The gut of most disease... NOT what you think!

[The Truth Is In There]

for those who haven't watched it yet, paul posted an excellent interview by dr. mercola and dr. woodrow monte about the dangers and science behind aspartame.

https://projectavalon.net/forum4/show...canned-juices-...

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=MS_gCcevZqY

https://youtube.com/watch?v=MS_gC...layer_embedded

i encourage everyone to watch it. among other things, dr. monte provides information that i haven't heard or read elsewhere yet about the exact metabolism of aspartame, methyl alcohol, formaldehyde and why a small amount of ethyl alcohol daily, which has always been claimed to be healthy, is indeed healthy because it prevents a certain enzyme to metabolize methyl alcohol (by preferentially metabolizing ethyl alcohol first) that may have been ingested (hidden in various foods like canned fruits, smoked foods, foods with artificial sweeteners, etc.). we know that ethyl alcohol is produced by yeasts during anaerobic fermentation such as in kefir (very small amounts), so here we have another reason why consuming kefir on a daily basis is very beneficial.

[Hervé]

Oh, well... propaganda at its utmost:

Kid Suspended, Interrogated by Cop For Healthy Kombucha Drink In Lunch Box

Ignorance, terror, and fear abound in the Public Fool System...

Heather Callaghan, Activist Post

Having worked in a school system, there is an inordinate pressure to see terrorism and drugs behind every tray and box, at least in some districts, and a civic duty to act like a surrogate cop, confiscate and report such acts of terror to the proper authorities. This is so unfortunate because school staff can be some of the kindest, most giving people you've ever met; but the pressure and fear comes from on high.

We see kids' lunches called non-nutritious and replaced with pink-slime nuggets or a child arrested for a plastic knife. Something similar happened this week in Newport, California when the lunch brigade noticed a boy's glass bottle (safely inside a foam sleeve) and confiscated his healthy Kombucha beverage which is comparable to apple cider.

The next day he was required to visit the Vice Principal's office where a uniformed cop was waiting there to give him the third degree. The administration claimed the drink violated the no-drugs-and-alcohol policy. The officer wrongly told the child that Kombucha was illegal and dangerous to mix with medicines or antibiotics - then asked him if and what medications he was taking.

He was interrogated and detained in the office the entire day - all the while without parental notification or representation. It gets worse . . . .

But first . . . Kombucha is nothing more than a fermented tea with benefits of probiotics, enzymes, amino acids, vitamins, and more. Many say it is detoxifying, energizing, and can prevent and help with cancer. It's slightly fizzy, tart and can be fruit flavored and sweet. Many, including more restaurants, enjoy it as a healthy alternative to beer and wine with one missing element - the alcohol!

While it can contain 0.5% ethanol alcohol (classified as non-alcoholic), the alcohol that would be produced gets fermented into acetic acid, which keeps the alcohol down and the healthy benefits up. You may remember the FDA recalling or calling for the removal of Kombucha from store shelves claiming alcohol content. This was a standard FDA M.O. of creating a scare to kick healthy beverage companies in the pocket book and, no doubt, why "Officer Daft" incorrectly claimed it was illegal - Kombucha is back on grocery shelves and can be purchased by any kid in America. You can even make this stuff cheaply at home; an easy recipe appears in Sally Fallon's (Weston A. Price) recipe book Nourishing Traditions.

There seems to be a bias against healthy, fermented products - this brings the war on drugs and schools' no-alcohol policy to an absurd level. Should school officials confiscate apple cider . . . sour kraut . . . yogurt? Someone get Jamie Lee Curtis on the horn! They don't want this kid to have a healthy intestinal tract!*

Continuing - hats off to Sarah from The Healthy Home Economist blog for not only writing the story after the boy's mother contacted her, but for also getting involved and calling the Vice Principal, who acted like nothing at all significant happened. She writes:

Most outrageously, the Vice Principal told the boy that he may have to transfer out of that school and that she was looking into it. She even tried to enroll him in an alcoholics class for teens! The boy ended up spending the entire day in the school office and then was suspended for 5 days for violating the school’s drug and alcohol policy. The issue was also reported to the Newport-Mesa School District. Lest the school or the district deny the child was suspended or try to spin the story, the boy did indeed SIGN a 5 day suspension form.

