When I was a young nutritionist 30 years ago, I heard about a nutritional supplement that destroyed the cytomegalovirus (CMV). This was a huge discovery for me, because few medical doctors — even those who practiced integrative medicine — had any solutions for CMV.

CMV is a member of the herpes virus family. It’s an extremely common virus that most people get. Then it becomes inactive. But not in everyone. Someone who is immunocompromised could die from CMV. This includes people with cancer. Or AIDS.

Around the time when I discovered this antiviral supplement, AIDS suddenly emerged as an epidemic. I was living in Los Angeles, a city with a large population of people with AIDS, and I was all too familiar with this disease. I had a lot of AIDS patients and they were dying. Although AIDS was 100% fatal in those early days, I still looked for any solutions that could buy my patients a few more months or years. We were all convinced — and rightly so — that there would come a time when people would be able to live with AIDS and it would no longer be a fatal disease.

I knew that herpes and CMV were common in AIDS patients. It was obvious to me that part of the treatment plan I needed to develop had to be high in natural antivirals. We needed more than the toxic (and expensive) antiviral “cocktails” with undesirable side effects that the medical community offered. So I began to look at antiviral foods and supplements. That’s when I found this one that destroyed CMV and herpes. It turned out to inactivate the AIDS virus as well. This substance was monolaurin, a fatty acid found in coconuts.

How it works

Monolaurin is a fatty acid made from lauric acid. Lauric acid is a medium-chain triglyceride (MCT) — a fat that is quickly and easily digested. About half of the fatty acids in coconut fat are lauric acid. In fact, coconuts are among the foods highest in lauric acid.

Lauric acid and monolaurin have antiviral, antibacterial, and antiprotozoal properties. This is not new information. It’s backed up with 40 years of research! Yet the medical community has ignored — even shunned — both these fatty acids and the healthful effects of coconuts.

Monolaurin works by causing the protective coating around viruses to disintegrate and by interfering with their maturation. This means that they grow more slowly and it destroys many of them. Here’s what I like about the fatty acids in coconut: they work on many levels. Viruses often trigger an overgrowth of bacteria and fungi – and vice versa. These fatty acids destroy these pathogens.

So I added a monolaurin supplement to my nutritional protocol for my AIDS patients and noticed that the patients who took it lived longer than those on drug therapy alone.

More recently, I’ve noticed an increase in products made from coconuts. At the same time, I’ve seen an increase in viruses. Rather than suggest my patients take yet another supplement, I suggested they add coconut oil and other coconut products to their diets. And I suggest you do the same. Eating coconut is an inexpensive, delicious way to improve your health. If you have any chronic illness, or if you just don’t feel as good as you think you should, I’d like you to tell me what you notice after adding coconut to your diet.

Just to give you an idea of its potency, coconut meat, known as desiccated coconut, is around 69% coconut fat — and it’s high in lauric acid. So is coconut cream, available in Asian food stores. Coconut milk, a product now available in the refrigerated section of natural food stores as well as in cans, is around 24% fat. By adding coconut to your diet, you’re getting a daily dose of a potent antiviral.

How it can help your health

Some viruses are coated with a protective envelope of fats. These fats keep the viruses healthy and able to replicate. Monolaurin is the antiviral and antibacterial our bodies naturally use to destroy these viruses. Lipid-coated viruses include HIV, herpes, CMV, Epstein-Barr, influenza, and such bacteria as listeria and H. pylori.

What about beneficial bacteria? Monolaurin doesn’t affect them.
The fatty acids in coconut not only kill viruses, they also reduce inflammation and improve immune function. And they protect against liver damage caused by alcohol. These fats also inactivate or kill a number of fungi, yeast, and protozoa - including Candida albicans and Chlamydia.

Because MCTs burn more quickly than other fats, many weight-loss programs incorporate them into their plans. If you use coconut oil instead of other fats, you should lose weight. If you add it to a diet that already contains healthful fats, MCTs can help you gain weight.

A few doctors have even used coconut oil to reverse Alzheimer's disease. I've read this protocol which involves a major shift in diet, is complicated, and should be monitored by a doctor. It seems to work on some people, but not everyone. However, using coconut for its antiviral properties makes sense for all of us. And, it's both simple and safe.

