Kefir: An Elixir of Life

This post is part of my ongoing discussion on digestion.  But in talking about kefir, the benefits of kefir may start with digestion but extend throughout the entire body.  I truly believe that kefir is one of the most beneficial beverages/foods to consume in the diet. 

I'll be focusing on dairy kefir in this post but coconut milk kefir and water kefir are also options, especially for those that do not consume dairy. 

Dairy kefir is a cultured, lacto-fermented beverage/food that is teeming with health benefits. Kefir is rich in beneficial bacteria and yeasts, phosphorus, vitamin K, biotin, folic acid, mineralsand enzymes.  Plus kefir is low in lactose.  Kefir is akin to plain yogurt as they share a somewhat sour taste but kefir contains both beneficial bacteria and yeasts whereas yogurt only contains beneficial bacteria. One of my research articles listed 56 different strains of beneficial organisms and microflora!  Compare that to the yogurt you bought at the grocery store that may contain 3 different strains. 

The beneficial microflora contained in kefir have multiple purposes.  Kefir assists in keeping the digestive tract balanced and healthy.  The digestive tract is home to approximately 400 different species of organisms with a population of about 100 trillion.  Yes, that's 100,000,000,000,000!  Without these microflora, problems arise.  As 70-80% of your immune system is located in your digestive tract, maintaining a proper balance in the gut is vitally important for general health.  Factors negatively affecting digestive health include stress, disease, poor nutrition, toxins, and medications. 

Kefir is gaining popularity in health food stores and there are more brands available than ever before.  Most advertise having 10 different strains of microflora.  I caution you to watch the sugar content in some flavors as it can be quite high.  If you are buying your kefir, I recommend the plain, whole milk version. 

However, if you want more bang for your kefir buck, I recommend making your own.  It's remarkably simple.  I've been making my own for a few years now and am drinking some as I speak!  There are many different tutorials online for guidance or more indepth information. 

Some of the sites I like are:

http://www.culturedfoodlife.com/
www.kefirlady.com
http://www.culturesforhealth.com/ 
http://gnowfglins.com/
http://nourishedkitchen.com/

Because kefir is so easy to make, I recommend making your own as it confers more healthy organism than the store bought versions. Additionally the store bought versions are made differently than homemade versions.  I normally have extra kefir grains available so if you need some, let me know.

4 Ways to a Healthy Gut

Digestive distress is extraordinarily common in the American population.  This distress ranges from indigestion, gas, bloating, to more severe disease states such as Celiac's disease, Ulcerative Colitis, and Crohn's disease.  Regardless of the diagnosis, some tried and true methods exist for restoring balance to the digestive tract.

The "4R" Program is one I have been following for several years now. 

1.  Remove irritants to the digestive tract such as caffeine, alcohol, food allergens, and/or over-the-counter pain relievers.  I use manual muscle testing as well as saliva testing to determine food sensitiviies or allergens.  Or, you can use a rotation diet to help you identify if any foods are making you ill. 

2.  Replace what the body is missing i.e hydrochloric acid from the stomach, pancreatic digestive enzymes, or bile salts from the gall bladder.  When the body is missing these essential elements to digestion, they body cannot digest the food it consumed.  This sets the stage for any number of digestive ailments. 

3.  Reinoculate by re-introducing the beneficial microbes/bacteria into the digestive tract.  These include Lactobacillus, Bifidobacterium, and Saccoromyces boulardii to name a few.   My preference is to use kefir, kombucha, fermented veggies, and/or yogurt as the food sources of these beneficial microbes.  However, when necesssary, I use Standard Process whole food concentrates to re-inoculate the gut. 

4.  Repair the damage to the gastro-intestinal lining.  Inflammation of the digestive tract must be repaired, otherwise the body will never properly heal.  I recommend homemade bone broth, castor oil packs, fermented veggies, cabbage juice, slippery elm, and glutamine to address the inflammation.

My preference is always to use foods as the basis for healing, but at the same time, I regularly use whole food vitamins to facilitate the healing process. 

Jennifer Greenfield D.C.
Raleigh, NC



Raleigh Chiropractor Recommends Castor Oil Packs

One of the most useful home therapies I recommend to patients is the use of castor oil packs. I've read that humankind has been using castor oil packs for about 3000 years. During the Middle Ages, castor oil was known as the Oil of Christ.

 I recommend castor oil packs for their detoxification and anti-inflammatory properties. The packs can be applied to the lower abdomen for assistance with digestive distress (constipation, IBS, chronic indigestion and bloating), menstrual cramps, uterine fibroids, UTI prevention, cystitis, as well as to the breasts and liver. The heat provided by the castor oil pack helps to provide warmth to organs that are over-stimulated. The pack also has strong detoxifcation qualities and has been known to assist with bile flow in the liver and inflammation in organs or joints. I do not recommend using the packs on the head.