She notes that he was assumed guilty and punished without anyone testing for actual alcohol content. While the Principal finally retracted the suspension (without an apology), this will never undo the overreaction, emotional upheaval, humiliation, false accusation and mistreatment without parental contact. Plus, since the school quickly reported the incident to Newport-Mesa School District, the buck was passed, which means the parents and child can face further harassment even though the Principal is done with the affair.

Many parents cannot or choose not to have an alternative education lifestyle for their kids, nor should they be forced to. When children are enrolled in the public school system they are sadly, considered human resources.

But, if they are indeed considered wards of the State, then authorities should be held accountable to the fullest extent for children's treatment and safety - the burden of proof and responsibility falls on them and should be adamantly demanded if another educational experience is not possible. Of course, we can expect just the opposite.

Please consider discussing with your child these types of scenarios and what to do, so that they are not knocked off guard by abusive, ignorant authorities without any representation. School officials need to figure out that we care - we are watching, and if they shame the little ones, threaten their well-being and frighten them into oblivion, that we will shine the light on their shame, possibly at the expense of their jobs.

* There is no evidence that Kombucha can harm you while on medications. It is probiotic and at worst, would simply cancel out the effects of antibiotics - that's why doctors say to avoid yogurt while on them, but to eat plenty afterward to restore the healthy gut bacteria destroyed by antibiotics. The Officer had NO business questioning the child about personal medications, especially without a parent present.

Full article: http://www.activistpost.com/2012/10/...y-cop-for.html

[Eram]

My girlfriend and me started with liver flushes some time ago.
You take these every 3th week and one week prior to it, you have to have a week without diary products, which means that you don't drink kefir for a week.
Also, we haven't been able to get our kids to love it, so... we thought about changing to water kefir as an experiment.

Well........ we love it... and out kids too!

we make it with raw cane sugar and one or two figs for taste.

It feels easier to digest as milk kefir and our body agrees with it very much.

Here is an excellent website with lots of information and good recipes for water kefir. Just change the settings to English on the bottom of the page for easy reading

[Dawn]

I just got some information today that is worth passing along. It is from Dr. Mercola's site, however it is not a result of my membership in anything, so I am not violating any agreement by sharing it here. The link below contains an interview about the GAPS diet and a new recipe for creating fermented vegetables to cleanse your body in just 4-5 days. http://articles.mercola.com/sites/ar...1215_DNL_art_1

Here is a quote from this link containing just the recipe:

Although you can use a crock pot, Caroline recommends culturing your veggies directly in the glass Mason jars, which eliminates the need for a crock pot and eliminates a transfer step in the process. This also allows you to make smaller batches, and it eliminates the presence of wild yeasts which can occur when using a crock. These yeasts tend to give the food a cheesy sort of flavor, which many find unpalatable.

Here's a quick summary of Caroline's recipe for how to make your own fermented veggies:

Shred and cut your chosen veggies
Juice some celery. This is used as the brine, as it contains natural sodium and keeps the vegetables anaerobic. This eliminates the need for sea salt, which prevents growth of pathogenic bacteria
Pack the veggies and celery juice along with the inoculants (starter culture, such as kefir grains, whey, or commercial starter powder like our Complete Probiotics, all of which can be used for vegetables) into a 32 ounce wide-mouthed canning jar. A kraut pounder tool can be helpful to pack the jar and eliminate any air pockets. We hope to have our new starter culture which is optimized with strains of bacteria that will make high doses of vitamin K2 sometime in early 2013 assuming our testing goes well.
Top with a cabbage leaf, tucking it down the sides. Make sure the veggies are completely covered with celery juice and that the juice is all the way to the top of the jar to eliminate trapped air
Seal the jar store in a warm, slightly moist place for 24 to 96 hours, depending on the food being cultured. Ideal temperature range is 68-75 degrees Fahrenheit; 85 degrees max. Remember, heat kills the microbes!
When done, store in the refrigerator to slow down the fermentation process

Here are a few of Caroline's suggestion for how to store the jars for optimal fermentation. (Remember, they don't require a heated environment and only need to be kept around 72 degrees):

"Simply put the jars into a [portable] cooler and place the cooler OFF the floor (the floor is usually too cold due to heat rising away from it). Wrap the jars inside the cooler in an old towel and place an additional jar of HOT water into the cooler to make the environment warm. You can replace the hot water jar when you "think" about it - no need to obsess.

