Coconut oil ...
 

"Cholesterol is needed for proper function of serotonin receptors in the brain.61 Serotonin is the body’s natural “feel-good” chemical. This explains why low cholesterol levels have been linked to aggressive and violent behavior, depression and suicidal tendencies."
-Quoted from The Oiling of America
by Mary Enig, PhD, and Sally Fallon.

http://coconutoil.com/oiling_america/

And a lengthy, informative read on the benefits of adding daily use of extra-virgin, pure-pressed coconut oil to one's diet and nutrition, see:
Coconut Oil @ http://www.coconutdiet.com/health_be...oconut_oil.htm

Coconut oil is the greatly under-rated oil. It is great for MCT's, Medium Chain Triglycerides that help the body produce ketones. Ketones are the brain's emergency fuel.

We have used coconut oil in this house for years.

Coconut oil is also a great massage oil. It causes good friction heat and absorbs well. It does not leave you greasy.

We get it from Tropical Traditions. They have good prices.

Make stove top popcorn in it then spray the popped corn with olive oil cooking spray and sprinkle some sea salt on it. Great tasting healthy popcorn snack.

Virgin or non-virgin expelled?

I have been using organic extra virgin coconut oil....I love it!

At the least: extra-virgin cold-pressed.

Coconut oil for brain injury
 

I suffered a brain injury in 2006 due to a code event in the hospital. It absolutely devistated me and my family. It ripped apart all my relationships. I have been slowly working back to what I lost through many modalities including neurofeedback, hyperbaric chamber treatments, lens treatments, HEG treatments and most recently Luminosity. I have also been working with a functionAl medicine doctor, Dr. Robert Morely. Dr. Morely recently turned me onto coconut oil as a great source for medium chain triglycerides and a great aid for people with alzheimer's disease. He felt it could help my brain injury. Well was he ever correct!!! I have been taking it for A WEEK NOW AND HAVE MY SCORES IN LUMINOSITY ZOOMED!! I CAN NOT TELL YOU HOW MUCH MORE ALERT AND ALIVE I FEEL WITH THIS WONDERFUL FOOD UNDER MY BELT. IT HAS CHANGED MY LIFE AS MUCH AS A FULL YEAR ND A HALF OF NEUROFEEDBACK HAS. REALLY!! I WOULD STRONGLY RECOMMEND IT FOR ANYONE WITH A MILD TO SEVERE BRAIN INJURY. AND EVEN IF IT DOESN'T HELP WITH THE BRAIN INJURY LOOK AT ALL THE OTHER POSITIVE EFFECTS OF COCONUT OIL. That's all for now, but do not hesitate to contact me about this.This stuff is a magic bullet. Really.

:winky:

revivaljewels,

Welcome to NeuroTalk. Glad to hear you are doing so good. Please feel free to share more about your experience.

I have just ordered organic extra virgin coconut oil from amazon. How much should I take it ? Is one tsp fine? The texture of the brand which I ordered is liquid and nutiva brand has solid texture at room temperature. Is it the right thing ? Confused!

I am interested in this too. I have baked with coconut oil for my husband who is lactose intolerant, but what is the best method/amount for intake for this purpose - other than popcorn :)

does it matter if it is cooked or heated to a certain temperature?
and how much?

I am sorry. That article link is so long. I wondered if you could just post the basics.

Thanks!
Julie

Coconut oil can be hard on the guts if you take to much to fast and that sometimes turns people off. However if you can stick it out the benefits of ketones are not only great for cognition, the lauric acid has anti inflammatory effects helps with gut bacteria etc, the list goes on and on, as well the ketones are a great and healthier fuel for the cardiovascular system.

If you can stomach it, try taking a teaspoon a day with food and work it up to 3 a day. Good for energy too, an easier way of getting the ketones flowing without following a strict Ketogenic Diet. If you decide you want to try a Ketogenic diet to run off ketones and to becmoe less dependant on glycogen/sugar/carbs etc you might be surprised to find more cognitive benefits as well as anyone fighting with high BP or blood sugar problems where drugs have failed usually respond quite well to this change, at the very least it will help any insulin resistance issues which also has a poor effect on cognition anxiety depression etc, although like anything it takes time for the body and brain to adapt. Prior to the brain injury I used coconut oil and a ketogenic diet for sports and training reasons and it was the best I ever felt.

Sorry for the long post I get excited whenever I see someone else turn to things like this as they are very successful fairly cheap when compared to pharma/drugs.

I wonder also, there is evidence starting to show that fasting after a brain injury could be beneficial, I wonder if it is because of ketones, therefore supplementing with ketones post accident might help, might be a bit of a reach but being that they are neuro protective I would think there would be some correlation.

I keep my coconut oil for consumption in the refrigerator as it doesn't stay solid on the shelf in our high temperatures here. It's just my personal preference though. As far as I know it has a long shelf life. It was disconcerting to wake up in the morning and see it solid some days and to watch it melt before my very eyes only to go solid again by bedtime. ;) I figured that wasn't a good thing on a daily basis for the quality of the oil.

Coconut oil has a melting point of 76F or 24C approx.. so if it's pure oil and on the shelf it is solid it just means it's colder than 76F.

I use it in different ways. I add a teaspoon of it to a smoothie everyday made with things like baby English spinach, banana, almond milk, some greek yoghurt, a few blueberries, ice and a tiny pinch of cayenne pepper. I vary it.

If I need to cook something in the pan I'll use a little of it for that sometimes as well.

Coconut oil has been around my home since I was a little girl and used for many purposes. It doesn't affect my digestive system negatively in any way.

