Dr. Mercola
- "I have great respect for Dr. Peat's work. He is the main scientist
that influenced
Dr. John Lee with
his work on progesterone.
Dr. Peat does a terrific
job of describing some of the reasons why you will want to consider adding
coconut oil regularly to your food. Dr. Peat is a biochemist. " There seems
to be good evidence that coconut oil is very good for thyroid health. The
article indicates that coconut oil will help overweight individuals to
lose the excess weight.
Mary
G. Enig, Ph.D - "Approximately 50% of the fatty acids in coconut fat
are lauric acid. Lauric acid is a medium chain fatty acid, which has the
additional beneficial function of being formed into monolaurin in the human
or animal body. The antiviral, antibacterial, and antiprotozoal
properties of lauric acid and monolaurin have been recognized by a small
number of researchers for nearly four decades: this knowledge has resulted
in more than 20 research papers and several U.S. patents, and this past
year it resulted in a comprehensive book chapter, which reviewed the important
aspects of lauric oils as antimicrobial agents (Enig 1998). Monolaurin
is the antiviral, antibacterial, and antiprotozoal
monoglyceride used by the human or animal to destroy lipid-coated viruses
such as HIV, herpes, cytomegalovirus,
influenza,
various pathogenic bacteria, including listeria monocytogenes and helicobacter
pylori, and protozoa such as giardia lamblia. Some studies have
also shown some antimicrobial effects of the free lauric acid."
more
Recognition of the antiviral aspects of the antimicrobial activity of
the monoglyceride of lauric acid (monolaurin) has been reported since 1966.
Some of the early work by Hierholzer and Kabara (1982) that showed virucidal
effects of monolaurin on enveloped RNA and DNA viruses was done in conjunction
with the Center for Disease Control of the U.S. Public Health Service.
These studies were done with selected virus prototypes or recognized
representative strains of enveloped human viruses. The envelope of these
viruses is a lipid membrane, and the presence of a lipid membrane on viruses
makes them especially vulnerable to lauric acid and its derivative monolaurin.
The medium-chain saturated fatty acids and their derivatives act by
disrupting the lipid membranes of the viruses (Isaacs and Thormar 1991;
Isaacs et al 1992). Research has shown that enveloped viruses are inactivated
in both human and bovine milk by added fatty acids and monoglycerides (Isaacs
et al 1991), and also by endogenous fatty acids and monoglycerides of the
appropriate length (Isaacs et al 1986, 1990, 1991, 1992; Thormar et al
1987). Some of the viruses inactivated by these lipids are:
-
HIV
-
measles
-
herpes simplex (HSV-1)
-
vesicular stomatitis virus
-
visna virus
-
cytomegalovirus (CMV)
Coconut Oil: A Healthy Choice For Weight
Reduction One of the remarkable things about coconut oil
is that it can help you lose weight. Yes, there is a dietary fat that can
actually help you take off unwanted pounds. Coconut oil can quite literally
be called a low-fat fat.
Raymond Peat, Ph.D. - "The anti-obesity effect of coconut oil
is clear in all of the animal studies, and in my friends who eat it regularly."
Mary G. Enig, Ph.D - "Coconut oil has a unique role in the diet
as an important physiologically functional food. The health and nutritional
benefits that can be derived from consuming coconut oil have been recognized
in many parts of the world for centuries. A review of the diet/heart disease
literature relevant to coconut oil clearly indicates that coconut oil is
at worst neutral with respect to atherogenicity of fats and oils and, in
fact, is likely to be a beneficial oil for prevention and treatment of
some heart disease. Additionally, coconut oil provides a source of antimicrobial
lipid for individuals with compromised immune systems and is a nonpromoting
fat with respect to chemical carcinogenesis."
Traditionally, polyunsaturated oils such as soybean
oil have been used for livestock feed because they cause the animals
to gain weight. These oils are made up of what is known as long chain fatty
acids--the kind of fatty acids that promote weight gain. (4)
Coconut
oil, on the other hand, is a saturated fat made up primarily of medium
chain fatty acids. Also known as medium chain triglycerides (MCTs), medium
chain fatty acids are known to increase metabolism and promote weight loss.
Coconut oil can also raise basal body temperatures while increasing metabolism.
This is good news for people who suffer with low thyroid function. There
have been scores of testimonies to this effect.
"Coconut Oil Doesn't Interfere with Thyroid Function (unlike soybean
oil) The origins of the American obesity epidemic can be traced to the
1970's when a concerted campaign against "harmful tropical oils" by the
American Soybean Association led to the elimination of coconut oil in virtually
all commercial cooking." Bruce Fife - Coconut
Oil Miracle Medicine and Diet Pill
One happy individual writes:
"I am just now jumping on the coconut oil bandwagon (about three weeks
now) and I’m really starting to feel GREAT! I have suffered from severe
migraines for the past 25 years, the last 15 becoming increasingly severe,
coinciding with the addition of soy and the” low-fat mentality” to my diet.