The healthy saturated fat

Coconut oil is a saturated fat and you’ve probably heard that saturated fats are harmful. Not all of them. Coconut contains no cholesterol, because it comes from a plant. Saturated animal fats do contain cholesterol and can be harmful, as you may know.

Many years ago, a leader in the supplement business told me that he used a plant-based oil high in lauric acid every day for several years. He had blood tests every month to check his cholesterol. It remained low consistently.

Mother’s milk is rich in lauric acid. It's often added to infant formulas as a safe source of fat that supports a baby’s immune system and protects against bacteria and viruses. So don’t let the bad press that tropical oils like coconut and palm kernel have gotten in the past cause concern. They’re not only perfectly safe. They’re beneficial.

The best coconut oil

If you’re buying coconut oil, be sure it's virgin coconut oil. If it’s not, the manufacturers made it from dried coconut meat. They also refined, bleached, and deodorized it using high heat and chemicals. Manufacturers of virgin coconut oil use only fresh meat. They also don't process it with chemicals or heat. Of course, if you can find organic virgin coconut oil, get it. You can find organic virgin coconut oil at most health food stores and through Advanced Bionutritionals (800-791-3395).

Use coconut oil like you’d use olive oil: to cook with, added to a vegetable dish, and put in a smoothie, coffee, or tea. While coconut oil is highest in lauric acid of all coconut products, other coconut products have a great deal of value in an antiviral diet. So look for these products as well.

How much coconut is enough?

Mary G Enig, PhD, an expert in fatty acids, says that a diet rich in lauric acid should contain around 24 grams — the amount found in a daily supply of mother's milk. You can get this in 3½ tablespoons of coconut oil, 10 ounces of coconut milk, or 7 ounces of raw coconut meat.

I’m using coconut milk in my cereal, curries, and smoothies. And I eat coconut bars for snacks, and use coconut oil whenever I can. You should, too.

Enig, Mary G., PhD, FACN. "Coconut: In support of good health in the 21st century," 2000.

New Drugs Supposedly Stop Alzheimer’s — But These Natural Products Really Work

Scientists at the University of California, Irvine may have found a new drug to stop early Alzheimer’s disease. They say it’s effective in mouse studies, but it’s not on the market yet. And there’s at least one big problem with it. It can cause an increased susceptibility to infections.

This may seem like a small risk for a drug that can prevent the progression of Alzheimer’s — unless you’re an older person with a weakened immune system. This includes most people. Wouldn’t it be better to stop Alzheimer’s without any side effects?

Well, that may be possible because this new drug’s action may hold the clue to
a safe, easy-to-find, natural alternative.

Let’s first look at this recent study, published in the Journal of Immunology. The researchers conducting the study, genetically programmed to develop age-related Alzheimer’s-like symptoms. They found that those treated with the drug for three months had more than 50% fewer signs of Alzheimer’s than diseased, untreated, mice.

What’s of greatest interest to me is how this drug worked.

It prevented inflamed immune cells from collecting in sites in their brains where amyloid plaque associated with Alzheimer’s disease existed. Inflammation in these areas increased damage to neurons, which in turn sped up the progression of Alzheimer’s.

Another study, published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, found that the combination of two nutrients helped clear this type of plaque out of the brain. These nutrients are turmeric and vitamin D3 (the natural form of the sunshine vitamin) — two powerful anti-inflammatories. They help stimulate the immune system to remove the plaque associated with Alzheimer’s disease.

So it looks like the solution is, once again, reducing inflammation.

You don't have to wait until they approve this new drug. There are two things you can do right now to reduce inflammation and protect your brain: take anti-inflammatory supplements and eat an anti-inflammatory diet.

Anti-inflammatories

To reduce inflammation, you can take an over-the-counter anti-inflammatory drug, such as aspirin, Aleve, or Advil. They can be effective, but they can leave you with serious side effects that I’ve talked about before. These include liver toxicity and bleeding in your stomach.

