coconut oil?
 

I posted today about a trial in the UK for a ketone ester. You can get ketones several ways, including eating coconut oil. Read my post about the trial in the UK for ketone ester, but in the meantime, is anyone here taking coconut oil? If so, what have you noticed?

Coconuts Oil
 

I started about a week ago. I take the organic extra virgin from Swanson, 2-3 tablespoons in the morning as butter or in smoothie. Fantastic flavor! To date no dramatic effect has been noticed, BUT, it somewhat helps short term memory. I will keep take it. FYI - there are some good videos you can watch about the coconut oil from YouTube!:)

I take it
 

I have been taking 3 table spoons of coconutoil every day since October 2010. Please see following link to my post about it:
http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/sh...ht=imad+eureka
I was very enthusiastic about as I noted a huge increase in my energy after starting to take it and kept taking it without stop. But apart from improving my energy, I can not say that it had any other effect on my PD.

heres my million dollar discovery :) - pop your popcorn iin coconut oil for really busting those kernels open - 4th of July in a popper!and tastes great too!

yes
 

i find that eating it straight [after warming the jar in warm water to de-solidify] it might help with acid reflux. i have endoscopy on Friday, i am mostly on a liquid diet. acid reflux out of control now.

there's always something.....

coconut oil
 

I find the coconut oil keeps my energy level up / more consistent throughout the day. Been taking it off and on for a year now.
I use it two ways- 1 T. in my oat meal in the morning :stirthepot:
and then at least 1 T. more throughout the day absorbed through the skin
(my skin drinks it in like a thirsty sponge!)

I'm taking coconut oil for treatment of Parkinson's symptoms for the past 4 1/2 months and am very pleased with the results. I believe the main problem is that people don't take enough. Most battle plans indicate that you should be taking 6 tablespoons per day. When improvements started slowing down I just upped the dosage to 10-12 tablespoons a day. I also upped the battle plan by eating Terry Wahl's recommendation of lots of vegetables for each meal. I also paid a nutritionist to design a meal plan for me, which cuts back on carbohydrates. Miraculously I still have my weight under control.

My main symptom is right hand tremor, which is in retreat. It still flares up badly under stress but there is positive progression. I was diagnosed 13 years ago, so I'm surprised that I've improved as much as I have. I feared that too much brain cell death had already occurred after 23 years (including 10 years of hand tremor before being diagnosed).

curious
 

Is right hand tremor your only PD symptom after 13 years? If not, what other symptoms do you have? Balance, dizziness, fatigue? I'd like to hear how your other symptoms have been effected by the coconut oil, thanks.

Lots of non-PD health improvements came within the first month of taking coconut oil. Improved eyesight, clear headed thinking, more positive mood (it was like the sun came out), reduced swings in blood sugar (no more cravings), fixed my borderline cholesterol (all blood work numbers went off the charts in the right direction), amazing recovery from cold in 3-4 days (used to hound me for weeks), it was almost an out of body experience.

PD symptoms then started to fade away. I lost my Parkinson's frozen face (has expression again), drooling stopped, never feel dizzy or out of balance anymore, morning wake-up feel refreshed and energetic (used to feel like I'd been hit by a truck and had a whole body tremor), never require day time naps anymore, don't get tired while driving long distances in car, my toes are no longer numb and tingling sensation, significant reduction in right hand tremor, right foot no longer drags when I'm walking, elimination of right foot and leg tremor.

Hand tremor is my dominant symptom, and still flares up under stress. Miraculously I now go whole days without any tremor at all, except in between doses of cocunut oil. If I don't take the coconut oil, all the above symptoms start to reappear again, so it's a life time commitment for me. It will be interesting to see how far this will improve, especially since my neurologist says there's nothing she can do, when I was almost disabled by my tremor.

I am still taking prescription drugs, but have not increased for two years (I've been on coconut oil for 4 1/2 months now).

When I went for a general checkup, my family doctor just stared at me for several minutes and then said he sees no progression in parkinson's symptoms since I saw him two years ago (I was on coconut oil for only 4 months at the time of my visit). My neurologist is much more understated, and simply said that I have remarkably few symptoms considering that I was diagnosed 13 years ago.

10-12 tablespoons?
 

do you mean teaspoons?

there are approximately 3tsps/tablespoon and 40 calories/tsp for coconut oil so you are potentially eating 1400 calories/day in fat. doesn't seem right.

i apologize if i misunderstood your posts.

