Coconut Oil and Ketones

TV and Radio Interviews January 5, 2012

2011-12-28T17:50:00.000-08:00

On Thursday, January 5, 2012 at 11:00 AM EST I will be interviewed live on Radio WWRL 1600 AM New York, "Food for Thought."

Also, on Thursday, January 5, 2012 at 1:00 PM Steve and I will appear on "The 700 Club" with reporter Lorie Johnson to talk about ketones as an alternative fuel for the brain. Tthis show is broadcast nationally on CBN out of Virginia Beach. This is a pretaped interview and will also include interviews with Dr. Beverly Teter, a lipid biochemist and researcher at University of Maryland, who will discuss coconut oil and cholesterol, and also Dr. Kieran Clarke from Oxford, England, who is conducting the pilot study for Parkinson's disease using Dr. Richard Veech's ketone ester.

Getting the message out!!

Happy Holidays

2011-12-24T08:14:00.000-08:00

A couple of weeks ago, Steve and I were at a local restaurant having a particularly happy, lucid conversation. I asked him what he wanted for Christmas, not really expecting a specific answer. He thought for several seconds, looked at me, smiled and said, "Life!"

So, I have to keep fighting for him.

Many blessings to everyone this holiday season.

My Book

2011-10-12T09:57:00.001-07:00

I am very pleased to announce that my book is now available. The title is Alzheimer's Disease: What If There Was a Cure? The Story of Ketones. The book contains three parts: Our story; the science of ketones; and how to incorporate medium chain fatty acids into the diet.

To order, you can call the publisher directly at 1-800-575-8890, or you can order at a discount through www.amazon.com or www.barnesandnoble.com. There will also be electronic versions available soon.

Glioblastoma and Ketogenic Diet

2011-10-12T09:57:00.000-07:00

"Sunny Lee" recently posted a comment under my previous post. His wife has glioblastoma and I hope he will see this.

There are at least two articles by Dr. Thomas Seyfried and associates on use of the ketogenic diet and caloric restriction to treat glioblastoma. This information was presented at the "Ketogenic Diet for Epilepsy and other Neurologic Disorders" conference we attended in Scotland October 2010. They have found that this type of diet shrinks glioblastoma tumors by as much as 80% in lab animals and they have published a case study of a woman whose tumor virtually disappeared after six weeks on this diet. When she reverted back to a higher carbohydrate diet the tumor returned.

The concept here is that many cancerous tumors can only use glucose as a fuel and cannot use ketones. On a strict ketogenic diet, carbohydrate as well as protein (which can be converted to glucose) are minimized and the diet is high in fat, usually 80% or more of calories as fat. Using coconut oil and/or MCT oil in this type of diet helps maintain constant ketone levels. The brain and other organs can continue to thrive using ketones as fuel, whereas the tumor will shrink due to low availability of glucose. Dr. Seyfried believes radiation may not even be necessary thereby sparing the horrendous side effects of this treatment. In many cases, after the tumor is reduced in size, it could be more readily removed surgically. This could significantly lengthen the person's life.

Dr. Seyfried believes that man other types of cancers would respond to ketogenic diet an dmroe so if there is also caloric restriction.

For anyone who needs help with the ketogenic diet there are two websites to look at: In the USA www.charliefoundation.org and in the UK www.matthewsfriends.org. Both websites were created by parents of children with severe drug resistant epilepsy that responded remarkably to the ketogenic diet and have dieticians available to help. They also have a tool called the ketocalculator to help create ketogenic meals. Also, there is help available with ketogenic diet and ketone research ongoing at the John Hopkins Hospital in the USA.

Some YouTube testimonials - Alzheimer's and Coconut Oil

2011-08-01T08:47:00.000-07:00

There are two very interesting videos posted on www.youtube.com by people with Alzheimer's who have had dramatic responses to coconut oil, as well as a video from a man whose "brain fog" lifted with coconut oil. If you go to YouTube and do a search for Alzheimer's and coconut oil they will pop up. One is titled: Our Story: Alzheimer's and coconut oil; Ian Blair Hamilton and Cassie Bond; the second is called "Bruce is overcoming dementia..." and the third "Brain Fog and Coconut Oil".

We are having a good summer. Steve seems to be very stable for the past six months after recovering from his setback during the holidays that seemed to be related to taking prednisone for a gout flare-up, and he is about the same as he was a year ago. He is still taking a mixture of MCT and coconut oil 3 tablespoons three times a day and also a fourth dose at bedtime of 2 tablespoons, which was added when he was having some difficulty sleeping and seemed a bit more confused in the morning. He is now sleeping well and back to baseline in the morning.

Parkinson's ketone ester study - Oxford, England

2011-06-28T10:00:00.000-07:00

Dr. Veech's ketone ester study for Parkinson's disease is now enrolling in Oxford, England, under the direction of Dr. Wesley Thevathasan at John Radcliffe Hospital. This is a short term study and twenty patients will be able to participate. The ketone ester previously passed human toxicity testing through the USAs FDA.

To learn more about this please look at www.clinicaltrials.gov and do a search for "parkinson's and ketone ester" or enter the trial identifier "NCT01364545".

Cholesterol and Saturated Fats - the Myth

2011-05-29T00:52:00.000-07:00

I just finished watching a very enlightening lecture by Dr. David Diamond, Director of the Neuroscience Collaborative at University of South Florida, entitled "How Bad Science and Big Business Created the Obesity Epidemic." For those who believe that you should eat a low fat diet and that taking statins to reduce cholesterol and minimizing saturated fat in the diet will prevent death from heart attacks, this will turn your thinking upside down.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3vr-c8GeT34

Steve's 3rd Anniversary

2011-05-21T18:10:00.000-07:00

Today is the 3rd Anniversary of the day, May 21, 2008, when he began to take coconut oil and saw the improvements that changed both of our lives.

I posted an update about Steve on my website (www.coconutketones.com) in February 2011 and I am pleased to say that three months later things are going even better than they were at that time. He had a setback when he was on prednisone for gout during the holidays, but at this point he seems to have recovered from that and is back to his baseline about where he was this time last year.

Dr. Suzanne de la Monte and Dr. Oz Show: Nitrites and nitrates in food may cause Alzheimer's