Nothing helped! I should be experiencing my pre-menstrual migraine by now
and instead I feel like I could climb Mt. Everest! Also I wondered if it
decreased the waist to hip ratio because mine has gone from 7.2 all my
life to 7 (or something like that). I think I had the sluggish thyroid
too, with a low body temperature of between 96 and 96.8. Now it’s starting
to climb for the first time in years. " V. Potter
Organic,
Unrefined, Cold-Processed, Virgin Coconut Oil from the Philippines
. Coconut oil is a prized oil that is versatile and delicious. This coconut
oil is marvelous for cooking, eating alone, or even using on the skin.
Its effects are legendary in several places, especially in the Pacific
nations. Comes in sturdy, re-closable, 16 oz. Jar. (scroll
to the bottom of the page
for the coconut oil)
The
Healing Miracles of Coconut Oil
by Bruce Fife, N.D.
If there was an oil you could use for your daily cooking needs that
helped protect you from heart disease, cancer, and other degenerative conditions,
improved your digestion, strengthened your immune system, and helped you
lose excess weight, would you be interested?
No
such oils exists you say? Not so! There is an oil that can do all this
and more. No, it's not olive oil, it's not canola oil, or safflower oil
or any of the oils commonly used for culinary purposes. It's not flaxseed
oil, evening primrose oil, or any of the oils sold as dietary supplements.
It's not rare or exotic. It's ordinary coconut oil.
But wait, isn't coconut oil a saturated fat? And isn't saturated fat
bad? because coconut oil is primarily a saturated oil, it has been blindly
labeled as bad. It is lumped right along with beef fat and lard with the
assumption that they all carry the same health risks. However, researchers
have clearly shown that the oil from coconuts, a plant source, acts differently
than the saturated fat from animal sources. The oil from coconuts is unique
in nature and provides many health benefits obtainable from no other source.
What Coconut Oil DOES NOT Do: * Does not contain cholesterol. * Does
not increase blood cholesterol level. * Does not promote platelet stickiness
which leads to blood clot formation. * Does not contribute to atherosclerosis
or heart disease. * Does not promote cancer or any other degenerative disease.
* Does not contribute to weight problems.
What Coconut Oil DOES Do: * Reduces risk of atherosclerosis and related
illnesses. * reduces risk of cancer and other degenerative conditions.
* Helps prevent bacterial, viral, and fungal (including yeast) infections.
* Supports immune system function. * Helps prevent osteoporosis. * Helps
control diabetes. * Promotes weight loss. * Supports healthy metabolic
function. * Provides an immediate source of energy. * Supplies fewer calories
than other fats. * Supplies important nutrients necessary for good health.
* Improves digestion and nutrient absorption. * Has a mild delicate flavor.
* Is highly resistant to spoilage (long shelf life. * Is heat resistant
(the healthiest oil for cooking. * Helps keep skin soft and smooth. * Helps
prevent premature aging and wrinkling of the skin. * Helps protect against
skin cancer and other blemishes.
As unbelievable as it sounds, the oil in coconuts has been found to
aid the body in destroying dozens of harmful viruses including hepatitis
C, herpes, and HIV. Coconut oil has been called the healthiest dietary
oil on earth. If you're not using coconut oil for your daily cooking and
body care needs you're missing out on one of nature's most amazing health
products. In this book you will discover the many healing miracles of coconut
oil. Each health benefit is explained and fully documented by scientific
research.
"Dr. Bruce Fife should be commended for bringing together in this very
readable book the positive health benefits of coconut oil. The inquiring
reader will have a new and more balanced view of the role of fat and especially
saturated fats in our diet."--Jon Kabara, Ph.D., Professor Emeritus, Michigan
State University
The
Coconut Oil Miracle (Previously published as The Healing Miracle of
Coconut Oil)
"Coconut oil
is transforming my health! Not only am I losing weight, but my skin (more
ashen and acne prone), hair (damaged with spit ends), and nails (soft and
brittle) are healthier. And it didn't take that long. I just put the coconut
oil in fruit smoothies in the morning. Imagine what health improvements
my body would have if I (and I will) increase my coconut oil intake to
cooking with it! Also, my biggest health success with coconut oil has been
that my immune system dramatically improving: way less fatigued, sleeping
less, hormones evening out, and able to ward off flu's/viruses/colds much
better. And, given my body's health in life so far, that speaks volumes!
Besides, I've applied much more from your knowledge, searched your site,
forwarded articles to friends/relatives, so much more has been utilized
by not only myself, but many others too. Kudos on natural health and helping
each of us take control of our own health again. Thank you, Dr. Mercola!
Bravo!" -J Newman; Monterey, CA
Coconut Oil
By Ray Peat
The unsaturated oils in some cooked foods become rancid in just a few
hours, even at refrigerator temperatures, and are responsible for the stale
taste of leftover foods. (Eating slightly stale food isn't particularly
harmful, since the same oils, even when eaten absolutely fresh, will oxidize
at a much higher rate once they are in the body, where they are heated
and thoroughly mixed with an abundance of oxygen.)
