Prayers up for your friend. I also recently had a friend go through this.
I have become aware of some information that could be of interest to you and your friend.
Dr Mary Newport, whose husband was diagnosed with early Alzheimers, found a researcher at the NIH who has discovered that there is a problem with the breakdown of glucose metabolism mechanism in alzheimers. Apparently the medium chain triglycerides of organic coconut oil can give the brain and nervous tissue an alternative fuel. It literally can (at least in many who are responsive to it)halt the degeneration spiral. It is also my understanding that Dr. Oz made mention of this on a recent program, but I did not see it.
The good news is that the doc at NIH seems to indicate that Parkinsons, ALS, and other neurological-involved diseases can also be helped.
Follows is some information I prepared as a handout to a lecture I gave recently on the subject.
COCONUT OIL
Dr. Mary Newport’s husband was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. He was terribly frayed around the edges. He was quite unable to draw a clock face, which you may know, is one of the cognitive tests they give. She started researching what could be done. She ran across information on medium chain triglycerides (MCTs).
Apparently the brain has two mechanisms for feeding the brain cells. The first, of course, is the normal glucose metabolism. The other has to do with Ketone Bodies. Ketone bodies are the end product of the metabolism of MCTs.
There is developing a school of thought that Alzheimer’s is actually a Type III diabetes. Something has caused the usual insulin/glucose mechanism to go awry and the brain literally starves. If the person is given a source of MCTs, the brain can sustain the viability of the brain cells. They haven’t completely put their finger on what exactly is happening with the problems of the glucose metabolism mechanism, but the link between Alzheimer’s and diabetes and blood sugar issues is becoming unmistakeable.
Coconut oil is an excellent source of MCTs. Dr. Newport figured out that about 4 tbsp a day will provide enough of the ketone bodies to make a difference to the brain. She started feeding him coconut oil, and soon thereafter, his clock face drawings improved. She says to take it with food, and space the doses out; 2 tbsp in the morning, and 2 in the evening. It is a good idea to gradually increase the doses, because a large unaccustomed dose can cause an upset tummy. She suggests starting with a teaspoon with food once a day and go from there.
Based on her understanding of brain chemistry and the chemistry of the MCTs, (she is a pediatrician) Dr. Newport is pointing to the possibility that coconut oil could be helpful in other brain/nervous system disorders such as Parkinson’s,Lou Gherig’s (ALS), MS, muscular dystrophy, some forms of autism, macular degeneration, and others. Apparently, it is also helpful in smoothing out blood sugar issues in diabetics. Viruses, candida, and other fungal disorders can also be treated with coconut oil.
There are those (Bruce Fife, N.D., among them, http://www.coconutresearchcenter.org/index.htm ) who advocate coconut oil and flour for the treatment of weight control and gluten digestive disorder issues.
For a good summary/introductory article on this by Dr. Mary Newport, see “What if There Was a Cure for Alzheimer’s Disease and No One Knew?”
http://www.coconutketones.com/whatifcure.pdf
For a page of links to other articles on Dr. Newport’s web site, see this:
http://coconutketones.com
For use as a cooking oil:
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2003/10/15/cooking-oil.aspx
For Bruce Fife’s website:
http://www.coconutresearchcenter.org/
Dr. Newport states,”I have also heard from some people with diseases other than Alzheimer’s who believe they have seen some improvements, including other forms of dementia (FTD, CBD), Parkinson’s, ALS (Lou Gehrig’s), Huntington’s, MS, bipolar disease, even glaucoma and macular degeneration (which affect neurons).
That statement can be found on this document on her website:
STEVE NEWPORT – COCONUT OIL CASE STUDY
UPDATE – FEBRUARY 2011
By Mary Newport, M.D.
Coconut bump
Thanks for the info, but I am afraid it is much too late for my friend. He is completely paralized and cannot eat. We are probably talking days not weeks. I sure hope this info gets to those who need it.