Serrapeptase (sometimes referred to as Serratiopeptidase), is an extraordinarily useful natural supplement. For sinusitis and the pain of pulled muscles, it may be almost all you need to support natural recovery from disease.

And for more serious health conditions, Serrapeptase can be exactly what is needed to finish the healing process, but it's not really a magic bullet for any particular disease. It almost never works overnight. It almost never works by itself. The story of a woman named Ella is a perfect example of what Serrapeptase can do, and can't.

Six years ago Ella received a devastating diagnosis. Going in to see her family doctor about a cough that just would not go away, she had been quickly referred to a specialist who diagnosed her with anaplastic carcinoma of the thyroid. Unlike other forms of thyroid cancer, this cancer is never limited to the confines of a tumor. It quickly spreads through adjoining tissues in the throat and in just a few weeks reaches the lungs, then bone and brain.

As is the case for most people who are diagnosed with anaplastic thyroid cancer, Ella's cancer had spread to the upper lobe of one of her lungs before she could even make an appointment to see the oncologist. And like most people who are diagnosed with anaplastic thyroid cancer, Ella was told she needed a combination of chemotherapy, radiation, and surgery. In Ella's case, it was three surgeries, one to remove her thyroid and as much surrounding tissue in the neck and throat as the surgeon could take, plus two surgeries to remove cancerous tissues from her lungs.

Most people who undergo these heroic procedures die anyway. Ella was determined not to. She had great insurance, she had a supportive husband and a caring family, and she lived just a few miles from one of the most outstanding cancer treatment centers in the world, at least in terms of conventional medicine, the Sloan Kettering Hospital. She was so determined to live that she submitted not just to three operations but also to radiation and chemo.

Ordinarily, even the best modern medicine would not be enough, and Ella knew she had to do more. She already was on a great diet even before the cancer appeared.

But Ella consulted with a specialist who treated cancer with enzyme therapy, who put her on a combination of bromelain, papain, trypsin, chymotrypsin, lipase, amylase, and serratiopeptidase, although the doctor did not add serratiopeptidase until the other enzymes had completed their work. (You can read more about why serratiopeptidase is not used during initial cancer treatment in the article Serratiopeptidase and Cancer.) The next six months of her life were hell, but at her second quarterly checkup after her surgeries, the doctor had a remarkable announcement to make.

Ella showed no sign of cancer. The two cancers in her lungs and the cancer in throat no longer showed on any of the dozen or so images the oncologist had ordered. And in about nine months, Ella was even able to return to her regular job as a speech pathologist, looking normal, speaking normally, eating normally, with her old vim and vigor and a renewed appreciation for her husband, her doctors, and her family and friends.

Would Ella have gotten well if she hadn't taken serratiopeptidase? We really don't know. Would Ella have gotten well if she had taken serratiopeptidase and left out some other part of her treatment? We really don't know.

There are two equally wrong conclusions to draw from Ella's story.

One wrong conclusion is that Ella's experience proves serratiopeptidase cures anaplastic thyroid cancer and taking a serratiopeptidase supplement is all one needs to do for anaplastic thyroid cancer.

That's the kind of reasoning that is used in a widely distributed book that reports that serratiopeptidase is a “miracle enzyme” that treats postoperative pain and swelling, osteoarthritis (degenerative arthritis), rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondilytis, lupus, back problems, neck problems, carpal tunnel syndrome, fibroids, fibrocystic breast, polymyalgia rheumatica, neuralgia, leg ulcers, diabetes, asthma, allergies, bronchitis, tuberculosis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, emphysema, asbestostis, mesothelioma, ulcerative colitis, irritable bowel syndrome, Crohn's disease, migraines, cancer, multiple sclerosis, laryngitis, rhinitis, deep vein thrombosis, angina, varicose veins, sports injuries, and several dozen more health conditions. Serratiopeptidase and other enzymes, that author claims, are the only treatments that can really make you whole again.

And that's just not true. While serratiopeptidase may actually accelerate healing from all of these conditions, it won't by itself cure any of them. Serratiopeptidase always is just part of the healing process. Enzymes are always just part of the healing process.

This leads to the second erroneous conclusion to draw from Ella's story.

Some marketers will tell you that since serratiopeptidase and other enzymes are, after all, natural, that there's no more need to tell your doctor that you are taking them any more than there is a need to tell your doctor what you ate for lunch.

That's also just plain wrong. Serratiopeptidase is a particularly potent proteolytic enzyme. That means it breaks down damaged proteins in injured tissues so they can be replaced, and it also happens to break down the proteins that hold blood clots together. Using this powerful enzyme at the right time is key to using it effectively.

The ability to break down injured tissue and blood clots might be a great thing at certain times during your recovery process, but you don't want to be taking a blood thinner if there is a possibility you might need surgery—at least you don't without discussing the matter with your doctor.

Are there ever situations serratiopeptidase is the only supplement you need? The simple fact is that certain kinds of muscle injury can be treated with a combination of serratiopeptidase, healing exercise, and rest-ice-compression-elevation as needed. Serratiopeptidase also sometimes works as a stand-alone treatment for sinusitis.

Because serratiopeptidase is a particularly potent enzyme, sometimes you don't need the others. But if all you do to correct a muscle injury or joint pain is to take serratiopeptidase, it probably won't be enough to bring you back to health. At the very least you are likely to need to make dietary changes and you may need other supplements and, yes, even medical care to get well. What serratiopeptidase does is to help ensure all your efforts pay off.

Serratiopeptidase is usually a great addition to your nutritional supplement routine—once you have dealt with the most severe manifestations of a disease. Don't reach for your bottle of serratiopeptidase on your way to the ER or the surgery, but do consider serratiopeptidase as a way to accelerate the healing process when you get well. Always discuss serratiopeptidase and any other supplements with your physician, especially if you take any medication that thins the blood.