Download Coconut Oil for Health and Vitality

Coconut Oil for Health and Vitality
Use Coconut Oil for Health and Vitality - Antiviral, Antimicrobial, and AntiObesity.
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.
Additionally, coconut oil provides a source of antimicrobial lipid for
individuals with compromised immune systems and is a non-promoting fat
with respect to chemical carcinogenesis.
The anti-obesity effect of coconut oil is clear in all of the animal studies, and
from observation in those who eat it regularly.
When coconut oil was fed as 7% of energy to patients recovering from heart
attacks, the patients had greater improvement compared to untreated controls,
and no difference compared to patients treated with corn or safflower oils.
Populations that consume coconut oil have low rates of heart disease.
Coconut oil may also be one of the most useful oils to prevent heart disease
because of its antiviral and antimicrobial characteristics. [JAMA 1967
202:1119-1123; Am J Clin Nutr 1981 34:1552]
Clearly, there has been increasing recognition of health- supporting functions
of the fatty acids found in coconut. Recent reports from the U.S. Food and
Drug Administration about required labeling of the trans fatty acids will put
coconut oil in a more competitive position and may help return to its use by
the baking and snack food industry where it has continued to be recognized
for its functionality. Now it can be recognized for another kind of
functionality: the improvement of the health of mankind.
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.
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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.
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:
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HIV
measles
herpes simplex (HSV-1)
vesicular stomatitis virus
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visna virus
cytomegalovirus (CMV)
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.
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 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 non-promoting
fat with respect to chemical carcinogenesis.
Traditionally, polyunsaturated oils such as soyabean 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.
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.
Coconut Oil does not interfere with thyroid function (unlike soyabean oil).
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.
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.
Not all Fats are alike
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Replacing the fats you now eat with coconut oil may be the wisest decision
you can make to lose excess body fat. We often think that the less fat we eat
the better. However, you do not necessarily need to reduce your fat intake;
you simply need to choose a fat that is better for you, one that does not
contribute to weight gain.
You can lose unwanted body fat by eating more saturated fat (in the form of
coconut oil) and less polyunsaturated fat (processed vegetable oils). 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.
If there was any oil that 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? Yes, there is an oil that can do all this and more!!!
No, it is not olive oil; it is not canola oil, or safflower oil or any of the oils
commonly used for culinary purposes. It is not flaxseed oil, evening primrose
oil, or any of the oils sold as dietary supplements. It is not rare or exotic. It is
ordinary coconut oil.
Learn about the amazing health benefits of coconut oil, meat, milk, and water.
Coconut oil is considered the healthiest oil on earth and it can protect you
against heart disease, diabetes, and infectious illnesses such as influenza,
herpes, candida, and even HIV. Coconut meat (the fleshy part) can protect
you from colon cancer, regulate blood sugar, and expel intestinal parasites.
But wait, is not coconut oil a saturated fat? And is not saturated fat bad?
Because coconut oil is primarily 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. The oil from
coconuts is unique in nature and provides many health benefits obtainable
from no other source.
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Coconut Oil DOES NOT:
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Contain cholesterol.
Increase blood cholesterol level.
Promote platelet stickiness which leads to blood clot formation.
Contribute to atherosclerosis or heart disease.
Promote cancer or any other degenerative disease.
Contribute to weight problems.
Coconut Oil DOES:
When taken as a supplement, used in cooking, or applied to directly to the
skin, has been found to:
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Reduces risk of atherosclerosis and related illnesses.
Reduces risk of cancer.
Helps prevent bacterial, viral, and fungal (including yeast) infections.
Supports immune system function.
Help protect against heart disease, arthritis, and many other degenerative
diseases
Helps prevent osteoporosis.
Helps control diabetes.
Promotes weight loss.
Supports healthy metabolic function.
Strengthen the immune system
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 (has a long shelf life).
Is heat resistant (the healthiest oil for cooking).
Helps keep skin soft and smooth.
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• Prevent premature aging of the skin
• 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
are not using coconut oil for your daily cooking and body care needs you are
missing out on one of nature’s most amazing health products. Each health
benefit is explained and fully documented by scientific research. The inquiring
reader will have a new and more balanced view of the role of fat and
especially saturated fats in our diet.
Coconut Flour
The secret weapon to managing your weight, a natural and delicious
alternative to wheat and grain that is packed with dietary fiber and is a good
source of protein too!
Coconut flour is unlike any other consisting of 14% coconut oil and 58%
dietary fiber! The remaining 28% consists of water, protein, and carbohydrate.
If you have not tried coconut flour yet, here are some more excellent reasons
to start:
• Coconut Flour is ideal for baking. It has fewer digestible (net) carbs than
other flours, and it even has fewer digestible carbs than some vegetables!
• Coconut Flour is gluten-free and hypoallergenic. With as much protein
as wheat flour, coconut flour has none of the specific protein in wheat
called gluten. This is an advantage for a growing percentage of the
population who has allergies to gluten or a wheat sensitivity.
• Coconut Flour consists of the highest percentage of dietary fiber ( 58 %)
found in any flour. Wheat bran has only is 27% fiber.
• Coconut Flour can help you reach a healthy weight. Ideal for those who
follow a low-carb eating plan, coconut flour works well as part of a
weight loss program because it has high fiber, and foods with high fiber
can help promote a feeling of fullness.