You can also place the jars in a casserole dish or baking dish and wrap them in a towel and place them in your oven with the oven heat OFF of course, but switch the oven light on. The heat emitting from the appliance bulb will keep the veggies warm.

Another option is to place as many jars as possible into a dehydrator and set it to the lowest temperature setting, but most dehydrators only accommodate a couple of jars max. It's best to prepare many jars at one time due to the given fact that making veggies is a labor intensive process. I like the cooler or oven incubation processes best. They work well every time."

Last but not least, resist the temptation to eat out of the jar! This can introduce organisms from your mouth into the jar. Instead, always use a clean spoon to take out what you're going to eat, then, making sure the remaining veggies are covered with the brine solution, recap the jar.

[onawah]

Here is the video that came with the article from Dr. Mercola at:
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/ar...1215_DNL_art_1

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=hy87TnyNCPk

Another article that just came to my attention today is from Dr. Sircus, about using baking soda as a medicine.
This is a bit off topic, but it has to do with keeping the body alkaline as a preventative.
Baking soda is most certainly effective as a preventative, but there are precautions to be aware of as well.
See the article at:
http://drsircus.com/medicine/sodium-...-cancer-tumors
Here is a quote:

It is known from pre-clinical studies and mathematical oncology modeling that too much baking soda, and/or baking soda treatment that is continued for too long, will be harmful to normal tissues, especially kidney and bladder tissues. The problem is that the level that is “too much” and the time that is “too long” is unknown, and probably differs for different people (for example, older patients with limited kidney function are likely more sensitive to baking soda treatment). Therefore, there is a real concern that too much baking soda applied for too long may harm a patient.

[Dawn]

In focusing on healing myself by paying attention to my 'gut' and its friendly residents I have come into contact with an amazing modality, dry fasting. I just put up a post with links to information about it here: https://projectavalon.net/forum4/show...l=1#post604402

It is well worth taking some time to both understand and actually do this.

I recently did a 3 day dry fast. I was able to be in a beautiful retreat type setting. I spent some time daily during the fast in a deep Japanese soaking tub. The experience was easy and pleasant. Although I did experience some thirst, it was generally mild and only lasted about 15-30 minutes each time. My results were wonderful and I plan to repeat the process.

[Eram]

Kefir and detoxification... how does it actually work?

about 7 months ago, inspired by this thread... we started to make milk kefir.
After about 2 weeks, my girlfriend began to suspect that she had detoxification symptoms. Loss of hair, swollen legs, feet and hands and discomfort in the gut, to name the most important ones.
She then decided to build it up slowly and eventually this worked for her. At the end, somewhere in September she was able to drink more then a glass full every day and felt great with it.

Now that we switched to waterkefir, she is having the same symptoms all over again.
This is puzzling to us... we don't understand how this is possible, because one should expect that her body was already detoxified from the milk kefir. She switched back to drinking only a little amount a day, but still she doesn't feel all that well.

What's going on here?

I haven't been able to find information about kefir and these kind of symptoms.

Also, the reappearance of these symptoms after switching to waterkefir does create some questions as to what it exactly is that she is reacting to. Are these indeed detoxification symptoms, or is there something else in play?

Our kids and myself react very good to the kefir. Our skin feels wonderful smooth ans silky since we drink it and especially the digestion of the kids has improved.

Any one here who has a clue?

[Shade]

Did you change the type of culture you were using to make the kefir as in the batch? She could be reacting to the new yeasts and bacterias in her system as they establish themselves over the old cultures and her systems become imbalanced in the swap over?
Allergies and immune responses to fungi is common. In the first instance that could have been what she was experiencing.

[Dawn]

WakyTweaky: Now that we switched to waterkefir, she is having the same symptoms all over again.
This is puzzling to us... we don't understand how this is possible, because one should expect that her body was already detoxified from the milk kefir. She switched back to drinking only a little amount a day, but still she doesn't feel all that well.

