What to keep in your gym-bag after you realize that Advil is not a vitamin:
What to put in your cupboard after you clear out the NSAIDs? If you are the type who depends on Ibuprofen for sprains/strains and headaches, start with Proteolytic Enzymes or Pancreatic Enzymes such as Wobenzyme N (which you can find at Pharmaca), or Intenzyme Forte by Biotics Research Corp. This company is not open to the general population. I can place an order on your behalf at your request. These products are combonations of digestive enzymes such as amylase, lipase, protease, trypsin, chymotrypsin and bromelain. Some people use these enzymes to help boost their body’s digestive potency when taken with food but this posting is focused on the ability of these enzymes to combat inflammation in an acute setting when taken on an empty stomach.
Bromelain’s theraputic properties include: (1) interference with growth of malignant cells; (2) inhibition of platelet aggregation; (3) fibrinolytic activity; (4) anti-inflammatory action; (5) skin debridement properties. (J Ethnopharmacol. 1988 Feb-Mar;22(2):191-203.)
Bromelain has been shown in a recent 2008 study to decrease neutrophil migration to sites of acute inflammation. What that means is that this is what you want to have in your gym bag when you injure yourself training or at an event and you want to give yourself your best chance at rapid recovery. The 2002 review article by Maurer does a great job of explaining the biochemistry of proteolytic enzymatic activity anti-tumor and anti-inflammatory effects.
Toxicity and Contraindications
Allergy to pineapple
Proteolytic/Pancreatic Enzymes have a potential anti-coagulant effect so they are not advised if you are having surgery or if you are already taking an anti-coagulant medication
Dosage and Administration
Bromelain can be used in isolation and has a dose-dependent effect. Doses as small as 200mg per day have been demonstrated in a study by Walker et al to be effective treatment of osteoarthritis. Acute inflammation responds well to doses as large as 400mg taken 3 times throughout a day. Most products are a polyenzyme preparations consisting of pancreatin, bromelain, papain amylase, trypsin etc. and dosage is determined by product. (Vasquez, Integrative Rheumatology)
Additional Information
Some studies have shown Proteolytic Enzymes to have enhanced effect when taken with 500mg Citrus Bioflavinoids. The research on these alternatives is not performed as often as with mainstream drugs but I recommend these as your first line of defense for life’s aches and pains because they are an effective, safe alternative to NSAIDs that help you to feel better but often at the expense of your own long-term health and strength.
The research on bromelain’s effect on headaches is sparse. There were some studies that looked promising for the treatment of acute sinusitis but they were performed in the 60’s with little follow-up. Will pancreatic enzymes knock-out a headache like an Advil liquid-gel? Usually not, but what do you have to lose by treating proteolytic enzymes as your first line of defense? At a minimum you are decreasing your systemic inflammation, improving your digestion and possibly decreasing your chances of tumor growth. You can’t say that about liquid-gels.
