The Wonders of Coconut Oil

Dr. Bruce Fife
September 10, 2008

If I asked you which dietary oil provides the widest range of health benefits, what would be your answer? What oil can help protect you from heart disease, improve your digestion, increase your energy level, strengthen your immune system, and enhance your over all health? If I told you the answer is coconut oil, would you be surprised? Most people are.

Once mistakenly believed to be bad for the heart because of its saturated fat content, coconut oil is now known to contain a unique form of saturated fat that actually helps prevent heart attacks, stroke, and hardening of the arteries as well as provide many other health benefits.

HIV / AIDS and Virgin Coconut Oil

By Bruce Fife, N.D.
©2001 Reprinted with permission of the author.

"Initial trials have confirmed that coconut oil does have an anti-viral effect and can beneficially reduce the viral load of HIV patients", says Dr. Conrato S. Dayrit, Emeritus Professor of Pharmacology, University of the Philippines.

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"A minimum of 50 ml of coconut oil would contain 20 to 25 grams of lauric acid, which indicates that the oil is metabolized in the body to release monolaurin which is an antibiotic and an antiviral agent. Among the saturated fatty acids, lauric acid has the maximum antiviral activity, he said. Based on this research, the first clinical trial using monolaurin as monotherapy on some of the HIV patients was conducted recently. Dr. Dayrit's conclusions after the study: "This initial trial confirmed the anecdotal reports that coconut oil does have an anti-viral effect and can beneficially reduce the viral load of HIV patients. The positive anti-viral action was seen not only with the monoglyceride of lauric acid but with coconut oil itself. This indicates that coconut oil is metabolized to monoglyceride forms of C-8, C-10, C- 12 to which it must owe its anti-pathogenic activity."

More about HIV / AIDS and Virgin Coconut Oil

By Bruce Fife, N.D.
©2001 Reprinted with permission of the author and publisher.

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For full and complete information on research, recent publications, HIV/AIDS clinical trials, HIV/AIDS support protocols visit www.lauric.org

In September of 1996 AIDS patient Chris Dafoe of Cloverdale, Indiana, figured his time was running out. He’d lost a great deal of weight, lacked energy, and felt worse and worse with each passing day. The thing that drove the nail into his coffin was the lab results. The report showed he had a viral load of over 600,000 – an indication of rampant HIV infection and a sign that he didn’t have too much time left to live. So he made arrangements for his funeral, paying all the expenses up front. Before he died, however, and while he still had some strength left, he wanted to take one last vacation – a dream vacation to the jungles of South America. He flew to the tiny Republic of Surinam and wound his way into the jungle where he stayed briefly among a group of Indians. While there, he ate the same foods as the natives. Every day he was served a dish of cooked coconut prepared by the natives.

Coconut Oil : A New Weapon Against AIDS

According to the World Health Organization, in 2004 some 4.9 million people worldwide became infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), which causes AIDS. Last year the total number of people with HIV rose to reach its highest level ever. An estimated 39.4 million people are currently living with the virus. In the U.S. 40,000 new cases are reported each year.

The problem with treating HIV: unlike antibiotics that kill bacteria, antiviral drugs can only reduce the severity of infections; they do not eliminate them completely. To date, no drugs have been developed that can effectively eradicate viruses and cure the illnesses they cause.

HIV attacks and weakens the immune system. As the efficiency of the immune system decreases, other viruses as well as bacteria and fungi are able to take hold and infect the body. These secondary infections are what cause most of the pain and discomfort and ultimately the death of AIDS victims. For this reason, HIV patients are given drug cocktails consisting of a mixture of antibiotics, antiviral and antifungal agents. Anti-cancer drugs are usually included in the mix because the weakened immune system often allows cancer to develop. Adverse reactions and toxic side effects often result.

Over the years medical science has made great strides in AIDS treatment. With the proper treatment and lifestyle choices, life expectancy for HIV infected individuals has increased. Antiretroviral drugs are able to slow down the progression of the disease. But for the vast majority of HIV infected people drug therapy is not a viable option. The cost to control the virus using standard HIV medications for one person can easily amount to over $15,000 US a year. This is far beyond the ability of most of those infected to pay.