As Enzymedica’s chief “enzyme expert,” Dave Barton travels the country to train both consumers and employees at natural products stores on the use of enzymes as natural supplements.

While the goal of consumer education has always been a core part of Enzymedica’s belief in increasing awareness of enzymes, it hasn’t always been its own department, and Dave Barton hasn’t always been an enzyme educator.

Barton began his first day at Enzymedica on October 1^st, 2003. Initially working in the shipping department, he was soon invited to move to a position in customer service. In time, he found himself answering more and more technical questions, and eventually, he grew to lead a new “education” department.

Barton says that his favorite part of his job is the opportunity to travel, and he does often, making an average of 16 trips in a year.

Some of his training lectures are open to the general public, and we encourage our readers to subscribe to our monthly newsletter at http://enzym.es/news, to see postings of where he’ll be next.

An avid reader (See What do you study in the Education Department of Enzymedica?), Barton is always looking to increase his understanding of enzymes and how natural products work within the body. He also holds a bachelor’s degree in Holistic Nutrition.

When he’s not reading new literature on the subject of enzymes and natural foods, you can find him playing flag football (he’ll be part of the 2012 Let it Fly Tampa! tournament January 28-29), or spending time with his wife, Kimberlea Barton (Enzymedica’s Brand Manager), and their pet rabbit, Peppermint.

In this blog entry, Enzymedica Educator Dave Barton answers a question he has regularly been asked while on the road working to spread the word about enzymes to consumers and retailers both across the country and internationally. In coming months, we’ll be sharing similar features from the education department and other departments within Enzymedica.

What do you study in the Education Department of Enzymedica?

We’re fortunate in the Education Department when it comes to our own education. Tom Bohager (Enzymedica’s Founder and Operating Chairman) allows us and encourages us to read and research a variety of topics to expand our understanding of natural health. This to me is so much better than focusing exclusively on enzymes. Though it’s extremely important to study enzymes specifically and their activities, most of the research is extremely deep and has little direct application to natural health because the information is so complex.

By reading a variety of topics from various writers both conventional and accepted as well as the unconventional and so-called heretic we see the overall complexity of health and the variety of ideas of how the body works as well as various opinions of the best way to achieve health. I have personally benefited from such study.

By reading a variety I’ve been more easily able to see how enzymes are interconnected in so much of the literature and research even when enzymes are not necessarily given the credit in a specific article.

I’m reading 3 books right now. Eat for Life, Harvey Diamond. The Sinatra Solution, Metabolic Cardiology, Stephen Sinatra, M.D., F.A.C.C. Confessions of a Medical Heretic, Robert Mendelsohn, M.D.

At the core of Enzymedica’s company values is a strong belief in educating our customers about how enzymes function and about what makes our products unique. As part of that vision, Enzymedica routinely sends out educators to teach seminars on enzymes to various health food stores, their employees and often their customers.

Last month, two members of the Enzymedica Education Team hit the road to share their knowledge of enzymes and field a wide variety of questions regarding our products.

Dave Barton, Enzymedica’s Director of Education, traveled to Alberta, Canada, where he taught training sessions over dinner to a group of approximately 40 people, and later, a group of 80 people.

One of the most memorable parts of the trip was Dave’s discovery that the sun didn’t set until nearly 1:00 am, and it started to rise again just before 5:00 am. Coming from Florida, this was a huge change for him.

One of the most common questions that Dave ran into during the training sessions was if it is possible to become addicted or dependent on Enzymes. Dave says, “No. Enzyme supplementation does not control organ function. Enzymes activate on specific substrates of the body (proteins, carbohydrates or fats) and the body adapts to the work that has been accomplished and no dependence is created.”

Also on the road was Hamilton Cabanilla, Enzymedica’s International Educator. Hamilton traveled to Miami, FL, where he worked to train staff from the Navarro Chain of pharmacies. Navarro is the largest Hispanic-owned pharmacy in the United States.

In two days, he completed four training sessions, scattered between small offices, which offered very personalized, one-on-one experiences, as well as a state-of-the-art training room, which he particularly enjoyed.

Hamilton also completed a dinner training for nearly 40 people at Tarrentella Italian restaurant, which provided one of the most memorable sessions of the trip.

Even though the trip was located in the United States, Hamilton’s international expertise became evident, as all of the sessions were taught in Spanish.

One of the most common questions that Hamilton has run into during training sessions is if it is possible to take too many enzymes. The answer to that question, Hamilton says, is no. “The body has over 100 trillion cells that use enzymes. Enzymes are a natural element produced in our bodies, and is not something that is foreign. Because of this, our body knows how to manage them, utilize them, and if necessary, discard them when a use cannot be found.”

Enzymedica has long supported autism awareness.   Enzymedica’s visionary founder, Tom Bohager, recognized the power of education and hope for families facing the autism diagnosis.  His mission was fostered through Enzymedica’s financial support of the nationwide Autism Grass Roots Tour. Bohager’s vision was later fulfilled through the creation of the Autism Hope Alliance foundation.

A key partner of the Autism Hope Alliance is the Autism Treatment Center of America™ (ATCA).  The ATCA offers five day workshops to teach parents coping skills and helpful techniques for dealing with their autistic children.  The educational home of the prestigious Son-Rise Program®, the Center has for the last thirty years helped families worldwide enable their children with autism to far outstrip their original prognoses, leading in some cases to full recovery.

Recently, Tom Bohager, Enzymedica’s founder and Operating Chairman, CEO Scott Sensenbrenner and Dave Barton Enzymedica’s Director of Education were invited to visit the Center in Sheffield, Massachusetts.  Over the course of a weekend they were given opportunity to sit in on group sessions and lectures that inspired hope and a sense of community among family members of autistic children.

Dave Barton

“The visit was a deeply moving experience,” shares Dave Barton, “but what really struck me was the enthusiasm presented by the instructors at the facility.”

Barton detailed his observation of an instructor working one-on-one with an eight year old who had no verbal or visual contact.   “The whole week for this particular boy focused on getting him to make eye contact with the teacher.  By the end of the week, the boy was not only making eye contact, but laughing as well!”

According to Dave, this experience embodies the intent of the Autism Treatment Center of America. A novel approach, the Center’s workshops enable parents to join their autistic children in their own world, rather than asking the child to enter the world of their parents.  The program places parents as key teachers, therapists and directors of their own programs, and utilizes the home as the most nurturing environment in which to help their children.

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