The Coconut Oil Miracle (21 page)
Read The Coconut Oil Miracle Online
Authors: Bruce Fife
The Epstein-Barr virus is a member of the herpes family that causes mononucleosis; it is often called the kissing disease because it can be transmitted this way. Once inside the body it attacks the white blood cells. Recovery takes four to six weeks with rest. The body needs this length of time to allow the immune system to overcome the virus. For two to three months afterward, patients often feel depressed, lack energy, and feel sleepy throughout the day. This condition may persist at a chronic level, giving rise to CFS.
Cold and flu viruses can cause chronic infections that may contribute to chronic fatigue. Often people with viral infections are given antibiotics. There is no antibiotic that can kill a virus. When we come down with a cold, flu, or other viral infection, the only thing we can do is take it easy and let our immune system handle the job. Doctors often give people who are suffering from viral infections antibiotics because there is nothing else they can do. The antibiotics have no more effect than a placebo—to make the patient feel he or she is
doing something to hasten recovery. This has been the standard practice among doctors for years. The problem with this, besides wasting patients’ money and subjecting them to worthless medications, is that the antibiotics may do some harm. One of the side effects of antibiotic use is the development of candidiasis. Antibiotics kill friendly bacteria in the intestinal tract that compete for space with yeast, thus keeping candida numbers low and relatively harmless. If these bacteria are killed by antibiotic use, yeasts are able to multiply unrestrained, causing a systemic candida infection. Candida can become chronic, burdening the immune system, draining the body’s energy, and leading to prolonged feelings of fatigue and ill health.
As mentioned in
chapter 4
, giardia infections produce symptoms often diagnosed as chronic fatigue syndrome. Low-grade bacterial infections may also drain the body’s energy, causing chronic fatigue. Low-grade infections can be nearly impossible to diagnose accurately. If a virus is part of the cause, little can be done, as there are no drugs that can cure viral illnesses. Giving the wrong type of medication can make matters worse, so experimenting with antibiotics and other drugs is not a good solution.
What’s the answer? Coconut oil may provide a vital solution to chronic fatigue syndrome. The fatty acids in coconut oil can kill herpes, Epstein-Barr viruses, candida, giardia, and a variety of other infectious organisms, any of which could contribute to chronic fatigue. Some doctors believe it is not the particular germ or organism that matters; any combination of factors or conditions that depress the immune system can lead to CFS. According to them, the key to overcoming CFS is strengthening the immune system. Again, coconut oil may be the solution. Coconut oil supports the immune system by
ridding the body of harmful microorganisms, thus relieving stress on the body. With fewer harmful organisms taxing the body’s energy, the immune system can function better.
“I NEVER THOUGHT I WAS TROUBLED with chronic fatigue syndrome. I was healthy. I ate what I considered a good diet—low in fat, lots of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. But I noticed as I was approaching my midforties my level of energy was decreasing rapidly. Even modest amounts of yard work became a drudgery. After a couple of hours I came in exhausted, and it took me two days to recover. By 8 p.m. every day I was exhausted, even though I have a desk job. I found myself going to bed earlier and earlier. Life was slowing down, and I missed the energy I once had. I assumed that what I was experiencing was just the consequence of growing older and left it at that.
“But then I began to wonder. I saw other people, much older than me, who were more physically active and had much more energy. I then suspected something was wrong. I began to seek ways to improve my health. I learned about coconut and began to eat it in place of other oils. I did this not to cure any illness but simply to improve my overall health. It was several months later when I noticed that the
energy I used to have began to return. I no longer wanted to go to sleep at 8 p.m. but stayed up till 11 p.m. without a problem. I got less sleep but had more energy. Improvement came so gradually that I didn’t notice the change until after several months. And it wasn’t until later that I even thought it might be related to coconut oil. Since I’ve been using coconut oil I have not been lethargic during the day, as I was in the past; I have more energy and accomplish more. I feel really good.”
—Brian M.
