The Benefits of Probiotics

[Guest guest]

To get probiotics in your diet and gut Kefir is far superior to almost

anything else going.

 

Mercola is wrong about the type of Kefir that he is pushing though. He

is selling some concoction that isn't " real kefir " it just

approximates kefir's look and taste but is not as beneficial as a

probiotic.

 

Real Kefir is made from " grains " (not cereal grains) which is a

symbiotic mass of yeasts and bacterias that cultures the milk. Real

kefir cannot be mass produced for mass market, but real kefir is

perfect to make at home.

 

Go to our links page and click on the Kefir links. It is the simplest

thing in the world to make-- you just plop the grain in milk and

that's it.

 

Frank

 

 

http://www.mercola.com/2004/sep/29/probiotics_benefits.htm

 

The Benefits of Probiotics

 

 

The human body is made up of an estimated 100 trillion bacterial cells

from at least 500 species, not including viruses and fungi. These

bacterias (probiotics) are referred to as " friendly " bacteria and are

responsible for several important biological functions. Some of these

functions include assisting with digestion, keeping other harmful

bacteria at bay and stimulating the immune system.

 

Researchers are hopeful that probiotics hold the answer to the growing

number of cases of antibiotic resistance and abuse. This has caused

consumers to search for other natural alternatives to treating various

health conditions.

 

Certain studies have proven the many health benefits of probiotics

such as the prevention or control of:

 

* Food and skin allergies in children

* Bacterial vagniosis

* Premature labor in pregnant women

* Inflammatory bowel disease

* Recurrent ear and bladder infections

* Chronic diarrhea

 

Although it's received little recognition by Western medical

professionals, the health benefits of probiotics have been known for

at least 100 years.

 

Probiotics are defined as " live microorganisms which, when

administered in adequate amounts, confer a health benefit on the

host. " Unfortunately, most of the food and supplements being marketed

as probiotics contain little to no health value, according to researchers.

 

There are two reasons for their ineffectiveness. First, they are

present in too small a quantity to offer any health benefits.

Secondly, many of the probiotics haven't undergone proper clinical

testing. Despite this evidence, companies continue to make claims that

their products are effective and consumers continue to believe them.

 

Experts agree that the absence of bacteria in the intestines is

unhealthy. This was apparent in the experiment of laboratory animals

that were raised to be germ-free and were frequently sick, exhibited

grossly underdeveloped immune systems and vulnerable intestinal tracts.

 

To date, one of the most significant benefits of probiotics is its

ability to prevent eczema in babies with an inherited tendency to

develop allergies.

 

New York Times September 14, 2004

 

Dr. Mercola's Comment:

 

It's great news that the benefits of probiotics are being fully

explored, and sought out as an alternative to the antibiotics humans

are increasingly becoming resistant to.

 

Although I am not a big fan of nutritional supplementation the way it

is currently practiced by most natural medicine clinicians, I have

found probiotics (beneficial bacteria) to be an exception.

 

It is the ONLY supplement I recommend for ALL new patients (unless of

course they are already on one). I don't believe that they need to

stay on it the rest of their lives, but one to three months are

usually beneficial until they are able to get their diet improved.

 

Total health begins in the gut so if your GI tract is not in optimal

health, then your overall health will be compromised.

 

I have also learned the value of fermented foods that are loaded with

good bacteria. They give the body similar benefits as consuming a

whole bottle of good bacteria, but at a fraction of the cost. One of

the best ways and least expensive to achieve this would be to obtain

raw milk and convert it to kefir. Kefir is very easy to make. All you

have to do is put one half packet of the kefir start granules in a

quart of raw milk at room temperature and leave it out over night. By

the time you wake up in the morning you will likely have kefir. If it

hasn't obtained the consistency of yogurt you might want to set out a

bit longer and then store it in the fridge.

 

The quart of kefir has far more active bacteria than you can possibly

purchase in any probiotics supplement and it is very economically as

you can reuse the kefir from the original quart of milk about ten

times before you need to start a new culture pack so one starter

package of kefir granules can convert about 50 gallons of milk to kefir.

 

Kefir is one of the secrets of health of the long aged eastern

Europeans and I can guarantee you that they did not use store

purchased pasteurized milk to make their kefir.