What's going on here?

It sure sounds like a Herxheimer/detox reaction to me. The toxins that have been caught in our bodies are always a surprise.

Perhaps Shade has a point also....Question... does she have a lot of allergies? If so, this is thought to be due to a weakened immune system. And if so, a 3+ day dry fast or radiation hormesis are the best ways I know to reset your immune system and become free of allergies of all kinds.

[Dawn]

Here's another reason to keep culturing and eating your own kefir- vitamin K2. It is very important for a healthy heart and bones, and most of us are lacking it in our diet.

Dr Mercola: Are You Getting Enough Vitamin K2 to Protect Your Heart?

The optimal amounts of vitamin K2 are still under investigation, but it seems likely that 180 to 200 micrograms of vitamin K2 should be enough to activate your body's K2-dependent proteins to shuttle the calcium where it needs to be, and remove it from the places where it shouldn't.

As I've discussed on numerous occasions, vitamin D is a critical nutrient for optimal health and is best obtained from sun exposure or a safe tanning bed. However, many are taking oral vitamin D, which can actually be problematic unless you're also getting sufficient amounts of vitamin K2. In fact, this is a really crucial point that has not been emphasized enough in the past: If you opt for oral vitamin D, you need to also consume in your food or take supplemental vitamin K2.

Why?

Because when you take vitamin D, your body creates more vitamin K2-dependent proteins — the proteins that help move the calcium around in your body. But you need vitamin K2 to activate those proteins. If they're not activated, the calcium in your body will not be properly distributed and can lead to weaker bones and hardened arteries.

In short, vitamin K2 ensures the calcium is deposited and removed from the appropriate areas. By taking vitamin D, you're creating an increased demand for K2. And vitamin D and K2 work together to strengthen your bones and improve your heart health.

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=-_2prVhp5cU

Article worth reading about kefir's nutritional content, including vitamin K2, calcium, and potassium: http://chriskresser.com/kefir-the-no...aleo-superfood

[Eram]

Posted by Shade (here)
Did you change the type of culture you were using to make the kefir as in the batch? She could be reacting to the new yeasts and bacterias in her system as they establish themselves over the old cultures and her systems become imbalanced in the swap over?
Allergies and immune responses to fungi is common. In the first instance that could have been what she was experiencing.

I'm not sure that I fully understand what you mean if you talk about changing the culture as in the batch.
We switched from milk kefir to water kefir, so there is a switch in culture then.
This new water kefir has never been changed.... it grows of course and we give away what we have extra or we get rid of it.

We had thought about a reaction to the yeast too. This would not be a detoxification reaction then I guess, but a intolerance reaction, which would indeed imply what Dawn points to... that her immune system is weakened.
There are more signs that point to that, so she will certainly look into that.

Posted by Dawn (here)
It sure sounds like a Herxheimer/detox reaction to me. The toxins that have been caught in our bodies are always a surprise.

Perhaps Shade has a point also....Question... does she have a lot of allergies? If so, this is thought to be due to a weakened immune system. And if so, a 3+ day dry fast or radiation hormesis are the best ways I know to reset your immune system and become free of allergies of all kinds.

If it is indeed the Herxheimer/detox reaction, then I do not understand why it happens with the water kefir as well.
I have never found any info that indicated that water kefir gets rid of other toxins, fungi and yeast , parasites etc as milk kefir.
After the reaction to the milk kefir was over, one should expect that there would be no reaction to the water kefir then.

She does indeed has lots of allergies... to dust anyway and it is a big problem for her.
Actually, since she uses the Chi-machine she never had an allergic episode, but it is still in the body probably.
As I mentioned above, there are other signs to a weakened immune system as well, so she will look into your suggestions to the 3+ day dry fast and the radiation therapy. We were reading the thread about the radiation therapy yesterday as it so happens (and we laughed our asses of when reading the comments under the container of radio active material on amazon ).
She is doing liver cleanses too at the moment and these also promise to get rid of all parasites and other misery in the gut.

