Coconut Oil Benefits, Side Effects and Reviews

I was diagnosed with Hypothyroidism last year. I found this out because I had been gaining weight steadily, (over 40 lbs) even though I tried cutting back on my eating. I had no energy, couldn't sleep, was feeling anxieties, and just thought at one point I may be dying of something. My vision started to change too. So I went to my Dr., had tests done and was told my TSH levels were high, close to 12. I asked what the normal was, she stated between 3.5 to 5.6. My Dr. wanted to put me on synthroid. I asked how long I would need to be on it. She told me, for the rest of your life!!! I said there must be a natural cure. She said no. I wasn't convinced because I had heard from my mom (who is a nutritionist) that the body is designed to heal itself. Those words always stuck with me.

So I did research on my own and found that coconut oil was what I needed to get my thyroid back to normal. So I tried it. 1 TBSP per day for the 1st week, 2 TBSP per day the 2nd week, then 3 the 3rd week. I saw my Dr. at the 3 week mark and was tested again. My TSH level had dropped to 7.8. Dr. said it was just a coincidence and that I needed to be careful because it could spike again. I continued to take coconut oil (organic type) for another 3 weeks. This time when I was tested my TSH was down to 4.2. Even though it was down where it was supposed to be, she still felt that I was a candidate for Synthroid. It was at that point I came to the realization (as others before me have) that Dr.'s are out for the income, not to help. I have been doing great ever since. My thyroid is back to normal and I lost all the weight I had gained and even gained muscle in the process, without even working out! Since then, I have continued to do research on the healing properties of coconut oil and can't stop talking to everyone about it.

I'll be 68 soon. I use coconut oil for everything. I take a heaping teaspoon every morning.

I have horrible sinus issues and started putting a dab up each nostril sinusitis. GONE.

I use it as lotion and female hygiene for me and it does wonders. I use it for everything in moderation, of course. I buy the best coconut oil I can find. For me, it is truly a miracle oil. We're all different, what works for one may not for another but I'd bet there are many many who could benefit from coconut oil.

I use coconut milk in my smoothies.

If your hair is thinning try coconut oil and castor oil a couple of times a week I leave it on all nite. Love it

Coconut Oil, I use it for many things. I am just starting to use it for my sinuses that have been a big problem my whole life. I make my own deodorant using equal parts of coconut oil, baking soda and corn starch. I very been using this deodorant for 4 years because it works better than store bought. The lumps under my arms are gone since using it. I mix coconut oil with baking soda for a face and hand scrub. I mix coconut oil with dissolved epsom salt to soften skin, help reduce wrinkles and fat deposits. That will also help excema or soriasis. Coconut oil and magnesium has recently been very useful in the bedroom for this 60 year old teenager. I never want to be without it. I believe it's nature's miracle food and medicine. I would like to hear your replies to my comments. My name is Sue.

Piggybacking on Beth's comments from 2011, I too was diagnosed with HBP and was given two different meds - Lisinopril and Amlodepine (spelling?) - then I read a book on coconut oil and have now been off those nasty meds for over a year now, and my pressure has been steady and normal. Do some deep diving on understanding exactly what these meds do to your body and it will motivate you to get off them as soon as possible. I recall asking the doctor what exactly is in these meds and they couldn't even tell you, they just tell you to take and if one doesn't work, they will give you another. Those meds used to make me dizzy and nauseous. It took my body a long time to adjust after I stopped taking them. I also take magnesium, sea salt, garlic, and raw or royal jelly honey with the coconut oil daily. I drink a ton of water everyday as well. I don't know if my regimen is "correct" or would work for everyone, all I know is that when I go to the doctor I have never stated that I stopped taking the poisonous meds and my BP is good, let's me know that it is working. I also use MCT oil (derived from coconuts) in my coffee. I did cut back drastically on my coffee intake as well, just a cup per day and some days none at all. I realize that each person reacts differently to different supplements, so, what works for me may not work for all. What I do know is that I tell EVERYONE in my circle about the benefits (the list is lengthy) virgin coconut oil.

I've started taking the EVO myself and I've noticed some success. The brain fog and anxiety has definitely improved and the achy body has improved. I don't wake up tired anymore and I take it with my meals about 3-4 teaspoons. I mix it with honey sometimes. I am going to continue taking it, I'm hoping to see success such as my thyroid improving and weight decreasing. I enjoy the posts. They are great and good to know there are alternatives to your doctor putting you on tons of medications. Thanks to everyone's input.

Some clarification and further research evidence for any doubters concerning the true benefits of virgin coconut oil (VCO).