To make a castor oil pack, you’ll need a good quality castor oil, a wool flannel, hot water bottle/heating pad, plastic and rags/towels. Most natural food stores sell both the castor oil and wool flannel

First, cut in half a plastic grocery bag and lay flat. Pour or soak the flannel in the castor oil until saturated but do not let it drip. Lay the soaked flannel across the abdomen and place the open plastic bag on top. Next, place a rag or old towel on top and then the hot water bottle/heating pad. Lie still for 45-60 minutes. When finished, remove the flannel and wash the area with a solution of baking soda and water. Beware that castor oil can stain so keep away from clothing.

I generally recommend the castor oil pack every 2-3 days until symptoms improve.

Jennifer Greenfield D.C.

Raleigh Chiropractor Recommends Eating Beets

Beets are a wonderful food not only for general health but especially for liver health. Now that summer is winding down, I’m starting to think of the root vegetables which generally color my plate in the fall and winter. The most common beet available is the red beet, but golden beets are also available.

To get the most out of beets, I recommend eating the red beets. Beets pack a nutritional punch for the liver because they contains phytonutrients called betalains and betaine. The phytonutrients are supportive and protective of the liver and a healthy liver is vital to keep the body fit, trim, and young.

Not only are the beets themselves healthy and tasty but beet greens are fabulous as well. When I grow beets in my garden, I choose varieties that have abundant green leaves on the top.

Since many people are unfamiliar with beets and how to prepare them, I have some website suggestions for more information
• The World’s Healthiest Foods: http://www.whfoods.com/
• Issue 10 (November/December 2009) has a great article called Just Beet It
• One of my favorite blogs has information on roasting beets, http://www.elanaspantry.com/how-to-roast-beets/, plus making beet hummus http://www.elanaspantry.com/beet-hummus/.
• http://sites.google.com/site/spiritualfoodcsa/food-a-pedia/beets

Roasted beets and butternut squash (or sweet potatoes) are a staple in my house during the cooler months of the year. Sauteed beet greens make a tasty side dish to any meal. I also make a beverage called Beet Kvass, which is for the more adventurous beet eaters  Email me at drgreenfield@yahoo.com for more info on the Kvass. The only thing I don’t recommend is eating beets from a can. Canned food has little nutritional value. Fresh is always best.

I was not an adventurous eater as a child or even a young adult. I remember the “yuck factor” when tasting a pickled beet while in my early 20s. But once I taught myself to cook and experimented with vegetables, I learned to love beets and beet greens. I encourage you to give beets a try.

And a final note…if you eat beets, please be mindful that the color of your urine and stool will turn red. So, no, you are not bleeding, it’s a result of the beets!

Happy Eating!

Jennifer Greenfield D.C.

Beets from my garden, 2009

How I eat organic

I’m very proud of how healthy I eat.  It hasn’t always been this way but I’ve evolved to truly appreciate the quality of my food.  I would say at least 95% of my diet is organic.  How do I do that on a budget?  Let me share some of my practices.

First of all I grow as much of my own produce as possible.  During this past winter I had my first cold season garden.  I grew several different types of lettuce, kale, swiss chard, carrots and turnips.  Even though it was a long, cold winter, all I used was 4ml plastic over my containers and I ate fresh food from my back yard all winter long.   I was amazed at how easy it was.  In my opinion, it’s simpler and less work than a warm season garden.  But having said that, I love my summer garden.  I have several types of tomatoes and peppers growing, plus cucumbers, melons, and squash (summer and winter).  By growing my own food, it saves me time and money since I’m not running to the grocery store as frequently. 

I’m also trying to eat food in season and that is produced locally.  This past winter I didn’t eat any fresh tomatoes or zucchini as they weren’t in season.  Food like this has to be trucked in from places like California, Argentina or even China and that just adds to the carbon foot print of the item.  Plus the cost is quite high during the off season.  That said, I do like bananas and avocados and will indulge in them intermittently. 

Many of my patients that do not grow their own produce participate in Community Sponsored Agriculture or CSAs.  You can learn more about them at www.localharvest.org for more info.  Papa Spuds is very popular in the area as well as http://www.theproducebox.com/. 

I buy as many food items as possible in bulk whether from a natural foods store or online.  I buy my beans, nuts, seeds, and grains in bulk and store them in ½ gallon mason jars at home.  I no longer by canned beans as that is significantly more expensive then buying the dry beans.  I keep my eye on sales flyers as well.