2011-04-14T11:19:00.000-07:00

On April 7, 2011, a former surgeon general and Dr. Suzanne de la Monte appeared on the Dr. Oz Show entitled, "A Revolutionary Breakthrough in Alzheimer's Disease," (can be watched on his website) where she presented her important research. She is the doctor who coined the term "type 3 diabetes" in reference to Alzheimer's disease.She found by accident that giving a nitrosamine compound called streptozotocin, used to deliberately produce diabetes, caused Alzheimer's in her lab mice. She learned that the brain produces its own insulin. She further found that this compound causes production of toxic lipids in the liver that cross the blood brain barrier and damage certain cells such that the brain develops insulin deficiency and insulin resistance. Nitrites and nitrates, found in very many processed foods, are nitrosamine compounds and could very well explain the epidemics of Alzheimer's, autism, diabetes, MS, Parkinson's and ALS, along with other neurodegenerative diseases that have insulin resistance, decreased glucose uptake as part of the process. These diseases have all been on the increase as processed foods have taken over our diets. I will add Dr. de la Monte's references to the website http://www.coconutketones.com/, in the very near future. These nitrites and nitrates are in most bacon, ham and other meats, deli meats, whether pre-packaged or cut at the counter, processed cheeses, cereals, breads, pretzels, crackers, white flour and anything that contains white flour, certain beers, scotch and some other whiskeys. Now something that has caught my attention for newborns and children: I found one of these offending compounds, thiamine mononitrate, in the Carnation infant formulas, some of the jarred baby foods, especially the junior combinations, cereals and other infant prepared foods such as macaroni and cheese. The government requires that certain vitamins such as thiamine are added to enrich foods that have been stripped of these nutrients by processing, most notably white flour and other grains. Thiamine mononitrate is a synthetic source of vitamin B1, rather than a naturally occurring vitamin, and is added to very many foods. Just look at the ingredients labels. Most people eat something with thiamine mononitrate in it for nearly every meal. Naturally occurring Vitamin B1 (thiamine) is usually water soluble, meaning that if you eat an excess of it, you will pass it out in the urine; however, thiamine mononitrate is fat soluble and the excess accumulates in the liver and fat cells. The FDA regulations (21 CFR 184.1878) say that thiamine mononitrate may be used in food "with no limitation other than good manufacturing practice" and that it "may be used in infant formula". These compounds could slowly kill off insulin producing cells in the brain and other organs, and when enough cells have been effected symptoms will begin to emerge. This could explain the classic development of autism in children at 1 1/2 to 2 years of age who were previously thought to be normal. And in Alzheimers' it is believed that the disease process begins at least 10-20 years before symptoms appear. Animal studies need to be done to determine if thiamine mononitrate produces Alzheimer's disease, autism, type 2 diabetes and the other diseases mentioned above. In the meantime, it would behoove us to read the labels and eliminate anything from the diet that includes nitrosamines, nitrites, nitrates; look for these words alone or in combination with other words, such as thiamine mononitrate. What is left for us to eat? Stay away from packaged and other processed foods and eat whole foods: organic whenever possible, vegetables, fruits, eggs, dairy, goat milk and cheeses, nuts, legumes, whole grains (without added nitrates) grass fed beef, free range chicken, "natural" deli meats that have nothing added (they can be frozen to prolong use). I thought we were adhering very closely to a whole food diet until learning that many of the foods we were eating, such as deli meats and some "whole grain" breads and cereals, contain nitrites or nitrates. this could explain some of the deterioration we have seen in spite of everything else we are doing. Most important to our newest generation, mothers can avoid this problem by breastfeeding their babies for as long as possible. Nitrites and nitrates are just one group of compounds we need to worry about for our newborns and toddlers. Also, consuming foods with medium chain fatty acids, such as coconut oil and MCT oil, can at least partly bypass the problem of insulin resistance by providing an alternative fuel to glucose for brain cells. And how could this possibly be related to the herpes simplex issue that I have written about? I found a 1977 article from the lab of Dr. George Cahill, Jr. ("Studies of Streptozotocin-induced insulitis and diabetes", Proc Natl Acad Sci USA, 74(6): 2485-2489, June 1977), in which he used streptozotocin to produce diabetes in mice by destroying the beta cells of the pancreas-- an unexpected finding was an increased production of a type C virus in the beta cells that survived. Could it be that the virus is involved as part of the process that destroys the cell after exposure to nitrosamines, or is an opportunistic infection that takes over the damaged cells, which further complicates the Alzheimer’s disease process? The bottom line is to avoid any foods that contain nitrites or nitrates or any ingredient in which one of the words appears.

Dr. Veech needs an angel

2011-02-04T14:38:00.000-08:00

Coconut oil and MCT oil provide relatively low levels of ketosis, however, the ketone ester made and studied in the lab of Dr. Richard Veech can provide levels at least 10 times as high. As noted in the article that is the subject of my previous post, the amount of energy provided to the brain is directly proportional to the level of ketones in the blood. Thus his ketone ester could provide as much as 60% of the brain's energy requirement compared to perhaps 5-10% by MCT oil/coconut oil.

There have been more than 700,000 hits on my website www.coconutketones.com. I am pleased that very many people now know that ketones may provide an alternative fuel to glucose in the brain for people with Alzheimer's and other neurodegenerative diseases. There must be someone out there who can help provide funding for continuation of Dr. Veech's very important work. He has only enough funding from the NIH to continue the research in his lab and production of the ketone ester until June 2011. He is in need of a charitable or government source of funding to continue just this basic work. He wishes to perform a pilot study of Parkinson's and the ketone ester. This would be a 28 day study. He lacks funding to even begin this short term study. Thereafter, he wishes to study Alzheimer's and this would require $10 to 15 million to manufacture enough ketone ester and fund the clinical trial. Alzheimer's is so complex and symptoms so variable from person to person, as compared to Parkinson's, that a two year study would be required to determine that the ester is effective.

New brain metabolism and ketone review article

2011-02-04T13:37:00.000-08:00

I recently received this new article that discusses in great detail what is known about brain metabolism as we age and the potential for alternative fuels to glucose to prevent or stabilize the progression of Alzheimer's disease:

"Brain fuel metabolism, aging, and Alzheimer’s disease",
Stephen Cunnane Ph.D., Scott Nugent B.Sc., Maggie Roy M.Sc., and others, Nutrition, January 2011

Here are some important excerpts from this article:

"The recent development of 11C-acetoacetate as a ketone tracer for PET studies opens a new window to compare brain metabolism of glucose and ketones in the same individual. If brain
ketone metabolism is not lower in AD or is less affected than glucose metabolism, one potential strategy to improve brain fuel availability and reduce the risk of AD that has already been targeted in clinical studies would be to develop a way to safely and reliably provide the brain with ketones as an alternative fuel to glucose..."

"Whether or not mitochondrial dysfunction reflects genetic or metabolic disturbances,
clinical trials attempting to redress the energy deficit in the AD brain suggest that cognitive function can be at least transiently improved if more fuel (glucose or ketones) can be
supplied to the brain."

"In carriers of apo E4, small areas of lower brain glucose metabolism are observed at an age
as young as 30 y old, e.g., 30-40 y before clinical onset. Indeed, we see an inverse relationship between CMRg in several brain regions and fasting plasma insulin, so brain metabolism
seems to be sensitive to even mild disturbances in systemic insulin control even if no clinical symptoms of cognitive decline are observed. Compared to non-carriers of apo E4, carriers have altered u3 [omega-3] fatty acid metabolism and higher measures of oxidative stress in the brain, both of which may contribute to a higher risk of early onset of brain hypometabolism. If brain hypometabolism can be present before clinical symptoms are apparent, this does not prove that hypometabolism is the earliest event in AD. However, to the best of our knowledge, hypometabolism is currently the earliest measurable abnormality in the brain that is connected to AD so its features and the reasons for it should shed light on the etiology of AD."

