When faced with an acute injury, one of the most common applications for healing is the RICE protocol: rest, ice, compress and elevate.

Unfortunately, this procedure doesn’t consider the body’s natural inflammatory mechanisms. The inflammatory response is designed to increase the temperature in the injured area, ramping up the body’s natural enzyme activity.

Proteolytic enzymes are manufactured by the body to break down proteins in the bloodstream. Increased enzyme activity, in the presence of heat, enables the removal of proteins which are dead, damaged or do not belong. This removal process is recognized by the body and may be indicated by fever. Removal of such stressors allows the body to transition into recovery.