your website...about your friends with
Parkinson's. This info is very good. This enzyme
(serrapeptase) dissolves amyloid plaque in the brain which is
contributing factor for Parkinson's and alzheimers. Also great
relief for any inflammations. Also for cholesterol and heart
problems as well as scar tissue internally---adhesions or even
keloids.

"Hans Nieper, a German doctor and scientist, discovered this
natural enzyme over 20 years ago. It has been used in both
Japan and Europe for several years as a natural alternative for
pain relief but was not introduced into the U.S. until 2002.

"Much of Nieper's research with serrapeptase was with
clogged arteries. He discovered that only a small amount, if
taken every day for 18 months, would complete the healing
of clogged arteries and they would be almost entirely clear.

"Further research has been done, primarily in Japan, and they
have discovered that serrapeptase safely dissolves away any
dead tissue anywhere in the body and this naturally causes
less pain and in many cases NO MORE PAIN. (In fact it is
rumored that this is what the Doctors take when they have
pain). Once the tissue is dissolved it is disposed of through
the body's normal channels.

"I started taking serrapeptase about 10 days ago and I can say
that this product is the fastest natural pain reliever that I have
ever tried. People that have been suffering with many
different illnesses have been getting relief with serrapeptase
and you can count me along with them!"

Conditions Serrapeptase has been known
to Help

Pain of any kind
Arthritis
Back Problems, Lower
Back Problems, Neck
Diabetes
Leg Ulcers
Osteoporosis
Polymyalgia Rheumatica
Prostate Problems
Repetitive Strain (RSI) Carpal Tunnel etc
Rheumatoid Arthritis

Breast Engorgement
Cystitis joints or muscles
Fibromyalgia
Fibrocystic Breast Disease
Headaches/Migraines caused by inflammation
Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBS)
Ulcerative Colitis
Crohn's
Lupus
Lung & Chest Problems
Asbestosis
Miners and Farmers Lung
Bronchial Asthma
Bronchitis
Coughs
Cystic Fibrosis
Emphysema
Pulmonary Tuberculosis
Eye Problems
General Inflammation
Blocked veins
Damaged Nerves
Multiple Sclerosis
Ear, Nose & Throat problems
Chronic ear infections
Catarrhal Rhinopharyngitis
Hayfever
Swollen Glands
Sore Throat
Laryngitis
Runny nose, Rhinitis, Sinusitis problems
Trauma Related Issues
Sports Injuries, prevention
Recovery Post Operative
Traumatic Swelling
Post Operative Scars
Lesions
Vascular Problems
Varicose Veins
Thrombophlebitis
Arterial Disease
Angina
DVT
Blood Clots

Okay, so that's what Maggie wrote, to include the list. I felt it was
a bit of a snake-oil list in that it seemed to cover everything. But,
the thing was, so many things are interrelated that I was willing to
go with everything on the list.

For instance, I've had so much trouble with my vision when I've
been low on B12. When I was reading the list it made me wonder
if somehow when I'm low on B12 there's a swelling that
pressures my optic nerve. (Just a thought.)

Some of the Research on Serrapeptase

After reading the research, I decided to try it for a dull but
sickening pain in my back that made it impossible to be up more
than a couple of minutes.

(I used to have intense, sharp pain, that made me gasp, that kept
me from sleeping, that made me think when I was battling abuse
by the IRS that I could immolate myself at their office because
the pain would be minimally different and the demonstration
might help. That pain went away with B12 therapy.)

So, this is the one that I ordered for the dull, sickening pain in my
back:

Serrapeptase (enteric coated capsule)

40,000 units per Veggie Cap.

Serrapeptase is a proteolytic enzyme isolated
from the non-pathogenic bacteria Serratia
species found in the digestive tract of the
Japanese silkworm. The enzyme is used by the
worms to digest their cocoons. Serrapeptase
has been used as a natural supplement in
Europe and Asia for nearly three decades.

Each vegetarian capsule of Best Serrapeptase
contains enteric-coated, acid stable granules of
pure serrapeptase designed for optimal
absorption in the intestinal tract.