"The cerebral metabolic rate of ketones (CMRk) varies directlywith their blood concentration, starting at very low ketone concentrations...Hence, at a plasma b-hydroxybutyrate [one of the primary ketone bodies] concentration of 0.3-0.5 mM, such as can be achieved during 12-24 h fasting, b-hydroxybutyrate supplies 3-5% of whole brain energy requirements. As plasma ketones rise, CMRk also rises such that at a b-hydroxybutyrate of about 1.5mM, ketones provide about 18%, and at 6 mM, they provide about 60% of brain fuel." [Dr. Richard Veech's ketone ester can provide levels this high].

"Acute, controlled human experiments show that ketone infusion or ketogenesis inhibits the cognitive and behavioral sequelae of acute, experimental hypoglycemia, both in healthy
adults and in type 1 diabetes. It is generally assumed that the cognitive effects of hypoglycemia can be prevented by ketones because they seamlessly replace glucose to meet the brain’s energy requirements. However, acutely raising plasma ketones also increases cerebral blood flow in humans, an effect that may contribute to their beneficial impact on cognition during hypoglycemia. Studies in humans and animal models suggest further protective effects of ketones in the brain after ischemic insult [lack of oxygen/stroke] and other treatments damaging neuronal function."

"More recent controlled clinical trials confirm that short-term improvement can occur in cognitive tests when individuals with mild to moderate AD are provided with an exogenous source of glucose, ketones, insulin, or insulin sensitizers. These clinical studies show that the
affected brain regions in AD are at least partially viable and that cognition can improve when exogenous fuel supply to the brain is increased. In two of these studies, ketogenic supplements
based on medium chain triglycerides were used, thereby permitting a relatively normal choice of meals. Medium chain triglycerides have long been known to be ketogenic because they contain medium chain fatty acids (octanoic [8:0] and decanoic [10:0] acids), which do not require activation by CoA to enter mitochondria. The mild beneficial effects on cognition and relatively good tolerance to the doses of medium chain triglyceride used are promising, notwithstanding the possibility that carriers of apo E4 with AD derive little benefit from this treatment [Dr. Newport's comment: per one of the authors of the MCT oil studies, many of the ApoE4+ individuals did experience improvement, as a group when data was combined on the average they did not]. The explanation for the beneficial effect of mild, experimental ketonemia on cognition in AD may be as simple as exchanging one brain fuel for another as occurs in
fasting or starvation. It may also be due to the observation that although glycolysis may be impaired in the AD brain, CMRk and metabolic capacity to use a fuel other than glucose may
both be relatively normal in AD."

"...two observations in particular support the notion that the neurons affected in AD are still functional: (1) in AD, brain ketone uptake is apparently normal or at least less impaired than is glucose, and (2) there is a functional response to nutritional supplements that increase brain fuel
availability, particularly ketones. Hence, if brain fuel metabolism could be optimized or even partially returned toward normal, the risk of further cognitive decline may diminish. Raising plasma ketones to 0.4-0.5 mM would contribute to 5-10% of the brain’s energy requirements, which is equivalent to the early cortical glucose deficit in those genetically at risk AD. Such a mild, safe level of ketonemia is achievable with ketogenic supplements, so if implemented before symptoms develop, it seems plausible that they could diminish the risk of further metabolic deterioration and clinical onset of cognitive decline."

Regarding Omega-3 fatty acids:

"The u3 [omega-3] polyunsaturated fatty acid, DHA, is now widely understood to have an important role in mammalian brain development...Insufficient dietary intake of DHA and low levels of DHA in the hippocampus may have a role in cognitive decline in the elderly and/or AD. Hence, the low intake of DHA now widely but not universally reported in AD may contribute to the evolution of cognitive decline because of its role in brain glucose transport and in other aspects of brain function and structure. This emerging role of DHA in brain energy metabolism could be linked to the early presymptomatic onset of brain glucose hypometabolism in AD, at least in carriers of the e4 allele of apoE4. Nevertheless, such an effect probably involves relatively subtle changes in DHA metabolism because plasma DHA appears to be higher in the healthy elderly and is widely variable in AD."

Dr. Newport's comments:

The bottom line here, to try to prevent or stabilize AD, include medium chain fatty acids (coconut oil, palm kernel oil and MCT oil are the richest sources) in the diet to provide ketones as an alternative fuel to glucose AND eat fish (especially salmon) and/or take a supplement of marine based omega-3 oil (fish oil for most of us; algae based oil for vegans found in brands that are marketed to pregnant women).

Mirrors and Windows - Temporary solutions

2011-02-04T13:08:00.000-08:00

This post has nothing to do with coconut oil!

Many people with Alzheimer's have an interesting interaction with mirrors, windows and other reflective surfaces, sometimes pleasant and other times not so pleasant. This may be more prominent in the evening when dark windows may present disturbing images. We have seen some of this in Steve with glass doors and windows facing our courtyard that were not covered with curtains. He feels like there are a lot of people/strangers in the room when he sees reflections in a dark window.

In our kitchen, we put up sheer cafe curtains with a spring rod that can easily be readjusted to any height. The curtains are positioned so that the top is just above his eye level. For the glass doors I also put up sheers that are positioned to allow light to come in above and below, but again reach to just above eye level to eliminate the reflection.

There is also privacy film that can be placed on mirrors or windows as an easier solution than taking down the mirrors. We used some of this on the sidelights to our doors. I have found this at stores such as Home Depot, and Bed Bath and Beyond. There are two types - one is very much like holiday window decorations, that sticks easily to the surface and peels right off. There is another type, much harder to install, that requires spraying the surfaces with water then burnishing out the bubbles with a squeegy; this is much more difficult to use and would probably be a nightmare to remove as well. Both types have a number of different patterns available.

In restaurants, the person may be more comfortable if facing away from any dark reflective windows, if at all possible. If you are in a restaurant and your loved one becomes unsettled, consider the possibility that window reflections could be the issue.

ALS and Coconut Oil - A one year experience

2011-02-04T12:59:00.000-08:00

I was very pleased to receive this email from a person with ALS who wanted to share his experience with coconut oil of more than a year duration. This person gave me permission to post about this so that it may benefit others:

"ALS started in early 2007, and officially diagnosed with FALS September 2008.

My age is 62. I started taking 4 tablespoons of coconut oil daily on November 4th, 2009. I increased it to 6 tablespoons on December 4th, 2009, and increase that to 8 tablespoons per day the first of January, 2010. I have also been taking 3 ounces (2 shot glasses) of a magnesium/water solution each day, which I started on Sept. 15th, 2009, which was before I found information about coconut oil and ketones. Following are the details of my current and previous status before taking coconut oil.

A. Current symptoms:
1. Weakness in my right leg, primarily in the gluteus maximus and related muscles affecting the knee.
2. Slight twitching in upper right leg and buttocks.
3. Excessive pain in leg knee. But, this is due to the increased workload caused by the weakness in the right one. In my younger days both knees were injured by some accidents, since then both have given me problems.
4. Poor circulation in my right leg and foot at least during these months
5. With my toes on the floor I cannot raise the rear of the right foot and leg upward.

B. Current physical limitations:
1. Walking without pain and the use of two canes.
2. Unable to pivot the right foot as far outward as with the left.
3. When sitting, am unable to raise my right upper leg up off the chair as much as the left
4. When laying face down on my stomach and my legs outstretched, am unable to bend my right knee to raise my foot upwards.