The most useful protective ingredient by far in VCO is lauric acid -- a medium chain triglyceride fatty acid(saturated fat) which, after it enters the body is easily converted to monolaurin -- a monoglyceride and the active and protective form. VCO contains about 50% lauric acid. By comparison, mother's breast milk contains only 20% lauric acid which works to actively protect babies who feed on the milk.

As far as I'm able to work out, monolaurin acts on lipid coated viruses and bacteria in much the same way as BHT (Butylated Hydroxytoluene) and Hydrogen Peroxide. Monolaurin has several weak hydroxyl(OH) chemical bonds which react with all lipid (fat) coated viruses and bacteria in the same way to disrupt their hydrogen bonds, thus fluidizing the lipids and phospholipids in the outer envelope of the virus and completely exposing their DNA for recognition and direct attack and removal by the body's white blood cells, antibodies and neutralase enzymes. Monolaurin additionally also seems to adversely effect signal transduction during replication of these lipid coated pathogens.

To keep it short -- here is a simple list of Viruses and Bacteria that are already known to be destroyed by VCO:

Viruses killed by VCO

* HIV 1 and HIV
* Measles Virus
* Herpes HSV 1
* Herpes HSV 2
* Herpes Viridae (all)
* Human lymphotrophic viruses(type 1)
* Vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV)
* Visna virus
* Cytomegalovirus
* Epstein-Barr virus
* Influenza virus
* Leukemia virus
* Pneumonovirus
* Sarcoma virus
* Syncytial virusr
* Ruboela virus

Bacteria killed by VCO

* Lysteria monocytogenes
* H. Pylori (gram negative)
* Hemophilus Ibnfluenza (gram negative)
* Staphilococcus aureus
* Streptococcus agalactiae
* Groups A, B , F & G streptococci
* E. Coli
* Salmonella
* Gram positive organisms
* Gram negative organisms if first pre-treated with a chelator.

Research and evidence sources :

www.lauric.org/lcv.html
wikind.wikispaces.com/Monolaurin

Although I had begun using VCO for other reasons, I realized after only two months that a chronic, "incurable" bladder condition that I had had for twenty-one years was much better. Then it seemed to just disappear. It has been over a year since any symptoms, and I don't expect any. My urologist was astonished.

A few years ago I stumbled on this site when looking for more natural cures for common ailments. I didn't like the idea of using antibiotics all the time, especially when I would be taking 750mg horsepills several times a day. Yuck!

Oil pulling with Virgin Coconut Oil (VCO) has changed my life in several ways:

Sinus infections- I used to get these all the time! Since I started pulling, though, I feel any hint of congestion break, especially in the shower with that steam. I stopped pulling for awhile out of laziness and totally caught a sinus infection that was going around. Within minutes of pulling I felt the congestion start to break, especially in my ears! A little pulling, some cracking and popping in my ears and I was able to hear clearly for the first time in a few days! All the gunk started coming out. I need more tissues...

IBS-C- I was diagnosed with IBS several years ago but oil pulling I have much more regular and healthy BMs. My digestion is fabulous!!!

Teeth- People ask me how I get my teeth so white and when I tell them its not bleach they usually don't believe me at first! My mouth, teeth, and tongue feel cleaner and whiter for sure.

Energy- Overall my energy levels are so much higher when I oil pull. If I go without pulling for some time I'll go through a detox period where I may feel fatigued after oil pulling or break out slightly, but I know its a sign of healing.

I've read up and seen conflicting ideas about what it actually does. All I know is that it changes my body in a real way for whatever reason. I'm hooked... And tellin the world about it. Thanks Earth Clinic!

I have tried coconut oil so many times but everything I tried that made it easier to take- molasses, peanut butter, honey, baked goods- ended up causing me so many problems. I am on a low carb, high saturated fat diet that has helped most of my problems (acne, excess weight, constipation, etc) but I struggled to get enough sat fat and one problem that remained - I was always cold.

Eventually, I found a canned coconut milk that was much higher in fat than most I had tried. I started putting that in my coffee and gradually increased the amount to maybe 75% coffee/25% coconut milk. I noticed that when I was at my computer in the mornings I was not feeling cold like I used to.

Then I started taking coconut oil by the spoon, holding the hard blob of oil under my tongue (sublingual?) until it gradually melted. I did a teaspoon two or three times a day.

After a day of this I was going to the programmed thermostat to manually bump it down a degree, then another degree.

