Papaya Enzymes?

Hi everyone,

Does anyone know anything about using papaya enzymes to help with equilization? My instructor mentioned something about them in class and I totally missed it. I would just call and ask her but she's off on a nice live aboard and unreachable.

Thanks!

This question has come up a couple of times in the past month or two. Larry Stein, the resident dental authority, has expressed skepticism about this in a couple of threads, including this one:

http://www.scubaboard.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=29092

Having dealt with fairly regular issues with sinuses and ear clearing as a freediver and occasional scuba diver, I tried one product (Clear-Ease) that contains papaya and pineapple enzymes. After giving it a fair tryout, I have to admit that I could perceive no difference between when I used it and I didn't. Based in part on Larry's concerns about the potential effects on the tissues of the mouth (it's chemically similar to meat tenderizer), I discontinued using it.

I've found that the biggest aid to having clear sinuses and being able to equalize for me personally has been to rinse saltwater through my nasal passages daily. There are different ways to do this with squeeze bottles or special pots.

A lot of my friends get help from steroid sprays such as Flonase, Nasonex or Nasarel. These all require prescriptions. I tried this but had to discontinue it because it was causing thinning of my nasal tissues and potentially could have led to bleeding. Allergies can also cause difficulties with sinuses and equalizing.

The only medication I've found that has made a big difference to me personally is Afrin, a spray decongestant, used a half hour or so before diving. You have to be very careful with this, though; it shouldn't be used more than three days running, has a rebound effect and can lead to habituation. If it wears off during a dive you can get a reverse squeeze upon ascent.

Also, remember to be very gentle when attempting to equalize. "Clear early and often" is the mantra; don't wait until your ears feel pressured as you descend. Trying to equalize forcefully can cause serious, permanent damage (I have one friend who became deaf in one ear when he blew out a fragile ear structure called the round window while trying to equalize vigorously about 10 years ago).

Finally, if you have issues with your ears on a regular basis, you ought to see an ear-nose-throat doctor. What works for one person often won't work for another.

I'm not a medical professional, just another diver, so I'm just sharing my personal experience for informational purposes. Good luck!

That's quite an absurd deduction really, that papaya can help with equalisation. Perhaps it's the idea that something is helping, and sub-consciously, it works.

It's almost as absurd as the rumour that papaya or papaya soup actually enlarges the female breast size! Oh come on, I'm sure you've heard that before, right?

Maybe I'll try bananas the next time I go diving, or should I try watermelon? Maybe it'll help my buoyancy.

Just my 2 cents... I may be wrong... Better head out to the market for some papayas, just in case...

That’s just a myth about watermelon since everyone knows they improve one’s trim, not buoyancy control. Papaya certainly makes for a yummy smoothie, but what really works is a rabbit’s foot and a lucky penny.

bakpakka once bubbled...
That's quite an absurd deduction really, that papaya can help with equalisation.

Click to expand...

Well, I don't know that it's completely absurd, the question is just whether it works. Papaya contains an enzyme called papain. Pineaple contains an enzyme called bromelain. Both of these are thought to act as anti-inflammatories.

The problem is that they are broken down in the stomach, which would prevent the beneficial effect. The maker of Clear-Ease gets around this by formulating it as a dissolvable tablet which is supposed to be held in the mouth. The idea is that the active ingredient is absorbed through the membranes in the mouth.

Sounds good in principle but, as I noted, I tried it for a while and couldn't detect a difference. Also, Dr. Stein noted the fact that the studies cited by the Clear-Ease maker tend to be two to three decades old. I'd be interested to hear if anyone feels that this makes a definite difference for them, though.

H2OHead once bubbled...
Papaya certainly makes for a yummy smoothie, but what really works is a rabbit’s foot and a lucky penny.

Click to expand...

Well, dunno abt a rabbit's foot, but in all honesty, my instructor told me that improved equalisation comes with more practice. He did say that there are some tissues near / in the ear that harden after a fair number of dives which make it easier.

I had problems on my 3rd dive, but since then, have been alright. Went down to 30m already too.