C. Changes since taking coconut oil:
1. Have normal feelings back in my right leg much like the left one.
2. Have increased muscles strength and size in the upper right leg. Also the muscles in the left leg have increased in size and strength.
3. If I place my right foot flat on the floor I can now raise my toes and the front of my foot upward. I can now tap my right foot to the music
4. When sitting I can now pull my right foot and calf backwards.
5. When sitting, am able to raise my right leg upward.
6. There is reduced bruising in my right ankle.
7. I can pivot my right foot inward and outward.
8. I can stand on my right leg a little more because it has more strength.
9. I can roll over in bed with a minimum of difficulty.
10. I can push downward with my right leg.
Page 2 of 2
D. Before taking coconut oil: (Nov. 4, 2009)
1. Difficulty walking due to weakness in my right leg.
2. My right leg felt asleep and non-responsive when walking or trying to move it
3. The muscles in the upper right leg had reduced in size to the point I could reach upward on the underside of my leg and easily feel the leg bones.
4. I had “drop-foot,” and could not pivot my right foot side to side nor raise it at all.
5. When sitting I could not raise my right leg off the chair.
6. My right ankle was very purple and bruised
7. I had extreme difficulty rolling over in bed because my right leg would not move on its own.
8. I could not push downward with my right leg at all.
9. Had very thick saliva at night.
10. Muscle vibrations in the left leg, some in the upper right arm.

In conclusion:
So far I have only experienced improvements taking the coconut oil and magnesium chloride solution. I plan to continue with both, and track my progress monthly with more detail just in case it could be of value to someone later."

More on herpes simplex virus and Alzheimer's

2010-12-11T11:57:00.000-08:00

On a previous post, I discussed the research conducted by Dr. Ruth Itzhaki in England providing very strong evidence that recurrent infection with herpes simplex in the brain may be the cause of Alzheimer's in certain people, those who are ApoeE4+. Please look back for the details.

Nearly all of us acquire herpes simplex virus at some point and then carry it. When we are young most of us can apparently control these infections more so than when we age. Some people, though, have recurrent outbreaks, usually as fever blisters, or for some, genital lesions. Some people with active virus show no outward symptoms at all. Reactivation of the virus produces inflammation in the brain. Most of the episodes are mild, but over time the effects could be cumulative. An infection such as this could explain why Alzheimer's begins in certain parts of the brain and eventually spreads to other areas. It could also explain the fluctuations that we often see in symptoms - when the virus is latent the person may do a little better, when there is a reactivation and greater inflammation, the person may get worse, a sort of two steps forward (worsening) and one step back (improvement) kind of process.

Steve has a long time history of lengthy outbreaks of fever blisters on his mouth, and had an outbreak around his eye and was quite sick at age 29. I strongly believe that, at least in his case, herpes simplex may be the cause of his Alzheimer's disease and this particularly bad episode could explain why he became symptomatic so early.

Now another group led by Dr. Nancy Sawtell at Cincinnati Children's Medical Center is providing more proof that herpes simplex may be the culprit for some people. She was inspired to do this work after Dr. Ruth Itzhaki visited her lab a few years ago. They have been working with mice in which the Apoe4 allele has been "knocked in" and infected them with the virus. They found that a lot more virus got into the brains of the Apoe4 mice than the non-Apoe4 mice. They are now trying to learn what makes some people more susceptible to the virus. She has found that the viral protein VP 16 is essential in triggering the virus's reactivation. So now they are trying to find substances that may inhibit VP 16 and therefore keep the virus from reactivating.

Dr. Itzhaki, in the meantime, is having difficulty getting funding for continuing her vital research. One skeptic on a review board can keep the board from approving a grant. I believe she and Dr. Sawtell are on the right path - their work needs to continue.

Using coconut oil and coconut milk

2010-12-11T11:28:00.000-08:00

A lot of people have questions about how to incorporate coconut oil into the diet. Steve still takes the mixture of MCT oil and coconut oil, roughly half and half. Since coconut oil is usually semi-solid, at this time of the year especially, I put the container of oil into a large pot filled with warm water and let it melt down, which takes about 20 minutes or so. Then I make a mixture in the quart jars that the MCT oil comes in. I measure out 16 ounces of MCT oil (half of the quart jar)and put it into an empty quart jar using a funnel. Then add 16 ounces of coconut oil to each of the quart containers. I also add a couple teaspoons of liquid soy lethicin to emulsify the mixture (purely optional). I give the bottle a couple of shakes before using it just in case the oils have separated.

Steve has no problem just taking the mixture straight, and sometimes takes it that way, but many people cannot handle that. For breakfast, I mix it into kefir (liquid yogurt that our local mainstream grocery store carries) along with some of his other supplements in powdered form, such as whey protein, L-lysine (which may suppress herpes simplex virus), and D-ribose, which I mention in another post. My daughter convinced me to get a Magic Bullet recently, instead of trying to mix this concoction with a spoon, and I have found it to be a very worthwhile investment for this purpose. [The connection between herpes simplex and Alzheimer's is the subject of another post a while back for those who are interested.]

Mixing the oils with soup is another great way to take it. The oil pretty much disappears with stirring.

Smoothies using coconut milk and/or blending in the MCT oil/coconut oil mixture can be very delicious. I just finished reading a book by Cherie Calbom, The Ultimate Smoothie Book, which has a section on coconut smoothies. She suggests adding coconut oil to the ingredients and blending before adding the ice, to avoid having coconut oil chunks in the smoothie. The recipes look wonderful. The great thing about smoothies is that you can alter them in any number of ways to suit your own tastebuds.

Cherie Calbom also has another book that would be very helpful with many great recipes called The Coconut Diet. For those who are worried about gaining weight by adding coconut oil to the diet, she offers a solution here. Even if you are not trying to lose weight, the recipes will be very appealing.

GPS Shoes, Ketone Meter and Coconut Milk Orange Soda

2010-10-21T18:25:00.000-07:00

There was article in USA Weekend about some new shoes for people with Alzheimers that have a GPS imbedded in them. They cost $250-300 plus a monthly fee, but could mean peace of mind for many. They are called The GPS Shoe by Aetrex and can be purchased online at Foot.com or GPSShoe.com. They expect to stores to carry them next year.

There is a new at home glucose and ketone meter by Abbott called Precision Xtra. The meter costs less than $20, but the test strips for ketones run $51 for ten strips; glucose strips are much less expensive. Might be useful for someone who wants to see what their ketone response. I suggest checking the level either 90 minutes after MCT oil or about 3 hours after taking coconut oil or the mixture of MCT and coconut oil which should tell you what your peak level is. This woudl also be very helpful for someone on a ketogenic diet. I found the meter and test strips on www.amazon.com.

Dr. VanItallie suggested that I give Steve diet orange soda since it contains potassium citrate which could help prevent kidney stones in someone who is prone to them. We usually stay away from these types of drinks but Steve does have a history of stones in the past, so we decided to try this. We soon found that coconut milk tastes very, very good with the orange soda. The best way to mix it is to put the coconut milk in first then carefully pour in the soda - it can froth over easily if you pour it too fast! This could be a great way to get some coconut oil (by way of coconut milk) into someone who doesn't care for the oil.