I have to mention that when I first started the the coconut oil/milk it always made my throat have this weird itchy/scratchy feeling. This gradually decreased and now I never have it. Previously, I would never get far enough into the coconut oil therapy to get past that feeling and kind of worried that it was a bad thing (allergy). Now I just see it as part of the healing process (thyroid?) and am glad I pushed through it.

After doing this for a few weeks I noticed my monthly cycle was longer. I had been in the 21-23 day range for about a year. This first month on the coconut oil it was back to a normal 28 days.

I have been taking Organic Virgin Coconut Oil for only 3 days now, and let me say my apetite has decreased already. I was one of those people that would eat just because i was bored or because i was stressed out. Not anymore, even if i wanted to eat, i cant, because the oil creates a full feeling. True it is hard to swallow at times, but i grit my teeth and bare it. Sometimes i'll mix it in just a little bit of Organic Apple Juice to mask the taste a little bit. I cant wait to see other things improving.

Actually I have battled this same issue (inflammation in the digestive system) twice not over several years with two different methods but will limit this remedy to my experiences with coconut oil.

I am a typical late 50's guy that eats too much bad stuff, about 40 pounds overweight (doesn't drink or smoke) and as time goes, it catches up with you! Since I was a child I have battled Asthma and horrific allergies with their effects on the body and mind. A couple of years back, I discovered caffeine was a huge issue within the lower intestine and it let me know about it 48 hours after consumption! I have drank countless sodas over the years and cut them back to 1 every 10 days. When I did this, no side effects, however... the real damage had been done.

While I chose not to go see a professional regarding this, I had my suspicions as to what was the issue. Even after cutting back on Caffeine (plus doing away with store bought milk which caused the same effects), I just wasn't feeling right. While this may sound odd, I could feel a build up of internal heat within my lower intestinal tract which I believed was inflammation and the problem became so severe with the heat level, it felt like I was sitting on a heating pad all day long!

Naturally my thoughts turned to Cancer of the colon/lower intestinal tract, but I don't believe in the quack medical field today concerning "Cancer Specialists" and chose to self diagnose. Jumped on the internet, looked up the symptoms and didn't find anything regarding actually feeling a internal temperature change. I was becoming more concerned.

The previous time (approx. 2 years earlier), I knocked it out with a combination of a couple of small apples every day (only red apples, skin and all) with fish oil capsules and it disappeared after 6 weeks. This time, I tried several variations to see what the results would be.

I attempted to resolve the internal issue with only Fish Oil and Garlic Oil capsules and this was not enough by itself. I also tried the same thing with apples alone with the same results. After reading several posts by Bill in the Philippines regarding Coconut Oil and Candida Overgrowth ( which I felt I had also from a less than desirable diet), I started cooking my breakfast every morning with coconut oil. Eggs, sausage, fried potatoes and a English muffin with the same oil spread onto it instead of butter. Problems have disappeared over a 6-8 week period.

While I still haven't been consistent with this method as far as continuing past the 8th week, I still feel a "small reminder" now and then telling me to stop screwing around and stick to this method. Many thanks to individuals like Bill and Ted whom have done the research and decided to post their results on this website.

After finding out how bad Canola Oil was, I literally threw away the rest in the trash, along with a tub of Criso {which I had used sparingly}, over time, and mainly for greasing my pans. That was about 6 months ago, and only use Olive oil, Coconut Oil and occasionally Sesame Oil. We always used a lot of Olive oil anyways, and we have always used real butter.

About a month ago I stumbled across the how good it was for you Coconut Oil raves, and started extensive reading, and insisting hubby read some also. He wants to get his cholesterol down. We now take about 1/4-1/2 teaspoon in our coffee in the morning. I normally drink 2 cups. It melts fairly easy with some stirring. When my tubs of coffee creamer are gone-then I am going to make the switch to using milk or better yet, cream, and get away from the corn syrup crap that they put in the coffee creamer. I started using it on my feet almost everyday for toenail fungus, and keep my fingers crossed it works.

Today I mix up a batch of tea tree oil and coconut oil for my feet, and toes.Tonite I will apply it to hubby's almost bald head. I've been using it on my face for the last 2 weeks, and as a moisterizer after shower. When I make my Cream of Wheat in the morning, I simply add a full 2 teas, as its cooking in the pot, add some cinnamon, vanilla, and brown sugar in my bowl.I know that any type of cereal, hot or cold, has never stayed with me, within 1-2 hrs I am starving again. I also use it to fry eggs, and in all cooking and baking.