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Whoever said ‘you can't have your cake and eat it too’ was definitely in the
dark about the benefits of coconut flour!
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 is not 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 anti-oxidative effect:
This is probably because of the dilution which keeps the unstable unsaturated
fat molecules spatially separated from each other, so they cannot 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. Its antioxidant role is more general than that, because
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.
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 do not require carnitine
transport into the mitochondrion, and that this will tend to inhibit oxidation
of the unstable, peroxidizable unsaturated fatty acids.
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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.
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 anti-thyroid 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 anti-thyroid effect, causing
animals to get fat without eating much food, could be achieved by using soya
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 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.
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That is, animals which ate just a little pure unsaturated oil were fat, and
animals which ate a lot of coconut oil were lean. 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 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.
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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 soya 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, the whole natural product, used as a regular food, is the
best way to protect health. 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 is not sought in the search
for an association between a single chemical and a single disease.
While the toxic unsaturated paint-stock oils, especially safflower, soya, 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--is going to attack it as an ‘unproved drug.’
Components of coconut oil have been found to have remarkable physiological
effects (as antihistamines, anti-infectives/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 was not 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
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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 is not 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. Those who use coconut oil regularly happen to have
cholesterol levels of about 160, while eating mainly cholesterol rich foods
(eggs, milk, cheese, meat, and shellfish).
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 cannot exist as a solid, since it liquefies at
about 25 degrees C. (Incidentally, the viscosity of complex materials is not a
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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. 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’ is not 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 is not 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.
• It tends to direct carbohydrate into fat production, making both stress
and obesity more probable.
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For those 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 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 do not 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. (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 do not want ‘membranes’ forming where there should not 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.
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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), 136467. 1993).
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.
Coconut oil and its 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. 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
Soyabean 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.
Coconut Oil
Coconut Oil is another healthy saturated fat that contains many beneficial
properties. It is rich in lauric acid, a proven antiviral, antibacterial, and
antifungal agent.
The fat in coconut oil is easily digested and absorbed, unlike the man-made
fats or oils that act just like plastic in the body. It puts little strain on the
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digestive system and provides a quick source of energy necessary to promote
healing.
Here are some other very interesting facts about Coconut Oil:
1. Supports immune system function.
2. Supplies important nutrients necessary for good health.
3. Improves digestion and the absorption of nutrients from proteins and
carbohydrates.
4. Reduces our need for Vitamin E.
5. It is a powerful antioxidant (helps the body get rid of toxins and heavy
metals).
6. It can be used on the skin to restore and repair it, and to moisturize it.
7. It can be used as a hair conditioner. It softens the hair, conditions the
scalp and controls dandruff or cradle cap (caused by yeast/candida
overgrowth).
8. Its antiseptic fatty acids help to prevent fungal and bacterial infections
when it is consumed or applied to the skin.
9. It is the biggest chemical barrier to infectious organisms is the acid layer
on the skin. This is why sweat and the oil produced on our skin are
good for us. Taking fewer showers and baths is advisable because it
allows the skin to build up natural oils, which forms a good acidic
protective barrier, and also helps the skin make vitamin D when
exposed to the sun.
Soap washes off the protective layer of oil and acid on our skin. After a
shower or bath apply coconut oil to the entire body to quickly reestablish the skin’s natural antimicrobial and acid barrier.
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It helps reduce chronic skin inflammation, i.e. Rosacea, psoriasis,
eczema, etc.
11.
It soothes and heals.
Buy a good quality coconut oil that is:
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Cold- or Expeller- pressed.
Unrefined.
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Unbleached.
Undeodorized.
Coconut oil is highly resistant to spoilage and has a long shelf life (2 years at
room temperature), so it is not kept refrigerated. It is kept in the cupboard or
on the kitchen counter.
Like other saturated fats coconut oil goes solid when cooled below room
temperature, and in warm weather it will be totally liquid.
Coconut oil has a high burning point making it perfect for cooking. It can be
used alone, or mixed with butter, lard or other good fats for cooking and
frying.
Coconut oil can be taken by the spoonfuls with meals to aid digestion or
melted on cooked foods. The recommended therapeutic dose for anyone who
is unhealthy is 5-6 tablespoons per day, taken in divided doses preferably with
meals that contain protein.
Since coconut oil is antifungal, antiparasitic, antibacterial and antiviral, etc. it
will create die-off or healing reactions in people who are unhealthy, but it will
be particularly pronounced in candida sufferers and in people who have
viruses and bacteria.
The most common healing reactions are nausea or stomach upset, and
diarrhea. This is because coconut oil kills bacteria, yeasts, viruses and parasites
in the digestive system and it cleans out toxins.
Diarrhea is the body’s way of getting rid of unwanted guests and toxins. Other
healing reactions may include increased mucus in the intestines, nose, sinuses,
lungs, as well as rashes and other skin eruptions.
To minimize healing reactions or die-off symptoms start taking coconut oil at
a low dose (1/2 to 1 teaspoon 3 times a day) and gradually increase the
amount every 4-5 days until the maximum therapeutic dose of 5-6
tablespoons per day is reached.
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It is also important to take coconut oil in divided doses during the day and not
all at once. Healthy people can take a maintenance dose of coconut oil which
is 3 tablespoons per day.
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