2nd Ketone Conference in Edinburgh, Scotland

2010-10-21T17:57:00.000-07:00

Steve, our daughter Joanna, and I travelled to Edinburgh, Scotland in early October 2010 to attend the 2nd symposium on ketones called “Dietary Interventions for Epilepsy and Other Neurologic Diseases,” where I presented two abstracts on posters. One was Steve’s case study and the other was caregiver reports of responses of persons with dementia to medium chain fatty acids. I hope to get the chart up on the website very soon. Dr. Veech’s work and/or his ketone ester were discussed in several of the presentations. About 150 people attended, mostly pediatric neurologists, PhD researchers, and dieticians, who are interested in and involved in ketogenic diet and other ketone research. Several of the presenters were from John Hopkins University, where the ketogenic diet has been used for many decades for childhood epilepsy. This diet is used primarily in children who do not respond to anti-convulsant medication, but recently has been used in adults as well. We met a man named Mike from England who had resistant epilepsy who became seizure free on this diet and has remained so for about three years ago. The diet has even been tried as a first line (before medication) at John Hopkins with success in some infants with infantile spasms. About 18-20% of children with drug resistant epilepsy become seizure free and another 35-40% have a reduction in their seizures by at least 50%. They do not know exactly why it works and also why it works in some people and not in others. This is the same thing that we see in our friends with Alzheimer's that some respond to the ketones from coconut oil and/or MCT oil and some do not.
The strictest form of the diet calls for about 75-80% of the total calories to be consumed as fat and the rest as a combination of carbohydrate and protein. The protein is calculated to allow the child to grow, or the adult to maintain lean body mass. Some of the presenters have done research showing that less strict forms of the diet may work for some people. There is an MCT oil modification of the diet, using 60% of the calories as MCT oil, a modified Atkins diet, and the Low Glycemic Index Diet. Any of these diets could be tried with the help of a dietician in someone with Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, ALS, traumatic brain injury and potentially some other neurologic diseases. There are some small studies and case studies suggesting that this could be beneficial. One study showed that following stroke, the ketogenic diet can help preserve brain volume.
Another section of the conference focused on cancer and the ketogenic diet with caloric restriction (20-40% less than maintenance calories). Dr. Tom Seyfried presented his research showing that glioblastomas shrink by as much as 80% in response to this type of diet. He believes that at least 80% of cancerous tumors would shrink with this approach, since most cancers can use only glucose as fuel and cannot use ketones. On this type of diet as the blood sugar becomes low, the blood supply and energy to the tumor dwindles as well as the tumor(s), even in the case of metastatic tumors. He has some human case studies as well as plenty of animal studies to support this.
The organizers for this conference were www.matthewsfriends.org and for the previous conference in 2008 www.charliefoundation.org. Both of these organizations were founded by parents of children with epilepsy who responded to the ketogenic diet, and either of these can provide information and dietician help with these diets. The next conference will be in 2012 and they are seriously considering including a section on Alzheimer’s disease.
We had a wonderful time in Edinburgh, although the travelling back and forth is not much fun. Steve did amazingly well, although there was some confusion when we were out after dark. The hardest part was trying to figure out the best times to give him his oil since we were five hours ahead there. It is always good to get back home - much less confusion there!

Vegan Omega-3

2010-08-17T17:18:00.000-07:00

While flax oil, walnuts and other vegetable sources of omega-3 are beneficial, they may not be converted efficiently in the body, especially in older people, to DHA and EPA, the two forms of omega-3 that are extremely important to brain function. It is therefore important to take a marine source of omega-3; for most of us this is fish oil. This would be a problem for vegans. I have recently learned that there is a high DHA oil available that is from algae rather than fish or other animal marine life. The supplements suggested for pregnant women are often made from this. Specifically, schizochytrium oil, is available over the counter at health food stores and pharmacies.

New animal studies with ketones and coconut oil

2010-08-17T17:11:00.000-07:00

I have learned of two new studies that have received funding.

One is at University of Maryland, conducted by Dr. Beverly Teter, in which she will look at whether coconut oil improves the outcome for "Alzheimer" mice. The second is a study of ketones at Univesity of South Florida, Byrd Alzheimer Institute.

They will be looking at ketogenic diet, ketone ester, caloric deprivation and their effect on abnormal amyloid and tau production compared to the "normal" diet in mice.

If these studies have the outcome we hope for, this may spur further human research.

Bad news for Eli Lilly Drug Trial/ More thought about beta-amyloid and infection

2010-08-17T17:03:00.000-07:00

The Eli Lilly drug that has been in phase III trials has been stopped due to increased risk of skin cancer and, even worse, an acceleration of deterioration of AD compared to the placebo, the opposite of what was hoped for. This is yet another sad turn of events. Steve was in this study but we stopped in the winter due to several side effects; I believe he was on the actual drug for only about a month at that point. His hair started to grow out a very light gold color (one of the known effects that didn't bother us)and when we stopped it, the darker hair grew in again. He had a half inch white stripe work its way out to the tips of his hair! I no longer have any regrets that we pulled him out of the study.

I believe the worsening of AD in people who were on this drug supports infection as at least one important cause of Alzheimer's disease. One group has found that beta-amyloid kills microbes; they tested a number of bacteria, all of which were killed by beta-amyloid, and this group is now looking at viruses, such as herpes simplex, and other microbes (Soscia "The Alzheimer’s Disease-Associated Amyloid b-Protein Isan Antimicrobial Peptide" PLOS March 2010,Volume 5, Issue 3, e9505: www.plosone.org). If a drug is used to suppress the production of beta-amyloid and it normally is part of the brain's defense against infection, then infection could spread more readily and potentially cause more extensive damage to brain tissue. Beta-amyloid may be more prevalent in people with AD because they have chronic, recurrent infections that are provoking this response. So the increase in amyloid may be the aftermath, no the cause of, the process that does cause AD.

Drs. Ruth Itzhaki and Mark Wozniak in the UK have done extensive work looking at the herpes simplex virus as a cause of AD (they have numerous papers on this from 2005 through 2009.) This virus causes fever blisters, can cause shingles (along with the chickenpox virus, a close relative), and also genital herpes. Herpes simplex lives within nerves and the nerves to the face around the mouth orignate deep in the brain. Most people carry this and other viruses by the time they reach old age, but they have found that people who are ApoE4+ are particularly likely to suffer recurrent episodes of fever blisters. these researchers have found this virus within about 90% of the beta-amyloid plaques in the autopsied brains they have looked at, which strongly suggests that beta-amyloid is there to defend the brain against it. They have also found in animals that the herpes virus increases production of beta-amyloid and also induces AD-like tau phosphorylation (production of tangles). They want to study whether suppression of herpes virus with anti-viral medication would be beneficial to people with AD, but have had trouble getting funding for this.

Acyclovir, for example, is taken daily orally by many people to suppress the genital variety of herpes simplex, including woman who are pregnant, to try to prevent spread of the nfection to the newborn. Perhaps such a treatment could decrease the number and severity of outbreaks in the brain as well. Lysine (available OTC) is used to suppress herpes infections and the lauric acid (C:12) and capric acid (C:10)found in coconut oil kill herpes family of viruses by dissolving the lipid capsule around the virus.