Coconut oil that has been kept at room temperature for a year has been
tested for rancidity, and showed no evidence of it.
Since we would expect the small percentage of unsaturated oils naturally
contained in coconut oil to become rancid, it seems that the other (saturated)
oils have an antioxidative effect:
I suspect that the dilution keeps the unstable unsaturated fat molecules
spatially separated from each other, so they can't interact in the destructive
chain reactions that occur in other oils.
To interrupt chain-reactions of oxidation is one of the functions of
antioxidants, and it is possible that a sufficient quantity of coconut
oil in the body has this function. It is well established that dietary
coconut oil reduces our need for vitamin E, but I think its antioxidant
role is more general than that, and that it has both direct and indirect
antioxidant activities.
Coconut oil is unusually rich in short and medium chain fatty acids.
Shorter chain length allows fatty acids to be metabolized without use of
the carnitine transport system. Mildronate protects cells against stress
partly by opposing the action of carnitine, and comparative studies showed
that added carnitine had the opposite effect, promoting the oxidation of
unsaturated fats during stress, and increasing oxidative damage to cells.
I suspect that a degree of saturation of the oxidative apparatus by
short-chain fatty acids has a similar effect--that is, that these very
soluble and mobile short-chain saturated fats have priority for oxidation,
because they don't require carnitine transport into the mitochondrion,
and that this will tend to inhibit oxidation of the unstable, peroxidizable
unsaturated fatty acids.
When
Albert Schweitzer operated his clinic in tropical Africa, he said it was
many years before he saw any cases of cancer, and he believed that the
appearance of cancer was caused by the change to the European type of diet.
In the l920s, German researchers showed that mice on a fat-free diet were
practically free of cancer.
Since then, many studies have demonstrated a very close association
between consumption of unsaturated oils and the incidence of cancer.
Heart damage is easily produced in animals by feeding them linoleic
acid; this "essential" fatty acid turned out to be the heart toxin in rape-seed
oil.
The addition of saturated fat to the experimental heart-toxic oil-rich
diet protects against the damage to heart cells.
Immunosuppression was observed in patients who were being "nourished"
by intravenous emulsions of "essential fatty acids," and as a result coconut
oil is used as the basis for intravenous fat feeding, except in organ-transplant
patients. For those patients, emulsions of unsaturated oils are used specifically
for their immunosuppressive effects.
General aging, and especially aging of the brain, is increasingly seen
as being closely associated with lipid peroxidation.
Several years ago I met an old couple, who were only a few years apart
in age, but the wife looked many years younger than her doddering old husband.
She was from the Philippines, and she remarked that she always had to cook
two meals at the same time, because her husband couldn't adapt to her traditional
food. Three times every day, she still prepared her food in coconut oil.
Her apparent youth increased my interest in the effects of coconut oil.
In the l960s, Hartroft and Porta gave an elegant argument for decreasing
the ratio of unsaturated oil to saturated oil in the diet (and thus in
the tissues). They showed that the "age pigment" is produced in proportion
to the ratio of oxidants to antioxidants, multiplied by the ratio of unsaturated
oils to saturated oils.
More recently, a variety of studies have demonstrated that ultraviolet
light induces peroxidation in unsaturated fats, but not saturated fats,
and that this occurs in the skin as well as in the lab.
Rabbit experiments, and studies of humans, showed that the amount of
unsaturated oil in the diet strongly affects the rate at which aged, wrinkled
skin develops.
The unsaturated fat in the skin is a major target for the aging and
carcinogenic effects of ultraviolet light, though not necessarily the only
one.
In the l940s, farmers attempted to use cheap coconut oil for fattening
their animals, but they found that it made them lean, active and hungry.
For a few years, an antithyroid drug was found to make the livestock get
fat while eating less food, but then it was found to be a strong carcinogen,
and it also probably produced hypothyroidism in the people who ate the
meat.
By the late l940s, it was found that the same antithyroid effect, causing
animals to get fat without eating much food, could be achieved by using
soy beans and corn as feed.
Later, an animal experiment fed diets that were low or high in total
fat, and in different groups the fat was provided by pure coconut oil,
or a pure unsaturated oil, or by various mixtures of the two oils. At the
end of their lives, the animals' obesity increased directly in proportion
to the ratio of unsaturated oil to coconut oil in their diet, and was not
related to the total amount of fat they had consumed.
That is, animals which ate just a little pure unsaturated oil were fat,
and animals which ate a lot of coconut oil were lean.
G. W. Crile and his wife found that the metabolic rate of people in
Yucatan, where coconut is a staple food, averaged 25% higher than that
of people in the United States.
In a hot climate, the adaptive tendency is to have a lower metabolic
rate, so it is clear that some factor is more than offsetting this expected
effect of high environmental temperatures. The people there are lean, and
recently it has been observed that the women there have none of the symptoms
we commonly associate with the menopause.
By l950, then, it was established that unsaturated fats suppress the
metabolic rate, apparently creating hypothyroidism.
Over the next few decades, the exact mechanisms of that metabolic damage
were studied. Unsaturated fats damage the mitochondria, partly by suppressing
the reparatory enzyme, and partly by causing generalized oxidative damage.