I'm following my friend's instructions:

"I take the tablets on a completely empty stomach (2 1/2 - 3
hours after a meal) with a small amount of water, then I wait
30-40 minutes before eating or drinking. This was a little
inconvenient at first but it has had a big payoff! I learned from
the research that if you do not take it on an empty stomach the
enzyme will digest your food or beverage instead of getting
directly into your blood stream to digest old, dead tissue. I started
with 3 tablets daily - One taken three times a day."

(Actually, I've been waiting an hour to eat or drink after I take it.
That's because I didn't remember this correctly. But I'm going to
continue waiting an hour because I think it's working.

My concerns which caused me to want to take it were the
difficulty I have breathing after even the most minimal exercise,
the debilitating pain in my back, a swelling around my jaw since I
got tetanus two years ago, and the protruding varicose veins on
my left ankle.

After two weeks of taking it, religiously waiting three hours after
food, I think there is a reduction in the pain in my back (it was
bad, so I'm not surprised that it's only diminished a bit, rather
than going entirely away -- but, I haven't been having to take as
much Ibuprofen.)

The tightness in my chest that made it hard to breathe does not
bother me as much. I used to have to sit down after just the
smallest amount of walking, because of the pain, and then I
would notice how hard it was to breathe. Well, I haven't been
noticing that difficulty for several days.

Early on, maybe the second or third day of taking the
serrapeptase, my left leg and ankle felt as if something was going
on -- I was worried because it was a strong feeling and not
necessarily good. I took some photos of the varicose veins on my
ankle, wishing that I'd taken some photos before I took the first
Serrapeptase. I wanted to be able to see if there would be a
difference. It seemed as if the veins were protruding less after the
strong feeling, and before I took the first photos, but I couldn't
say for sure because I wanted that to happen and I was afraid I
might be imagining a bigger difference than there actually was.

It seemed as if the veins were shrinking, getting brighter in color
but smaller in dimension, in how much they stuck out. I looked
and looked at them, but could not be sure from looking at my
ankle and then at the photos. So I took more photos because I
thought it would be easier to compare/contrast two sets of
pictures rather than a real ankle to a picture of the ankle. I'm
curious if you see as much difference as I do. I see more
difference than I expected in so short a time. Here are the
pictures -- don't expect them to be pretty.)

Since I've been taking Serrapeptase during the night (when it's
easier to not have anything to eat three hours before taking it) I've
noticed that some bumps/cysts I had are getting smaller. I didn't
think to take a picture in the beginning, because it never occurred
to me that the Serrapeptase would affect them. Here are pictures
of one of the bumps /cysts.

I've been recording my experience with Serrapeptase, starting at
7/17/06, on my page about how I've been slimming. Be sure to
read the entries for 8/23/06 and 12/26/06.

12/27/07 - I didn't take any Serrapeptase last night because it was
so cold here I just wanted to get in bed, get warm and go to sleep.
And boy do I feel the difference today! I usually take two during
the night and have minimal back pain, if any, during the day.
Today I had a lot of back pain, to the point where it was hard to
stay up long enough to do things. I'm FOR SURE going to take
two serrapeptase, four hours apart, during the night tonight.

12/28/07 - I began to wonder yesterday if maybe the pain was
related to how cold it was. In any case, I took two Serrapeptase
during the night, several hours apart, and today... NO pain. It was
much colder today so it wasn't the cold yesterday that made my
back hurt, it was that I'd failed to take the Serrapeptase.

11/24/08 - I could barely make it walking around my garden for
exercise a moment ago. I worried for a moment that the
Serrapeptase had stopped working. Then I remembered that I'm
using a Heavy Metal Cleanse right now because I hung some
Survival Blankets in my house to reflect heat, and I think the
aluminum in them must come off in tiny particles because my
chest became tight and began to hurt in the way it did when I was
living in hydrogen sulfide. I took the Survival Blankets down and
began a Heavy Metal Cleanse: I was lucky I had about half a
treatment left from some time ago. I didn't think I should take the
Serrapeptase with the Cleanse because you're supposed to take
Serrapeptase by itself... so that's the problem: I haven't been
taking my Serrapeptase.