It could also be that, even though beta-amyloid is there to fight infection, it causes some of the damage as well; if you think about it, whenever there is inflammation, part of the body's defensive reaction to infection, there can be damage/scarring to the nearby tissue from the inflammation. The infectious agent is the cause of the whole process, but the body's defenses can also cause some collateral damage, in order to preserve the whole person.

I hope work by Itzhaki and others studying infection will be taken more seriously so that they can get the funding they need.

Steve's MRI - Two years later

2010-06-22T18:02:00.000-07:00

Steve had an MRI at the end of April 2010. His previous MRI was nearly two years ago, just about the time we started using the coconut oil, in June 2008. I am very pleased to report that Steve's MRI was reported as "stable" compared to the previous study. In contrast, his MRI went from normal in 2004 to having significant atrophy by 2008. Normally with Alzheimer's disease, the brain would continue to atrophy over such a two year period. This is quite encouraging, to think that medium chain triglycerides might be responsible for heading off the process of brain atrophy.

Book for those concerned with electromagnetic radiation

2010-05-31T09:47:00.000-07:00

I recently finished reading an interesting book on the subject of electromagnetic radiation (EMR) as a possible cause of disease and a possible way to counteract it. The book is Earthing by Clint Ober, Dr. Stephen Sinatra and Martin Zucker. The concept here is that in our world today, we are bombarded by an abundance of EMR from the obvious high power lines, cell phones, radio waves, household appliances, and not so obvious sources such as the clock and lamp at the bedside, even when turned off. As a result of this exposure, we pick up an excess of positive charges which hypothetically could cause or contribute to disease by producing inflammation related to free radicals.
The authors propose that a simple way to reduce the effects of this exposure is to become "grounded," much like the electric circuitry within the home is wired to be grounded to the earth. they explain that with grounding, the body is infused with negatively-charged free electrons that stem the positively-charged free radicals and this shuts down inflammation. They believe that inflammation is driven by a deficiency of electrons in the body as a result of people living in an ungrounded state, since most of us do not have direct contact with the earth, such as our ancient ancestors did before modern housing, bedding and shoes came into play. The easiest way to become grounded is to simply stand with bare feet on the earth, but they have also devised several other ways to do with for those who do not have ready access to direct contact with the earth or would like to do this for prolonged periods while sleeping. for example.
They have performed studies and provide a number of interesting anecdotal reports of how this might help.
For those who are concerned about the effects of EMR and want to learn how to potentially reduce the effects, Earthing makes for interesting reading.

Great New Book for Caregivers

2010-05-01T14:16:00.000-07:00

I want to recommend a wonderful new book for caregivers of people who have AD or other forms of dementia. The book is called Staying Afloat in a Sea of Forgetfulness: Common Sense Caregiving. It is written by Gary LeBlanc who lived with and cared for his father 24/7 for more than 3000 days until he finally passed away. Gary writes a column with tips for caregivers that appears in the Hernando Today section of the Tampa Tribune. This is a very practical book, written from caregiver to caregiver in a very down to earth style and injected with humor when appropriate. He addresses a variety of problems that arise on a day to day basis and ways that he found to deal with them. This is very helpful in that people who are newer to caregiving won't have to reinvent the wheel. I can totally relate to so many of the issues he discusses in this book and find his advice very useful. Between each section there is a short piece called "Dear Caregiver," usually a meaningful or humorous quote from a famous person that we will all appreciate.

If you want to learn more about this wonderful new book the website is: www.stayingafloatbook.com .

Update about Steve, Greece, the ketone ester, IVIG

2010-05-01T13:04:00.000-07:00

I have been delinquent in keeping up with this blog the past few months and must apologize. There are not enough hours in the day!

Our trip to Greece was quite an adventure - our younger 24 year old daughter Joanna came with us to stay with Steve while I attended some of the meetings at the conference. My presentation went very well and was well received. There were researchers and doctors from around the world, so I am hopeful this will get the message out to many more. Steve held up amazingly well. I took him by the hand when getting off and on public transportation to make sure we didn't lose each other. We got to see some wonderful sites in Athens, London and NYC, but in the end we were all very happy to be home.

This May 21 will mark two years since Steve started taking coconut oil. He had many improvements, some immediate and others more gradual that became obvious over several months or even longer. In many respects he is still doing better than two or even three years ago. None of the physical symptoms or visual disturbance have returned. His has retained many memories of events that have taken place in the last year or longer. He continues to volunteer in the warehouse at the hospital where I work, putting stickers on supplies and moving boxes. He has also gotten his riding lawn mower out recently several times to cut the grass and had no trouble working it. For those who don't know, there are several controls that need to be operated simultaneously to get it running. There is no need to cut grass in our area from November to March, so I was biting my nails wondering whether he would remember how to operate the tractor this year and, alas, he does. On the other hand, we have seen some new problems since the last update. He has had setbacks when he has an illness, with more confusion. This has been most obvious to me when he has a fever blister. I always worry that "this is it," but he manages to bounce back, although not always completely. He has developed a problem in recent months at times with understanding the relationship of where we live to where the rest of his family lives. Usually after I explain this to him, he gets it. I do believe that overall, the use of coconut oil/MCT oil has taken us back in time at least two years and in many respects even longer. I don't know if we will beat it, but we have at least gotten a reprieve from this disease.

A pilot study for Parkinson's disease, using Dr. Veech's ketone ester, will soon begin. since the symptoms of this disease are more consistent from person to person and many are measurable physicla symptoms, he believes they will be able to know within one month if the ketone ester is effective. Clinical trials for Alzheimer's typically last 12-18 months or longer, due to the nature of the disease. We can be hopeful that if the results of the Parkinson's study are positive that more funding will be forthcoming for producing and studying the ketone ester.

Another promising treatment is IVIG (Gammagard and other brands). A pilot study for Gammagard was recently completed showing that there was no worsening of brain scans and there was improved mental function in people with AD over an 18 month period. IVIG has been used for people with immune deficiency for decades. It is pooled antibodies to many different types of infection from 100s of people and is given intravenously usually every two weeks. The company believes that it works by removing beta-amyloid plaque. Another possibility is that it controls a chronic or recurrent infection in the brain, such as the herpes simplex virus type 1 that causes fever blisters - work has been done by Dr. Ruth Itzhaki and others in England showing that this virus is present in the brains, and even within all of the beta-amyloid plaques they have looked at, of people with Alzheimer's who are APOE4+. The virus has also been shown to cause this plaque and also the classic tangles to form. For those who want to screen for the study look at www.clinicaltrials.gov and so a search for Alzheimer's and IVIG. There will be a list of centers who are recruiting now for the IVIG clinical trials.

Powdered MCT Oil

2010-01-13T12:39:00.000-08:00

I just learned something new for those who are using MCT oil, or want to, that there is a powdered form of it available in bulk from a company called True Protein - https://www.trueprotein.com/Product_Details.aspx?cid=24&pid=86 . The product contains 63% caprylic acid (c:8), 25% capric acid (C:10) and < 2% C:6. This would be useful for those who don't like the idea of taking oil. It has a milk protein with it that allows it to be in powder form, and apparently can be mixed easily with water or other liquids. I am ordering some to try it out. This could also be ideal for traveling by plane or taking to restaurants.

