Bacterial overgrowth syndrome is the debilitating disease many of us have but most of us have never heard of. No matter how much we rub and scrub, tens of thousands of bacteria live on every square inch of our skin. And unless we are taking a dangerous combination of highly potent antibiotics (and sometimes even then), bacteria live in every nook and cranny of our digestive tracts.
Most of the time, even “unfriendly” bacteria don't cause us any harm. It's primarily when the stomach fails to produce enough acid, often when people take antacids or treatments for gastroesophageal reflux disease, or constipation clogs the bowels, that bacteria begin to multiply on the linings of the digestive tract.
It takes a tremendous number of bacteria to cause a problem. When the small intestine is healthy, every milliliter of fluid (there are 240 milliliters in a cup) contains 10,000 bacteria. When the large intestine is healthy, every milliliter of fluid contains 100,000,000 bacteria. Bacterial overgrowth is not a problem until there are approximately 10,000,000,000,000 (10 quadrillion) bacteria per milliliter in the large intestine.
That's an unimaginably large number of bacteria, especially when you consider that the large intestine may contain two quarts of fecal matter. But the problem from overgrowth is not so much from the bacteria themselves as it is from the glue-like film that holds them together.
An overgrowth of bacteria keeps the lining of the small intestine from absorbing vitamins and minerals. It can keep the large intestine from absorbing fats and amino acids. When they are overrun with bacterial film, the intestine cannot send bile salts back to the liver. These fatty substances carry away excess cholesterol.
And when certain species of bacteria such as Bacteroides multiply en masse in the large intestine, they can even reassemble some of the sex hormones and toxic materials the liver disassembled to be expelled as waste.
The film that holds the bacteria together has to be broken up to correct the problems that bacterial overgrowth causes. That's where serrapeptase comes in. Serrapeptase (also known as Serratiopeptidase) has an enzymatic action that dissolves the protein “glue” that holds the mat of bacteria in place and allows it to be expelled in bowel movement. As bacterial overgrowth is corrected, the digestive tract can begin absorbing the full value of nutrients again and an astonishing range of symptoms that may include abdominal pain, bloating, either constipation or diarrhea, acid burps, and either weight gain (large due to constipation) or weight loss (due to malnutrition or diarrhea).
Serratiopeptidase can help your body get the most out of food and nutritional supplements. It's the cleanse you need to get your body going again when you start any new nutritional program.
Who is likely to need help with bacterial overgrowth syndrome. If your digestion “just isn't what it used to be,” you are a likely candidate for bacterial overgrowth. If you take antacids, you may develop bacterial overgrowth. If you suffer either constipation or diarrhea on a regular basis, bacterial overgrowth may at the heart of the problem.
The most advanced cases of bacterial overgrowth have been known to result in iron-deficiency anemia, nerve pain due to deficiencies of folic acid and vitamin B12, muscle twitches due to calcium deficiency, night blindness due to vitamin A deficiency, rashes and dermatitis due to selenium deficiency, muscle wasting due to failure to absorb amino acids from digested protein, and even the hard to manage form of adult acne known as rosacea. But taking care of the biofilm is the first step to taking all of these problems when nutritional deficiency is an issue.
It's a good idea to use serratiopeptidase once or twice a week if you take medications for heartburn or gastroesophageal reflux disease. It may help you to take serratiopeptidase if you have irritable bowel syndrome, chronic diarrhea, or chronic constipation. You might even find that the symptoms you treat with medications that cause bacterial overgrowth go away when you break up the biofilm. Serratiopeptidase may make it possible for you to control this problem without antibiotics and in just a few days. You only need to give it time to reach your lower digestive tract for it to begin to work.