kefir yoghurt and hep c

[Guest guest]

Kefir Yoghurt Culture and Hepatitis C

A personal view by

Dolan, Author The Hepatitis C Handbook

I have been researching food supplements which offer actual or

claimed benefits to chronic HCV patients for many years. It has been

my experience that there are many supplements both new and old which

offer benefits, sometimes spectacular, if taken sensibly and on an

informed basis. However many of these are only suitable for

particular groups, are expensive and some can cause less well

publicised adverse effects, particularly if taken by the `wrong type'

of patient. There are very few which I feel comfortable recommending

with minimal qualification.

My introduction to Kefir came several years ago following an address

by an eminent hepatitis C specialist to the Mainliners support group

regarding the intricacies of hepatitis C related liver disease. A

lady sitting at the back of the room confidently announced we needn't

worry about all that because she was in possession of a Tibetan

yoghurt culture which would prevent all these unpleasant things

happening to us. Several of us decided to try it. I was supplied with

a jar full of what appeared to be soggy cauliflower heads covered

with milk, accompanied by a list of instructions for use and claimed

benefits.

The basic procedure is to cover the culture with milk (I use either

goats milk or semi skimmed organic) and drain off 24 hours later,

consume the yoghurt and repeat over several weeks at a time. Because

the culture grows, doubling in size roughly every 3 weeks, one can

give the surplus culture to other people who are interested in trying

it.

We quickly noticed that the Kefir was inducing a pronounced sense of

well-being and also promoting a good night of restful sleep. It also

seemed to be countering mood swings and the general sense

of `liverishness' which plague the lives of many people with chronic

HCV. I gave some to Tindall, then the manager of The Gateway

Clinic and well known expert in complementary medicine for HCV and

HIV patients – I was quite pleased to be able to offer him something

that he did not already know about. He pronounced that it was `good

medicine' in his inimitable manner, and started to recommend it to

some of his patients.

While I do not endorse all of the claims made for Kefir, which

include the prevention of primary cancers, I do conclude that this is

a very useful option for patients to consider with a view to

improving general health and emotional well-being. One of the things

that I suspect is happening is that the milk is being `converted' by

the culture into a particularly rich source of amino acids, including

tryptophan, which is known to positively affect mood if there is an

underlying deficiency in patients. The instructions stipulate that

it is not to be used continuously, but for bursts of around 3 weeks

or until a sense of well-being is restored.

Further research revealed that Kefir has been used for centuries,

particularly in the Middle East and Caucasus regions of the world,

there being many recorded instances of its therapeutic value in both

religious and historical texts. For example one story recounts that

in the sixteenth century, King Francois the First of France suffered

from persistent diarrhoea, and after several unsuccessful treatments,

a Turkish doctor was sent in. He brought with him sheep and a secret

recipe for yoghurt. The king was soon cured of his intestinal

infection. In other cases it appears to have become a kind of secret

sacrament in tribal groups, associating its use with longevity and

strength. This long recorded history of use by human beings is one of

the factors which lead me to feel comfortable with recommending this

food for consideration.

Technically Kefir can be described as a refreshing slightly

carbonated and acidic fermented milk. According to Danone, the well

known yoghurt manufacturer, Kefir grains are clusters of micro

organisms held together by a matrix of polysaccharides. The grains

include primarily lactic acid bacteria (lactobacilli, lactococci,

leuconostocs) and yeasts, and include acetic acid bacteria and

possibly other micro organisms. Kefir possesses anti-microbial

activity in vitro against a wide variety of bacteria, and against

some fungi. In a recent study the antagonistic effects of Kefir

against Salmonella were attributed to the complexity and vitality of

the Kefir microflora. Other recent research has suggested that the

culture may help the immune system, increasing interferon levels, B

lymphocytes, and natural killer cells.

The folklore of Kefir enjoys a rich tradition of health claims. In

the former Soviet Union it is used in hospitals and sanatoria for a

variety of conditions, including metabolic disorders,

arteriosclerosis, and allergic disease. It has even been used for

the treatment of tuberculosis, abnormal cell growth, high cholesterol

levels, gastrointestinal and metabolic diseases, hypertension,

ischaemic heart disease and allergy. The mild acid taste and its

characteristic microflora are suspected to facilitate salivation,

enzyme secretion in the stomach and pancreas and improved

peristalsis.

While I do not endorse all of these claims I do suspect that there is

a clear health benefit over health risk for hepatitis C patients. I

regard it as a good secondary approach for most patients, but it is

not a substitute for primary treatments. Recently several patients

taking interferon-based therapy for hepatitis C have said that they

think that Kefir has been a great help to them staying the course.

Qualifications for use

The only contra indications or qualifications I can come up with are:

· Not suitable for patients with a milk allergy; though the use

of goats milk instead of cows milk may overcome this obstruction.

· If you have severe depression (such as suicidal feelings or

isolation) consult a clinical psychiatrist with experience of

hepatitis C.

· Do not mix with prescribed anti depressants – there is a risk

that Kefir could affect your dosage requirements.

· It can increase phlegm, which may not be a good thing for

everybody.

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If you would like to try Kefir then e-mail me on hepchandbook@...

and I will arrange for you to pick some up. Kefir grains can also be

obtained over the net, but costs.

The Hepatitis C Handbook by Dolan and Edited by Iain M Murray-

Lyon MD contains details of this and hundreds of other treatments for

hepatitis C. It can be obtained by calling 0208 986 4854 in the UK or

1-800-337-2665 in America.

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