The more unsaturated the oils are, the more specifically they suppress
tissue response to thyroid hormone, and transport of the hormone on the
thyroid transport protein.
Plants evolved a variety of toxins designed to protect themselves from
"predators," such as grazing animals. Seeds contain a variety of toxins,
that seem to be specific for mammalian enzymes, and the seed oils themselves
function to block protein digestive enzymes in the stomach.
The thyroid hormone is formed in the gland by the action of a protein
digestive enzyme, and the unsaturated oils also inhibit that enzyme. Similar
protein digestive enzymes involved in clot removal and immune function
appear to be similarly inhibited by these oils.
Just as metabolism is "activated" by consumption of coconut oil, which
prevents the inhibiting effect of unsaturated oils, other inhibited processes,
such as clot removal and immune function, will probably tend to be restored
by continuing use of coconut oil.
Brain tissue is very rich in complex forms of fats.
The experiment (around 1978) in which pregnant mice were given diets
containing either coconut oil or unsaturated oil showed that brain development
was superior in the young mice whose mothers ate coconut oil.
Because coconut oil supports thyroid function, and thyroid governs brain
development, including myelination, the result might simply reflect the
difference between normal and hypothyroid individuals.
However, in 1980, experimenters demonstrated that young rats fed milk
containing soy oil incorporated the oil directly into their brain cells,
and had structurally abnormal brain cells as a result.
Lipid oxidation occurs during seizures, and antioxidants such as vitamin
E have some anti-seizure activity. Currently, lipid oxidation is being
found to be involved in the nerve cell degeneration of Alzheimer's disease.
Various fractions of coconut oil are coming into use as "drugs," meaning
that they are advertised as treatments for diseases. Butyric acid is used
to treat cancer, lauric and myristic acids to treat virus infections, and
mixtures of medium-chain fats are sold for weight loss.
Purification undoubtedly increases certain effects, and results in profitable
products, but in the absence of more precise knowledge, I think the whole
natural product, used as a regular food, is the best way to protect health.
The shorter-chain fatty acids have strong, unpleasant odors; for a couple
of days after I ate a small amount of a medium-chain triglyceride mixture,
my skin oil emitted a rank, goaty smell. Some people don't seem to have
that reaction, and the benefits might outweigh the stink, but these things
just haven't been in use long enough to know whether they are safe.
Treating any complex natural product as the drug industry does, as a
raw material to be fractionated in the search for "drug" products, is risky,
because the relevant knowledge isn't sought in the search for an association
between a single chemical and a single disease.
While the toxic unsaturated paint-stock oils, especially safflower,
soy, corn and linseed (flaxseed) oils, have been sold to the public precisely
for their drug effects, all of their claimed benefits were false.
When people become interested in coconut oil as a "health food," the
huge seed-oil industry--operating through their shills--are going to attack
it as an "unproved drug."
While components of coconut oil have been found to have remarkable physiological
effects (as antihistamines, antiinfectives/antiseptics, promoters of immunity,
glucocorticoid antagonist, nontoxic anticancer agents, for example).
The cholesterol-lowering fiasco for a long time centered on the ability
of unsaturated oils to slightly lower serum cholesterol. For years, the
mechanism of that action wasn't known, which should have suggested caution.
Now, it seems that the effect is just one more toxic action, in which the
liver defensively retains its cholesterol, rather than releasing it into
the blood.
Large scale human studies have provided overwhelming evidence that whenever
drugs, including the unsaturated oils, were used to lower serum cholesterol,
mortality increased, from a variety of causes including accidents, but
mainly from cancer.
Since the l930s, it has been clearly established that suppression of
the thyroid raises serum cholesterol (while increasing mortality from infections,
cancer, and heart disease), while restoring the thyroid hormone brings
cholesterol down to normal.
In this situation, however, thyroid isn't suppressing the synthesis
of cholesterol, but rather is promoting its use to form hormones and bile
salts. When the thyroid is functioning properly, the amount of cholesterol
in the blood entering the ovary governs the amount of progesterone being
produced by the ovary, and the same situation exists in all steroid-forming
tissues, such as the adrenal glands and the brain.
Progesterone and its precursor, pregnenolone, have a generalized protective
function: antioxidant, anti-seizure, antitoxin, anti-spasm, anti-clot,
anticancer, pro-memory, pro-myelination, pro-attention, etc. Any interference
with the formation of cholesterol will interfere with all of these exceedingly
important protective functions.
As far as the evidence goes, it suggests that coconut oil, added regularly
to a balanced diet, lowers cholesterol to normal by promoting its conversion
into pregnenolone.
Coconut-eating cultures in the tropics have consistently lower cholesterol
than people in the U.S. Everyone that I know who uses coconut oil regularly
happens to have cholesterol levels of about 160, while eating mainly cholesterol
rich foods (eggs, milk, cheese, meat, shellfish). I encourage people to
eat sweet fruits, rather than starches, if they want to increase their
production of cholesterol, since fructose has that effect.
