I will have to take these questions in stages. I only budgeted a set amount of time to post here. Subgirl~Sorry to hear about your MRSA infection and the need for vancomycin. I have had some experience with MRSA. There is no doubt in my mind that the antibiotics you were given may be what triggered you illness. The proper digestion of our food is dependent not only on pancreatic enzymes, but on sufficient amounts of stomach acid, beneficial bacteria, intrinsic factor etc.

I have found herbs to be very effective in treating MRSA. Here is an article from my regions newspaper on a simple herbal formula I use that has never once not been effective. Mayo Clinic called and asked to study the formula, but I had already agreed to send it to Donna Volk at the University in Arizona. She is one of the leading MRSA researchers in the world. I flew down to watch it being tested in petri dishes against MRSA and MSSA. The kill zone was clear up the side of the petri dish. It was much larger than the kill zone for vancomycin. Plus, it did not damage normal tissue.
*edited because link leads to section that charges for downloads*

I am writing an article at present for the Fibromyalgia Coalition International magazine. The founder, Yvonne Kenney, read our book and is convinced that these missing enzymes are the cause of fibromyalgia. She is a well respected authority on fibromyalgia and has done guest blogs on the Phoenix Rising and ProHealth forums. Her vote of confidence is very meaningful I think. Believe me, she was quite skeptical before she saw the evidence. At her last meeting in Kansas City, she had someone come in and teach everyone how to make kefir, one of the recommended foods in our book.