This company also has many other foods and supplements that are available in powder form, and they will even let you create a custom mix of their powders, which could make life easier for those who have trouble swallowing pills and capsules.

ADI Conference in Greece March 2010

2009-12-04T08:31:00.000-08:00

I am very pleased to announce that an abstract I submitted entitled "Dietary Intervention Using Coconut Oil to Produce Mild Ketosis in an APOE4 Male with Early Onset Alzheimer's Disease" has been accepted for an oral presentation at the Alzheimer's Disease International Conference to be held in Thessaloniki, Greece March 10-13, 2010. A second abstract, "Caregiver reports following dietary intevention with medium chain fatty acids in 47 persons with dementia," was also accepted as a poster presentation.

D-ribose update

2009-11-25T17:42:00.000-08:00

Since I wrote about it in my blog, I have found an article from 1971 showing that D-ribose is taken up by the brain rather quickly in rats. ("Metabolism of D-Ribose in Rat Tissues," MK Gaitonde, T Arnfred, Journal of Neurochemistry, Vol 18 Issue 10, P 1971-1987.) I also found a book written by Paul Addis,PhD, "The Health Benefits of Ribose," written in 2007 in which he mentions the possibility that D-ribose could be beneficial in Alzheimer's and Parkinson's, but not proven yet. I have tried with no luck so far to contact him. In cardiac patients, Dr. Sinatra says that the effects of these supplements can be evident within a few days.

People frequently ask me how Steve is doing and I am happy to report that he is actually doing quite well these days. His speech seems to be flowing better and I am not seeing any physical symptoms. He tells me he feels great, not even a hint of depression, which was a serious problem before we started coconut oil. He is still a long way from having anything resembling a normal memory, but has recovered in so many other ways.

Don't give up! Some new treatments on the horizon

2009-10-29T15:22:00.000-07:00

I hear from some people who are very discouraged because they do not see improvement in their loved one with Alzheimer's. About half of the people in the MCT oil studies declined minimally rather than improving, but declined less than the people who took the placebo. So this strategy may be worthwhile continuing even if results are not obvious in the beginning. Also, some people improve rather slowly but over two to three months, the changes may become more apparent, or perhaps you will see that things are not worse.

If you are considering giving up on this, you might consider the possibility that this strategy could at least stabilize or slow down the process for your loved one. Hopefully we will be able to learn why some people improve and others don't. After attending the American College of Nutrition Conference at the beginning of October, I have some ideas about why this happens. It could be that the cells are so depleted of the various substances they need to make energy inside the cell that the cells don't recover simply by providing ketone. I learned more about other disease processes where there is also a problem with energy production in mitochondria, the organelles inside of the cells that manufacture ATP, the very basic energy that drives the whole function of the cell. Each cell has hundreds to thousands of mitochondria.

Dr. Stephen Sinatra discussed several dietary supplements that help people with severe congestive heart failure by providing certain subtances involved in manufacturing ATP in the mitochondria in the cells. In the case of congestive heart failure, the cardiac cells have become depleted of these substances and are not making enough ATP to keep the cell going. Three of the supplements we have been giving Steve for quite some time, CoQ10, L-carnitine and magnesium, but the fourth I did not know about, D-ribose. D-ribose is a simple sugar normally made inside the cell from glucose, and is one of the building blocks for ATP. It makes sense that if glucose cannot even get into the cell that the cell will not be able to make D-ribose, which is critical to making ATP. It is not stored elsewhere in the body and it is not present in any quantity in foods, but is used by body builders and available as a supplement. For people with cardiac diseases, Dr. Sinatra recommends taking about 5 - 7 grams of D-ribose per day. It comes in a powder (disappears without much taste in coffee or any drink) or chewable tablet (not so good to my tastebuds.) I have many questions about it, such as does it cross the blood brain barrrier and how does it enter the cell, and of course, it is safe? I have not been able to find out much about it. If there is a chemist or other scientist out there with more information about D-ribose, I would appreciate hearing from you. When I learn more I will post something about it.

Dr. Sinatra has a book called, "The Sinatra Solution: Metabolic Cardiology" that discusses these supplements in detail, but is very technical. I believe that this strategy could help people with AD since the mitochondria work the same as far as producing enery in all of the cells. After reading up about this, part of the problem in AD may be that the cells become depleted of these substances, such as CoQ10, from some of the medications our people with AD are often on (anti-depressants, statins.) Also the whole process of making energy in the mitochondria depends on being able to get glucose (or ketone bodies as an alternative) into the cells in the first place and this is not happening.

Just as a point of interest, the earliest work by Dr. Veech and his group was studying the effect of ketone on the heart - the additon of ketone to glucose increased the energy output of the heart by 25%. If insulin was also present, the energy out put increased by 37%.

We also recently attended a research update at our local Johnnie Byrd Alzheimer's center, which is part of University of South Florida, and they have learned that caffeine may increase cognition in AD - they suggested 500 to 600 mg a day - you can buy caffeine tablets very inexpensively at the drug store. I started Steve with a 200 mg tablet and increased by one tablet weekly to 600 mg; I always give it at breakfast. It doesn't affect his sleep at all or cause any other symptoms. They are also studying a substance called GM-CSF which is already in use to increase white blood cells in people with cancer, etc. In mice is cleans out the beta-amyloid plaque rather quickly, over a week after just one injection. Absolutely amazing. Hopefully they will be able to get studies in people started soon.

There are some new clinical trials starting up that are using intranasal insulin and also immune globulin. You can learn about what clinical trials may be available in your area at www.clinicaltrials.gov . We live in a very small town and have a small research that has several different Alzheimer's studies going. In other words, you may not need to be near a large center to participate in a study.

Direct link to 6 part interview series

2009-08-31T07:34:00.000-07:00

Instead of going to YouTube, the six part series of Steve and I with Ken Lightburn can now be viewed at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iScs0uzQZFk

Ketones: The YouTube Interviews

2009-08-25T18:20:00.000-07:00

There is now available on www.YouTube.com a six part series of interviews about ketones, coconut oil and MCT oil and the potential benefits for people with Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and other neurodegenerative diseases. The primary purpose of making these videos is to increase awareness of the need for funding for large scale production of the ketone ester made by Dr. Richard Veech at the NIH. My secondary goal is to let people know that the medium chain triglycerides in coconut oil and MCT oil can produce circulating ketones that can act as an alternative fuel for brain and other cells that are insulin resistant and cannot use glucose as a fuel; the levels are considerably lower than those that can be achieved with Dr. Veech's ketone ester, however, some improvement or stabilization of disease may still be possible with the oils.

Collecting responses for Dr. Veech

2009-08-16T07:14:00.000-07:00

I am putting together an anonymous spreadsheet of people who have contacted me regarding a response (or lack of) to coconut oil and/or MCT oil and/or Axona for the purpose of trying to get funding for Dr. Veech's ketone ester research at the NIH. The specific information I need is the person's age, sex, diagnosis, if known, what forms(s) of the oil they have been using, their response in as much detail as possible, and any side effects, such as diarrhea; also if the cholesterol, triglyceride profile has been checked, the results would be very helpful also. To participate, you can email me back at preemiedoctor@aol.com. If you have settled on a particular "dose," that would be helpful to know as well.

