The Coconut Oil Miracle (23 page)

In an effort to find nutrients that would best nourish the body during acute kidney failure researchers compared the effects of oils
consisting of LCTs and MCTs in rats. Acute kidney failure was induced in the animals. As a result, the animals had difficulty filtering out the LCTs and removing them from the system. On the other hand, even though the kidneys were severely compromised, they were capable of easily filtering out MCTs. In fact, there was statistically no difference in the removal rate of MCTs between normal rats and those with acute kidney failure. This study demonstrated that MCTs exerted far less stress on the kidneys and were a superior source of dietary fat in the presence of acute kidney failure (Ge, 2002).

MCTs not only reduce the strain on compromised kidneys but may also protect them from harm. In another study, investigators induced kidney failure in a group of rats. Feeding them a diet that contained coconut oil resulted in a significant protective effect. Coconut oil reduced the damage caused to the kidneys and increased the animals’ survival time (Monserrat, 1995).

The antimicrobial properties of the MCFAs in coconut oil may also help prevent and even treat urinary tract infections. A woman came to see me complaining about a bladder infection that had first become noticeable that morning. I told her about coconut oil, and she began taking it orally immediately. Without any other treatment, the infection disappeared completely within two days. Since then I have recommended it to others with bladder infections with good results.

If you are male, chances are you will suffer some type of prostate problem during your lifetime. The most common prostate problem
is benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), or prostate enlargement. Nearly half of all men between the ages of 40 and 59, and as many as 90 percent of those in their seventies and eighties, have some symptoms of BPH. It has become so bad that it’s almost an invariable consequence of aging. Prostate enlargement, however, is not simply a result of aging; lifestyle and diet play an important role. This condition is only a major problem in westernized countries. Those men who live in less prosperous regions of the world where local foods are produced and consumed don’t appear to be troubled by it as much. While the exact cause of BPH is unknown, recent lipid research has revealed that coconut oil may be beneficial in prevention and treatment.

It is believed that as men age, testosterone is converted into the male hormone dihydrotestosterone (DHT) and accumulates in the prostate gland. This hormone encourages the growth of prostate cells, which causes the prostate to enlarge and pinch off the urethra, the tube through which urine flows from the bladder. This causes frequent and impaired urination, especially at night, and is often associated with inflammation of the gland. While not normally cancerous, it sets the stage for such a condition to exist.

A logical treatment for BPH is to block the conversion of testosterone into DHT. The drug finasteride works on this principle and has been effective. Saw palmetto is a popular herbal remedy that also appears to block the toxic effect of excess DHT formation. The berries of this subtropical plant found in the southeastern part of the United States were used by Native Americans of Florida and early settlers as a folk medicine to treat reproductive disorders, urinary
diseases, and colds. In women it has been used to increase the supply of mother’s milk and to relieve pain during menstruation.

Studies show saw palmetto berries are very effective at reducing the effects of BPH and are remarkably safe. Compared with Proscar (a much-prescribed BPH drug), saw palmetto is more effective in reducing prostate symptoms. Studies have shown that within a period of four to six weeks saw palmetto extract is up to 90 percent effective (depending on dosage). In contrast, Proscar is effective in reducing the symptoms in less than 37 percent of patients after taking the drug for a full year. Saw palmetto has no adverse side effects. Proscar, on the other hand, may cause impotence, decreased libido, and breast enlargement. Saw palmetto has gained a reputation among both alternative and conventional health care professionals as an effective treatment for BPH. It is one herb that even conventional medicine recognizes as safe and effective.

The saw palmetto is a semitropical plant and, as the name implies, a member of the palm family. It is a cousin to the coconut palm. In fact, saw palmetto berries are in some ways similar to coconuts. They share some of the same unique fatty acids, such as lauric and myristic acids. Lauric acid is the primary medium-chain fatty acid found in coconut oil. Myristic acid is also a major component of coconut oil. Studies have shown that the protective effects on the prostate seen with saw palmetto berries are due primarily to these two fatty acids. If this is true, then coconut oil, which supplies far more of these protective fatty acids than saw palmetto, would also protect
against BPH, and would probably be more effective. This has proven to be the case.

In a study published in the
Journal of Pharmacy and Pharmacology
, coconut oil was tested alongside saw palmetto extract for their effects on testosterone-induced BPH. At a dose of 400 milligrams, saw palmetto extract proved to be 43.8 percent effective. Coconut oil at the same dosage proved to be significantly more effective, at 61.5 percent. When the dosage of coconut oil was increased to 800 milligrams, its efficiency jumped to an impressive 82.0 percent. A 1 tablespoon dose of coconut oil contains 14 grams (14,000 milligrams), which would undoubtedly give even better results.

“I knew something had to happen soon,” said Carol Flett of Paisley, Canada. “My husband, Bruce, was getting worse and worse. The dementia was progressing rapidly. Bruce was finding it harder and harder to form a simple sentence. He couldn’t communicate to tell me his needs; he couldn’t do the simplest tasks for himself. If this kept up I wasn’t sure what would happen.”

A few months earlier, Bruce Flett, a retired minister and author of four Christian novels, developed endocarditis—inflammation in the heart, which in Bruce’s case was caused by a fungal infection. The infection destroyed part of his heart, requiring him to have heart valve replacement surgery. The infection spread into his bloodstream and infected his spleen, gallbladder, liver, and brain. He was in critical condition and almost died two or three times, but managed to pull through. The infection, however, destroyed brain tissue, leaving
him with dementia. The doctor told Carol it was permanent and that he would never preach again.

