My wife and I were having lunch with a group today when one of the ladies at the table told a story of how her husband's PD symptoms were stopped completely by injesting a spoonful of coconut oil each day. I , for the most part, tuned her out because her story sounded like one of the many we all have heard in which PD symptoms are stopped or reversed, Too good to be true.
On arriving at home, mainly out of curiosity, I queried google. The first article checked was by Lorie Johnston of CBN, dated today, extolling the curative power of coconut oil , taken internally, for Alzheimer's and also for PD and ACLS. Other recent articles gave similar reports...........Has anyone tried it with good results? ( or bad results)..
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After reviewing the information and studies I could find on Coconut oil for Parkinsons treatment, the accepted/effective dose appears to be 4 teaspoons of coconut oil a day.
Any of the negative comments on the use of coconut oil are from old research saying that the oil is full of saturated fats...new research has determined the fats in coconut oil are a specific MCT (medium chain triglyceride) which have many health benefits.
It appears that supplementing with 4 teaspoons of pure coconut oil a day would be worth a try...without much risk, expense or risk of side effects There doesn't seem to be a concern about introducing this particular type of fat into the diet of someone with heart disease as was previously believed, and lots of testimonials from people( who were not representing a coconut oil company) who say that it has helped.
To give context to my reply, I have a B.S. in nutrition and have attended several Olympic level seminars to learn more on optimizing function.
Question for you...
If you had osteoporosis, do you think 3 weeks of Calcium would fix it?
No way!
So do not give up the good fight!
This is not a pain med or a symptom controller that acts within a week or so.
12 weeks is the SHORTEST period of time you should take a nutritional item and expect any results.
One way that coconut oil (MCT oil to be exact) functions is it is a " cell food" that crosses the blood-brain barrier and gets into cells that are so dysfunctional that they don't absorb glucose correctly any more and are slowly dying. Since it takes time to heal the cell you won't see immediate results. You may not see results but it won't hurt to take it for at least 3 months either.
Will it calm all the tremors? Not likely.
I'd focus on it as either halting or most likely slowing the progression. If there is a reversal of symptoms then great!
I went to Penn State for Nutrition (then ranked 3rd in the US for Nutrition) because I had a genetic pre-diabetic condition. Chromium. Vanadium, Magnesium, Omega-3s and MCT oil were the recommend products all with their own dosing protocols. Chromium for instance takes 12 weeks before there is any difference in blood tests and it took 6 months for observable change!
Been mixing about two tablespoons of organic cocoanut oil in my oatmeal every morning for about a month and really haven't noticed anything positive or negative yet.
While it isn't really a "Snake Oil" at best it seems to be ineffective for most with PD. If that seems to contradict that which we hear from others reporting fantastic results always remember that maxim which we have all probably councilled others ourselves..."If it seems too good to be true..."
I have worked with nutrition for years, and one of the things that seems to be true with any food, oil, or supplement added to the diet is this..if your body is not functioning well due to an imbalance or lack of a certain nutrient, then adding that nutrient to your diet can have amazing results. If your body doesn't lack the nutrient..then-no results.( Many people swear by CoQ10 for example, while others have no result.)
I really watch the fats in my diet, but I do know that many fitness enthusiasts add MCT oil in their diet( this is the type of fat in coconut oil) when they are working to lose body fat because it helps the system function better. It also surprised me to find that the ingredient in "Slim quick"- a product used to help dieters lose weight is Palm oil.
I suppose there is also confusion about what is a "spoonful". I can't imagine taking 4 large spoons of ANY oil without gagging! A teaspoon refers to a fairly small amount..It takes 3 TEASPOONS to equal 1TABLESPOON. (which is still smaller than a serving spoon-the spoon that most people thing of when they think "spoonful')
I feel it can't hurt to try ...but a good spoonful of skepticism isn't a bad thing either .
like everything else you have to start with teaspoon full, or risk diarrhea.
delivery of component(s), in active state, seems to be a difficulty, you have to avoid copra which becomes rancid before they even process it. one of the most beneficial of the ingredients, that you want,in coconut oil, is concentrated in mct oil (medium chain triglicerides). it is composed of one of two of the most potent brain fuels that is delivered to the brain....very quickly.....without the potential interference in gut. enzymes, etc. even mct oil you have to be wary of contaminents used in distillation.
mercola.com and google.
therapy is based on benefits of fasting where body switches fuels from sugar to keytones.
