A new scientific association promotes use in mainstream medicine
By Anja Behringer
Enzymes are biocatalysts that control the different metabolic processes of living organisms. These range from digestion to the copying of genetic information.
As enzymes are essential for metabolism there would be no life without them. Parts of these enzymes become active in the entire organism during localised infections, which they regulate whilst at the same time reducing swelling and pain. As manifold as their effectiveness is their range of use in conventional medicine: to treat diabetes, urinary tract infections, cancerous diseases, rheumatism, joint and muscle pain, arthritis, venous disorders or bronchitis.
The German Enzyme Prize for Research Promotion
Paediatrician Professor Dieter Adam, with colleagues from Austria and Germany, founded the WGFE in January 2007, to promote research into enzyme therapy as well as inform a specialist medical audience and the general public and explain the scientific reasoning behind enzyme therapy. Research projects, lectures and conferences with international study results are being promoted. Additionally, from 2008 the WGFE will award an annual ‘German Enzyme Prize’ (value: ?10,000) for the promotion and implementation of enzyme therapy.
A therapy for all infectious diseases
Current research results confirm the effectiveness of enzymes (which are low in unwanted side effects) generally for all diseases where infections are present – either as stand-alone enzyme therapy or in addition to standard therapy. There is comprehensive experience of the use of enzymes in the treatment of cancer, in addition to radiotherapy and chemotherapy. In many cases special enzyme combinations can positively influence quality of life along with survival times – free of complaints – for tumour patients.
There is possibly also a therapeutic potential for enzyme therapy in the treatment of the ever-increasing cases of Type 2 Diabetes. A type of ‘pre-diabetes’ of the Type 2 diabetes is increasingly diagnosed in children and adolescents as 4-8% of schoolchildren are already obese. According to the latest findings concomitant enzyme therapy could already help these patients in the preliminary phase of the disease.
It has also been seen that enzyme therapy – in addition to standard therapy with antibiotics – achieves a faster recovery and shortens the healing process in urinary tract infections, for example uncomplicated cases of cystitis. The anti-inflammatory and decongestant effects of special enzyme combinations are also used concomitantly for the treatment of chronic rheumatic diseases.
For these, as well as other disease patterns, enzymes hold an increasing importance for use in concomitant therapy. However, despite promising, long standing clinical experience, research is still at an early stage of development in many areas. At the first scientific symposium in Hamburg Professor Adam, Chairman of the scientific advisory board of the WGFE explained: ‘We want to promote research into this forward-looking field, to encourage new ways of thinking along with exchanging different types of approaches and to make the results available to the general public.’
16.11.2007
