Healing Properties of Kefir (A-J)

The following items and their potential to be healed or helped with the use of Kefir and or kefir grains / or any byproduct there-of are from a culmination of various sites, including both scientific journals / studies and individual accounts of the beneficial and healing effects kefir has had on them.  A link or several links may be found referencing the original sources of the information provided for each disorder directly under the paragraphs describing any such benefits.  If you have any additional personal accounts of the benefits kefir has had releaving or healing you from a particular disorder that you see here or one that isn't included, please leave a reply at the bottom of the page with your info or link, and I will review it and add it to the page where relevant.

Absorption & Assimilation
Acid Reflux
Acne
ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder)
Aging
Alcohol
Allergies
Anemia
Antibacterial & Antifungal Properties
Antimicrobial
Anti-Oxidants
Arthritis & Rheumatism
Asthma
Babies
Bad Breath
Biliary tract diseases
Blood Lipid Levels
Blood Sugar
Blood Vessels & Blood Pressure
Body Functions
Brain Reflexes, Memory, Attention,Senses
Bronchitis
Bruises
Calcination of blood vessels
Calcium Deficient
Cancer
Candidasis
Catarrh (Cystic Catarrh)
Chemical antibiotics
Cholesterol
Chronic Enteritis
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
Chronic Intestinal Infections
Colitis
Colon Cancer
Complete Protein
Constipation
Cramps
Depression
Detoxification
Diabetes
Diarrhea
Digestion
Duodenum
Eczema
Elderly
Energy
Flatulence
Gallbladder (Gall stones)
Gout
Gum Disease
Hair
Heart & Blood Circulatory Conditions
Heavy Metals
Hepatitis
Herpes
High Blood Pressure
Hypertension
Immune System
Inflammatory Diseases
Irritable Bowel Syndrome

Absorption & Assimilation
An excerpt from the worlds healthiest foods:
Fermented Foods – Lacto-fermented foods have been around for a very long time. Common in Korean, Chinese, Japanese, and North and Central European cuisine, fermentation has been used to enhance the flavor of food, create food, and help food having a longer shelf life. Fermented foods are delicious and nutritious. These traditional foods are key to our health.

Fermentation allows the bacteria, yeasts and molds to “predigest” and therefore break down the carbohydrates, fats, and proteins to create probiotics which offer friendly bacteria into the digestive tract. This helps keep our immune system strong and supports overall digestive health.
Keep your digestive flora healthy and strong by regularly eating fermented foods.

Fermented foods are enzyme rich foods that are alive with micro-organisms. These foods allow beneficial microflora to “colonize” in the intestines (and for moms-to-be, also in the birth canal). This “inner ecosystem” helps support our health and fight infection. A healthy gastrointestinal tract is critical to a strong immune system. Diets rich in fermented foods, as well as fruits and vegetables, are best for us to in order to maintain a strong healthy body.

Fermented foods aid in digestion, promote healthy flora in the digestive tract, produce beneficial enzymes, offer better nutrition and allow the body to absorb vitamins (in particular C, and B12), minerals, nutritional value and omega 3s more effectively from foods. They regulate the level of acidity in the digestive tract and act as anti-oxidants. Fermented foods contain the same isothiocyanates found in cruciferous vegetables and therefore fight and prevent cancer.

Many fermented foods on the market today are not true fermented foods because they are created to maximize profits and shelf life instead of health. They are not as beneficial. It’s important that we eat foods that are fermented with “Active” or “Live” Cultures.

Pasteurization kills off the living bacteria so look for unpasteurized and fresh fermented foods (in the grocery refrigerator section). Since fermentation is a way to keep the living enzymes alive, it goes against the theory to use pasteurized (or dead) milk, for example, but you can make yogurt and kefir with pasteurized milk, it just won’t be as robust and beneficial.

Fermented Foods include: Acidophilus milk, amasake, beer, bleu cheese, chocolate, cider, coffee, cultured vegetables, kefir, kimchi, kombucha, marinated artichokes, miso, olives, pickles, saurkraut, soy sauce, tea, tempeh, umeboshi plums, vinegar, yogurt.
http://davidbozek.net/2010/07/16/top-10-healthiest-superfoods-you-need-for-extreme-health-and-longevity/

Another great read concerning the health benefits associated with consuming milk for both a pregnant organism and the offspring thereof HERE.

Acid Reflux
Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is a condition in which the stomach contents (food or liquid) leak backwards from the stomach into the esophagus (the tube from the mouth to the stomach). This action can irritate the esophagus, causing heartburn and other symptoms.