Coconut oil also provides a quick source of energy and stimulates metabolism. This boost in energy not only lifts the spirit but promotes faster healing. The higher the body’s metabolism, the more efficient the immune system and the more quickly the body can heal and repair itself. It’s like a carpenter doing some repairs on your house. If he is tired and slow, it will take a long time to do the job, but if he is energetic and anxious to complete the task, it will take a fraction of the time. When metabolism is functioning at a higher level, our cells are like an energized carpenter anxious to complete the repairs, while depressed metabolism causes the cells to work more slowly, and consequently healing and repair proceed more slowly.
After more than two decades of research, the AIDS epidemic is still going strong. Drugs have been developed to help slow down the progress of the disease, but, as is the case with other viruses, there is no cure. But there is hope. One of the most exciting and active areas of research with MCFAs is in the treatment of those infected with HIV, which, like many other microorganisms, has a lipid membrane that is vulnerable to MCFAs.
In the 1980s researchers discovered that the medium-chain fatty acids, specifically lauric and capric acids, were effective in killing HIV in lab cultures. This opened the door to a possible treatment for HIV/AIDS that was far safer than the antiviral drugs currently being used.
One of the problems with the antiviral drugs used to fight HIV is that they have undesirable side effects, including muscle wasting, nausea, vomiting, anorexia, bone marrow suppression, ulcerations, hemorrhaging, skin rash, anemia, fatigue, and altered mental function. Another problem is that the AIDS virus can grow resistant to the drugs, often becoming invulnerable to them. The specific combination of viral resistance varies from patient to patient. To fight these resistant strains of superviruses, doctors use a hit-or-miss approach by brewing potent AIDS drug cocktails. The more drugs used, the greater the risk of undesirable side effects.
Unlike the standard drugs used to treat HIV, which attack the virus’s genetic material, medium-chain fatty acids simply break the virus apart. Much like the other fatty acids that make up the virus’s lipid membrane, the MCFAs are absorbed by the virus, weakening
the membrane until it breaks apart, killing the virus. It is unlikely that the virus can develop an immunity to this mechanism, so MCFAs can attack and kill any of the strains of HIV, even the genetically drug-resistant superviruses.
Over the years many HIV-infected individuals have reported a decrease in their viral load (the number of viruses in the blood) and an improvement in overall health after eating coconut or drinking coconut milk. Some have reported lowering their viral loads to nondetectable levels after eating coconut for only a few weeks.
The first clinical study on the effectiveness of coconut oil to treat HIV patients was reported by Conrado Dayrit, M.D., emeritus professor of pharmacology at the University of the Philippines and former president of the National Academy of Science and Technology in the Philippines. In this study, 14 HIV patients, ages 22 to 38, were separated into three groups. None of the patients received any other anti-HIV treatment during the study. The treatment they were testing compared monolaurin (the monoglyceride of lauric acid found in coconut oil) and pure coconut oil. One group (four patients) was given 22 grams of monolaurin a day. The second group (five patients) was given 7.2 grams of monolaurin. The third group (five patients) was given 3
1
⁄
2
tablespoons of coconut oil. The coconut oil given to the third group contained about the same quantity of lauric acid as was supplied by the monolaurin in the first group. After three months of treatment, the viral load had decreased in seven of the patients. After six months, when the study was completed, 9 out of the 14 patients had a decreased viral count (two in the first group, four in the second, and three in the third). Eleven of the patients had regained weight and appeared to be improving. This study confirmed the laboratory
results and anecdotal reports that coconut oil has anti-HIV effects and has provided solid clinical evidence that both monolaurin and coconut oil are effective in fighting HIV. Additional research is currently under way to further study the use of monolaurin and coconut oil to treat HIV/AIDS.
Unfortunately, the ready availability and low cost of coconut oil and its derivative fatty acids are reasons why research into its use as a treatment for AIDS and other viral illnesses has been slow. There is little monetary incentive for pharmaceutical companies to fund research on a natural, readily available substance that they cannot protect with a patent and charge exorbitant prices for. Currently the cost of standard medications for one person to control HIV can reach more than $15,000 a year. If all the hundreds of thousands of people who are infected by this virus spend anywhere near this amount, you can easily see the enormous amount of money the pharmaceutical companies pull in. It is no wonder they are reluctant to support a treatment that threatens to end this flood of cash.
