Kefir for the Millennium?
One of the smallest slabs at Westminster Abbey bears the most fascinating inscription:
Thomas Parr of ye country of Salopp,
born 1438 A.D lived in ye reigns of ten kings,
Edward IV, Edward V, Richard III,
Henry VII, Henry VIII, Edward VI,
Mary, Elizabeth, James I, Charles I,
buried here November 1635, aged 152 years.
The secret of Thomas Parr's old age
The parish register of Thomas Parr’s native village proves that fact. Legal documents show that he inherited a small dairy farm in 1560, and married three years later aged 80. He married his second wife aged 122. When he was over the age of 130, court documents show that he pleaded guilty to the charge of being the father to an illegitimate child.
Thomas’s age attracted the attention of King Charles, who wished to investigate the secret of his old age. Investigations showed that besides living a simple farmers life he had a cloth of “cheese” that, when placed in milk, turned it sour and made it drinkable for many days. Thomas’s last few weeks were spent at the palace. His marvellous memory and wits made him an unmatched entertainer.
After his death, King Charles ordered an autopsy and it showed the cause of death was brought on by unaccustomed luxuries and indulgences. However, the old mans organs were found to be in perfect condition, the colon resembled that of a child’s.
What modern research shows
Modern research shows that Nomadic tribes, Bulgarians, Turks, Arabs, Jews, Russians and some Northern Indian tribes, people who are “addicted” to the use of fermented milk, produce more centenarians than any modern Western civilizations.
So is it possible, that the consumption of Kefir holds the key for a healthy, long and good life, free of the maladies of our time? Can it be that it has a future in the holistic treatment of long standing chronic complaints, seemingly unrelated to digestive disorders, prevent senility, relieve back pain, improve the sense organs? Is it a miracle cure at all?
Dr. Bernard Jensen put his life into the research of health, visited 50 countries to study people’s life styles and diets, studied long-lived people, met with masters and gurus. Eventually arriving at the conclusion that the colon dominates the general health and well-being of people. We are generally unaware of the condition of our intestinal tracts. An alarming report was given by Dr. Harvey W Kellogg. “Of all the 22,000 operations I have performed I have never found a single normal colon” Dr. Kellogg performed an experiment where he immersed a piece of raw meat in fermented milk, which was changed regularly. The meat remained perfectly free of decomposition for some 20 years.
If we introduced Kefir to our system, we introduce friendly acid loving bacteria. An acid bowel environment is the best defense against unfriendly bacteria. Dr. Jensen said, “This bowel condition is the one from which man’s greatest health can be obtained.”
The food for the new millennium
So could Kefir be the answer for the new millennium? As a preservative it not only preserves milk, but when made, can it also be used as a preservative base for other foods we want to preserve? Did it not preserve the organs of Thomas Parr?
Kefir the 'Gift of Goodlife'
Not only a preservative but also an immune system builder.
Kefir is and will be the food for the new millennium, and as its uses are still being documented, and though it already has an abundance of uses the answer really is Kefir.
