"This review consists of two parts:

The first is regarding "stomach flu," the second - varicose veins and possible MS symptoms. It ends with a call for research. If you wish to skip to the second part, please scroll down to the dashed line.

Before I begin ... This is for information purposes only. Please consult your qualified medical professional regarding any issues you may have.

I'm a female, medium built, 120 pounds. Please take into consideration that the dosing of enzymes will vary depending on your weight and body type.

1. "STOMACH FLU" (viral bouts of vomiting and diarrhea)

A week ago my toddler (two and a half years old) had gotten some very bad case of a "stomach flu" (severe vomiting and diarrhea). When I say "severe," I mean so bad that he'd vomit all over the floor and on both of the beds we have in the house, and the vomit will soak through the foam unto the mattress (we didn't have a cover on it). The whole house reeked of vomit and poop. THAT bad. As a family member had it right before him and went to a hospital for an IV where no salmonella or another bacterium was detected, I thought it must be viral, if we exclude parasites. Most cases of as "stomach flu" are caused by viruses, according to my research.

I've known already how well ViraStop deals with colds and other health issues (more about it below). I've also known it's possible to open a capsule and put some of the powder in water or tea, and drink it. I didn't come up with that myself, I've read it in one man's review on Amazon (thank you). I've tried it before and I knew it's safe to do, at least for me.

When my son came down with the flu, I thought of Virastop instantly, but I wasn't sure how his inflamed digestive track would handle this strong formula. I was wondering what would happen if I applied strong enzymes onto a raw stomach... what if he starts bleeding internally? I was scared, and I didn't use Virastop for two days.
Then, the night came when my son vomited all over both beds and we didn't even have a place to sleep. It became apparent to me we'll need to take him to the doctor/possibly emergency room if I don't try this. I was scared of a possibility of having to take him for an IV.

So, I took a capsule of Virastop 2x and put about a quarter of it into his water cup (it's a small cup, it holds about one cup of water). My son weighs about 40 pounds.
I stopped with the "electrolyte drink" that was supposed to help and started giving him this enzyme-infused water whenever he wanted to drink. I refilled the cup whenever necessary. I offered the cup to him every fifteen minutes or so if he was awake.

THAT WAS IT. HE STOPPED VOMITING right away (after three days!). He just had a bit of diarrhea the next day. He had his first normal wet diaper about 8 hours after the first sip of "ViraStop water."

He had three ViraStop 2x pills in several cups of water over the course of three days, which is about 1 pill per day. Again, he weighed about 40 pounds at a time.

As I'd been essentially vomited on for a couple days, I started coming down with the flu myself. The moment I understood that it's happening, I took three pills of Virastop 2x with water. The effect: I got "cleaned up" within an hour or so (STRONG ENZYMES WILL MAKE YOU "GO," KEEP THAT IN MIND IF YOU NEVER TOOK THEM: BE CLOSE TO THE BATHROOM!). After that, I had very little discomfort. I continued taking 3 pills of Virastop 2x twice per day for about 4 days, which is as long as I'd still get flu-like stomach cramps.

Update 01/17/2019: I used enzymes in water for my son, as described above, every time he gets sick. The only side effect I see is that if you leave them on the lips, your lips may chap. So I apply chapstick or Vaseline on his lips before he drinks the water with enzymes. At this point my son is 7 years old and I typically give him one third to one half of the capsule with water, once to twice per day, once he starts developing symptoms. This pretty much ends every cold/flu he gets. I also sprinkle probiotic capsules on his food, more if he comes down with something. He’s never been seriously ill with this regimen. He doesn’t like to take enzymes (or any medication) so I typically don’t give them to him on the first symptom, hoping he will improve on his own. Because of that, there’s always drastic improvement when he gets the first dose. The improvement can typically be seen within 5 to 8 hours or so.

SIDE NOTE for persons with hemorrhoids / constipation:

If you take enzymes with a sufficient amount of water, your constipation will end instantly. What is sufficient amount? For me, one cup per one to up to three pills of ViraStop 2x or Digest Gold (digestive enzymes manufactured by the same company) is sufficient. You just need the right dose. If you're new to enzymes, one pill of Virastop 2x with a cup of warm tea should probably make you "go" within 30 minutes if taken on an empty stomach, although you may need more depending on the severity of your condition. Enzymes taken on an empty stomach happen to be therapeutic, as you may find out with a simple online search or by reading Amazon reviews (please take precautions according to the product label as well, for instance if you have an ulcer).
I've read so and so many people end up in a hospital due to severe constipation every year .... I don't know how it's treated, but a few pills of Digest Gold or Virastop (a.k.a. strong enzymes) would solve the problem. A call for a new protocol, maybe? Try this next time you get irregular, you will know what I mean.