Ive been cooking with it for a couple of years now,but I must admit I have'nt actually taken it by the spoonful,perhaps I should try,but no imrpovement as yet
I also read about the effects of coconut oil and tried it with my husband but found no positive or negative results other than I really like cooking with it as it gives great flavor to certain foods. I've not tried giving it as a spoonful though so maybe he wasn't getting enough of it. I also bought a bottle of the MCT oil which also made no difference. Nothing so far has worked but it never hurts to give something new a try as what may not work for one person may work for someone else. I think we are all looking for that magic fix!
Many of my friends sent me an email about Parkinson's and coconut oil, I put about 1 Tablespoon either in my oatmeal or on my toast. I can see little if any change in my symptoms, but my skin looks great! I have a friend who does not have Parkinson's but went completely overboard with the stuff and ended up at the doctor's office with thyroid problems. So if you try it be careful!
One of the claims for coconut oil is that it stimulates the thyroid. I take thyroid and know when the dose of my medication needs to be adjusted downward because I get heart palpitations. After I had used coconut oil for a couple of months, I also had heart palpitations, so I stopped using it and the heart palpitations went away.. My own experience plus what you say about your friend convince me that the claims about coconut oil stimulating the thyroid are correct. I have no knowledge that any of the other claims are correct but the fact that one is correct tends to give credence to others.
I've read that coconut oil helps one NOT get dementia and helps those with alzheimers.....somehow it feeds the brain when it is being glucose deprived in cases of dementia, MS, diabetes, ALS, Parkinson's and even autism.....
I ' ve tried for at least 3 months from now. Did not see any improvement. Actually with increased clumsiness in movement and problem of balance. Began to lose faith. But still will go on until the stock consumed. So far no side effects noted. Cholesterol checked and was normal. Hope to hear others' good .news
Thank you all for your responses. It appears that coconut oil is no "majic drug" to stop or reverse PD but, as Kat00 pointed out, "if your body lacks a certain nutrient and, if the lack is causing symptoms, then supplying that nutrient can indeed have amazing results."
It appears to me when reading through this thread that people were taking varying amounts of the oil and some were making up their minds as to whether or not it is beneficial to them after too short a time. I have done this myself several times in the past with various nutrients and stopped using them after several weeks because my perception was that they were not doing me any good. I now try anything for a minimum of six months before deciding whether it is having a beneficial effect on me.
As a nutritional gourmet, I have tried just about everything I could throw at the beast, AKA PD, nutritionally speaking. How long did it take for the symptoms of PD to appear in your life, yeeeeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrrsssssss, thats years folks. Not 3 weeks, 3 months or 6 months..If you are trying to cure a disease with coconuts you're nuts my friend. You need a much bigger weapon than that. But if you add it to a medically based nutritional, exercise and spiritual program then maybe,just maybe, you'll see improvement. I do! Hope is not a cure but it is an aid to healing...
Good luck to all my dear and long-suffering PD friends
yes, these conditions are the results of years of cumulative damage to cells. Some drugs can mask symptoms, and some do work quite well. Actual healing can take a long time and may be out of reach for some but good luck to all.
you are trying to reverse yyyyyyyyeeeeeeaaaaarrrrssss of bad/incorrect nutrition, in wwwweeeeeeeks?
so unless you believe that all pd is genetic and inevitable, you assume you broke your health somehow......like heavy metal contaminents in our food, air, water.
my experience is with Alzheimer's, not PD, but a diet change including cocnut oil definitely help a family member. He has never really got back to his old self but the deterioration almost halted.
