I’ve been dealing with IBS and digestive issues for as long as I can remember. As a kid, my belly always hurt. At the age of 5, I realized I was lactose intolerant and cut out dairy. Still, things just still didn’t feel right inside. This was long before the word “gluten” was a term people used and  before soy and GMO’s and organic were the topic of conversations. No one talked about these things back in the 80’s- but fast forward 30 years and here we are in a pool of GMO’s, pesticides, soy, gluten, processed foods and so much other junk that is added to our water, our food, our environment, etc…..the list goes on. As many of you know, it’s been quite a journey for me to get my health back. After 10 years of chronic illness, countless doctors, Mayo Clinic, biopsies of everything in my body from my bone marrow to my muscles….I realized I have to be my own doctor. When I was a young girl, Western medicine GI doctors put me on every drug  imaginable to try to help my ‘IBS’ and mask the symptoms. At that age, I just listened to what my doctors and parents told me to do and I did it. Fast forward to the age of 20-something when things got much worse. My parents were busy working and I went from doctor to doctor and hospital to hospital to search for answers to my failing organs. Everyone gave me drugs, drugs, drugs and more drugs. At one point I was on steroids, pain killers, water pills and morphine with C-Diff colitis and was given 24 hours to live.

That’s the point where I stopped. I got really quiet with myself, starting to put pieces of my puzzle together. I fired all of my doctors and went on a search to find answers to allow my 90 pound weak and exhausted body to heal. I started to research enzymes and learned SO much about how they can support many functions in our bodies, especially in the gut. You’ve heard me talk about gut health before and the importance of starting with healing your gut. Almost 80% of your immune system is in your gut so a healthy gut can do wonders for your overall health- I’m living proof!

When I started working with my Integrative M.D.’s, I learned even more about enzyme supplements and digestive supplements and how they could help support my body and relieve discomfort from occasional gas, bloating and constipation. I’ll never forget the first time I used an enzyme to help break down the food I was eating. I didn’t even know something like that existed but as I discovered more, I realized that sometimes our bodies need help digesting our food, which allows our body to not work as hard, and in turn allows our body to focus on healing other areas of our body. The enzyme was called Digest Gold by Enzymedica. Guess what? I’m still using those enzymes today with every meal. My entire family uses them, too. Ha- it’s hysterical. I had them try the enzymes a few years ago and they noticed so much relief, that they pop an enzyme into their mouth when they’re eating, as well.

All of the Integrative M.D.’s that I have worked with, have always put me on digestive enzymes and I also do so with my clients. Fast forward about 8 years and go to know Enzymedica better and they are amazing. I met their founder and a few people from their team last year and I sang praises to them telling them how much I trust and love their brand. So, today I want to chat a bit about the enzymes that they just launched that I am going gaga happy over. I’m like a kid in a candy store when it comes to this company because everything they make is top quality and pure; hearing the founders story last year about how he started this business and the incredible research and quality standards he puts behind everything they make-blew me away. So, I asked them if I could share a bit about their new (clean and fabulous, of course) products with you since I’m pretty much in love with everything they create. And well, they said yes. So, I am excited to share that they have several new products specifically for women.

The fact that Enzymedica took into consideration the different stages of a woman’s life in each of these new enzyme products, blew my mind and I needed to share them with you. Why? Well, our bodies are always changing and the stages of a woman’s life bring about many changes in hormones, which as you probably know, affect the entire body. I’m living proof that this year I’ve learned how hormones have taken over my body and once I started to focus on digestion and hormonal health, my body started to balance out. Without supporting your gut/digestion and hormonal imbalances a woman’s life can be miserable. I’ve been there done that and I have NO interest in going back there. I’m sure many of you agree- being pregnant, going thru PMS or menopause can be pretty gosh darn miserable and painful, and as you know, some doctors just don’t get it so we’re left alone to figure out how to make ourselves get through the day without crashing or landing in bed in fetal position. Am I right?

Here are the newest enzyme products Enzymedica just created and I’m seeing them pop up in my health food stores and Whole Foods Market already! I’ve had a few of my clients try them and they’re feeling fantastic, which doesn’t surprise me because each blend is also filled with special minerals or herbs to help combat symptoms at each stage of a woman’s life.

For the Gal Who’s Got PMS

Bye Bye PMS – Combines magnesium, vitamin B6 and vegetarian digestive enzymes to help women’s bodies combat the full spectrum of digestive discomforts (like occasional gas, bloating and constipation) as well as those lovely emotional challenges and cravings many of us get with PMS. This also includes additional lactase and other enzymes to support our digestion. This blend includes 150 million LCUs which help support your digestive health as well as vitamin B6 and magnesium (both whole food ingredients—yay!) to support our lovely symptoms of PMS such as mood changes and bloating. Something that you may not know is that B6 is commonly identified as deficient in those with PMS, magnesium is one of the most commonly deficient minerals in most individuals.

For the Chica Who’s Pregnant

Digest Pregnancy – A pure and gentle formula that has a special blend of vegetarian enzymes to help combat occasional gas and bloating, while organic ginger root eases nausea that is so common in the first-trimester. This blend can help treat heartburn and includes phytase, which can optimize mineral absorption. I love how this product includes the enzyme, Alpha-Galactosidase, which can prevent gas from eating foods such as veggies and beans that causes bloating in many of us. The best part is that they use ORGANIC (yes organic, yay!!!) ginger root, which is equivalent to about 500 mg of raw ginger. OMG, right? Ginger is often used to relieve nausea with pregnancy so this is a great herb to have in this blend!

For the Menopausal Goddess

Digest Women’s 50+ – Fluctuating hormones and declining enzyme production due to the aging process can impact both digestion and energy levels. Digest Women’s 50+ from Enzymedica is a high-potency formula with enzymes, probiotics, Maca and ATPro which can help facilitate optimal digestion, promote regularity and increase energy. Their Thera-Blend^TM   enzymes can help with overall digestion, while increased lipase supports breakdown of fats. I take Lipase with all my meals because it’s hard for me to digest fat and I’ve seen HUGE results in my stool tests from taking lipase so I am really happy they include Lipase in this blend! This blend also includes Maca, which I’ve spoken about a few times with you- I took Maca for over 4 years to help balance out my hormones and I LOVE it! The fabulous part about this blend is there are 1.5B CFU of DDS-1 Probiotics per day dose (3 caps) to make your gut happy.