Enzymedica manufactures, in my opinion, the best enzymes there are. Digest Gold/Virastop are extraordinary products.

IF YOU'RE NEW TO ENZYMES:

PLEASE START SLOWLY.
IF YOU HAVE STOMACH ULCERS, IT'S A CONTRAINDICATION. You don't want to apply strong enzymes to an internal wound, do you?
If you get stomach sensitivity, TAKE WITH MORE WATER/ warm tea. That's it.

Again, you'll most likely need to visit a bathroom if you take enough pills at once, especially on an empty stomach.
If you want THE STRONGEST EFFECT as SYSTEMIC ENZYMES (you may look "systemic enzymes" up: essentially, the enzymes will enter your blood stream and fix your body), take FIRST THING IN THE MORNING WITH WATER/TEA, and wait about 40 minutes / 2 hours before you eat anything.

Please use caution when given to the elderly, again, these are STRONG enzymes, and they contain serrapeptase; I believe there are reports of some pneumonia in elderly that took serrapeptase (you may look it up). If your grandma is 80 years old, maybe you want to start with the regular ViraStop, use half a dose of that, and consult a doctor first.

ViraStop 2x also contains nattokinase, which thins your blood. This may be a contraindication for people on blood thinners and/or with bleeding disorders, according to my knowledge. Blood thinning effect of nattokinase could cause a drop in blood pressure, although in my case it only happens if I take regular nattokinase every day.

Update 01/17/19: I believe at this point there’s no nattokinase in this supplement.

There may be other safety concerns I'm not aware of.

Enzymes do work as long as you use a *quality product* at a *right dose*. Again, I'm a female of 120 pounds, and I need 3 pills of ViraStop 2x per day to maintain my health (more about it below). That's a lot of quality proteolic enzymes taken every single day! Basic digestive enzymatic formulas don't come close to that, most systemic enzyme formulas are not of that strength either.

Side note on the price:
These may seem expensive, but three pills solved my son's severe illness. How much did that cost... Two dollars, I believe. I'd have paid more for laundry if my son continued to be sick.

When a family member recently brought a strong cold, I took about 5 pills per day, and I only got a hint of a sore throat. That's it. I may have used about 15 pills on top of what I'd normally use, which maybe cost ten dollars or so, but how much would it cost me if I missed a day of work? How much would it cost you if you had to stay at home with your sick kids? (And should you be wary of giving enzymes to children, look up how enzymes can improve a condition of an autistic child ... That's some fascinating read!)

It may get expensive if you take ViraStop 2x daily, like I do (I use one container of ViraStop2x every month.) But, what these do for me has no price.

Please mark this review as helpful if you believe it was helpful to you. This way it will end up in top reviews and get read.

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2. Varicose, possible MS symptoms

a. Varicose veins (chronic venous insufficiency)

About 9 months ago I started developing painful varicose veins on my legs; it came to the point where I couldn't even stand in place for one second. It started after a prolonged period of excessive bruising that I didn't address as I thought it was hereditary.

As my condition worsened and standard medical science offered blood thinners or lasers that don't address the root of the problem, I started doing a ton of research to find a supplement/supplement combo solution. I believe in supplements (ever since I tried Digest Gold, I'm a believer). First, I tried the typical herbal formulations used for my issue but the condition continued to worsen fast. I went from working out two hours per day to not being able to get on an elliptical for more than ten minutes; I'd have to lie down and raise my legs up. I was desperate.

Then, in one of the reviews on some systemic enzyme supplement on Amazon I've read someone write that if his wife doesn't take them, she develops varicose veins; if she does take them, they disappear. I had a bottle of Digest Gold on hand that I would occasionally take for digestion; I knew I can take it on an empty stomach as a systemic enzyme formulation. I popped I think four pills on an empty stomach at five a.m., as it came to the point where I couldn't even sleep. The relief was immediate and it came within 40 minutes. I took about ten more pills by the end of that day, and slept normally the next night. Within two days, I could stand in one spot for about 60 seconds or so, although it still didn't come easy.

