Wow, I recently started using coconut oil in my diet I decided to do a little research online about it. Before I tell you what changes I've noticed while using Coconut Oil, let me give you some information on what I've learned.
First here is a list that I got from
Green Med of 13, evidence based medicinal uses:
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Brain Boosting, Clearing Head Lice, Healing Wounds, NSAID Alternative, Anti ulcer, Anti Fungal, Testosterone Booster, Reducing Swollen Prostate, Improving Blood Lipids (of interest to me for my cholesterol), Fat-soluble nutrient absorption, Bone Health and Sunscreen.
These are just the ones listed on
greenmedinfo.com, you'll find others from benign to deadly conditions such as,
Burns, Acne, Yeast Infections/Recurrent Yeast, Bacterial Vaginosis (and other Vag issues for the ladies), Ulcer's, Conjunctivitis, Pelvic Inflammatory Disease, Gum Disease, Ear Infections, Sinus Infections, Urinary Tract Infections, Genital Infections, Gonorrhea, Herpes's(yup, looks like it's good for STD's for you loosey, goosie boys/girls), Mononucleosis, Septicemia, Liver and Kidney Diseases, Multiple Sclerosis and so on and so on.
It's a natural antibiotic, something to tap a finger on your temple about. It's insane the host of conditions and ailments this stuff is used to treat, I mean dude, it's been documented, at least in the Philippine's, to cure HIV. To restate
Coconut Oil Central, it literally kills the damn virus. You're asking "why isn't this well known? why are people dying of AIDS? Well, because there is no money in C.O., it can't be patented. It's considered a food, a safe one at that, the FDA cleared it as such. Do you realize what kinds of testing Coconut Oil had to go through to get such a clearance? But, no, lets go back...it's been documented to cure HIV!! This is one of natures most powerful, all natural antibiotic/antimicrobial. According to
Coconut Oil Central "MCFA-packed coconut oil costs just a tiny fraction, has no undesirable side effects, and neutralizes not just viruses, but a host of other harmful microorganisms such as bacteria, yeasts, worms, fungi, parasites, etc."
I came to find thousands of articles on coconut oil alone; but the ones that interested me the most, you guessed it, were the ones that illustrated its medicinal capabilities. No doubt when plugging in a search for C.O. I found many "miracle cure" links, but that's not something I was willing to write about until I could first dig up some scientific background on the subject. The reason being; lets face it, the last thing the Health care Industry wants are natural homeopathic cures and the last thing big-brother Pharmaceuticals wants are solid, natural treatments for ailments that they can make a whole heap of those wonderful, crispy, Ben Franklin's off of.
For those reasons alone, I do extensive research on subjects of this nature and find it easier to weed through the bullshit I find online. An easy example of the B.S. was an article by NYU Langone Medical Center with a small excerpt on Coconut Oil. They seemed to minimize it's medicinal benefits, as I would have expected them to. Shame on you NYU. NYU would probably never do an extensive study of their own because, in my opinion, hospitals in general are in bed with big pharma. If you need to ask me why, I'd suggest some research of your own though, I'd just as easily give you the info in the comment section.
The best way to get good and solid facts are to search for "Scientific Studies" and foreign "Medical Studies" no offense, if you're quick to write me a prescription for my allergies or any other ailment, I'm not too keen on taking your advice, especially here in the US. The older I get, the more interested I become in Holistic Medicine and Natural Remedies.
I found a really good source of info from a Naturopathic Doctor by the name of
Bruce Fife, ND: on his
Coconut Research Center Site:
"Coconut is highly nutritious and rich in fiber, vitamins, and minerals. It is
classified as a "functional food" because it provides many health benefits
beyond its nutritional content. Coconut oil is of special interest because it
possesses healing properties far beyond that of any other dietary oil and is
extensively used in traditional medicine among Asian and Pacific populations.
Pacific Islanders consider coconut oil to be the cure for all illness. The
coconut palm is so highly valued by them as both a source of food and medicine
that it is called "The Tree of Life." Only recently has modern medical science
unlocked the secrets to coconut's amazing healing powers."
They call it the "tree of life" can you imagine the things Asians and Pacific Islanders know about this natural oil? Here in the U.S. Medicine comes with a large price-tag. Consider this, as reported on
drugwatch "Big Pharma sets aside an estimated $188 million annual lobbying budget and the $14 million or so it doles out to political candidates every year, the United States, which makes up 5 percent of the world’s population, accounts for 34 percent of the money spent on prescription drugs."
Here I'll give a couple of illustrations of what ailments or conditions Coconut Oil is used medicinally for as well as how much Big Pharma makes off of the toxic poison they want you to put in your body:
1) Psoriasis - from my research, the medical community doesn't really know what causes Psoriasis and yet they are so quick to dole out ointments, creams and pills. Psoriasis can also lead to Arthritis and Joint Pain. What has been said is that there is a link between Psoriasis and Candida, which is a genus of yeast. Coconut Oil has natural Anti-fungal, Anti-Viral and Anti-Inflammatory agents. The Pharmaceutical I saw being prescribed was Fluconazole (also sold as Diflucan). I looked it up and I found that Diflucan sold at a whopping $60 some odd million dollars in 2012.