Or you can take a strong, safe, natural formula of anti-inflammatory herbs and nutrients. I prefer the latter. The anti-inflammatory formula I use is Reduloxin (800-791-3395). It's high in turmeric (375 mg in a daily dose) and other heat-quenching herbs. It’s stronger than most products you can find in health food stores.

Since inflammation is at the root of many other health problems, including heart disease, arthritis, and cancer, it makes sense to add a good anti-inflammatory supplement to your daily regime — one high in turmeric or curcumin. Curcumin is the active anti-inflammatory substance in turmeric.

Turmeric isn’t the only natural substance that can prevent Alzheimer’s. As I mentioned earlier, scientists have found that vitamin D3 is helpful, as well. I've talked in the past about the necessity for all of us to get sufficient vitamin D3. It's linked to just about every health condition there is. And it’s just about impossible to get enough of this vitamin from the sun, even in summer months, unless you live near the equator. That’s why I recommend — and take - 5,000 IU of vitamin D3 every day.

Researchers note that the most effective anti-dementia route may well be to take both of these protective nutrients.

Modify your diet

Even the best supplements won’t work if your diet feeds inflammation. Sugars of all kinds and refined grains trigger an inflammatory response. So do the saturated fats found in meat. A recent study found that a Mediterranean diet could decrease the risk for dementia. So eat an anti-inflammatory diet: plenty of green leafy vegetables, fish, whole grains, low-fat dairy, and nuts. And have a glass of red wine if you like. Other studies support these findings. They showed that a Mediterranean diet can reduce your risk for dementia by as much as 40%.

Don’t sit around worrying about getting Alzheimer's disease or any other form of dementia. Instead, do something about it today. Modify your diet and take an anti-inflammatory supplement. These are two simple, inexpensive steps you can take to protect your brain. There’s no need to wait for the approval of a new drug. It will never be as safe as these nutrients and dietary changes. And it’s not any more effective.

Journal of Immunology, July 15, 2009.

Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, July 2009.

This California Community Project Can Improve Your Health

Three years ago, a friend of Northern California chef, Cathryn Couch, asked her to help find the friend’s teen summer employment and teach her to cook. Cathryn agreed, and this simple act has grown into The Ceres Community Project. The project is feeding sick people in Sonoma County organic nutrient-dense foods at no cost. And the teens who prepare their food are eating more healthfully as well. What this community project has created can improve your own diet — and health.

The Ceres Community Project has expanded from a single teenage helper to dozens of high school students. They began by feeding three families. At the end of three years, they have prepared 45,000 meals and delivered them to hundreds of families.

The Ceres Community Project operates on a shoestring. Their teen cooks are volunteers. The food is largely donated by local grocers, businesses, and local farmers. People in the community have donated money, time, and supplies, and the project has applied for and received several grants. What began as a gift to a few local families has grown beyond Cathryn’s expectations.

The recipes they’ve created are simple to prepare and tasty enough to tempt people on chemotherapy or radiation who have no appetite. And they’ve put all of this into a beautiful book, Nourishing Connections: The healing power of food & community.

They designed all of these recipes in this book for cancer patients and have passed the scrutiny of several chefs and nutritionists. But they're great for anyone who wants to improve their diet. Many of them are gluten-free and all are low in sweeteners.

You can use this book to improve your own nutrition or to help feed people in your community who need to eat healthier foods. Or both. Begin by cooking one or two dishes for someone you know with cancer or other serious illnesses. Pay them a visit with a tasty meal that has taken you just minutes to prepare. They'll be more than grateful!

If this book inspires you enough, you can start a similar program in your area — even on a small scale. And if you give a copy of this cookbook to someone who needs better nutrition, they’ll find a chapter on Nutrition Basics to help them take baby steps toward a healthier life. What I like the most about these recipes is that they’re simple. And most come with variations to give you even more options.

You'll notice that this organization is not called The Ceres Project, but The Ceres Community Project. It connects young people with older people. Those who are sick with healthy adult volunteers. People who grow food with people who prepare it. We need — and yearn for — more community and less isolation.

In fact, a new study has just linked isolation and its related stress to an increased risk for getting breast cancer. We need more support not only for the people we know and love, but also for those we don’t yet know. The world needs more organizations like The Ceres Community Project.