Due to kefirs natural ability to aid in digestion, the microbes work to lessen the stress created on the body's system by overloading it with various foods. Over a period of time, with improper eating habits, the bacteria that should be hard at work inside of the human intestines are either in low counts or dominated by microbes that exist from the presence of hard to digest foods. The beneficial bacteria meant to help the body digest and eliminate the broken down elements from the whole foods consumed, can be absent causing an increase in internal fermentation of foods. When foods are allowed to ferment inside the body, usually caused by overeating and or eating foods in an improper order in specific quantities, internal fermentation occurs and can poison the bloodstream (Causing fatigue and other symptoms). When kefir is consumed on a regular basis, the foods are more easily assimilated and transported through the system as the plethora of beneficial microorganisms work hard to digest the nutrients provided. In return, a build-up of undigested fermenting foods can be avoided, lessening or completely stopping the effects of acid reflux.

Red cabbage juiced in a blender will also cure acid reflux in a very short period of time if consumed on a daily basis. Kefir grains / liquid whey produced by the process of fermentation through kefir making, may be used to create sauerkraut using cabbage to aid in the digestion of food and help to prevent or cure acid reflux.
http://www.growyouthful.com/comment-ailment-remedy.php?ailmentNo=9&remedyNo=51
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0001311/

Acne
According to a paper located HERE, recommendations include consuming 1 litre of kefir daily for the treatment of acne and eczema.  In addition to oral consumption, sufferers should rub kefir topically onto infected area.  A hard crust will form upon drying.  Leave this crust all night and clean the following morning.  Even cases of severa eczema will be healed in 4 days following this regime.
Instead of treating acne externally, kefir works internally to stop acne from happening by the work of friendly bacteria in the intestines.

Kefir's ample supply of phosphorus, the second most abundant mineral in our bodies, helps utilize carbohydrates, fats, and proteins for cell growth, maintenance and energy.

Kefir is rich in Vitamin B12, B1, and Vitamin K. It is an excellent source of biotin, a B Vitamin which aids the body's assimilation of other B Vitamins, such as folic acid, pantothenic acid, and B12. The numerous benefits of maintaining adequate B vitamin intake range from regulation of the kidneys, liver and nervous system to helping relieve skin disorders, boost energy and promote longevity.
http://www.acne.org/messageboard/KEFIR-t189370.html

The following site, located HERE, suggests mixing EFA's, or Essential Fatty Acids, fish oil and Coconut oil with your kefir for healthier skin. The writer of this site recommends mixing all the ingredients into the kefir while waiting to add the coconut oil last. Coconut oil as you know is solid at room temperature. Coconut oil is a healthy saturated fat (Does not spoil easily as there are no open areas for oxidation to occur) that will solidify into clumps if added to cold or chilled kefir. It may be easier to melt the coconut oil then mix it into the kefir with the other ingredients that are at room temperature and drink immediately. This writer also recommends consuming 1/2 to 3/4 cup of this kefir mixture for the direct cure of acne daily. They personally consume their mixture during lunch and sometimes as a snack.
http://howtoclearyouracne.com/main/archives/1118

ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder)
A story of a father and son who were both diagnosed with ADHD and placed on precription drugs "5 mg. Dexedrine spansules 2 x day". After reading and searching for alternative non-drug related "cures", they made some changes to their regime. "We take 2 capsules of (synergistic, naturally occurring probiotic complex) Kefir Caucasicum and 1 additional capsule of acidophilis (until we get the "good flora" overpowering the "bad bacteria." At the time of this post, they had already reduced their precription medication and were on their way to completely eliminating any such drugs from their daily regime.  Read their full story found HERE.

Aging (Anti-Aging)
Great .pdf article / study on effects of intestinal immunity and aging in young and old rats from probiotic use found HERE.
The adjuvant effect of kefir fermented milk on the mucosal and systemic immune systems was examined in young (6 mo old) and old (26 mo old) rats. Kefir-fed rats consisted of young or old rats consuming kefir-fermented milk ad libitum on a daily basis in addition to the standard diet, for 28 d. Control rats consumed only the standard diet. The rats were immunized intraduodenally with cholera toxin (CT) on d 7 and 21 and killed on d 28. The nonspecific serum immunoglobulin (Ig)A titers in kefir-fed and control rats did not differ in either age group. The serum anti-CT IgA antibody concentrations were significantly higher in the kefir-fed young rats compared with their age-matched controls (+86%, P ≤ 0.05). This difference was associated with enhanced in vitro antibody secretion by cultured lymphocytes isolated from the Peyer’s patches and the intestinal lamina propria (+180%, P ≤ 0.05). These enhanced responses were found only in the young rats. However, the nonspecific serum IgG titer was higher (>120%, P ≤ 0.05) and the anti-CT IgG titer was lower (-80%, P ≤ 0.05), in both young and old kefir-fed rats compared with their respective controls. Nevertheless, these results demonstrate that a kefir-supplemented diet affects the intestinal mucosal and systemic immune responses to intraduodenal CT differently in young and old rats. Most importantly, our data suggest that orally administered kefir enhances the specific intestinal mucosal immune response against CT in young adult, but not in senescent rats.
http://jn.nutrition.org/content/131/3/807.full