I did more research; I read about proteolic enzymes and how they address inflammation in the body, and how varicose as many other ailments has its root in inflammation. I already had a bottle of Virastop 2X as well on my shelf, and it was in plain view as I've given it to a family member for a cold (they came three days later to thank me, without a sign of cold). So there I am, looking at ViraStop 2x. I knew these were enzymes; I looked at the label to discover an amazingly strong proteolic formulation (I think it's the strongest OTC formula of this type on the market). Not only that, but nattokinase that I already purchased anyway to naturally thin my blood was in the formula as well. I also knew I can take up to three pills of virastop 2x at once, as I had done it to ward off a strong cold. So off I go and pop three pills on an empty stomach, right there... forty minutes later, I felt the greatest relief, as the enzymes started pouring into my blood. I could actually feel the warmth in my legs, and such great relief of the tension/itching associated with my issue.

Digest Gold was effective, but to achieve the same strength of a proteolic formula as in one pill of Virastop 2X, one would have to take 4 pills of Digest Gold. So, virastop 2x is a whole different planet of "strong" in cleaning your system out of whatever it is that causes inflammation.

About an hour later after I took those three pills, I took four more pills. Since then, I take 3 every day; sometimes I take 2 and couple it with Repair Gold, anything between one and fours pills of Repair Gold taken in the morning on an empty stomach. I can't tell you exactly how many Repair Golds I take per month, I take it whenever I have a "feeling" I should take it that morning.

I found that if I slip in my regimen, it all comes back. I also found that Bromelain, "extra strong" (I buy the one by Now brand available here on Amazon, 2400 GDU/g, 500 mg) works great as well. (Please make sure to check for GDU strenght of bromelain you buy. NOW brand is of excellent quality and great strenght for the price, I haven't found better yet!) Initially, I took four pills of that bromelain for several weeks to help clear the inflammation, during the time when I'd still feel a bit of burning in my legs. Right now I take it occasionally. I also started taking Pycnogenol (I think due to price I'll be switching to pine bark bulk powder available here on Amazon from Bulk Supplements). I know that according to clinical studies this will help my veins.

On Nattokinase:

I've tried to take nattokinase separately for varicose veins before, but it would only work by itself at a dose of two pills (2 pills of 2000 units each), at which point it would cause unsafe drops in my blood pressure: my pressure would go down into fifties on systolic and thirties on diastolic, and I'd get dizzy. I'm fit and my pressure is naturally low, and I despaired about losing this one way of possibly dealing with varicose via naturally thinning by blood. Interestingly, taking Virastop daily at a dose of 3 pills, which is the equivalent of 3x800 units of nattokinase, or slightly over one standard dose of 2000 units, does not cause this problem for me at all. I feel great.

I also started taking Rutin, on and off, to address bruising. It does just that! I knew I had to address the strength of the walls in my veins. However, I also know it does not solve the varicose vein problem, or at least not for me: I started taking it early on after initial research. Bruising stopped, but varicose kept getting worse.

b. Multiple sclerosis?

Please do a search on MS and enzymes. There are some videos on YouTube and some positive reviews on this site as well. In the YouTube search box, if you type in "multiple sclerosis enzymes," videos on "multiple sclerosis: systemic enzymes can provide relief" should pop up, among others.

About a week before I started taking Virastop 2X I started feeling tingling in my toes and sometimes in my left pinky. I'd also feel severely exhausted. It could be that it was somehow circulation related, but a search on the web points to possible MS symptoms (I'm thirty years old, by the way). On that day that I took three pills of Virastop to address inflammation in my legs, I had that persistent tingling at the top of my pinky. After I took the pills, about forty minutes later (taken on an empty stomach with warm tea to help it dissolve and penetrate faster), I'd feel that tingling disappear. It was amazing. It would appear for about a week more and disappear when I'd take enzymes. It never comes back now, but I take these enzymes. The exhaustion disappeared as well. Even though I started taking many supplements to aid energy, there's a great difference between achieving "optimal energy" and severe exhaustion, the type where you lie on your bed at seven p.m. staring at walls, feeling that tingling in your small finger, thinking that you're dying, and wondering who will take care of your children. And yes, enzymes will end it, IF TAKEN IN THE RIGHT AMOUNT.