So here’s my recommendation. Get this book. It can change your life, and it will help someone with cancer or other serious illnesses eat the foods they need to become stronger and healthier.

You can get this book by calling 707-829-5833, extension 4 or through their website, www.ceresproject.org. Contributions may be sent to PO Box 1562, Sebastopol, CA 95473.

Hermes, G. “Social Isolation Dysregulates Endocrine and Behavioral Stress While Increasing Malignant Burden of Spontaneous Mammary Tumors,” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, December 2009.

NUTRITION DETECTIVE

Why You Should Never Take an Aspirin in the Morning

If you’re a long-term reader, you know that I grew up catching every cold and flu that came around. Most often they progressed to bronchitis and pneumonia. Then I found a solution that has worked for me for the past seven years. Recently, I had another opportunity to evaluate its effectiveness.

One afternoon in December, I noticed that when I swallowed, I had a sharp pain in my throat. Oh no, I thought. I don’t want this to become a full-blown sore throat. I immediately took six capsules of MycoPhyto Complex, a medicinal mushroom formula grown on immune-boosting herbs. My sore throat disappeared in half an hour and never returned!

This response reminded me once more that at times all it takes is the strong enough amount of the right supplement to get the results you’re looking for. Flu season is upon us. This is no time to be penny safe and pound foolish. Make sure you have at least one extra bottle of MycoPhyto Complex to take at the earliest sign of a cold or flu.

And protect yourself against colds and flu with 5,000 IU of vitamin D a day. You’ll be glad you did.

LETTERS

Q: I have been taking Ultimate Bone Support and 5,000 IU of vitamin D3 for a year. I exercise four times a week. I was surprised when my follow-up bone density test showed that my osteopenia has progressed to osteoporosis. Any suggestions? — D.H., e-mail

A: Unfortunately, your situation is more common than you may think. But don’t give up on these supplements. Studies have proven that both supplements increase bone density and are vital for healthy bones. In fact, I’ve seen Ultimate Bone Support strengthen women’s bones all by itself.

However, if they’re not increasing your bone density, we have to look for another answer. When you’re doing everything right and not getting the results you expect, you’re missing something. And the missing link may well be gluten intolerance.

Gluten, a protein found in wheat, rye, and barley, is difficult for many of us to digest. Partially digested particles can cause inflammation in your intestines, preventing nutrients — like those in your multi and Ultimate Bone Support — from being broken down and absorbed. So you could be doing all the right things and taking all the right supplements and not getting results.

I suggest you take a test for gluten intolerance. The best test I’ve found is a saliva test by DiagnosTechs. It’s available through UniKey (800-888-4353). Mention me for a discount and find out if gluten intolerance is your problem. If it is, read my articles on the subject. These are available free to subscribers on my website. And avoid all gluten.

Meanwhile, you may also want to take calcitonin nasal spray. It’s made from salmon. And it’s an effective way of reversing osteoporosis. Your doctor can prescribe it for you. The least expensive form of calcitonin is called Fortical. I take Fortical, Ultimate Bone Support, and am completely gluten free. And I exercise at least four times a week. So I can tell you from personal experience that this plan works.

Q: I’m concerned about aluminum toxicity, which can cause Alzheimer’s disease and other memory problems. Have there been any studies on the effect of PectaSol Chelation Complex on aluminum? — J.D., e-mail

A: So far, there aren’t any studies proving that pectin or alginates bind to aluminum. One study, published in The Phytotherapy Research, says pectins don’t bind to aluminum.

However, when I discovered I had high levels of heavy metals and took PectaSol Chelation Complex (PCC) for a year, all of my levels, including aluminum, decreased. Others have seen the same results.

You may want to get either a hair analysis for heavy metals, or specific blood tests, to see if your aluminum is high. Your doctor can order these tests for you. If it is elevated, try PCC for six months to a year or more, depending on your levels. Then re-test.

If you have high aluminum levels, I suggest you also take supplements designed to support healthy brain function, such as Advanced Memory Formula from Advanced Bionutritionals (800-791-3395). My mother began taking it when she was in her 90s and noticed an improvement in her memory.

The Phytotherapy Research, October 2006.