Indeed, in almost all living creatures, hemoglobin is encapsulated in red blood cells, which protect the body from the protein’s negative effects (and, in turn, protect hemoglobin from the body’s digestive enzymes). Experts nonetheless believe that hemoglobin-based products can be used to save the lives of trauma patients, as well as to treat patients who object to donated blood on religious grounds (for example, Jehovah’s Witnesses).