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From:
Mary Kretzmann <[log in to unmask]>
Reply To:
Mary Kretzmann <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Mon, 22 Nov 2004 10:21:35 -0800
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<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>>

Hi All!

I thought many of you would be interested in reading the research on coconut oil at www.coconutoil.com (I have no commercial interest). It can be of help in many "side illnesses" that celiacs have such as thyroid problems, candida, leaky gut, and diabetes. (It reduces the need for insulin in many patients.) Also, some celiacs seem to have a severe reaction to yeast, and this could help with that -  I suppose that would be under the candida category.

By the way, the coconut oil at www.coconutoil.com tastes very good. Pricey, but good. I got it on special - two gallons for $50.00 each. It keeps. It doesn't go rancid...very stable even in cooking. So that is better for the body - less free radicals.

My celiac son and I (also celiac) have been using it for several weeks now, and I believe it is healing the gut in many ways. We have both been GF for over two years, and health has improved immensely, but there were lingering problems. My son got debilitating colds much too easily. (Cod liver oil seemed to help, temporarily  - but it was hard to keep that one up!) - He would typically miss four days of school.

I switched to using coconut oil in nearly all baking and frying, whenever possible. My son used butter on his toast, and I use extra virgin olive oil on my salads.  The healing crisis occurred in several days for my son, and in about a week for me). It was mainly subterfuge on my part - he didn't know I was doing all this subbing. 

Anyway - since taking it, both of us have had a "healing crisis" (several days apart) that felt very similar to a celiac attack - but I knew we hadn't had any gluten. My son has not had an attack like that since we finally gave up oats over a year ago...) Lately, a neighbor said, "David looks healthier - his color is good." And I realized I no longer reacted to trace soy. I used to react severely - even to the point having serious mental/emotional distress for a day or so...I believe it must have crossed the blood/brain barrier...the same way gluten can do and cause brain lesions. However  - I still avoid soy because it seems to affect my thyroid very badly, even now. But it is nice to not have to be a "pill" about trace soy AND trace gluten! 

My suspicion? I've heard that many celiacs have unhealthy guts, anyway. And I also know that coconut oil helps to restore healthy flora, and can even reduce major infections such as AIDS. I also know it can cause a "candida die-off"  in people. So, I feel something of this sort happened for us, and the end result is that David simply looks better. I feel his constant colds were due to the fact that he always "had something" and it would simply go underground, but not go away. My fingers are crossed that something more profound has happened for him. 

So I would say, so far, so good. I see other positive results such as improved muscle tone...(others report this, as well.)  The medium chain fatty acids are nearly absent from our foods these days...so this seems to help on many levels. It is early yet, but it even seems to have positive effect on bladder muscle tone...(This has been very food related for me - gluten was a disaster - and soy used to be a disaster, too. Milk was a mild problem...Yet at other times I could be "normal"). It turns out that farmers know coconut oil will help make pigs thin - but polyunsaturated oils are a sure-fire way to make a fat pig! So - whatever is involved could easily involve muscle tone throughout the body. 

Finally - how can I get in touch with the scientist who talks about the rod-shaped bacteria? I have some ideas for research. Okay, here it is...Test some celiacs for the rod-shaped bacteria. Then substitute their fats and oils with coconut oil for several weeks/months, and test periodically to see if it reduces or eliminates the rod-shaped bacteria. You could also do tests with cod liver oil or shark liver oil - but you can see the problems that might arise with palatability. The long shot is that it might get rid of those nasty, mysterious rod-shaped bacteria....But even if it doesn't - I would say coconut oil is worth a try to help with the side issues of a compromised digestive tract in celiacs. 

Sincerely,

Mary Kretzmann
California

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