I keep 2-3 big jars on hand. One near the coffee pot-one on my kitchen island, and one in the pantry. One small tub near the shower-one small tub in my foot basket. I will say my appetite has changed, going for good longer stretches, my cereal now stays with me, and I would say eating about 1/2 the amount I used to do, and feeling satisfied. So far I haven't gotten the blood sugar spikes up and down at all since the first week, that made me shaky, weak or felt like I was starving to death if I didnt get food into me right then-which would always lead to stuffing something quick into me while I waited for some food. Bowel movements have changed to much more volume also.

I/we hate going to regular docs, and will always search another avenue if its not an emergency. I don't know why it takes us so long to smarten up in life, but better late than never. I will say I have gotton a little queasy at times, so I just back off the amount, till I adjust, but will also try a lemon cleanse for the liver. After being on statins for a short period { heart attack}, that gave hubby bad side effects, since then its been all natural stuff-which of course the docs dont like. But he was quite firm in telling them just what he thought of their statins regardless of whatever nonsense they try to spiel off and suck people in. At least if he dies he figures hes had a good quality of life without the bad side effects. He has yet to get another test done to see what the numbers are, and I am hoping after a few months the coconut oil will raise his HDL. He goes to the gym-{ 4 yrs}, almost everyday, he quit smoking. I sure do hope this is the one thing that will straighten out the cholesterol and will keep you posted...

I started researching coconut oil last year to help my sister with Alzheimer's. I also started using it myself as I was borderline under active thyroid and found my basal temperature went up from 36.1 to 36.6 on regular basis. For 2 years I'd suffered with sore eyes that felt as if grease was smeared across sometimes so badly I couldn't see to drive. My optician and my doctor both said it was dry eyes and gave me drops but they didn't help. I then went to a Consultant who diagnosed it as post menopause hormonal imbalance which meant my tears were not viscous enough to stick to the surface of my eyes, so I was given Visco tear drops which helped. About the same time I started taking the coconut oil and after about 5-6 weeks realised I was no longer having to use the visco tear drops. I ran out of the oil for 7 days and on day 5 I had to use the artificial tears again. Once I re stocked with Coconut oil, my eyes became problem free again. I was amazed. I can only think that the boost to my thyroid helped balance my hormones. And I no longer have pains in my joints which I put down to allergies! I recently got a stomach virus and doubled my oil intake plus having Kefir and lacto fermented vegetables like sauer kraut and I was was better within 4 days whereas most friends that had it were 12 days or more. For more good ideas read Mary Enig and Sally Fallon's Nourishing Traditions, full of life changing knowledge and research.

I began taking coconut oil internally for a skin issue. I can definitely verify that the results I've had are from coconut oil because I came off it for about 2 months and I went back on as soon as I noticed a difference.

The first thing I noticed was energy. I take the coconut oil (about a tablespoon) with my breakfast every morning, and my energy is through the roof. I used to feel like I absolutely needed a nap every day. Now, I'm awake all day no problems! I don't experience that usual 3pm dragging feeling that happpens to most of us. I just feel... idk more awake. It's really odd, but definitely great. I noticed my appetite has also been curbed. It's not in a starving way at all. It's as if the coconut oil helps my body metabolize my food more efficiently. I can relax and eat my breakfast around 10 am and the next time I'm craving a meal is at 6pm. I just drink water and tea between then, and I feel not "full" but satisfied. I don't really crave anything, I just feel sustained. Coconut oil has definitely helped my digestive system. I'm not sure if my recent weight loss is due to the oil or not, but I definitely did lose a noticable amount of weight. It's my body that I've loved, it just seems to have deflated the extra baggage. My bowel movements are also quick and easy. I'm more regular without feeling like my stool is too loose. Coconut oil just makes it a breeze to go. I also notice that my waste smells different, so that's a plus. I don't know if I can attribute this directly to the coconut oil, but in the months I took it, I definitely noticed overall mood stability, increased skin suppleness, reduced soreness after workouts, and it seems like my hair is growing in faster. Again, these are only results I've been able to note an absence of when I was off the coconut oil versus when I took the coconut oil.

A little shot of melted coconut oil in the morning honestly gave me a lot more than I bargained for! I love this stuff!

I started drinking coconut oil and the following happened. My morning lower back pain disappeared. My stretching on a stretching measurement machine immediately jumped from around 93 to 110, as high as the machine could measure. My inflamed tooth became noticably less inflammed. My ability to ***try*** harder during weight lifting improved dramatically, as though I were a 19 year old. There may be other improvements that I can't remember right now. Coconut oil is the bee's knees.