As for meat and dairy, I get most of mine from farmers.  There are farmer’s markets all over the Triangle and are a great place to get meat that has been from humanely treated animals without the use of hormones or antibiotics. 

For most of this year, Earthfare has had an email/coupon program that you sign up for and every Wednesday they email you a coupon for an item in the store.  Twice now I’ve gotten a free pound of shrimp.  Organic coffee, ice cream, produce and many others I can’t recall right now have been available free with these coupons.  Go to Earthfare.com to sign up. 

I believe both Whole Foods and Earthfare offer case discounts on items in their stores.  I believe it’s 10% in both stores.  This is another way of buying bulk and making fewer trips to the grocery store!

Lastly, there are coops available to participate in.  At work, we have a coop/buying club that about 7 of us participate in with Frontier Natural Foods Coop and Wilderness Family Naturals.  Check the companies out online to learn how to start your own buying club.  Other opportunities for buying clubs can be found through http://www.montanawheat.com/ and http://www.organicsproutedflour.net/.  I’m constantly looking for more opportunities to pass on to folks.  So, if you know about a buying club/coop opportunity, please let me know at drgreenfield@yahoo.com.  It’s a fantasy of mine to start a non-profit, community owned food coop in the area!

Is Sally Fields Telling the Truth? The truth about Boniva and bone loss

You’ve probably seen the TV commercial with Sally Fields championing Boniva, a medication designed to maintain healthy and strong bones.  However, what’s not conveyed in this and other advertisements for similar medications is that over the long term, these medications damage bones. 

Boniva, like Fosamax is included in a class of drugs called bisphosphonates.  Bisphosphonates prevent the body from breaking down old bone, which is the body’s way of repairing and maintaining bone.  Normally within the human body there are cells that regularly make new bone but also breakdown older bone that is weak.  This is called bone remodeling and is a dynamic process that continues throughout one’s lifespan.  The bisphosphonates interfere with this normal process which eventually results in new bone not being created as it should. 

Research over the past few years is associating “atypical femoral fractures” with long-term use of bisphosphonate drugs.  What this means is that many women who have been taking Fosamax for 4-8 years have been breaking their hips from routine activity and not from trauma.  A study conducted at Columbia University Medical Center discovered that post-menopausal women taking a bisphosphonate drug initially experienced  bone improvements but after 4 years of taking the drug, the improvements disappeared and then regressed.  This trend is even more alarming for women on traditional Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT). 

Osteoporosis and osteopenia are conditions of weakened bones but as recent research has demonstrated, bisphonates are not the long term answer to healthy bones.  Diet and weight bearing exercise continue to be two gold standards of natural treatment to maintain healthy bones.  Let me know if you have questions or need additional information on healthy bones. 

Raleigh Chiropractor discusses the importance of Vitamin D

It’s still winter although spring is coming. Most of us have been indoors all winter with little exposure to the sun. I know I’m starting to feel like a mushroom myself. Because of this, your vitamin D levels may have dropped significantly. I encourage you to get yourself tested as appropriate vitamin D levels are vital for optimal health. Currently there is an epidemic of vitamin D deficiency in the U.S.

Why is vitamin D important? “In a paper published in the August issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Anthony Norman, an international expert on vitamin D, identifies vitamin D's potential for contributions to good health in the adaptive and innate immune systems, the secretion and regulation of insulin by the pancreas, the heart and blood pressure regulation, muscle strength and brain activity.” Healthy vitamin D levels are also associated with decreasing the risk of cancer of all areas of the body, Parkinson’s disease, Autism, and osteoporosis.

Currently the RDA for vitamin D is 400 IU which I believe to be severely inadequate in ensuring healthy vitamin D levels. My research has shown that 2000-5000 IU daily are necessary for most adults to maintain healthy levels. But many people are so vitamin D deficient that they need higher doses for 1-3 months before going on a maintenance dose.

There are many ways to get your vitamin D levels tested but it should be a blood test. You can contact your general practioner to run the test for you but you can also order your own test through www.directlabs.com. The correct test to order is 25(OH)D, also called 25-hydroxyvitamin D, which is the better marker of overall D status. Lastly, http://www.grassrootshealth.net/ is an organization dedicated to eradicating vitamin D deficiency and they are conducting regular research on vitamin D. If you join the group, you will get your vitamin D levels tested and contribute to a greater understanding of vitamin D.

For more information on vitamin D, I recommend you visit the Vitamin D Council at www.vitamindcouncil.org/ and as well as www.mercola.com.

