Coconut oil helps with dry mouth.

[Joanne_Joyce]

I had been chewing gum to relieve my dry mouth but my mouth and tongue often got very sore. So I tried rinsing my mouth with warm water with coconut oil in it and got almost immediate relief. Now I"ve stopped chewing gum and I sip water with coconut oil in it throughout the day and this helps a lot. I still need to suck lozenges or sugerless candy from time to time during the day, but at least I've gone off gum and my mouth is no longer sore.

[Hidden]

I find Coconut oil unpalatable, but read of it's virtues in PD so I managed to get hold of capsules from the USA.

I might add it seems we are not so well inclined to stock them here in the UK.

I have not heard of coconut oil and water for a dry mouth, does the oil not just float upon the water?

I find Sage tea or any sharp herbal tea a good source of saliva stimulation, but like you I need my lozenges.

I found some good ones called ''Frog in the throat'' they are quite nice without that strong eucolyptus taste, extreemly soothing to a dry mouth.

[Joanne_Joyce in reply to Hidden]

It doesn't float on the water. Maybe it would if it gets very cold. "Frog in throat" sounds interesting. I'll have to check that out.

[froggatt55]

Thank you Joanna_Joyce both for the alternative to chewing gum for my dry mouth and for explaining my sore mouth!

What proportions do you use?

[Joanne_Joyce in reply to froggatt55]

I just put a couple teaspoons full in a covered cup I carry around with me. I pour a little hot water in first and the them oil. When the oil has melted I fill the cup up with room temperature water.

[flipper235]

thanx Joanna,

can you tell me where I can get some coconut oil.......I have got a terrible dry mouth and would like to try it.......I have been eating some jelly sweets they are o.k. at first but leaves my mouth even dryer.......

[Joanne_Joyce in reply to flipper235]

Where do you live?

[PecanPie]

you can get coconut oil online, some grocery stores carry it but it's cheaper on line. Vitacost is a great website and Tropical Traditions is all about coconut oil with lots of recipes

[quirkyme]

I fail to understand why coconut oil is the latest fad in PD circles. I have seen no valid studies on it helping generalized PD. For your mouth, yes, that makes sense.

[Joanne_Joyce in reply to quirkyme]

Yes, there is the need for studies which is why one member of our group is gathering information from us since many of us have experienced improvement in PD symptions. For me, my sense of taste and smell came back soon after I started taking it. It is harder to measure changes in motor symptoms but I think it is worth trying.

[srarndt in reply to quirkyme]

Thanks, Quirky... I think it has nothing to do with scientific studies and a lot to do with desperate people hoping for a magic bullet. Snake oil sells and sells big! I know there is lots of anecdotal "evidence" around and in todays world we have an unfortunately high percentage of willing believers as the internet has become a bully pulpet for anything from genuine caring individuals to a fantastic sales platform for all types and ranges

of non-efficacious "cures".

For an excellent watch on these I would strongly recommend viewing the web seminar from the NPF: event.netbriefings.com/even...

Best wishes!

Steve

Bisbee, AZ

[quirkyme]

JJ: you may be right....

[quirkyme]

Thank you srandt. I got reamed out by some guy who was putting all his hopes and energy into high doses of coconut oil. It's even selling in my local pharmacy so some magazines or articles must be touting it. When I pointed out there were no solid studies, he got huffy. He couldn't hear my questioning.

It stands to reason, at least to me, that when you have an illness with no sure treatment and no cure, that people look about for something that might work. As you say, "desperate"--but we are just as desperate as anyone else. But I'll be darned if I put anything untested in my husband's body. I'm a former RN and know that medications and treatments have been tested. The FDA, despite its problems (currently, employees are furloughed), makes sure we are not ingesting laetrile or other substances that turned out to cause harm.

[quirkyme in reply to quirkyme]

I looked at the briefing you suggested. I emailed it to myself to be listened to later with my husband. I am looking to Europe to find what they are doing. I want some wider input and to see what they are doing that maybe we can learn from.

We PD patients and caregivers (care-sharers), have to practically become doctors in learning about this. Recently in RI a neurologist was speaking and got penetrating questions from the audience about findings that had just come out days before. We are proactive in our own educations.

[fwes in reply to quirkyme]

Hello quuirkyme,

I am so sorry to hear of your unfortunate encounter with a Coconut Oil advocate. One of the very attractive things about this forum is that "reamings" are very rare. You make some good points, however there are also other good points to be made. Most of the Coconut Oil work that has been done for the benefit of those with neurological diseases has been led by Dr. Mary Newport, not a lightweight. She has found dedicated scientists from around the world who have added credence to her theories and her findings.

One of the benefits of freedom is the freedom to do and the freedom to do not. Some have chosen to try a therapy, which is counter to traditional medicine, but which has clearly benefited a few Parkinson's patients (Dr. Newport reports nineteen impressive cases, a couple of whom participate in this forum). She has concentrated more on Alzheimer's and has documented evidence on a few hundred improvements from massive doses of Coconut Oil, for those suffering from the disease. The (unproven) hypothesis is that the medium chain triglycerides in Coconut Oil are converted to ketones by the liver (that is a fact, verified by science) and that the ketones more easily cross the blood brain barrier to nourish brain cells that are otherwise undernourished. She hypothesizes that undernourished brain cells are a common factor in several neurological diseases and that the benefits which she has observed for Alzheimer's patients may be more generally available in the neurological disorder community.

I am a professional scientist, who has an interest in history. I have observed many situations where the big advances in the field or made by people who dared to depart from the conventional ways. Imaging is one of the most important tools for the diagnosis of disease available to medical science. The first physicist who discovered that invisible rays could penetrate objects and expose photographic plates discarded that information as an annoyance that exposed his photographic plates. Shortly thereafter another physicist made the same discovery and asked why, became the father of x-rays and received the Nobel Prize in medicine. He followed on as a medical researcher to become the father radiology.

We learn from history that it is foolish to grab desperately because we have lost hope in conventional approaches, but that it is also foolish to discard promising discoveries, just because other experts pooh-pooh them.

We share your concern that there is no organized scientific basis for understanding the process, the measures of success and failure, and the scientific basis for the benefits we have seen from Coconut Oil on a few Parkinson's patients. To that end we are conducting a non-clinical trial based on quarterly reports from people who have dedicated themselves to a regular consistent Coconut Oil treatment. You can find an introduction to our non-clinical trial as a forum topic under Research. Our hope is that we can generate enough evidence to encourage a more conventional medical team to conduct regular clinical trials. We have received encouragement in this effort from several doctors. You may want to consider the fact that there are some dedicated levelheaded people who are trying to lend understanding and to motivate conventional approaches to the understanding of the benefits of Coconut Oil. I

I repeat that we all have the freedom to do and the freedom to don't. The best we can do is to respect the choice that each one of us makes.

Thank you for your interest,

Wes

[satwar in reply to fwes]

The clinical trial of coconut oil for Alzheimer's treatment was broadcast on mainstream national television news in Canada a week ago:

ctvnews.ca/video?clipId=102...

ctvnews.ca/health/health-he...

[Joanne_Joyce]

In case anyone is interested in checking out the research on the health benefits of coconut oil here is one website:

coconutresearchcenter.org/C...

However, so far I have only seen one study on PD so obviously there needs to be more research.

[Toadma]

It sounds to me that Joanne_Joyce did her own research, and she found her own answer. I think you're idea was brilliant, esp. because you found some relief! I visit this site to learn, so I'm grateful for your idea, and for your sharing it.