Many people see coconut oil in its hard, white state, and--as a result
of their training watching television or going to medical school--associate
it with the cholesterol-rich plaques in blood vessels. Those lesions in
blood vessels are caused mostly by lipid oxidation of unsaturated fats,
and relate to stress, because adrenaline liberates fats from storage, and
the lining of blood vessels is exposed to high concentrations of the blood-borne
material.
In the body, incidentally, the oil can't exist as a solid, since it
liquefies at 76 degrees. (Incidentally, the viscosity of complex materials
isn't a simple matter of averaging the viscosity of its component materials;
cholesterol and saturated fats sometimes lower the viscosity of cell components.)
Most of the images and metaphors relating to coconut oil and cholesterol
that circulate in our culture are false and misleading. I offer a counter-image,
which is metaphorical, but it is true in that it relates to lipid oxidation,
which is profoundly important in our bodies. After a bottle of safflower
oil has been opened a few times, a few drops that get smeared onto the
outside of the bottle begin to get very sticky, and hard to wash off.
This property is why it is a valued base for paints and varnishes, but
this varnish is chemically closely related to the age pigment that forms
"liver spots" on the skin, and similar lesions in the brain, heart, blood
vessels, lenses of the eyes, etc. The image of "hard, white saturated coconut
oil" isn't relevant to the oil's biological action, but the image of "sticky
varnish-like easily oxidized unsaturated seed oils" is highly relevant
to their toxicity.
The ability of some of the medium chain saturated fatty acids in coconut
oil to inhibit the liver's formation of fat very likely synergizes with
the pro-thyroid effect, in allowing energy to be used, rather than stored.
When fat isn't formed from carbohydrate, the sugar is available for
use, or for
storage as glycogen. Therefore, shifting from unsaturated fats in foods
to coconut oil involves several anti-stress processes, reducing our need
for the adrenal hormones. Decreased blood sugar is a basic signal for the
release of adrenal hormones.
Unsaturated oil tends to lower the blood sugar in at least three basic
ways.
It damages mitochondria, causing respiration to be uncoupled from energy
production, meaning that fuel is burned without useful effect. It suppresses
the activity of the respiratory enzyme (directly, and through its anti-thyroid
actions), decreasing the respiratory production of energy.
And it tends to direct carbohydrate into fat production, making both
stress and obesity more probable. For those of us who use coconut oil consistently,
one of the most noticeable changes is the ability to go for several hours
without eating, and to feel hungry without having symptoms of hypoglycemia.
One of the stylish ways to promote the use of unsaturated oils is to
refer to their presence in "cell membranes," and to claim that they are
essential for maintaining "membrane fluidity." As I have mentioned above,
it is the ability of the unsaturated fats, and their breakdown products,
to interfere with enzymes and transport proteins, which accounts for many
of their toxic effects, so they definitely don't just harmlessly form "membranes."
They probably bind to all proteins, and disrupt some of them, but for
some reason their affinity for proteolytic and respiration-related enzymes
is particularly obvious. (I think the chemistry of this association is
going to give us some important insights into the nature of organisms).
Unsaturated fats are slightly more water-soluble than fully saturated
fats, and so they do have a greater tendency to concentrate at interfaces
between water and fats or proteins, but there are relatively few places
where these interfaces can be usefully and harmlessly occupied by unsaturated
fats, and at a certain point, an excess becomes harmful.
We don't want "membranes" forming where there shouldn't be membranes.
The fluidity or viscosity of cell surfaces is an extremely complex subject,
and the degree of viscosity has to be appropriate for the function of the
cell. Interestingly, in some cells, such as the cells that line the air
sacs of the lungs, cholesterol and one of the saturated fatty acids found
in coconut oil can increase the fluidity of the cell surface.
In red blood cells, which have sometimes been wrongly described as "hemoglobin
enclosed in a cell membrane," it has been known for a long time that lipid
oxidation of unsaturated fats weakens the cellular structure, causing the
cells to be destroyed prematurely.
Lipid oxidation products lower the rigidity of regions of cells considered
to be membranes. But the red blood cell is actually more like a sponge
in structure, consisting of a "skeleton" of proteins, which (if not damaged
by oxidation) can hold its shape, even when the hemoglobin has been removed.
Oxidants damage the protein structure, and it is this structural damage
which in turn increases the "fluidity" of the associated fats.
So, it is probably true that in many cases the liquid unsaturated oils
do increase "membrane fluidity," but it is now clear that in at least some
of those cases the "fluidity" corresponds to the chaos of a damaged cell
protein structure. (N. V. Gorbunov, "Effect of structural modification
of membrane proteins on lipid-protein interactions in the human erythrocyte
membrane," Bull. Exp. Biol. and Med. 116(11), 1364-67. 1993.
Although I had stopped using the unsaturated seed oils years ago, and
supposed that I wasn't heavily saturated with toxic unsaturated fat, when
I first used coconut oil I saw an immediate response, that convinced me
my metabolism was chronically inhibited by something that was easily alleviated
by "dilution" or molecular competition.