Earlier in the thread, I talked about us getting started with the Gaps diet, but we never started in the end.
We have 2 children who would benefit dearly from it, but it is so difficult to find a way to keep them away from sweets. Especially the oldest (5 year). He is so hooked on sweets and chocolate that he manipulates his friends at school to donate him large quantities of what their parents give them to school (we don't give him sweets to school). It's just an hurdle we find impossible to take, sad to say.

Thank you both for your input!

[Dawn]

WakyTweaky: Earlier in the thread, I talked about us getting started with the Gaps diet, but we never started in the end.
We have 2 children who would benefit dearly from it, but it is so difficult to find a way to keep them away from sweets. Especially the oldest (5 year). He is so hooked on sweets and chocolate that he manipulates his friends at school to donate him large quantities of what their parents give them to school (we don't give him sweets to school).

My child the evil twin of your son! I sent her to school with healthy food for lunch, and she traded it for all kinds of commercial psuedo-food that the other children brought with them. I didn't realize how bad it was until I accompanied her class on a field trip and watched as she dined on Hostess Ding Dongs for her meal.

Adding kefir to their present diet will do a lot. The real concern with sugar cravings is that they are caused by an overgrowth of candida. When the candida population dies off, the cravings for sugar vanish. I wonder if something as simple as adding Radiation Hormesis water to your family's life would correct this. It is supposed to be especially good at eliminating fungus, which is what candida turns into when it is fully colonizes the body. Well, anyway... it is worth a try.

[Shade]

Posted by Wakytweaky (here)

I'm not sure that I fully understand what you mean if you talk about changing the culture as in the batch.

You are making your own kefir right? So you have a starter culture that you use for it? Did you use the same starter culture for the milk and the water kefir was what I was asking.
It could be a candida infection as well. That can cause swelling. Bakers that work around yeast get horrible infections. When I was younger I has a boyfriend who was a baker and he used to get bad candida infections just from being around it a lot. I have not seen feet like it before or since, thankfully.

[The Truth Is In There]

Posted by Wakytweaky (here)
Kefir and detoxification... how does it actually work?

about 7 months ago, inspired by this thread... we started to make milk kefir.
After about 2 weeks, my girlfriend began to suspect that she had detoxification symptoms. Loss of hair, swollen legs, feet and hands and discomfort in the gut, to name the most important ones.
She then decided to build it up slowly and eventually this worked for her. At the end, somewhere in September she was able to drink more then a glass full every day and felt great with it.

Now that we switched to waterkefir, she is having the same symptoms all over again.
This is puzzling to us... we don't understand how this is possible, because one should expect that her body was already detoxified from the milk kefir. She switched back to drinking only a little amount a day, but still she doesn't feel all that well.

What's going on here?

I haven't been able to find information about kefir and these kind of symptoms.

Also, the reappearance of these symptoms after switching to waterkefir does create some questions as to what it exactly is that she is reacting to. Are these indeed detoxification symptoms, or is there something else in play?

Our kids and myself react very good to the kefir. Our skin feels wonderful smooth ans silky since we drink it and especially the digestion of the kids has improved.

Any one here that has a clue?

may be detox or may be a toxic reaction. some vegan-gone-paleo author of a book a read last year called detoxification a "quasi-mythical state", an excuse vegetarians or vegans often bring up if health deteriorates and they don't want to accept the fact that their diet not good for them.

i'm mentioning this only because it may actually be a sign that she doesn't digest the kefir very well and that the symptoms get less because the body somehow finds a way to deal with the kefir, similar to when somebody who's got celiac disease hasn't eaten wheat in a while and then tries it again. at first the symptoms flare up again and then lessen eventually because the body adapts to the toxic substance...as much as it is possible, anyway.

which blood type is your gf, btw? if she's O or A and you and your kids are B then there's your explanation why she's got problems and you don't, at least as far as milk kefir is concerned. it could be some other substance the kefir itself produces to which she's allergic if it also happens with water kefir.

[Dawn]

WhakyTweaky: about 7 months ago, inspired by this thread... we started to make milk kefir.
After about 2 weeks, my girlfriend began to suspect that she had detoxification symptoms. Loss of hair, swollen legs, feet and hands and discomfort in the gut, to name the most important ones.
She then decided to build it up slowly and eventually this worked for her. At the end, somewhere in September she was able to drink more then a glass full every day and felt great with it.

