Q: Does lumbrokinase work like other systemic enzymes (I am thinking here of products like Wobenzym N.) and digest or cleave proteins that are foreign to the body other than fibrin? Also, does lumbrokinase reduce inflammation and modulate the immune system like systemic enzymes? Could lumbrokinase be used as a substi- tute for Wobenzym N? Robert J. A. (Tampa, FL)
A: Lumbrokinase is also a systemic enzyme; however, it is much more specific towards fibrin/fibrinogen. In cardiac and stroke patients, lumbrokinase has been shown to reduce systemic inflammation. If your goal is to treat general systemic inflammation, then Woben- zyme may be a more suitable choice. However, if your goal is to improve the circulation or to treat hypercoagulation issues, then lumbrokinase is a much better enzyme for the job. Bottom line: use the right enzyme for the right conditions.
Q. Our 85-year-old patient has been on 2 Boluoke® tid for a month and we have seen his Fibrinogen go from 301 to 333. He has been more active and has been undergoing Phosphatidyl Choline and Custom Chelation IV therapy bi-weekly. Have you ever seen Fibrinogen go up when a patient is taking that many Boluoke® capsules? Kaity C. NMD (La Jolla, CA)
A: In most cases, Boluoke® should be able to bring down an elevated fibrinogen level within 3-4 weeks at 2 tid dosage. How much a drop would depend on the initial fibrinogen level and how well the systemic inflammation is being treated.The only time fibrinogen would go up when the patient is on a good dose of Boluoke®, is if the systemic inflammation is too overwhelming and out of control (e.g. cancer, etc).
Your patient’s initial fibrinogen level of 300 was in the ideal range and not considered elevated, thus fibrinogen is probably not a good marker to follow. Even though Boluoke® can lower elevated fibrinogen, it does not lower fibrinogen below normal range (an inherent safety characteristic).
Also remember that fibrinogen fluctuates under normal circumstances.The change from 301 to 333 is only about 10%, and is not significant.Thus, it may not be a true change unless you can establish a trend.
In general, you can use fibrinogen or C-RP as a monitoring marker only if they are elevated at the baseline. Otherwise, they would not serve as a good marker.
If fibrinogen and C-RP are normal, then the following tests would be more precise in look- ing at the patient’s coagulation health:
1) You can use tests like Prothrombin Fragment 1+2,Thrombin/Antithrombin Complex, and Alpha-2-Antiplasmin.They are available through Lab Corp or Quest Lab.
2) A functional coagulation test like Sonoclot is also a good option.