Designed Nutrition for Your Personal Needs

Have you read about certain vitamins or minerals that are good for you but are confused because “what’s good for you” changes all the time? Are you carrying around grocery bags full of vitamins but unsure if they are working for you? I understand your confusion and want to help. I can help you with a personalized health and nutrition program. This program will be custom designed for you.

The whole food vitamin supplements that I use in my office are nature’s own medicine whose purpose is to give your body the nourishment it needs not only to function optimally but also to help your repair and rebuild itself. The body is a self healing organism and is designed to be well! Wellness is our natural state.

How do I know what your body needs? I use a detailed health history form plus I do a comprehensive health exam that incorporates the body’s own neurological reflexes to help me identify your body’s health priorities and needs. These reflexes convey information on energy flow and vitality (or lack) for every organ and function of the body. I am not looking for diseases but functional imbalances that are preventing you from feeling good.

With the information learned from the health exam, I am able to make detailed and specific nutritional recommendations for you. This eliminates confusion surrounding what supplements you should take. I may also ask you to keep a food diary because even the best nutritional program can be derailed with a poor diet.

It’s important to distinguish between “over the counter” vitamins and whole food vitamins. “Over the counter” vitamins are synthetic, dead chemicals created in a lab and are only fractions of the vitamin. Vitamins are living complexes that contain cofactors, enzymes, phytonutrients and mineral activators in them that allow the body to process and use them. Because “over the counter” vitamins are only fractions of vitamins, they lack these synergistic components. Since your body can’t process the fractionated vitamin without the synergistic components, your body has to supply them. This can result in further depleting your body and essentially robbing it of what it needs to function.

It’s important to remember that the body is dynamic and ever changing. Also, as the body is increasingly nourished with improved function, your body’s needs may change. Therefore, it is important to be monitored on a regular basis.

Some suggested reading material for you include

Why Do I Need Whole Food Supplements and

Going Back to the Basics of Human Health.

I have them in my office if you’d like to look at them.

I’d love to help you regain control over your health and feel good about the vitamins and

minerals you are taking. Call the office at 919.845.3280 for more information. Be Well!

Soy is NOT a Health Food!

You may have read about my health journey in previous posts. I continue with that theme as I discuss soy foods today. I was a vegetarian for 13 years and relied heavily on soy foods regularly during that time. I read in all of the health magazines that soy was healthy and the more the better! However, since becoming a health professional, I have learned that soy is not a health food and should be avoided by women, men and children.

Modern process soy has been demonstrated by numerous studies to not only cause thyroid dysfunction, digestive irritation, nutritional deficiencies, reproductive disorders but even heart disease and cancer. Soy blocks the absorption of minerals such as calcium, magnesium, iron, copper and zinc. These foundational minerals are vital to a healthy body.

Soy estrogens, also known as isoflavones were once touted as a miracle food, especially for menopausal women. But isoflavones have repeatedly been demonstrated to depress thyroid function. As little as 38 mg of isoflavones daily (less then one cup of soymilk) can result in hypothyroidism. Symptoms of depressed thyroid function include fatigue, constipation, weight gain and brain fog. Since some food manufacturers make a great profit on the sale of soy milk than dairy milk, it’s no wonder why this information isn’t readily available.

May of the commonly available soy products available today contain soy protein isolate (SPI). This product is produced at very high temperatures using a variety of chemicals, including hexane, a toxic, petroleum derivative. SPI has not been granted “Generally Recognized as Safe” status by the FDA. In addition to the chemical used to extract soybean oil and protein, many toxic substances are formed including nitrates and lysinonalanine (both of which are carcinogenic) aluminum, fluoride compounds, and MSG, which is a neurotoxin.

SPI is the key ingredient in soy infant formula. Infants consuming soy fomula have been found to have pancreatic distress and digestive damage. As those children aged, soy formula consumption has been linked to premature sexual development in girls, twice the risk of developing diabetes, autoimmune thyroid disease, more reproductive difficulties and asthma as adults. The real kicker is that because of the high isoflavone content in soy formula, the average intake of soy formula results in infants receiving the equivalent of 5 birth control pills per day.

Lastly, 90% of the soybeans grown in the United States are genetically modified. Seeds that are genetically modified have viruses injected into them by scientists. Currently the long term effects of this alteration of natural food is unknown. The US population is part of a large science experiment.

One does not have to be consuming soy milk or soy burgers to be exposed to soy. Soybean oil is one of the more common oils used for food production today. You’ll find it in nearly all packaged food products. Worse yet is when the oil is hydrogenated.

My intention with this information is not to alarm you but to provide food for thought (pun intended!). I consumed soy for years before I realized it’s damaging effects. You can make changes too!

More information on soy can be found at:

www.westonaprice.org

www.thewholesoystory.com

http://www.organicconsumers.org/