Where do you get your coconut oil from?

No you read it right, tablespoons. This is defined in both "Stop Alzheimer's Now" and "What if there was a Cure" books on coconut oil therapy. Both books also talk about reducing carbohydrate intake to achieve weight loss, not calorie counting. Coconut oil burns off very quickly and is an unmistakable sensation, it is definitely not metabolized like carbohydrate.

My nutritionist designed my meal plan around 6-8 tablespoons of coconut oil per day and I was actually losing weight. There was no calorie counting verbalized when making the meal plan. Basically she said for my body weight I must eat 100 g of protien per day, which I get from Whey protein, pumpkin seed, sunflower seed, hemp seed, chicken, salmon. She then said I must eat whole vegetables at every meal, which I have 3 cups (at least), comprised of at least two from kale, brocolli, red cabbage, carrots. I also consume berries and large oat flakes every day.

I must say I feel fantastic and the parting words from my family doctor were "I fully support whatever you are doing, keep it up"

Costco

Make sure it is organic, virgin, cold-pressed

so your're advocating a ketogenic diet?
curious as to how you take the oil - all at once or divided dosages - do you add it to food? and it took how long to see an affect on pd symptoms?
also curious what pd meds you are on and dosages.

No, it is not ketogenic, but it may be close. I just tried some ketone urine strips before lunch today for the first time and ketones are very low.

I just eat it. (3 + 2) morning, 3 noon, 3 dinner. I'm always experimenting on the timing. I'll feel the effects wearing off, but it takes a few hours for the new dosage to kick in, so it can be a bit of a roller coaster ride sometimes.

I started noticing PD symptoms fading after about a month at dosage level of 6-8 TBS a day. I keep a daily diary.

Meds 3 x 1.5 x 100mg/25mg levocarb and 3 x 1 x 1.5mg mirapex and 2 x 1 x 2mg trihex

I didn't even catch the ketogenic diet. Thanks for pointing that out Soccertese.
I thought that taking a few tablespoons of coconut oil would help with PD symptoms. I think I jumped the gun. I am not into ketogenic stuff as I know someone with seizures that tried it, and it's ugly how it turned out to be.

I am not on a ketogenic diet. I am not in keytosis (according to urine strips). I suggested watching carbohydrate consumption if someone starts gaining weight while taking coconut oil. I am personally not gaining weight, even at 10-12 TBS coconut oil per day.

I hope it goes without saying that you should be getting blood work done when you're shoveling that much saturated fat into your body. In my case shoveling saturated fat in the form of coconut oil into my mouth gave me outstanding blood work. It was exactly what my body needed. A huge increase in HDL (good cholesterol), a huge drop on LDL (bad cholesterol), and a huge drop in triglycerides.

I am hooked on coconut oil just for the outstanding blood work. Statins did nothing for my cholesterol.

this is the disclaimer presented by those in charge of neurotalk, just common sense:
The material on this site is for informational purposes only, and is not a substitute for medical advice, diagnosis or treatment
provided by a qualified health care provider. Always consult your doctor before trying anything you read here.

Satwar Thanks for your excellent responses. I'm going to follow your suggestion and bump up my dose. I'll let you know how it goes. I will also make some diet adjustments. How long at 6 to 8 tablespoons before you realized it was the oil kicking in and improving your situation?

Please keep in mind that everyone is different, and will respond differently. I'm looking back in my diary and some of the non-PD improvements (clear mind, positive mood) became apparent after 2 weeks. I also had my first episode of cessation of right hand tremor, which lasted several hours. The fading of my right hand tremor has not been a linear improvement, but I can now look forward to a significant portion of each new day without tremor, as long as I remain stress free. My remaining challenge is to see if my tremor will become more resistant to stress. I have to keep reminding myself that PD took 23 years (diagnosed for 13 years) to get to where I am today, so it may take a few years to repair that damage. I'm not waiting for a miracle, and am thankful for what I have already achieved. The certainty of living in a wheel chair in the future has become a little less certain in these past few months.