I had put a tablespoonful of coconut oil on some rice I had for supper,
and half an hour later while I was reading, I noticed I was breathing more
deeply than normal. I saw that my skin was pink, and I found that my pulse
was faster than normal--about 98, I think. After an hour or two, my pulse
and breathing returned to normal.
Every day for a couple of weeks I noticed the same response while I
was digesting a small amount of coconut oil, but gradually it didn't happen
any more, and I increased my daily consumption of the oil to about an ounce.
I kept eating the same foods as before, except that I added about 200 or
250 calories per day as coconut oil.
Apparently the metabolic surges that happened at first were an indication
that my body was compensating for an anti-thyroid substance by producing
more thyroid hormone; when the coconut oil relieved the inhibition, I experienced
a moment of slight hyperthyroidism,
but after a time the inhibitor became less effective, and my body adjusted
by producing slightly less thyroid hormone.
But over the next few months, I saw that my weight was slowly and consistently
decreasing. It had been steady at 185 pounds for 25 years, but over a period
of six months it dropped to about 175 pounds. I found that eating more
coconut oil lowered my weight another few pounds, and eating less caused
it to increase.
The anti-obesity effect of coconut oil is clear in all of the animal
studies, and in my friends who eat it regularly.
Raymond Peat, Ph.D.
P.O. Box 5764, Eugene, OR 97405
Organic,
Unrefined, Cold-Processed, Virgin Coconut Oil from the Philippines
. Coconut oil is a prized oil that is versatile and delicious. This coconut
oil is marvelous for cooking, eating alone, or even using on the skin.
Its effects are legendary in several places, especially in the Pacific
nations. Comes in sturdy, re-closable, 16 oz. Jar. (scroll
to the bottom of the page
for the coconut oil)
The
Healing Miracles of Coconut Oil by Bruce Fife
Natural coconut oil--not the hydrogenated version often found in processed
foods--is a saturated fat, but not the kind your doctor has warned you
about. Studies have shown that this uniquely curative oil actually has
innumerable health benefits ranging from disease prevention to anti-aging.
Now, in his revised edition of the first book (The Healing Miracles of
Coconut Oil) to describe the therapeutic properties of coconut oil, Bruce
Fife offers a nutrition plan with dozens of tasty recipes that will allow
anyone to experience the healing miracles of what he deems the "perfect
food."
When taken as a supplement, used in cooking, or applied to directly
to the skin, coconut oil has been found to:
-
Promote weight loss
- Help protect against heart disease, cancer, diabetes, arthritis, and
many other degenerative diseases
- Strengthen the immune system
- Improve digestion
- Prevent premature aging of the skin
"Coconut oil and it's associated Medium Chain Fatty Acids are indeed
true health miracles. They prevent and even reverse everything from infections
to viruses (including the flu) to germs and bacteria of many types. And
it does so far better than any medical drugs can, and without any side
effects what so ever.
Of all the lies and "half truths" being perpetuated by the medical establishment,
drug companies, the media and special interest groups, such as the American
Soybean Association (400,000 members strong), perhaps the biggest and most
deadly lie is that saturated fats are bad for you and that vegetable oils
(used for cooking and as preservatives for prepackaged foods) are healthy
for us.
"The Healing Miracles of Coconut Oil" explodes these lies once and for
all, and provides concrete proof to support the author's conclusions.I
have been involved in the nutritional supplement and health food store
fields for 8 years, and I can honestly tell you this is the kind of information
millions of health-concious Americans are desperately seeking.Not only
will it be impossible for you to put this book down, you should show it
to everbody that you truly care about, especially those that suffer from
excessive weight, heart disease, cancer, diabetes and immune system disorders."
Wayne
Wasserman from Florham Park, NJ USA
More
about The Health Benefits of Coconut Oil
Oil
Pulling / Swishing Therapy
Oil pulling was developed
by Dr. Karach and presented in a paper claiming oil pulling can cure head-aches,
bronchitis, tooth pain, thrombosis, eczema, ulcers chronic sleeplessness
and diseases of stomach, intestines, heart, blood, kidney, liver, lungs
and women’s diseases. It heals diseases of nerves, paralysis, and encephalitis.
It prevents the growth of malignant tumors, cuts and heals them. learn
more
Glyconutrients
and Cell to Cell Communication
Research
over the past decade has demonstrated the importance of essential fatty
acids and essential proteins (amino acids). Now scientists and nutritionists
are beginning to understand the role of glyconutrients which
supports the process our individual tissue cells use to recognize, and
communicate with, each other. The work that Dr. Blobel and many others
have done let us understand the importance of good cell communication to
ensure good health. Disease is a symptom of one or more body systems in
distress. When you nourish and balance the systems, you give your body
what it requires to resist, repair and overcome disease, and to achieve
optimal health. learn more
Killer
Fats
Many studies have demonstrated a very close association between consumption
of unsaturated oils and the incidence of cancer.