Coconut Oil on the other hand is said to help heal and in some cases cure this condition better than Diflucan and it's all natural, comes with a ton of great natural vitamins and costs a simple $12 bucks at our local health food store. Now that's a ball park figure of course, it'll probably cost more for the Virgin Organic brand as opposed to the Refined Regular brand. BUT for a few bucks you've got a natural product that you can cook with, take orally, apply topically and use cosmetically. The only thing you can't do with it is house-cleaning. I've used it on my hair, taken table spoons of it to get some healthy fat.
In an abstract study
NCBI it was said "It is noteworthy that coconut oil was active against species of Candida at 100% concentration compared to fluconazole. Coconut oil should be used in the treatment of fungal infections in view of emerging drug-resistant Candida species." Don't take my word for it, do your own research.
2) Eczema: (also known as dermatitis) is a chronic skin disorder that is usually characterized by itchy rashes (these rashes can be red, scaly, dry, and/or leathery.) It covers a variety of inflammations that take place on the most outer portion of the skin. It is also known as: atopic eczema, atopic dermatitis and infantile or baby eczema.
As reported in the
tribune "According to a 2008 study published in the journal Dermatitis, virgin coconut oil has emollient properties that help to heal and protect the skin’s surface, as well as broad-spectrum antimicrobial components that help to protect against bacteria, viruses and fungi associated with eczema."
3)Yeast (or Candida) Infections/Bacterial Vaginosis, Trichinosis Vagintis:
This goes back to Candida on the yeast infections and how the Coconut Oil has anti-fungal/Viral/Inflammatory and Anti Microbial agents. I came upon link after link where women have used Virgin Coconut Oil to treat all of the three conditions listed above and more, with high success. Apparently Bacterial Vaginosis is treated with multi-day pills whereby it leaves the flora and PH out of wack and follows these women with a bout of Yeast Infections.
Many women also get yeast infections after taking other medications because, once again, their flora gets turned upside down and becomes imbalanced. The Coconut oil when used orally or is vaginally inserted completely cures them. These are women suffering from these conditions, sometimes for years and they've found their home remedy for a few bucks as opposed to seeking out their doctor's and paying a ton of money every month for some pills that work temporarily. Coconut oil is also used topically on the outside of their lady parts to keep them from growing bacteria that causes irritation, infections or foul smells (gross, but I had to post this for my chick readers). BTW, Men get some of these same infections too so, don't wrinkle your noses, it also cures Jock Itch.
Moving on, Coconut Oil is also used topically for dry skin anywhere on your body. It literally repairs your skin and helps with wrinkles Get this: "Its smaller molecular structure allows MCFAs to
easily penetrate the pores of your skin. MCFA-rich coconut oil prevents
free-radical formation and the damage it causes. Coconut oil
strengthens the
connective tissues, making your skin soft and supple. It also helps to preserve your body’s protective acid layer, establishing a chemical environment inhospitable to most disease-causing germs." and stretch marks. You can use it as a makeup remover as well as a moisturizer.
I've used it on my hair, body and face, I am in love with this oil, it's crazy. Since I started using it on my hair; it's shinier and softer. I put some in before I shampoo and condition then lather, rinse and air dry. It makes a difference for me because I tend to get the frizzie's.
Originally, I bought the refined coconut oil for cooking. I needed to switch to a healthy fat for cooking and boy oh boy, what a difference this stuff makes when you use it as part of your daily diet routine. I am eating smaller portions and am feeling satiated and fuller longer. I have to be careful though because twice I forgot to eat in two days and I'm sure that's not a good idea.
With the purchase of the Refined Organic (expellar pressed) coconut oil I started researching it, wondering why it was making such a wonderful impact on me and then I found out that the Virgin Unrefined Organic is better. REALLY? Better than this and what do you know, it is better. It's literally an all purpose buy. If I want to add it to my moisturizing routine, there are NO harmful side effects or toxic chemicals. Definitely buy two of each, I keep one just for nutritional purposes and I keep another in my bathroom for my beauty routine.
I started taking a tablespoon of it at night and I'll document the changes I see as they come. As my close friends know, I had low HDL recently during my cholesterol screening and my goal is to raise it healthfully and what do you know, C.O. is supposed to help. We shall see. I'll keep you posted next week when they run my blood again. ;-)
I'd love to hear your input and or experiences, if you care to share, drop a line.
Til next time-
Casey
p.s. Excuse the typo's, I really couldn't put off posting this otherwise, who knows
how long it would have been.
Helpful Links/Sources:
http://www.coconutresearchcenter.org/aboutus.htm
Article 10013-Things You Probably Didn't Know About Cocunut Oil
