Coconut oil for brain fog and fatigue

[dointime]

Hi all,

There is a growing body of anecdotal evidence that coconut oil is uniquely beneficial to the brain because it is one of the few natural sources of medium chain triglycerides.  It is also an antiviral, so a double whammy for us.  If you search the internet for associations with hepc, alzheimers, brain fog, even weight loss you will come up with plenty of information on it.

Anyway I've been giving it a try.  To my surprise and happiness I can report that my brain fog and fatigue have significantly improved on 3 teaspoons spaced out in the day, this within a week of starting.  My sleep has also improved.  If it works for me it can work for some of you.  I would just add that my liver function tests are normal.  For those with digestive issues around fats maybe ask your doc.  Coconut oil has been used in tropical countries for centuries for cooking and all sorts so I am not worried about side effects.  Go easy on the amount to start with though as it can give you the runs.

Do your research.  Good luck.  Hope this helps,
dointime        

[hepcandme]

So true! I have a team of people in my support network who work at hopitals and they all say the same thing - specialists rarely see outside their own specialty. They may see your Hep C or your liver but nothing else.

[orphanedhawk]

I don't advice going against doctor's orders however, sadly few doctors are trained in nutrition and fewer still are up on new research about anything other than their specialized field.

[willbb]

Dt..Good to see you....
Will

[dointime]

For a discussion on the controversy about saturated fats and coconut oil see the book 'The Coconut Oil Miracle' by Bruce Fife.  Amazon will even let you read the kindle edition intro for free.  

I do not endorse the views of this book.  However I do believe that people come to this forum to get informed about the issues which they can then take to their docs for consideration.

dointime

[dointime]

Thanks for bringing this up.  I would never advocate going against your doc's advice.  

I can only add that there is a lot of controversy around the subject of cholesterol, what levels are healthy, what influences those levels and how to treat 'bad' levels of cholesterol.  The use of statins to control cholesterol is also controversial.  I would expect anybody who is concerned about cholesterol to consider all the evidence.  Regular monitoring for changes in cholesterol seems like a great idea to me.

dointime            

[ceanothus]

I have always had pretty much perfect tests for cholesterol and triglycerides, and yet when I asked my doctor about possible benefits from coconut oil she had an extremely negative reaction. I generally listen to her because she is super intelligent and she really puts a great deal of time into keeping up with the latest research - far more than most doctors. What I remember from that lecture (it was over a year ago) is that coconut oil has such a bad fat profile that it is really asking for trouble to intentionally add it to one's diet. She didn't think it had any benefits worth that much risk of future trouble with all the problems caused by highly saturated fats. If it's not worth the risk in someone with perfect cholesterol and triglycerides, it might be downright dangerous if your levels are already off.

[orphanedhawk]

I love coconut oil using on my skin and in my homemade granola.
It certainly can't hurt to use it.