The coconut oil gave me a beach-head to launch my battle against PD. I had my blood work done after about 1 1/2 months and the results gave me the courage to make a lifetime commitment to coconut oil. Then I consulted with a nutritionist to get my diet plan and help me in getting my weight down.
It is really quite a juggling act, trying to lose weight, and decrease my tremor, and eat nutritious meals. My first attempt at reducing my weight on my own failed miserably. I was almost disabled by my tremor. Fortunately a good well balanced meal with carbohydrate pulled me out of the tremor. The meal planning by a nutritionist has now solved that problem.

Good Luck. And take it slow on increasing the dosage, it can cause intestinal distress.

I should also mention I take omega 3 oil because coconut oil does not have any. I take a number of other supplements but have not seen any improvement to my symptoms like I did with coconut oil.

Can you also tell what and how much carbs if any you eat in any form. Thank you.

I haven't done that, but I can try to figure it out for you. I'll need a few days.

I'm calculating ~ 65 g net carbohydrate (Total - Fiber). The main contributor are my large three times daily servings of kale (2-3 cups = 12-18g per meal), broccoli and red cabbage.

Interest in the potential for coconut oil's use in combating Alzheimer's grew in the wake of an October 2011 online article and a January 2012 Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN) video touting its efficacy in that regard. CBN is a Christian television broadcasting network in the United States begun by Pat Robertson in 1961 that is best known for the 700 Club. Dr. Mary Newport (featured in the CBN video linked to above), author of the 2011 book Alzheimer's Disease: What If There Was a Cure?: The Story of Ketones, and the medical director of the neonatal intensive care unit of Spring Hill Regional Hospital in Florida, supports the glucose-starvation theory and postulates ketones (delivered in the form of coconut oil) provide an alternative energy source for brain cells that have lost to Alzheimer's their ability to use glucose (the brain’s chief energy source). She points to her own husband's remarkable results after having had his diet supplemented with this substance as one of the proofs of this form of treatment.
Read more at http://www.snopes.com/medical/diseas...Hhth1M8BBgk.99


Except for personal testimonies on a number of sites this is the only background I have on coconut oil. Is there any further research or proof to back the claims made for it?

Don't forget Bruce Fife's book "Stop Alzheimer's Now"

Clinical trials (proof) are in very short supply, because so far very little money is being made available to fund ketone research.

The only clinical trial (proof) that I am aware of is in 2009:

Study of the ketogenic agent AC-1202 in mild to moderate
Alzheimer's disease: a randomized, double-blind, placebocontrolled,
multicenter trial
Samuel T Henderson*, Janet L Vogel, Linda J Barr, Fiona Garvin, Julie J Jones and Lauren C Costantini

Currently there is a clinical trial being conducted at the University of Florida, Byrd Institute but results won't be available for several years. This trial was funded anonymously based on a significant number of anecdotal reports submitted to Mary Newport after she published her book.

if your family doctor supports you, why not approach your local tv/radio/newspaper and tell them your story with your dr. verifying your experience? or even without your dr, you could provide your medical records. i assume some health care professionals will not endorse a procedure like this because of liability issues but your med records could have the dr's names blacked out and still be valid proof.
i'd also try to get a pd researcher interested, contact the nearest university doing research.

that's what i would do if i had stumbled onto a treatment with such amazing results.
possibly post a before and after video on youtube, you stated the affect is transitory, if you miss a day your pd symptoms come back? so should be able to take a video.

As I understood it, the purpose of this thread was to ask whether anyone had results to share with coconut oil. I have shared because I have been very pleased with the results I have had in five months and it may help someone else. I'm not trying to prove anything to the world, I am and will always be merely anecdotal evidence because I'm not a scientifically designed trial. In spite of early progress my personal goal is to stay my course for at least two years before I make any decisions, after all my PD symptoms took ~23 years to get where they are today. I'm not waiting for a miracle, just trying to improve the quality of my life to the best of my ability.

Further, what do you think Mary Newport (What if there was a Cure) has been doing these past few years but getting research in universities started. Yes, she has my number.

bump...bump

Satwar, I'm starting to see results. Lost 10 pounds, inflammation is gone from my hands. I'll check my numbers in about 3 more weeks.

I assume your talking about blood work. The coconut oil fixed my cholesterol very quickly, within a month.

How many TBS are you taking daily ?

I'm only up to 3 to 4 Tbls but combined with my no/low carb, no sugar diet I am seeing positive results. Yes I mean bloodwork.

