Does coconut oil help people who have Alzheimer's disease?
I haven't seen anything about ingesting coconut oil to battle Alzheimer's & dementia on any mainstream TV shows yet. However my dad called me earlier today and told me to turn on TBN because they were going to have an episode about coconut oil. What they showed was pretty amazing, or at least hopeful. Apparently not everyone can break down glucose in their bodies, which the brain needs for health. Without the glucose, the brain dies. Coconut oil is supposed to have 'keytones' (don't know about the spelling) which take the place of glucose and can travel to the brain to feed it. They have shown marked improvement in not only Alz/dementia patients, but also those who have MS, ALS and Parkinson's. Basically anyone that needs brain help it sounds like to me. You can use it in place of butter and cooking oil they said. It looks nasty in the jar to me, but it melts down pretty good so it can be swallowed by teaspoon, which is what the news lady said she does. Only 0.3% of money raised for Alzheimer's goes into research, so whether they actually will follow thru with this coconut oil idea I don't know. 5 million people have Alzheimer's in the U.S. alone, and the reporter said that Medicare won't survive unless they find a cure. Scary.
Once a free-radical reaction is started it can cause a chain reaction which produces more free radicals, which ultimately damages thousands of molecules. The only way our body has to fight them is with antioxidants. When a free radical comes into contact with an antioxidant, the chain reaction is stopped. For this reason, it is good to have plenty of antioxidants in our cells and tissues to protect us. The number of antioxidants we have in our tissues is determined to a large extent by the nutrients in our diet. Having anti-oxidants in skin care products is important. Coconut is having all these qualities.
On another note though, I recently ran across a product called Anatabloc that has very promising evidence and great reviews for a plethora of conditions that are instigated by excess inflammation in the body, ALS being one of them.
Google it. Research shows its ability to less pain in the body from arthritis to joint and muscle pain. I started using it myself and notice many changes in myself...but I am not here to talk about me. Research it. And draw your own conclusions and try it yourself. If you feel it working in you, then pass it on to your parent or loved one you care for. God knows us caregivers need all the help we can get too though!
You will find Anatabloc at GNC. It is pricey--99.00 for a month supply. That is a mere pittance compared to the cost of pain medication, thyroid and arthritis meds and ALZ meds. This stuff has a patent pending right now, and the only thing that will stop it is the fact the stuff works so well and would eliminate the revenue from pharmaceuticals currently offered for many conditions.
I have been wanting to write about it for the last week or so but am afraid I'd look like a blubbering idiot trying to promote it. Trust me, I am not--at least not to get anything out of it. I have no stock or stake in the company, just a bottle of the stuff sitting here with me. Hubby and I have been sharing this one, so soon it will be time for a new bottle.
No bad side effects either. Find information on Facebook as well. If you do decide to give it a shot, tell us. And also stay on it...even if you think it's not working...give it 5 or 6 weeks. I noticed a difference the first day. Less pain and clearer thinking right away.
I ordered some for Mom too. We'll see how that goes! I had to order the unflavored kind for her
The key is to use VIRGIN coconut oil, that has been COLD processed. Spectrum Naturals, for instance, is no longer is reliable with this process, and has marketed some contaminated product [smells/tastes like burnt plastic], while ignoring consumer reports to them.
Coconut oil has wonderful properties not found in other oils, when used right.
Yet, can give high lab results for cholesterol:
these must be placed in context of: condition of person, what else they consume, whether they get exercise, etc., to determine if that might be bad or OK, or an artifact of modern lab results that fail to read "bad" and good" forms of cholesterol in real terms.
The brain NEEDS cholesterol, so doe the rest of the body--good fats can help this, while trans/etc bad fats make worse.
Things need to be placed in context.
What industry has been promoting about cholesterol, is skewed for profit-taking reasons, and from ignorance.
Research does support cold-processed, virgin coconut oil as beneficial in very many ways.
It is also great for external use, as it is moisturizing and healing to fragile skin, while being easily washable, and non-staining, generally very safe, and the benefits just keep being found!
YES, pure 100% Virgin Coconut oil.
If it is mixed with other oils, one never knows what the results might be, or why.
AND, other oils do not have the same qualities as coconut oil [like non-staining, less residue, etc.--most oils leave too much residue on skin--oily residue that tends to stain--but not coconut oil].
Note: coconut [or any good oil] oil that has been heated too hot in processing, loses benefits, as is the case with most all good oils..
That is where some companies, go terribly wrong--industry rules state that they are allowed to process oils at something around 120 degrees Fahrenheit.
THAT exceeds body temps, which breaks down the goodies in good oils that living organisms need for nutritional purposes....Kinda like a fever in the body destroys germs, and if high enough, cooks brain cells.
Coconut oil, processed at no higher than body temps, is nicely shelf-stable, since it has lots of anti-oxidants in it, and is slightly germicidal. It can be used in and on the body. It can be used instead of butter or margarine, to our benefit.