Now that we switched to waterkefir, she is having the same symptoms all over again.
This is puzzling to us... we don't understand how this is possible, because one should expect that her body was already detoxified from the milk kefir. She switched back to drinking only a little amount a day, but still she doesn't feel all that well.

What's going on here?

I haven't been able to find information about kefir and these kind of symptoms.

The Truth is In There: may be detox or may be a toxic reaction. some vegan-gone-paleo author of a book a read last year called detoxification a "quasi-mythical state", an excuse vegetarians or vegans often bring up if health deteriorates and they don't want to accept the fact that their diet not good for them.

i'm mentioning this only because it may actually be a sign that she doesn't digest the kefir very well and that the symptoms get less because the body somehow finds a way to deal with the kefir, similar to when somebody who's got celiac disease hasn't eaten wheat in a while and then tries it again. at first the symptoms flare up again and then lessen eventually because the body adapts to the toxic substance...as much as it is possible, anyway.

Actually I have heard of all of these symptoms. Healing crisis (Herxheimer Reactions) are VERY common with ingesting kefir. These fermented foods cleanse the liver with the lactic acid they contain, so it is always recommended that you begin s-l-o-w-l-y. In fact, the GAPS book mentioned in the first post of this thread, suggests that everyone start with ONE teaspoon daily and build up. It is said to take 2 years on the GAPS diet to heal this situation in the body! And it somewhat depends on how long you leave your kefirs to ferment because they digest the sugars in their cultures very slowly. If you drink your kefir before it is fully fermented it can be quite sugary... which can play havoc with your body if you have a candida infection.

HOWEVER do NOT forget fermented vegetables! If you have any concerns about allergies to keifer then use LIVING sauerkraut or other LIVING fermented vegetables with every meal. In order to do this you must either be a careful shopper, or ferment these things yourself, because most are sold in stores after being boiled and canned.... which is no help to your body at all (they are dead food at that point). A word of caution: sauerkraut is even MORE cleansing than kefir. Because of this the Dr. McBride recommends starting with kefir for a month or more before adding fermented vegetables into the diet. And, start with VERY tiny amounts of these in order not to trigger a healing crisis you cannot handle.

[kyleannmontana]

I have just gotten a healthy gut pass from my naturopath for the first time in years. I agree that the gut is the source of most modern illnesses. Good luck to everyone who reads this and is inspired to make diet changes.

[Billy]

Noting thread. I will return.

Billyji

[Marianne]

I found a recipe for kefir made with coconut milk. I haven't tried it yet, but plan to. If you don't do dairy, this might be a good alternative.

Here's the link:
http://just-making-noise.blogspot.co...nut-kefir.html

I'd love to hear if anyone else makes it, and how it turns out.

[onawah]

Synchronicity happens! I was just looking at recipes for coconut milk kefir yesterday.
There are some on youtube that also demonstrate how to open the coconuts.
A friend has asked if I would be interested in going in with her on regular orders of green coconuts.
I have been looking for an alternative base to make kefir with since my raw milk source dried up, and coconuts seem like a very good option.
I am a little confused about the recipe I saw, which called for sealing the milk with kefir grains in an airtight lidded mason jar while it ferments, because I thought the culture needed oxygen to proliferate, and that is how I did it with cow's milk.
Maybe I'll try it both ways and see what happens.
I also wasn't clear if the same reusable grains used to make kefir with cow's or goat's milk can be used with coconut milk, but according to one of the sources I saw yesterday, they can.
I don't have the coconuts yet, but I'll let you know when I do, Marianne, and how it turns out.

[onawah]

About fermenting vegetables.
I cannot abide the sourness of saurkraut, though I might try it just for the health benefits.
But what I am wondering is if some of my favorite vegies such as bell peppers, cauliflower and onions could be fermented without using cayenne or anything in the hot pepper family.
I can tolerate garlic, but cayenne, etc. always gives me acid reflux.
Can garlic be used instead?
Thanks.