Consuming kefir increases the amount of saliva present in the mouth when consuming food. This saliva contains elements that increase the ability and rate in which your body can break down food. As food is better broken down on the way to and while in the stomach, its more easily digested. This leads to better gastrointestinal health, which invariably leads to a longer life. In addition, kefir is known to alter the pH of the colon by production of lactic acid. This helps to inhibit the growth of tumor related bacteria and prevents the development of cancer, also extending your life.
http://hubpages.com/hub/Kefir

Also, check out the following links for the benefits of fasting along with regular kefir consumption to slow the aging process and extend ones life HERE.


Alcohol (Hangovers)
Young Coconut Kefir is a fermented drink made from the water inside young green coconuts. Full of healthy bacteria (microflora), it benefits your stomach, liver and intestines. With many healing properties, it is a smart choice when you wake up with a hangover. In fact, some of our customers tell us they have Young Coconut Kefir before they have a glass of wine - to counteract the negative effects of alcohol. Another customer wrote to tell us she dilutes her occasional glass of wine with Young Coconut Kefir because she loves the taste. She's definitely noticed that this has eliminated the wine's negative side effects.

It's not just alcohol that creates symptoms of intoxication in your body. Candida -- a systemic yeast/fungal infection that Body Ecology has specialized in for years - creates similar symptoms. Candida floods your body with a toxic by-product called acetaldehyde. Acetaldehyde produces similar symptoms to an alcohol hangover.

This serious toxin poisons tissues, is not easily eliminated and accumulates in your brain, spinal cord and muscles. Keeping in mind that your heart and intestines are muscles, you may now understand why you have symptoms of brain fog, muscle weakness and even pain.

Interestingly, alcoholics often have candida that has spread to their liver. If they try to give up alcohol without understanding how to cope with these cravings, it can be challenging.

Since Young Coconut Kefir can stop cravings for sugar and alcohol, it can be especially healing for alcoholics (who instead usually turn to heavy use of sugar and cigarettes -- poor alternatives.)

Young Coconut Kefir provides the defense your body needs to fight the symptoms of a hangover - and the systemic fungal infection caused by candida.
http://bodyecology.com/articles/unknown_hangover_cure.php

Allergies
Consumption of milk kefir and soymilk kefir suppressed the IgE and IgG1 responses and altered the intestinal microflora in our supplemented group, suggesting that milk kefir and soymilk kefir may be considered among the more promising food components in terms of preventing food allergy and enhancement of mucosal resistance to gastrointestinal pathogen infection.
http://www.allergizer.com/50226711/kefir_may_help_prevent_allergies.php

Anemia
Anemia is a condition in which the body does not have enough healthy red blood cells. Red blood cells provide oxygen to body tissues. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0001586/

Antibacterial & Anti Fungal Properties

Antimicrobial Effects
A group of Wistar rats were inoculated with Staphylococcus aureus (Most common cause of Staph infection) and induced with skin legions. Candida albicans (A diploid fungus, which is opportunistic by nature for oral and genital infections in humans, a common cause of morbidity in patients with an immunocompromised system.) Commonly, those undergoing organ or bone marrow transplants, AIDS patients and those under chemo therapy. This makes any patient in the intensive care unit at a hospital a major concern for public health. Alternative antimicrobials were also tested to compare to any healing effects kefir may have against current methods for the same infections. Testing was done by cicatrizing experiments, which simply means by healing the rats with the development of scar tissue.

A topical gel was applied containing 70% kefir and kefiran (insoluble polysaccharide). Both kefir and kefiran showed activity against all organisms it came into contact with. Of all the organisms it had an effect on, Streptococcus pyogenes (An infection usually starting in the throat or on the skin, may be very mild to life-threatening in nature. Common results of its growth on the body include pharyngitis or strep throat and impetigo, a localized skin infection) was effected the most.