Beware
of canola oil
"Canola oil comes from the rape seed, which is part of the mustard
family of plants. Rape is the most toxic of all food-oil plants. Like soy,
rape is a weed. Insects will not eat it; it is deadly poisonous! The oil
from the rape seed is a hundred times more toxic than soy oil."
Health
Risks from Processed Foods and Trans Fats
In this fascinating discussion nutritional expert Mary Enig, Ph.D.
is interviewed by Dr. Richard A. Passwater concerning the harm caused by
partially-hydrogenated fats that are present in processed foods.
Beware of
heated oils Heat
processed oils are toxic. Make sure to always get COLD PRESSED oils. (With
olive oil make sure its also "extra virgin") Always keep your oils sealed
and refrigerated.
Fats
That Heal, Fats That Kill : The Complete Guide to Fats, Oils, Cholesterol
and Human Health
by Udo Erasmus
Udo Erasmus' in-depth look at the oil industry and the processes that
turn healing fats into killing fats is unequaled. Learning about these
processes is essential to understanding why we must make certain food choices
to prevent and even reverse degenerative diseases including heart disease,
cancer and diabetes. In "Fats That Heal, Fats That Kill," Erasmus has far
surpassed his original best-selling work, "Fats and Oils." From the way
our bodies assimilate fats and oils to the politics of health, Erasmus
shies away from nothing. Udo's book is an answer to health and nutrition
issues present in developed countries today. His comprehensive presentation
of what exactly happens at the moleculear level with foods that we (inhabitants
of developed countries) typically consume puts a unique perspective on
what our bodies need. His detailed treatment of trans-fats, essential fatty
acids,
and
other fats and oils makes perfect sense from when it comes to analyzing
the claims of the thousands of diet proposals one finds in print and on
line. His is a common sense approach, with the premise we are what we "eat,
drink, and breath." The acknowledgement that nutritional deficiencies related
to consuming "white grain, white sugar, and white fat" is enough to stop
and make anyone think about what they are actually putting into their bodies,
and what the effects are. With the rise of diabetes and other disease related
food consumption on the increase, the warning is stated clearly. Having
had grandparents, who ate in a way paralleling Udo's recommendations, that
live well into their 90s with minimal health issues, acts as a "proof of
concept" for me. I don't want to sound pushy by saying that everyone should
be reading this, but give it a try and draw your own conclusions.
The
Cholesterol Myths : Exposing the Fallacy that Saturated Fat and
Cholesterol Cause Heart Disease
The idea that too much animal fat and a high cholesterol is dangerous
to your heart and vessels is nothing but a myth. Here are some astonishing
and frightening facts. Cholesterol is not a deadly poison, but a substance
vital to the cells of all mammals. There are no such things as good or
bad cholesterol, but mental stress, physical activity and change of body
weight may influence the level of blood cholesterol. A high cholesterol
is not dangerous by itself, but may reflect an unhealthy condition, or
it may be totally innocent. Your body produces three to four times more
cholesterol than you eat. The production of cholesterol increases when
you eat little cholesterol and decreases when you eat much. This explains
why the ”prudent” diet cannot lower cholesterol more than on average a
few per cent. The reason why laymen, doctors and most scientists have been
misled is because opposing and disagreeing results are systematically ignored
or misquoted in the scientific press.
Myths
And Truths about Fats
excerpt from the Weston Price Foundation
Myth: Heart disease in America is caused by consumption of cholesterol
and saturated fat from animal products.
Truth: During the period of rapid increase in heart disease
(1920-1960), American consumption of animal fats declined but consumption
of hydrogenated and industrially processed vegetable fats increased dramatically.
(USDA-HNI)
Myth: For good health, serum cholesterol should be less than 180
mg/dl.
Truth: The all-cause death rate is higher in individuals with
cholesterol levels lower than 180 mg/dl. (Circulation 1992 86:3:1026-1029)
Myth: Animal fats cause cancer and heart disease.
Truth: Animal fats contain many nutrients that protect against
cancer and heart disease; elevated rates of cancer and heart disease are
associated with consumption of large amounts of vegetable oils. (Fed Proc
July 1978 37:2215)
Myth: Children benefit from a low-fat diet.
Truth: Children on low-fat diets suffer from growth problems,
failure to thrive and learning disabilities. (Food Chem News 10/3/94)
Myth: A low-fat diet will make you “feel better . . . and increase
your joy of living.”
Truth: Low-fat diets are associated with increased rates of
depression, psychological problems, fatigue, violence and suicide. (Lancet
3/21/92 v339)
Myth: Americans do not consume enough essential fatty acids.
Truth: Americans consume far too much of one kind of EFA (omega-6
EFAs found in most polyunsaturated vegetable oils) but not enough of another
kind of EFA (omega-3 EFAs found in fish, fish oils, eggs from properly
fed chickens, dark green vegetables and herbs, and oils from certain seeds
such as flax and chia, nuts such as walnuts and in small amounts in all
whole grains.) (Am J Clin Nutr 1991 54:438-63)
Myth: To avoid heart disease, we should use margarine instead
of butter.
