Coconut Oil For Alzheimer's Disease
By Michael Mooney, Updated April, 2013
Recently a good friend asked me if what she'd heard about coconut oil helping reverse symptoms of Alzheimer's Disease was true.
It sounded interesting so I did a search and found http://www.anh-usa.org/coconut-oil-and-alzheimer%E2%80%99s-disease/
This notion has been looked at and it does have merit.
Most interesting is a video of Dr. Mary Newport who helped her husband reverse his Alzheimer's using coconut oil.
You can view it at http://www.cbn.com/media/player/index.aspx?s=/mp4/LJO190v1_WS.
An article at http://www.naturalnews.com/032727_coconut_oil_Alzheimers.html by Dr. Carolyn Dean points at a book by Dr. Bruce Fife, called Stop Alzheimer's Now! that provides more details.
Another book, Alzheimer's Disease: What If There Was a Cure? by Dr. Mary Newport focuses only on the use of coconut oil, detailing the biochemical reasons it addresses Alzheimer's, along with case studies.
And, most interesting, a placebo-controlled study found that cognitive function in Alzheimer's patients was improved with only ONE DOSE (40 mL) of the medium chain triglycerides that are found in coconut oil.
Please see: http://www.greenmedinfo.com/blog/mct-fats-found-coconut-oil-boost-brain-function-only-one-dose
DOSING
So what dose of coconut oil might help?
Doses suggested have ranged from two to five tablespoons a day to address Alzheimer's. Since coconut oil is about 66% MCT's, two tablespoons gives us 35 mL of MCTs.
This is interesting enough that I've decided to take one tablespoon of organic virgin coconut oil a day as a preventive.
The most important consideration when buying oils is that they are virgin or, better yet, extra virgin and organic is even better.
Coconut oil has a multiplicity of other health benefits, including anti-infective properties, cardioprotective effects, skin and hair health support and as an efficient energy source because of the high medium chain triglyceride content, which means it will mostly be burned for energy rather than stored as fat.
Disclaimer: The information contained in this publication is for educational purposes only, and is in no way a substitute for the advice of a qualified medical doctor, registered dietitian, certified nutritionist, or exercise physiologist. When you ask any health care professional to help you make decisions about your personal healthcare, I recommend that you show them the information you find here because they may not be aware of it and the scientific studies that support it. Appropriate medical therapy and the use of pharmaceutical or nutritional compounds should be tailored for the individual as no two individuals are alike. I do not recommend self-medicating with any compound as you should consult with a qualified medical doctor, preferably one who is knowledgeable about nutrition and complementary/functional medicine who can determine your individual situation. Any use of the information presented in this publication for personal medical therapy is done strictly at your own risk and no responsibility is implied or intended on the part of the contributing writers, or the publisher.