I am not surpirised that those saying they add coconut oil to their oatmeal or spread it on their toast do not see benefits. That's kind of like putting a band aid on a knife before stabbing yourself! If a condition is related to a nutritional imbalance then you need to get rid of the bad stuff as well as adding the good stuff. Food's like bread and cereals mess with blood sugar levels causing numerous health problems including neurological degeneration. The point of coconut oil in this scenario is that you cannot store the MCT fat in it so it must be burned for energy. To do this your body produces ketone bodies which can also help cell regeneration. If your blood sugar (and therefore insulin) is all over the place then you are continuing to damage cells.
as with any medication/treatment results will vary but it is worth a try.
P.S. to those calorie counters here, i don't mean any offence but, from your photos you appear to be a bit overweight so take a hint, counting calories doesn't work. Dietary fat is not your enemy, try looking at your carb intake. Again, no offence intended, I just want to help.
P.P.S Funny how the 'Real' doctors insist that only they have the answers and the right prescription - if you pay them and their drug company sponsors.
While taking the main pd medication levadopa you should avoid proteins. I just started levadopa, I take it in 1time in the morning, so meanwhile it is possible to continue high fat low carb diet, but I really don't know how to manage when it will be 3-4 times a day
Speak to your neurologist about the timing of eating protein versus taking medication. My neurologist told me that people taking high dosages need all the meds they can get, so timing 1/2 hour apart is prudent.
Since you are on a low carb diet, hopefully you will attain nutritional ketosis and your medication needs will not escalate
ketosis? I wish it was true.. It's difficult for me to keep "light paleo", especially when I feel bad.I have to cook for my children, so there are a lot of carbs in my kitchen and in a bad days I can't stay away from them
I tried to talk with my neiuro but it didn't work also couldn't find any specialist that works eith keto for PD - only for epilepsy (I'm in Israel)
Sounds like you have a very difficult environment, and will be extremely difficult to achieve nutritional ketosis. Unfortunately there are very few neurologists who understand the low carb diet and it's potential for PD. The best support you can get is from "The Art and Science of Low Carbohydrate Living" by Phinney & Volek.
They have some great videos on Youtube as well, but nothing replaces the book for details.
Neither my neurologist NOR a specialist in movement disorders ever told me about separating my protein and carbo-levo meds. I found out on the internet. You have to be your own advocates. As a retired nurse, I can assure you Docs don't have all the answers--I saw that first hand when working.
thank-you, started to bluster......according to Dr.....at mercola.com, carbs are treated like sugar by the brain, and it's a matter of proportions, not portions of food but proportions of carbs to proteins to fats...and there is a complete reversal on part of medical community on coconut oil.
I've been on coconut oil for two months now @ 8 tbs per day. My family GP hadn't seen me for 2 years and he was stunned with my appearance and said he could not see any progression of PD. My blood work is outstanding, the best in my entire life and off the charts in the right way. I'm been seeing a significant decrease in resting tremor, but any type of stress still brings my tremor out big time. No medication change in 2 years. Balance has improved. I'm looking at a couple of years before I come to any conclusions, after all it took me ~ 20 years to get where I am today (diagnosed 13 years ago)
For the past 3-4 years I have following a ketogenic diet supported with 6-8 tbsp MCT oil daily. I am very pleased with the results. My neurologist says I am doing very well, and many of my days I don't even know I have Parkinson's. I haven't increased my medication since 2009. Stressful situations still bring out my symptoms, but I think less so than previous years.
Not only have my symptoms improved (I have less hand tremor than when I was originally diagnosed in 2000), but I am not so dependant on my medication (no clear "on" & "off" times).
It is not an easy path to follow but through lots of reading and trial and error I have learned how keep my blood ketones elevated throughout the day, and has given me the ability to maintain a more normal life style. Coconut oil made me a believer but the ketogenic diet hit the ball out of the park.
Yes, it seems to make sense to me that the ketones are bypassing the glucose-insulin pathway for energizing cells. I'm quite surprised that the ketones have been able to recover so much functionality. If I take away the ketones the symptoms return, so I'm a little sceptical that permanent cell repair has occurred, but at least the rate of progression of the disease has slowed.