Truth: Margarine eaters have twice the rate of heart disease
as butter eaters. (Nutrition Week 3/22/91 21:12)
Butter is a healthy fat. Read
The Case for Butter
The Healing
Power of Flaxoil
"A top European cancer research
scientist, Dr Johanna Budwig, has discovered a totally natural formula
that not only protects against the development of cancer but people all
over the world who have been diagnosed with incurable cancer and sent home
to die have actually been cured and now lead normal healthy lives." Robert
Willner, M.D., Ph.D.
"The human body cannot function properly without two polyunsaturated
fats - linoleic and alpha-linolenic acid. These fatty acids, which are
found in Flaxseed Oil are truly essential to normal cell structure and
body function. Some Conditions Improved by Omega-3 Oils: High Cholesterol
Levels - Prevention of Strokes and Heart Attacks - Angina - High Blood
Pressure - Arthritis - Multiple Sclerosis - Psoriasis and Eczema - Cancer
Prevention and Treatment - Allergies - Asthma - Calmness Under Stress -
Vitality" more on flaxoil
The
Healing Power of Borage Oil
Borage has been used in connection with the following conditions: Eczema,
Infantile seborrheic dermatitis, Rheumatoid arthritis
Borage oil, extracted from the seed of the blue, star shaped borage
flower, is gaining much attention by alternative health practitioners and
mainstream medicine alike for its profound medicinal properties. Whereas
the oil is getting all of the credit, it is actually the oil's active component,
gamma linoleic acid (GLA), that has drawn the interest of researchers.
The majority of the early studies done on GLA, dating back to the late
1940's, were conducted with the oil of evening primrose.
Active constituents: Borage seed oil is the richest source of gamma
linolenic acid (GLA) and contains 20–26% GLA.
While GLA from evening primrose oil has been widely researched, scientific
evidence supporting the use of borage oil has been limited. Patients with
rheumatoid arthritis who received either 1.4 grams of GLA daily from borage
oil or placebo for twenty-four weeks experienced significant reductions
in such symptoms as tender and swollen joints after utilizing the oil.3
Borage oil has also been employed for atopic dermatitis (eczema) in
open clinical trials, with reductions in skin inflammation, dryness, scaliness,
and itch without side effects being reported.4 However, a controlled study
using 360 mg of GLA daily from borage in patients with atopic dermatitis
(3–17 years of age) was unable to reproduce these results.5 In another
open pilot study, forty-eight children with infantile seborrheic dermatitis
were treated with borage oil (0.5 ml) applied to the diaper region twice
daily.6 Within ten to twelve days, all the children were free from skin
lesions, even in the areas not treated with borage. Moreover, using the
oil topically two to three times a week kept the seborrhea in remission
until the patients were six to seven months old. There were no relapses
after the oil was discontinued.
How much is usually taken? For the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis,
the adult dose of GLA from borage is 1.4 grams daily for at least two months.7
Although one can try borage oil at a dose of 360 mg of GLA daily for eczema,
research has not successfully supported its use for this condition.8 Topically,
0.5 ml of borage oil can be applied to areas of seborrhea daily for two
weeks and then three times a week until the condition is stable.
Sources for Borage
oil - compare:
The
Oil That Heals William McGarey M.D.
A
fascinating analysis of a medical doctor's research on and verification
of the healing properties of castor oil packs, first recommended by the
noted psychic Edgar Cayce as an adjunct for many ailments that resist traditional
medical treatment.
This natural oil has amazing healing properties. It has been used
in virtually every major civilization since antiquity for the cure of normally
fatal disabling conditions. In India, they called it erand. In ancient
Greece it was known as kiki. It is mentioned in the Bible and in the most
ancient Egyptian papyrus yet found. In Europe, in the Middle Ages, it was
used by some to cure the plague. They called it the "palma christi" or
the "hand of Christ." This extract of the castor bean is a safe, gentle,
easy to use remedy for virtually any illness - when it is used externally.
Testimonial of healing psoriasis with castor oil
Email Pegi metashankara@gmail.com
Date: 10 Jan 2005
I had really bad psoriasis about a year ago (and since I was a small
child and I am 38 years old) and last April I began massaging castor
oil on my liver after each shower (daily) and I have seen a 90% reduction
in my psoriasis since that time. I didn't have the patience to do
the packs so I just do the daily massage and have seen amazing results.
I put about a dime size amount in my hand and without having dried the
area of my abdomen after my shower so that it is still moist, I massage
in the oil. I don't massage it for any real length of time - no more
than the time I spend massaging in other lotions into my skin. After a
couple weeks of 30 degree temperatures I have had a little psoriasis pop
up, but the amount is so minimal in comparison to what I have experienced
in the past that I am unconcerned and undaunted. I have also struggled
with endometriosis and have had physicians want to do surgery on me for
the condition. I do a full abdomen massage with the oil and my endometriosis
symptoms have greatly reduced as well. Castor Oil is also suppose
to help soften scar tissue. I have had 2 c sections and after 8 months
of using the castor oil, once was once a nasty thick and solid scar is
now almost imperceptible.