There have been other posts if I recall correctly about fasting.
Fasting is not for me. I feel weak enough some days. I do better with lots of small meals spread throughout the day and I need protein. If I cut out the protein too much I feel terrible. Everyone is different though.

Lara,

I can't fast either.

Bud

Is organic coconut oil better ? I just received a bottle and its not organic . I read that it should be organic for max benefits

I was first introduced to CO by the Weston A Price Foundation, we had chapter group in our town for some years and that was my first big intro. WAP is major into CO and all oils.

I buy organic virgin from several sources, whole foods brand (unrefined) Trader Joe's when I can get there and love Nutiva when I want to spend more or it's on sale.

I use CO for all my oil needs cooking, add some to my morning coffee, tsp+ thru the day, make my own toothpaste with CO base, it goes on and on. Love this oil.

I would choose organic over anything if I can. I would use the non organic and make sure next purchase is organic...unless you can take it back to a store where you purchased it.

I don't think it was mentioned, but CO helps with thyroid health. There is tons of info on CO on the net.

I don't think organic makes much difference in the nutritional value. What matters is purity.

Hi, thanks for all the wonderful information regarding tbi and coconut oil. My daughter sustained a tbi 6 years ago. We did a lot of different treatments and she has improved tremendously, however she is still dealing with daily headaches (most of the day). We were just introduced to coconut oil She is starting with 1/2tsp twice a day. My question is can she take it with other food as well? One person told us to not eat 1 hour before and after, to avoid stomach upset. Does anyone have any info on this? My second question is how fast should she increase the amounts and how much is the ultimate to consume a day? Thank you so much for your help!!!

Personally I cook with CO, add tsp to my morning coffee, eat a tsp off the spoon. I use it much more than olive oil and make sure you get unrefined. I've read some people ingest 1T a few times a day. There is a lot of CO info on the net.

desidesi,

Welcome to NeuroTalk.

People use coconut oil for different purposes. Some want the MCT (Medium Chain Triglycerides ) benefit. This helps supply ketones for brain metabolism. But, for most, they do not need extra sources of ketones. There are many other health benefits of coconut oil that make it worthwhile.

There are a lot of ways to include it with food. My wife likes it in oatmeal. She puts it on toast. We drizzle it on popcorn.

Keep in mind that what one person can consume without distress may be a problem for others.

How did your daughter suffer her TBI ? Has anybody ever considered a subtle upper neck injury ? They can cause headaches and a myriad of other symptoms.

Is she struggling with any other symptoms ?

I've been using Coconut Oil from the beginning of my concussion. I was also told to drink coconut water (not the sugary kind) as it has tons of electrolytes and hydrates you very well which is important for a concussion. So I started drinking a ton of that and basically started to love coconuts since my concussion!

My mom had me buy a big tub of coconut oil and I use it every night as a cooking oil. It's great for cooking. I don't think people should be too worried about how much to take. I've never had stomach issues but I am sure those stomach issues are felt by people who would normally have stomach issues after eating something with a lot of oil like a pasta dish with lots of olive oil. There's nothing particular about coconut oil that is bad for the stomach it's just that some people's stomachs can't handle a lot of any oil.

Personally I've never had an issue. And I love the stuff so when I cook I literally take a spoon and just eat a big spoonful raw and then cook with it. Never had a problem. Never noticed it to be any kind of cure or make me feel better but it sure is healthy and delicious...

Coconut water does not have the MCT's in coconut oil. It is an expensive way to drink water. If you need the potassium, a daily banana and good water is just as good. It is incomplete as an electrolyte replacement drink.

If you cook with coconut oil, be careful to not get it too hot. It is not nearly as healthy when it has been overheated. Most cooking oils have the same limitation.

I was thinking about giving coconut oil tablets a go, would these be as good as the oil itself?

I tend to use coconut butter in my veggie drink and it is easy to eat a spoon of it which I am going to start after reading these posts. I found coconut oil great for cooking and the body. I was wondering the difference *administrative edit due to copyright of copy/pasted text*
Not my commentary :-) but the butter is delicious. I use Artisana raw Organic Coconut Butter. It is expensive but so tasty and never upsets my stomach. I shave it with a spoon or fork and add it to almond butter too.

has anyone experienced a spike in anxiety after consuming coconut oil?

i use organic extra virgin.

i eat roughly 2-3 teaspoons per day (with a meal. usually in my oatmeal in the morning and in my rice with dinner).

i notice that immediately after i start to feel a lot of anxiety/unease.

i love this oil for its taste and obviously for the MCT's and anti-inflammatory properties (i have RA).

thanks.

There is minimal value to eating coconut oil if you also consume normal amounts of carbs. The daily limit for cards in a nutritional ketogenic diet is 30 to 50 gms. Getting close to 30 gms is best. The rice and oats alone blow past the 50 gms level so entering any amount of ketosis would be rare.

The anti-inflammatory benefit from coconut oil is minimal. Omega 3 fish oil has more anti-inflammatory value.

Here is an article about MCT's and coconut oil. Note that MCT's are of little value until you enter a state of ketosis.
What Is MCT Oil Really? MCT Oils vs. Coconut Oil Explained

For those who want a bio-chem lesson on ketosis, here is an interesting 3 part article.

Ketosis – advantaged or misunderstood state? (Part I) - The Eating Academy | Peter Attia, M.D. The Eating Academy | Peter Attia, M.D.
Ketosis – advantaged or misunderstood state? (Part II) - The Eating Academy | Peter Attia, M.D. The Eating Academy | Peter Attia, M.D.
Ketones and Carbohydrates: Can they co-exist? - The Eating Academy | Peter Attia, M.D. The Eating Academy | Peter Attia, M.D.

These articles are real brain exercise.