There is an abundance of research available on Kombucha, mostly from German and Russian sources, including chemical analyses and accounts of its use in clinical trials in connection with various illnesses.
What has been lacking is a body of case histories that can make up a more human picture of how Kombucha has helped with a wide variety of illnesses. As it is a nutritious food and an energy medicine, it is more appropriately studied from a holistic viewpoint, taking into account the patient's whole life situation and history, rather than from the more limited symptomatic approach of allopathic medicine. Symptoms which are suppressed by medication may lie dormant, building up and adding to the picture of disease and imbalance within the body.
We are including these case histories to encourage people to persevere with Kombucha, as so often we give up if an instant healing is not achieved. Many illnesses take years or a lifetime to develop, therefore some patience is needed for changes and lasting improvements to take place with Kombucha therapy, though many people do experience beneficial effects straight away. The people who generously agreed to be interviewed as case studies for this book are all part of the Kombucha Tea Network and have willingly supplied information about their progress. We have tried to take into account other remedies and medications that they were taking, to give a more balanced picture.
These are human stories of people whose courage, intelligence and patience have been rewarded with significant improvement in their health. They are living examples of how we can start to take responsibility for our own health, and we hope that they will inspire you to pursue the path of self-empowerment. Regrettably, when some of the people in these case histories told their doctors that they were taking Kombucha and experiencing improvements they received little encouragement. Some doctors were hostile while others were only tacitly supportive. Our hope is that, in the future, it might be possible to include positive feedback from some patients' doctors too.
Multiple Sclerosis is a debilitating disease that has uneven distribution, with one of the highest incidences being in Britain. It causes great suffering to individuals and their families because it affects mostly people in their 20s and 30s. The attacks usually become progressive, leading to increased loss of muscular function through the build-up of plaques in the myelin sheaths of the central nervous system. To date orthodox medicine has found no cure for M.S.
Bob BanhamBob Banham, aged 44, was first diagnosed as having M.S. in 1986, although he had a number of symptoms the year before. This is how he describes his involvement with Kombucha tea:
"At first I just experienced odd pains and numbness in various parts of the body, but this soon degenerated into the classic symptoms of M.S.: blurred/double vision, urgency and/or inability to urinate, sudden loss of balance and strength in the legs, and then ultimately the inability to walk at all without my wife's support.
"I had been involved in martial arts for the previous twenty years and in 1982 had commenced a three year clinical training in acupuncture and Western herbalism. As well as studying Chinese herbal medicine and homoeopathy, I had also learned Transcendental Meditation, and in 1985 spent several months in the Far East, specifically the Philippines and Australia, studying acupuncture, native herbalism and other traditional healing systems. Since I was about 17 years old I have been smoking cannabis on a fairly regular basis.
"All this I see as a grounding for what I was going to have to do over the next ten years. I actually think I was being 'set up'. Upon diagnosis, I was offered ACTH injections by my GP which I declined. I have in the past eleven year since my diagnosis received no treatment of any kind from conventional Western medicine, but as you will see from the above, I had a very clear direction in which to look for help.
"I spent the next 7-8 years searching for anything within the fields of natural medicine which might be of value. I looked at acupuncture, of course. I had experience with M.S. in this field as I had in the past treated three or four sufferers. I looked at herbal medicine, both Western and Chinese. I looked at Ayurveda (traditional Indian medicine), aromatherapy, reflexology, kinesiology, diet, health supplements, exercise, yoga and yogic-type breathing exercises and, of course, meditation and visualisation.
"I managed to devise a programme which enabled me to start walking properly again, allowed me to continue teaching martial arts and to practise acupuncture, albeit at a more leisurely pace - and then I discovered Kombucha.
"I first started drinking Kombucha in 1993-4, after being given a culture by a friend who knew very little about it. He didn't know that it was said to benefit M.S., and I had no more than a bad photocopy of some hand-written instructions for brewing.
"We then discovered that there was anecdotal evidence that Kombucha could help in cases of M.S., but there was no information on dosage, so I started drinking about a pint a day to see what would happen. Quite quickly there was a very pronounced detoxifying effect - headache, bad breath, feeling 'spaced-out', etc - which I recognise from fasting, and then things began to settle down.
"It was after drinking Kombucha daily for four months that my wife said 'I think you seem to have a little more energy; I wonder if it's the Kombucha?' To be honest, I hadn't noticed any difference or, if I had, I wasn't placing too much importance on it, in case it was just imagination or wishful thinking. It's very easy to clutch at any straw that drifts within reach, and I had always resisted that impulse.
"Anyway, I knew that the only way to be sure was to see what happened when I stopped, and then to start drinking it again and note any changes. Well, there were definite differences within a week of stopping my daily dose of the 'magic brew'. Energy levels dropped, physical ability declined and psychologically I felt a lot less positive, almost apathetic. After two weeks I started back on it and, within a week or so this time, I started to notice improvements again.
"I have spoken at some length to the Myelin Trust (one of the support organisations for M.S.), and they recommend a starting dose of 1 teaspoonful three times a day, because some people with M.S. are very weak and sensitive. I have never taken less than three good-sized glasses a day (about 1-11/2 pints; 300 -450-mls), and have never experienced any adverse effects after that first time." [detoxification is very individual; we suggest that the recommended dose be followed, after first building up from smaller amounts. Ed.]
"Since joining the Kombucha Tea Network, we have provided cultures to people with M.S. in Britain and all over Europe, and I see my next job as collating the experiences of these people and putting together the result in a form which will allow the medical profession to take this ancient gift seriously. It has helped to change my life, or at least has helped me to deal with the changes life has thrust upon me, and I know that I am not alone.
"I stop taking Kombucha periodically for a week or so every couple of months now, as I think it is important as with any medicine, to allow the body to normalise and to let one assess the effects. I want to stress that I have no concerns whatever about its use in M.S. management, or with any other health problem; or if it is used just as a tonic, a detoxifier or an energy booster. I think most adverse criticism comes from people or organisations who would like to make money from it, but realise they can't in the U.K.. Tough!
"One other use I have found for Kombucha is horticultural. We know that the reason it is so valuable in the treatment of candidiasis is because it is acidic, and most moulds, mildews, fungi, etc, don't like that. I had an extremely bad case of white mildew on the leaves of my courgettes and ridge cucumbers. It was so bad I was about to throw them away. I sprayed the leaves with Kombucha liquid and the next morning they were clear. A week later they were strong, healthy and producing fruit like crazy!" Bob is one of our dedicated regional coordinators on the Kombucha Tea Network uk. We send him all the enquiries from M.S. sufferers which he personally answers. He encloses a personalised letter of encouragement with cultures that he sends out to enquirers on the Network with M.S. To date he has supplied about 500 people. Bob is conducting a survey of these people, with the support of the coordinator of the Neurological Support Services of the National Health Service, and will publish the results in due course.
Dec 22, 2010
[MedicalConspiracies] Multiple Sclerosis Story and Kombucha (The real home made KT)
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