Again, I take 3 pills of VIraStop 2x per day, and I'm a female, 120 pounds. I upped the dose of Digest Gold (I take 4 - 6 per day). I frequently take a few pills of Repair Gold or strong bromelain, as indicated above.

As a side note: I've worked out my whole life and always watched what I eat. I went fully organic two years ago. I've had an unwanted c-section about a year and a half before the above described problems started, and I've read that both varicose and multiple sclerosis can be triggered after an operation. Doctors push for C-sections: they get paid better than for regular births, they can schedule them. What about women's health? It technically could be that it is all unrelated, but my health deteriorated terribly after that operation. Nausea aside, I had a great pregnancy, I walked an hour per day up until two days before delivery. I went to the gym until 8 months pregnant! All my checkups were great, except my iron got low at the end. The baby was breech. I believe experienced midwife would have guided me through that; for centuries breech babies were born without c-sections. If you're reading this and think of having a baby, please watch "The business of being born" and make an informed decision about how you wish to deliver. A c-section is an operation, and your body is not indifferent to an operation. Your organism will typically react to an operation with higher inflammation, and just a basic search on inflammation should alarm you as to what inflammation can do to your body. An operation can trigger a gluten sensitivity, for instance; isn't that interesting?

Let this be my first review on this site as I rely heavily on reviews myself. Without Amazon reviews, I'd probably be crippled today, as I'd have never found the information needed.

I purchased Virastop 2x on automatic recommendation of Amazon the first time over. I'm actually happy about these recommendations, even if my wallet takes a hit ;).

Thank you for reading, and welcome to the era of state-of-the-art supplements!

***

End matter: CALL FOR RESEARCH

We need more clinical research on enzymes.

In one of the TED talks, a scientist described scientific research as looking for a cat in a dark room while you don't know if the cat is there. In this case, at least you know the room isn't empty.

***

Update 01/17/19

This is still hands down the best cold medication I have found. When someone in the family gets sick, I take these to prevent a cold.

Regarding possible MS symptoms: I am now confirmed HLA-B27 positive (a test used to diagnose autoimmune process in the body). Around 2015 I stopped taking those enzymes much and my condition drastically worsened. I also have recurring iritis, possible AS, and likely a host of other autoimmune conditions/possible conditions. I was told, in 2014, that I should start taking immunosuppressive medication. I didn’t like the idea due to the side effects. But I also, through the practice of fasting, understood there was something in the food I was eating that was giving me autoimmune issues. I started looking for solutions and as someone here commented, there is a dietary protocol for MS: Dr. Wahl’s protocol. There’s also another dietary protocol, very similar to Dr. Wahl’s, by Dr. Gundry (please read his “Plant Paradox” book). He stresses that the reason for autoimmune conditions in humans are… wait for it… mainly PROTEINS called LECTINS found in plant foods, or in animals fed with grains etc. *No wonder proteomics enzymes worked so well for me!* May I add that Dr. Wahl’s protocol largely excludes most sources of lectins as well.

Currently I’m on Dr. Gundry’s protocol and also supplement with these enzymes. This takes care of my iritis and back pain. If I stray from the diet, I take digestive enzymes and more of those pills. I am also trying Wobenzym now.

Thank you for reading. Please mark helpful if you deem appropriate."

"I am posting this review in several places, for each product mentioned in this review, in hopes that it will reach the people that may be able to benefit from what I have found has helped me.

I decided to post what has been key for me in recovering my digestive health after 5 years of exposure to black mold in an office I was in, and 3 years of treatment to detox the toxins that were circulating through my system under Richie Shoemaker's 7 step protocol for the treatment of mold illness: Enzymes.

First, I realized that I had to have Small Intestine Bacterial Overgrowth, SIBO. I have the symptoms. So I researched what to do about that and and found an nih study that showed that two herbal protocols are as effective if not more effective than the standard extremely expensive antibiotic protocol for the treatment of SIBO. I put myself on one of them, FC Cidal and Dysbiocide, 2 caps twice a day of each. Immediate improvement in my digestion.

However, SIBO almost always comes back after the treatment, usually within 30 days. Why? Along the way of figuring out what to do about the SIBO, I started taking pancreatic enzymes. I had a test that showed I was low on pancreatic enzymes, even though I was taking them at the time. Why? Then I got a recommendation from my Health Coach, who uses a Life Biofeedback machine for energy balancing, that I should take Cholacol. Cholacol is gallbladder bile supplement. It is given to people who have had their gallbladder removed. So, Why? again, in that I have not had my gallbladder removed, but needed the supplement. More on that in a minute. It is not enough for me to just feel better, I have to know why. I will not rest until I figure out the answers.

