In my search to find something to fix my knee’s arthritis, I’ve just discovered something new to try, and I thought some of you might want to try it with me, because they say it fixes lots of stuff besides arthritis.
Lots of people swear it has changed their life, and it is safe, and cheap enough, that I think it is well worth giving it a shot.
This new miracle drug is coconut oil. Months ago my daughter Liz told me I should be using it for cooking and as a replacement for butter, so I got some and set it on my shelf and forgot about it. Then I found this book called “The New Arthritis Cure.” It says coconut oil can fix just about anything. It says that it is, among other things, a natural antibiotic, killing lots of bad bugs in your body, but unlike prescription antibiotics, not killing any good stuff. It says that it has a makeup similar to mother’s milk, the reason breastfed babies are protected from infection for the first few months of their lives. And there are many many other things in its favor. This author says most arthritis comes from, or is aggravated by some kind of infection, and that coconut oil can get rid of many of those infections. I’m going to give it a good try and when you hear all the other things it is supposed to do, maybe you’ll want to, too. To make sure I wouldn’t be leading you astray on this, I went to the nation’s guru of health information, Dr. Mehmut Oz. Dr. Oz doesn’t talk about it fixing arthritis, but he has a long list of other things it is good for.
I couldn’t figure out how to say it in the space I have allotted me, so I’m going to quote Dr. Oz about just some of its benefits:
“Studies have shown that intake of coconut oil can help our bodies mount resistance to both viruses and bacteria that can cause illness. Even more, it also can help to fight off yeast, fungus and candida.
Coconut oil can also positively affect our hormones for thyroid and blood sugar control. People who take coconut oil also tend to have improvements in how they handle blood sugar since coconut can help improve insulin use within the body. According to an Endocrinologist at the Holtorf Medical Group “Coconut oil can boost thyroid function helping to increase metabolism, energy and endurance.” It increases digestion and helps to absorb fat-soluble vitamins.
Coconut oil has a saturated fat called lauric acid, a type of MCT. It has been shown that lauric acid increases the good HDL cholesterol in the blood to help improve cholesterol ratio levels. Coconut oil lowers cholesterol by promoting its conversion to pregnenolone, a molecule that is a precursor to many of the hormones our bodies need. Coconut can help restore normal thyroid function. When the thyroid does not function optimally, it can contribute to higher levels of bad cholesterol.
Coconut fats have special fats called medium chain triglycerides (MCTs). It has been shown that breaking down these types of healthy fats in the liver leads to efficient burning of energy. One 2009 study found that women who consumed 30 milliliters (about 2 tablespoons) of coconut oil daily for 12 weeks not only did not gain more weight, but actually had lowered amounts of abdominal fat, a type of fat that is difficult to lose, and contributes to more heart problems.”
Hear that? It reduces belly fat! If that is true, it really is a miracle drug. And it is good in your coffee!
Another big thing this book recommends is something called “oil pulling,” which consists of swishing a small amount of coconut oil around in your mouth 15 or 20 minutes once or twice a day. It is said to do wonders for your teeth, and the rest of your body as well. Pretty weird, but I’m doing it. I’ll let you know.
If all this interests you, check out http://www.coconutresearchcenter.org/ Also I’ll be posting some more links on www.facebook.com/aroundthetown.