Over a 7 day period, the protective effect had taken place on the connective skin tissue where the kefir, kefiran gel had been applied. Wound healing had also taken place (cicatrizing), where the infections had originally been located on the rats. This was in comparison with 5mg/kg of neomycin–clostebol emulsion.
http://www.ijaaonline.com/article/S0924-8579(05)00054-3/abstract
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Candida_albicans
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Streptococcus_pyogenes 

In another study testing the antimicrobial effects of kefir, the drink proved to once again overpower several food borne illness related microbes. Tested were the following: Staphylococcus aureus (Most common cause of Staph infection), Bacillus cereus (Responsible for 2-5% of food borne illnesses, resulting in diarrhea, vomiting and severe nausea). Salmonella enteritidis (Food poisoning causing diarrhea in healthy individuals, but potentially life threatening sickness for the young and elderly, or those with compromised immune systems.) Listeria monocytogenes (20-30% of infections caused by this facultative anaerobe result in death, responsible for approx. 2,500 illnesses and 500 deaths in USA annually. Known to frequently cause meningitis in newborns it is the leading cause of death of all food borne pathogens). Escherichia coli (Otherwise known as E. Coli, is commonly found in the lower intestines of warm blooded organisms, are generally of no cause for concern in humans. The one strand known for food recalls and serious sickness is serotype O157:H7).

The method of testing was disk diffusion or Kirby-Bauer antibiotic testing, which is a test using antibiotic-impregnated wafers to see if certain bacteria are susceptible to specific antibiotics. A specified amount of bacteria are grown on agar plates with thin wafers containing antibiotics. A clearing will form around the wafer where bacteria cant grow if they are susceptible (zone of inhibition).

At storage of 4 degrees C, antimicrobial effects were seen on all pathogenic microbes. Matching room temperature effects from 24 and 48 hours, similar effects were seen on the 1st, 4th and 7th days at 4 degrees C. The largest inhibitory effects were seen with S. aureus, with diameter zones of 21.4 and 21.1 mm. During this storage period however, the effects seemed to decrease or do nothing except for Salmonella enteritidis, in which effects of kefir increased over this particular organism.
http://tmc.dergisi.org/pdf/pdf_TMC_279.pdf
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bacillus_cereus
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salmonella
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Listeria_monocytogenes
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Escherichia_coli
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kirby-Bauer_antibiotic_testing 

Anti-Oxidants
This study was aimed at evaluating the antimutagenic and antioxidant properties of milk-kefir and soymilk-kefir. Such antimutagenic activity was determined by means of the Salmonella mutagenicity assay, whereas the antioxidant properties of kefir were evaluated by assessing the 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical-scavenging activity, lipid peroxidation inhibition activity, ferrous ion chelating ability, reducing power, and antioxidative enzyme activity. Both milk-kefir and soymilk-kefir demonstrated significantly greater antimutagenic activity than milk and soymilk. Milk-kefir and soymilk-kefir also displayed significantly greater scavenging activity upon DPPH radicals, an inhibition effect upon linoleic acid peroxidation, and more substantial reducing power but displayed a reduced glutathione peroxidase activity than was the case for milk and soymilk. Milk and soymilk fermented by kefir grains did not alter the ferrous ion chelating ability and superoxide dismutase activity of the original materials. These findings have demonstrated that milk-kefir and soymilk-kefir possess significant antimutagenic and antioxidant activity and suggest that milk-kefir and soymilk-kefir may be considered among the more promising food components in terms of preventing mutagenic and oxidative damage.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15796581

Its believed that the long life and health demonstrated by the natives of the Northern Caucasus where kefir grains were used daily are attributed to the antioxidants found in kefir grains. The antioxidants present in kefir seem to protect the cells from damage (Free radical damage) and aging.
http://www.nourishkefir.co.uk/about.aspx

The aim of this study was to investigate the bacterial inhibition and antioxidant activity of 24 and 48 h of rice milk-kefir and cow milk-kefir. Bacterial inhibition activity of kefir was investigated against Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtillis, Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas fluorescens by using the disk diffusion method. Kefir showed some activity against all organisms tested. Antioxidant activity of kefir was measured using three different methods: DPPH radical scavenging activity of extracts, lipid peroxidation assay and hydroxyl radical scavenging activity. As a standard BHA (Butylated hydroxyanisole) was used. Rice milk-kefir was displayed significantly greater of antioxidant activity. These findings have suggested that rice milk-kefir may be considered among the more promising food components in term of preventing oxidative damage.
http://scialert.net/fulltext/?doi=biotech.2010.332.337&org=11 

Arthritis & Rheumatism
Try consuming a Kefir + Cinnamon Infusion for arthritis relief.  A combination of cinnamon and honey are known to offer relief and remove pain from 1-4 weeks.