I found such improvement after starting the pancreatic enzymes and the Cholacol that I started taking Enzymedica Digest Spectrum. More improvement. So then I started researching enzymes in general. I found a book called Enzymes: Go with Your Gut by Karen DeFelice. In it she describes a protocol for taking 10 capsules per day of Enzymedica Extra Strength Enzyme Defense for 30 days to eliminate hidden viruses. I know that I have herpes simplex Type A, and would love to get rid of it, so I figured, What the heck, may as well give the protocol a try and see what happens. I started it two weeks ago. The stuff is awesome. Within 24 hours I was able to start eating things I had not been able to eat in literally years, am sleeping better, pain is almost non-existent. Also, two of my employees are out with a nasty virus, but although I also have the virus that has flattened both of them, I am not sick. I realized when I found out that they were sick that I have that virus, but for me I almost didn't realize that I had it because it has been so mild, just a runny nose for three days, and a slightly enlarged and tender lymph node under my jaw that cleared up in two days. They are both much younger than me (I am 65) and very sick. I'm not.

So back to the puzzles of why SIBO comes back, and why I would need pancreatic enzyme supplements, and supplements of gallbladder bile when I haven't had my gallbladder out. This thought process took me several months this last year. I realized that the pancreas was not getting enzymes into my digestive tract and bile was not getting from the gallbladder to the digestive tract, so, therefore, it was likely that I had something blocking the flow of those products to the small intestine. I also figured out that the reason SIBO comes back is because the bile from the gallbladder controls the growth of bacteria in the small intestine, so without enough bile from the gallbladder, you can treat the SIBO, but it will come back because the bacteria will just grow back again because there isn't enough bile to control it. So finally I scoped out the connections between the liver, gallbladder, pancreas and small intestine, and discovered that stones are produced in the liver, then move to the gallbladder and the pancreas through the common ducts that connect those three organs, and the common duct that allows the pancreatic enzymes and bile from the gallbladder into the small intestine. I also had a dull ache, sometimes sharper, especially if I ate anything with sugar, carbohydrates (which convert to sugar) or fat, in the lower right quadrant of my back. Those are all symptoms, I found out, of gallstones. The allopathic response to gallstones is to yank out the gallbladder. Um, I don't think so. So I researched how to get rid of the stones that had to be blocking all those ducts through which the pancreatic enzymes and gallbladder bile should be flowing into the small intestine. I found Stone Free, and started taking that. That was also a huge help. Within 24 hours the ache in my gallbladder had eased substantially. Now I still have a very light pressure from my gallbladder, which I don't notice unless I think about it. Most people from middle age on will have stones in the gallbladder and that also block those common ducts that enable the bile and pancreatic enzymes to get to the small intestine. So most folks need to get cleaned out. Stone Free will do it.

So for me, it has been the combo of several things.

1. Several different types of Probiotics including Hyperbiotics Pro-15, Perfect Pass and Culturelle.
2. Pancreatic enzymes and Cholacol.
3. FC Cidal and Dysbiocide to eliminate the SIBO. I am in the middle of my third course of it, and both I and my Health Coach dowse that I should continue to stay on it for now, so that tells me that the blockages are still present preventing enough bile from the gallbladder getting into the small intestine, that and the still present light pressure from the gallbladder.
4. Stone Free to eliminate the blockages for enzymes to get to the small intestine, supplementing with the pancreatic enzymes and Cholacol until I get everything flowing the way it should.
5. Enzymedica Digest Spectrum 2 caps taken with each meal.
6. Finally, the addition of the protocol of the Enzymedica Extra Strength Enzyme Defense, 5 caps twice a day on an empty stomach, for 30 days. Actually, I will probably stay on it for longer than that, but I will see what both my own dowsing and the Life Biofeedback machine have to say about that when I reach the end of the 30 days.

that has finally allowed me to eat like a more or less normal human being. I still can't eat dairy products, but am otherwise eating pretty much what I want.

Life is good. Hope that will be true for others that may read this post.

All of the products and the book mentioned here are available from and have been purchased from Amazon."