Well you certainly know how to lose weight. I wish you all the best.

Ooops, coconut oil for potential treatment of Alzheimer's just went mainstream national news in Canada, on the CTV news: http://www.ctvnews.ca/video?clipId=1020700

I was interviewed by the producer of this show but unfortunately the scope of the show was limited to Alzheimer's. I pleaded the case for including cholesterol and Parkinson's to no avail.

as a person with a science background, my opinion is that video lacked any proof that coconut oil helps alzheimer. i might be wrong, but the unnamed institution doing the trial is just starting and is funded by some unnamed organization. the canadian scientist isn't named. the 100's of testimonials weren't examined, the husband has regressed, his improved drawings - who witnessed them. not saying some people might benefit but that was about the quality of a poor infomercial in my opinion. just giving my honest opinion.

I'm sorry but the video was asking questions not providing answers, and it was raising the awareness of the general public. Please find attached the "Extended Report" which accompanies the video. http://www.ctvnews.ca/health/health-...#ixzz2hSfFeE00

The clinical trial will provide the proof required. What you do and how you act with that proof is obviously your decision.

thanks for the link. i hope the results are positive. HAUSER at USF does a lot of pd research. he tested IV glutathione and found no affect on pd even though anecdotally there were numerous "success stories".

http://health.usf.edu/medicine/neuro...ders/index.htm

the video/article imho was very unbalanced, didn't interview anyone who was skeptical, imho more entertainment than reporting.

satwar, I would like to ask you a question. First, let me preface my question by saying that I have used coconut oil, although irregularly, for about 6 months. My PD symptoms have been stable for about 2 years since dx, and in some areas (balance and stiffness) I have actually improved. Of course, I have no idea if its attributable to the coconut, the variety of other supplements I take, the Azilect, my regular exercise routine (including Qigong daily and Tai Chi 3 times/week) or a combination of all.

My question is do you have any particular reason for jumping onto coconut oil other than your personal belief that it will work, and your confidence in the reports you have posted. With no disrespect at all, I just want to make sure that you don't have some vested interest that we are unaware of. I appreciate all of the information that you post on this topic. I just want to feel comfortable that it is being done for the right reasons.

Thank you,

Gary

I wouldn't say that I have a`belief that it will work, but rather that I wanted to give it a fair try and see what happens. My tremor had developed into a full time event and I was having difficulty feeding myself. I had decided to make an appointment with my neurologist within the next few weeks.

How I became focused on coconut oil was a strange series of coincidental events. I attended a local Parkinson's Society meeting where some research on a way of restoring health to mitochondria was reported on rat models, and proposed for potential treatment of Parkinson's in 10 years. In the meantime my wife had recently purchased a book in the health food store on treatment of Alzheimer's for a friend who's mother is very sick. My wife starting skimming the book and realized it had potential for treating Parkinson's, hence brought it to my attention. I started reading and was stunned that the book's theory about restoring sick mitochondria was very similar to the mainstream study on rat models (different agents but same goal).

Hence I began taking coconut oil. Within weeks I started noticing improvements and started increasing my dosage. The only condition I imposed on myself was that I would have my blood work done after a month because of my borderline cholesterol. If my blood work turned worse, I would stop the treatment. My blood work was outstanding, far beyond any expectations and never been better in my entire life, so I became committed to taking this treatment as far as I can. My family doctor stated that he saw no progression in my disease since I saw him two years ago (I had only started coconut oil several months earlier).

I no longer have any urgency to see my neurologist, and on my last regular six month appointment she said I was doing remarkably well for being diagnosed 13 years ago.

Hope this answers your question.

Let's remember that this clinical trial is for Alzheimer's not Parkinson's and even if results are clearly positive the same challenges of funding clinical trials for PD will have to be overcome. Hopefully as awareness increases, funding will be easier.

From what I have read this trial has been well designed for both patients and scientists. To be sure there are a lot of eyes awaiting the outcome of this trial and the spin doctors will be out in full force.

Let's hope, regardless of outcome, that patients like us are the winners.

Thanks for the information, satwar.

My cholesterol has always been on the lower side (as is the case with many PWP). However, as with you, since I started taking the coconut oil, its dropped even more. On top of that, my HDLs are actually higher now than my LDLs. Not sure if I can attribute this to the coconut, but it certainly hasn't hurt.