Asthma

Blood Vessels & Blood Pressure
According to a paper located HERE, recommendations include consuming 1 litre of kefir daily for 2 months. After 2 months time, blood pressure should stabilize and read as normal. To heal decomposition of the blood, 1 litre daily should be followed, and 2 litres daily for severe cases.
Try consuming a Kefir + Cinnamon Infusion for it's anti blood clotting properties
Try consuming a Kefir + Nutmeg Infusion for it's ability to help lower blood pressure

Brain Reflexes, Memory, Attention,Senses
Try consuming a Kefir + Cinnamon Infusion to help boost memory and cognitive function.  The very smell of cinnamon will help the brain to achieve these changes.

Cancer
Try consuming a Kefir + Cinnamon Infusion to reduce the proliferation of lymphoma and leukemia cancer cells

Catarrh (Cystic Catarrh)
According to a paper located HERE, recommendations include consuming 1 litre of kefir per day as long as required. 1/2 a litre a day will regulate blood pressure and normalize body weight.

Cholesterol
Try consuming a Kefir + Cinnamon Infusion to help lower your LDL cholesterol

A study conducted on fecal plasma levels in individuals consuming kefir (Although source & type of kefir is not described in the study), found that after 4 weeks of supplementation with kefir that the plasma levels in the 7 individuals participating in the study, that didn't lower significantly to be used as a cholesterol lowering agent in and of itself.  The kefir used in the study was not identified as being store bough liquid or powder, or real kefir.  Without this missing piece to the puzzle, we cant conclude anything beyond the probability that like the subjects receiving a mixture of powdered milk, skim milk and whole milk, that those receiving kefir, received a very calculated type in the form of a store bought powder or liquid.  It's highly probable that a powder form was used in the study, which isn't the same a real kefir grains, but would be much easier to study in a lab as over a 4 week period, the bacteria contained in the samples could be tightly controlled, where as real kefir grains contain far too many variables of probiotic numbers, depending greatly on the length of the fermentation and the type of milk used.
http://www.biomedcentral.com/1472-6882/2/1/

Diabetes
Here is a website dedicated to the cure for Type 2 Diabetes. This gentleman will be experimenting with the addition of kefir in his daily regime. One thing he has discovered to have the greatest impact on lowering his blood sugar has been a low carbohydrate diet. As carbohydrates cause an insulin spike, avoiding these things along with any processed fats will greatly improve your overall blood sugar readings. This person also includes in his regime a series of exercises. Of greatest impact thus far has been the introduction of overhead dumbbell presses and squats. The squats seem to have been making the greatest impact on his blood sugar readings. They seem to have an effect on lowering his sugar even 24 hours after working out. He chooses to do these exercises on most days. Once his kefir grains are starting to produce good curd and whey separation, any effect they have will be noted and posted here on this site.
http://diabetescureorcontrol.blogspot.com/
Try consuming a Kefir + Cinnamon Infusion to help regulate your blood sugar.

Diarrhea
Try consuming a Kefir + Nutmeg Infusion for it's ability prevent stomach aches and stop diarrhea
If you have eaten a food combination that causes diarrhea in a short period of time, you have two options.  You can try to immediately consume a small amount of 48 hour kefir mixed with nutmeg (4-6 oz), knowing that the diarrhea will continue for a while, or wait until it has settled down.  It's not a bad idea to consume a small amount while you are experiencing the discomfort, but know it will help to flush out the bad bacteria rather quickly.
When you have diarrhea from dehydration, you will crave fluid.  Only when this happens should you consume water.  If your diarrhea isn't dehydration related, and you consume large amounts of water between bowel movements, your simply adding to the problem.  Your small and large intestines for one reason or another are not properly absorbing the water from what your have drank or eaten, and instead this fluid is entering the colon, where is is uncomfortably expelled.  At this point, STOP drink or eating anything (Real ginger ale (small amount) exception).  Once you stop putting things into your system, the fluid will leave through urination and the rest expelled.  In just a short period fasting will recover you completely.

Gallbladder (Gall stones)
According to a paper located HERE, recommendations include consuming 1 litre of kefir daily to heal gall problems.  It mentions that milk and cream however can be deleterious and cause attacks, while the kefir product will eliminate the problem.

Heart & Blood Circulatory Conditions
Try consuming a Kefir + Nutmeg Infusion for it's ability to stimulate the cardiovascular system and increase circulation
Hepatitis
According to a paper located HERE, recommendations of consuming 1 litre of 12 hour long fermented kefir until bowel movements have normalised, then continue consuming a 24 hour long fermented kefir daily.

Inflammatory Diseases
Try consuming a Kefir + Nutmeg Infusion for their individual and combined anti inflammatory effects