Justice, first of all: OUCH! Sorry you're in such pain!
SET (Systemic Enzyme Therapy) is actually well documented, especially in European and Japanese medical journals and clinical trials. In Germany an SET product is second only to aspirin in OTC pain/inflammation sales. The essential principle is to take sufficiently high doses that enough of it passes into the blood stream and does its job of enzymatically digesting exogenous proteins in the blood and the tissues. This reduces inflammation, removes inflammatory debris, is somewhat analgesic and removes scar tissue by digesting it as exogenous.
SET consists of various naturally produced, but difficult to manufacture, proteolytic enzymes, packaged in an enteric coating that comes apart only in the pH of the duodenum (upper part of the small intestine) for absorption into the bloodstream there. SET should not be confused with digestive tract enzymes.
Raw proteolytic enzymes would include bromelain, papain, serrapeptase, nattokinase, pancreatic enzymes, etc. While some of these can be taken separately for some good effect, much better I've found (and this is verified by all the research), is to use one of the prepared combination SET products. Such products would include (but are not limited to):
Wobenzym N, VitalZym, Neprinol, W-Zyme, or similar. I find good deals online for these and buy the largest bottles to keep the price down.
The key to taking it for significant injury, disease or pain is to take it in v
ery large doses 3 times a day to maintain blood saturation. SET is macro molecules so absorption is fractional, it takes a lot to get a therapeutic dose of molecules into the bloodstream. For example, when I was at my peak of my chronic pain syndrome, I started with 30 Wobenzym a day for a few weeks. I got substantial relief in several days, but kept at max dose to knock out the symptoms completely before backing down. Now several years later I take 5-7 a day of the less expensive W-Zyme which is a knock-off that came out recently. The important thing is that it is impossible to overdose on SET. A couple years ago I was feeling so good I didn't take them for a few weeks and ended up in the emergency room with my chronic pain syndrome in spades. Needless to say I don't forget them anymore.
The only cautions would be if you're taking any blood thinners... SET will make them more effective and you can bleed out, so work with a doc in the case you take thinners.
The other thing is that since you don't want it digested in the stomach, you take it at least 1/2 hour away from food and with only water or juice (a large glass).
A few nice side effects: lowered my bad cholesterol, I became regular as clockwork, fewer headaches, many fewer and less severe colds, and my wife who takes them no longer has seasonal allergies. (These are all documented effects in the medical journals, btw).
My older brother has found Serrapeptase, which is the enzyme that silk worm catarpillars produce to digest the silk protein cocoons to escape them, (There are several products that have it), to be especially effective for joint and ligament pain. He has plantar fascitis and at large doses it has zapped the symptoms. He also has found Zyflamend (mentioned by an earlier poster) to be helpful. I should point out that Serrapeptase is the active ingredient in the prescription anti-inflammatory with the best name brand recognition by doctors in Europe: Danzen!
Sorry for the long post. If you're interested in my own personal journey into chronic pain and SET as the solution for me, you can click
here.