Individuals with HIV often suffer from nutritional deficiencies and recurrent infections. Resistance to infectious illness decreases as the disease progresses. Opportunistic microorganisms such as cytomegalovirus, candida, cryptosporidium, and others quickly take root. In time, the body is devastated so greatly by infection that survival is impossible. The fatty acids in coconut oil not only offer the possibility of reducing the HIV viral load but kill other harmful organisms as well. Combined with the fact that lauric acid and other MCFAs improve digestion and energy levels, the result is better overall health.
Current research suggests that individuals infected with HIV progress more rapidly to AIDS when they have a higher viral load.
Reducing the viral load to undetectable levels greatly increases the patient’s chances of avoiding the disease and reduces the chance of infecting others. A recent study by researchers from Johns Hopkins University showed that the number of individual viruses in the person determines the degree to which the virus can be passed on to others. The study found that someone with 200,000 virus copies (individual viruses per milliliter of blood) is 2.5 times more likely to spread HIV than someone with only 2,000 copies. The researchers found no transmission of the virus at all by infected people who carried less than 1,500 copies of the virus.
Currently some researchers recommend that HIV-infected individuals consume the equivalent of 24 to 28 grams of lauric acid a day in order to significantly reduce their viral load. This would amount to about 3
1
⁄
2
tablespoons (50 grams) of coconut oil. While it is not yet known if lauric acid may one day be a cure for AIDS, it has been proven to reduce the HIV load in those individuals who are infected by the virus, allowing them to live more normal lives and greatly reducing the risk of their transmitting the virus to others. It may be equally able to protect and possibly prevent infection in the first place if a person has sufficient lauric acid in his or her daily diet and low exposure to HIV.
If you are a woman, your chance of developing breast cancer is one in eight. If you are a man, your chance of getting prostate cancer is one in nine. One out of every three people alive today in the United States will eventually get some form of cancer during his or her
lifetime. Cancer is second only to heart disease as the leading cause of death. Like heart disease, there is no sure cure. Often the treatment is as bad as the disease. The best defense is prevention, and most forms of cancer are preventable.
Every single one of us has cancerous cells in our bodies. The reason we don’t all develop cancer and die is that the immune system destroys these renegade cells before they can get out of hand. As long as the immune system is functioning the way it was designed to, we need not worry about cancer. There are several things you can do to improve the efficiency of your immune system and help prevent cancer, such as eating a healthy diet, getting regular exercise, reducing stress, getting proper rest, and such. You should also avoid those things that promote cancer, such as smoking and consuming heat-damaged vegetable oils. As noted in
chapter 2
, processed vegetable oils depress the immune system and create free radicals that can promote cancer. Another thing you can do to strengthen your immune system is to eat coconut oil on a regular basis. Consuming coconut oil, especially in place of most other oils, can greatly reduce your chances of developing cancer.
We are continually surrounded by troublesome germs, many of which find entrance into our bodies. The white blood cells of our immune system constantly battle invading microbes as well as clean out diseased and cancerous cells. When exposure to germs is excessive or when the immune system is under stress, the white blood cells become overworked. When the immune system is under stress, it is unable to effectively clean out cancerous cells. When this happens, cancerous cells can grow and spread without restraint.
Coconut oil can boost the efficiency of the immune system.
MCFAs enhance white blood cell production in the bone marrow. Consequently, more disease-fighting white blood cells can be available to ward off infections and keep renegade cancer cells in check. This along with the antimicrobial properties of the MCFAs aids the body in eliminating disease-causing germs, thus relieving stress on the immune system. The MCFAs take over the job of killing many of the invading microbes. With fewer germs around to cause trouble, white blood cells are free to seek out and destroy cancerous cells. In this manner, coconut oil aids the body in defending itself against germs by allowing the white blood cells to focus their attention on cleaning out toxins and cancerous cells. So a major benefit of coconut oil in the fight against cancer is to reduce stress on the immune system, which in turn allows the white blood cells to function more efficiently so that cancerous cells don’t have a chance to run amok.