I have been giving my dad about 4 to 5 tablespoons of coconut oil a day in his food for a week and have seen significant improvement. My father has PD and was very weak, nervous and having near fainting spells through-out the day. After only a week he is walking around the house and yard doing chores, he is more sociable, has more energy and no more fainting spells! I think there are many factors involved with improvement. Try to limit sugar intake and eat and drink healthily. Also medicines side effects can block the good effects of CCO. God bless!
Hi, I've been lurking around this site for many months, perhaps a year. We live in BC Canada and are in the early sixties. My husband has been diagnosed with PD almost two years ago, but in retrospect, we agree the symptoms have been present much longer than that.
In desperation we put coconut oil into our diet about six months ago. No measuring, just using it as part of every meal.
Well, his health has improved dramatically and we are very excited. Now, he also has a new knee brace, so,we are not positive that all the credit goes to coconut oil. His chiropractor can probably afford a new car by now, too. But neither of those seem to explain the cognitive improvement.
The jury is still out, but we will be diving into our fourth jar of VCO (virgin coco oil) next week, optimistically.
I started giving my dad coconut oil for his DLB a few weeks ago. He is now up to 3 tablespoons a day and is already showing noticeable improvement. Overall mental clarity is much better. He had been fluctuating in and out of delusions for several weeks. Doctors cut back on sinnemet which helped a lot. Then I introduced the coconut oil. Mental state is returning to normal, delusions gone, energy increasing and movement more fluid and strong. Granted, the reduced sinnemet would improve cognition, but not movement. It will take a while though to see really what's going on especially with the change in meds. But so far so good! It's good to see him looking healthier again.
Hello I had read an article about 2 months ago on the benefits of coconut oil for PD symptoms. We have a family friend whom is not able to walk he is in an electric wheel chair which he just moves back and forth back and forth. His wife is completely able bodied. He does not talk often just mummbles. His expressions are blank. I told her of the coconut oil and asked her to please use it to see if it would help. A week later she woke up from a nap and her husband was no where to be found in the house. She looked out the kitchen window and there he was. Picking grapes in the back yard and asking her to come help him. 2 Days ago his wife called me told me he was playing balloon volley ball with his grandson. He is talking to her about their past and their future. His emotion is coming back to his face. He is walking all the time and his shaking has slowed to a minimum. This stuff is amazing she wants people to know about this. She thought her husband was gone forever. He is back now! and he is with her
I gauge the result by brushing my teeth. My right arm did freeze now it does not. Is it normal for variation of symptom's intensity from time to time? Was it the coconut oil? My nutritional ketogenic diet or both? I choose to continue this course.
• in reply to
update ~ Some increased trembling in my right arm. This after more than a year, 6 tblsp CO per day and much of that same time on modified keto diet. We should separate stories of CO success into those that are also on PD meds and those not.
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By popular reports from others, 6 - 8 tbsp. of CO are necessary. But, I see these same people are also taking medication.
For myself, still experimenting, I now take one tbsp. of MCT oil per day, only. I am not on medication other than one ibuprofen occasionally,
food allergies can interfere with immune system in gut. I take probiotics to start with, heard of "edible charcoal"??!!? that removes heavy metals....have to be cautious because of what I learned from john , apparently heavy metals store in various organs and reinforce under certain circumstances.....don't want to deconstruct anything.
if you're polluted you can't expect body's immune system to work, right.
It's recommended on the Thyroid site too. So maybe I will get some and hope.
Yes, I have tried coconut oil and find marked improvement in tremors and also constipation. I have not been diligent in coconut oil ingestion but when I took 8 Tbs during the day the tremors all but stopped and night time tremors stopped but that's a lot of fat to take in so I'm experimenting with less. The improvement is temporary and I have to keep taking it. I'll see what happens over long term. I still do not take medications.
I have been taking it sporadically and at first I thought it was magical but now I am a bit more cautiously observing and waiting. It certainly does affect constipation issues. Only took it for about a week.
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