Bruce could no longer read or even talk properly. He had to have help with all his basic needs. Carol had to do everything for him. “I was resigned to having lost my husband,” says Carol. “It was more like having to look after a small child.”

Bruce took a test called a Mini Mental State Exam (MMSE), which is used to screen, evaluate, and monitor the severity of cognitive impairment in dementia patients. The test has 30 questions. A score of 25 to 30 correct answers is considered normal. A score of 20 to 24 suggests mild impairment, 10 to 19 moderate impairment, and less than 10 signifies severe impairment. Bruce scored 11, indicating he was on the brink of severe dementia.

The stress of caring for her disabled husband began to take its toll on Carol. The doctor suggested putting Bruce in a nursing home. She couldn’t do that. There had to be another solution. “Lord, I need your wisdom,” Carol whispered in desperation. “Direct me; show me what I should do to help my husband.”

The next day she had a new friend on Facebook. This friend put a link on her Facebook page to a YouTube interview with a doctor who had had success reversing her husband’s Alzheimer’s using coconut oil. A few weeks earlier, Carol had purchased some coconut oil at the grocery store on a whim, after a nurse had recommended it to her. She had forgotten all about it.

Inspired by the video, she gave Bruce a couple of tablespoons of the oil. Within three hours he was speaking in clear sentences for the first time in months. She continued to give him coconut oil daily. A month later he was taking care of all his personal needs; he was using
the telephone, operating his computer on his own, and reading short books, all things that he couldn’t even attempt to do a month earlier, and he even began building a bookshelf.

“I have my husband back!” she exclaims. “I still thank God for each new day that Bruce wakes up and talks to me without getting all confused.”

Their doctor was amazed. He ordered another MMSE test—the one that had convinced him that Bruce was beyond hope. This time Bruce scored 24 out of 30, putting him at the very cusp of normal. Carol told the doctor about the answer to her prayer and the use of coconut oil. He didn’t scoff. He just said, “Keep doing what you’re doing because it’s working.”

Bruce continues to improve each day and has resumed some of his pastoral duties such as performing marriages. Bruce and Carol have been married for 43 years and look forward to many more happy years ahead, thanks to coconut oil and an answer to prayer.

Coconut oil can do a lot of things, but curing dementia—is it possible? Believe it or not, coconut oil is now being considered as a viable treatment for Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia.

Alzheimer’s is the most common form of dementia. The gradual decline in mental function associated with Alzheimer’s often begins with barely noticeable lapses in memory followed by losses in the ability to plan and execute familiar tasks and to reason and execute judgment. Eventually, memory loss increases in severity until it is incapacitating. The inability to articulate words correctly and changes in mood and personality may also be evident. Emotional problems such as easy agitation, poor judgment, mental confusion, feelings of withdrawal, disorientation, and hallucinations are common. Affected
individuals may also suffer from seizures and incontinence, requiring constant attention and care. Death is the final outcome.

Alzheimer’s usually surfaces sometime after the age of 60. However, in a growing number of people it is occurring in their forties or fifties. People with Alzheimer’s disease live an average of eight years from the time of diagnosis, but the interval can be a little shorter or longer. The duration of the disease depends, in part, on the patient’s age at diagnosis and the presence of other health problems.

Alzheimer’s is not a part of the normal aging process. It is a terminal illness. The brains of Alzheimer’s patients are distinctly different from the brains of elderly people who age normally. The Alzheimer’s brain shows a high degree of degeneration, damage, and plaque formation.

Currently there is no effective medical treatment for the disease. A diagnosis of Alzheimer’s is essentially a death sentence. Treatment focuses on reducing the severity of the symptoms, combined with providing services and support to make living with the disease more manageable. Patients must endure the disease through all stages of degeneration until the bitter end.

The fundamental problem associated with Alzheimer’s disease is the inability of the brain to effectively utilize glucose, or blood sugar, to produce energy. This defect in energy conversion starves the brain cells and weakens their ability to withstand stress. As a result, the brain rapidly ages and degenerates into dementia.

Up until recently dementia was considered to be a permanent condition. At one time, it was believed that we could not regenerate new brain cells. The brain cells we were born with, scientists thought, had to last an entire lifetime. When brain cells died, they were gone
forever. Recent research has shown that this is not true. The brain can and does generate new cells even in old age. This means that if given the right treatment dementia and other neurological disorders can be reversed.

Fortunately, there is an effective treatment available and it doesn’t involve drugs or surgery but is based on diet. The carbohydrate in the foods we eat is converted by the body into glucose. Cells take glucose and transform it into energy—the energy they need to live and function.

When food is not eaten for a time, such as between meals, during sleep at night, or when fasting, blood glucose levels fall. Our cells, however, demand a continual source of energy. To maintain the energy needed by the cells, fatty acids are released from our fat cells. Like glucose, fatty acids can be burned to produce energy. This way the cells in the body always have access to either glucose or fatty acids to satisfy their constant demand for fuel. This process works well for the body, but not the brain. The brain cannot use fatty acids to satisfy its energy needs.

The brain is the most metabolically active organ in the body. It requires a continual source of energy to maintain function, even during sleep. Any interference in delivery of energy can seriously hamper brain function. When blood glucose levels fall, the brain needs another source of energy to function and to survive. This alternative fuel source comes in the form of ketone bodies or ketones. Ketones are a special type of high-energy fuel produced in the liver specifically to nourish the brain. Ketones are produced in the liver from stored fat. Under normal conditions, ketones are produced only when blood glucose levels are low. As glucose levels decline, ketone
production kicks in. When the next meal is consumed glucose levels are restored and ketone production declines. Through this means the brain has a continual supply of either glucose or ketones to rely on.