The ketone ester will make it possible to get considerably higher levels of ketones than the oils. When I wrote my article "What if there was a cure for AD and no one knew?" the cure I am referring to is the ketones, not so much the coconut oil. Dr. Veech is finishing human toxicity testing this month on healthy subjects, reaching levels about 15 times what were measured with Steve on coconut oil, and there have been no adverse effects. He has also learned that there appears to be more to the ketone effect than just working as an alternative fuel; ketones also appear to be involved with growth of new neurons and nerves. He is able to make about 10 pounds of the ketone ester a week in his lab, but needs funding for a facility to make it in much larger quantity to test in AD, Parkinson's and other neurodegenerative diseases. In the meantime we can use the oils with medium chain triglycerides to produce ketones; the true cure will be the ketone ester itself.

2009-08-03T07:31:00.000-07:00

For those who want to learn more about ketones, there is an article today in the St. Petersburg Times about ketones, Accera, my husband and other people who have tried coconut oil/MCT oil at www.sptimes.com, where there is also an accompanying video or you can go directly to the article at www.tampabay.com/news/health/research/article1024137.ece. In addition, there is a related video at www.baynews9.com.

Also there is plenty of information on my website www.coconutketones.com. I have been trying to get the message out about this for more than a year since my husband improved so that people can try this if they are so inclined. My goal is to increase awareness so that Dr. Richard Veech will get funding for mass production of his ketone ester which will produce many fold higher levels of ketone than the human body can generate by eating medium chain triglycerides oils.

If you are concerned about cholesterol and other issues related to coconut oil and MCT oil, get your doctor involved and monitor your loved one's cholesterol profile. We have been monitoring Steve's cholesterol/trglyceride profile every few months and his results have been well within the normal range.

Media interest in ketones and coconut oil

2009-08-01T07:50:00.000-07:00

A lot has happened this past week:

There is a video of Steve and I now playing (beginning August 1, 2009) on www.sptimes.com . They will be publishing a story in their paper about ketones in the next few days; I am told by the reporter that Steve and I will be a small part of the story. The reporter did interview several others who have had experience with this now.

BayNews 9, a TV channel dedicated to news (Tampa Bay, Florida) interviewed us Friday and expect to run the story on Saturday, August 1, 2009, probably beginning at 5PM for about 12 hours. Many of their stories can also be viewed on www.baynews9.com .

Ken Lightburn, a wonderful man from New York (originally Australia), arranged to make a video interviewing Steve and I about ketones and coconut oil. He intends to put this on www.YouTube.com within the next couple of weeks and also plans to send it to high profile people in the media, such as Oprah and Dr. Oz. He is a coconut oil distributor but also has family members with AD and Parkinson's, and for this reason he and his wife received a copy of my article. He called to talk about it and I mentioned my problems with getting the information out by way of the Alzheimer's Association and the media (I have sent this information many times to various high profile people and the major TV news media.) He called a few days later and said he wants to help get this message out. He was willing to do it without credit, but I feel he deserves credit for doing this. So here goes: The video will also be playing on his company's website, www.naturesapproved.com.

Upcoming St. Petersburg Times article

2009-07-15T21:54:00.000-07:00

A St. Petersburg Times reporter contact me a few days ago, who is doing a story about Axona (the prescription MCT oil) and came across the MCT/CO information on the internet. He wants to do a story about the coconut oil and MCT oil along with the story about Axona and wants to talk with some other folks who have had some results with CO or MCT oil. If anyone would like to have some input, his name is Steve Nohlgren and his email address is Nohlgren@sptimes.com .

More on Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids

2009-07-01T21:45:00.000-07:00

Another related subject I have been reading much about these past months addresses the inflammation piece related to our American diet of the past fifty plus years. It has to do with the "yin" and "yang" relationship of omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-6 is inflammatory (having to do with our natural immune response)and relatively vasoconstrictive and omega-3s are anti-inflammatory and produce vasodilation. Ideally these effects would be balanced if consumed in anywhere from a 4:1 or 1:1 ratio of omega-6 to omega-3, depending on what scientific papers you read. The infant formula manufacturers are shooting for about a 4:1 ratio and they just started really paying attention to this about 6 years ago. They began to add DHA (one of the omega-3s) to improve visual acuity and IQ and added ARA (an omega-6) to balance it. Our typical American diet is so out of whack that the ratio is more like 20:1 or even 40:1, mostly related to relatively high consumption of 100% vegetable oil which is usually soybean oil +/- some canola oil, and low consumption of fish, say, compared with Japan where the average consumption per person is 140 pounds of fish per year!! Here Americans tend to eat a lot of soybean oil which is about 50% omega-6 and has has about a 7:1 ratio of omega 6 to omega 3 if non-hydrogenated and 17:1 if it is hydrogenated. Non-hydrogenated cannola oil actually isn't bad, with 19% omega-6 and 9% omega-3 (about a 2:1 ratio) and 7% long chain saturated fats. Olive oil is about 10% omega-6 and has a 13:1 ratio,and by the way, olive oil is not all mono-unsaturated fat and has about 14% long chain saturated fats. My favorite, coconut oil, is about 4% omega-6 and has no omega-3. In those parts of the world where coconut oil is used, fish consumption is also very common. In our world, adding some salmon to our diet and/or fish oil would be a good idea. I think most of us as caregivers are already doing that, but figuring out how much to use is another problem. If you are trying to get a 4:1 ratio and you are mostly using 100% non-hydrogenated soybean oil, you would need to take an additional 1.5 to 2 grams of omega-3 for every tablespoon. Considering how much soybean oil (the favorite of the fast food and packaged food industries) many folks eat in a day, you can see that the "inflammatory/vasoconstrictive properties" of omega-6 could be a factor in the diseases that plague Americans - high BP, cardiovascular disease (inflamed blood vessel walls,) autoimmune diseases, to name a few. To get a 4:1 ratio, for olive oil, it would be about 1 gram omega-3 for every 3 tablespoons. For coconut oil, 1 gram omega-3 for every 6.5 tablespoons. Also, I have been learning that the omega-3 fatty acid called DHA is a more permanent part of the cell membrane and EPA more transient and we may need relatively more EPA than DHA as a result. I have been communicating with a neurolipid biochemist/researcher, who I hope to learn a lot from in the coming weeks. I plan pass whatever information I can gleen from her on to the caregiver groups.

Plaques and Tangles - Just My Opinion

2009-06-23T18:25:00.000-07:00

I think in the end the tangles will turn out to be an effect of, and not a cause of, AD. The tubular structures that make up the tangles serve as a sort of skeleton for the neuron and its axons. When the neuron is alive and healthy these tubules are well organized. I think the tangles are the product of a neuron that is dying or dead and the tubules retract from the axons, which can be very long, and tangle in the process. I think the plaques will turn out to be a similar phenomenon. For example, let's say a virus takes over a neuron; the neuron may then produce an abnormal protein, instead of the protein it is designed to produce. Something like this happens in other cells when a virus takes over. One example I can think of is when a rhinovirus (the common cold) takes over cells in the respiratory tract - there is an incredible amount of mucus produced by these cells. In the case of AD, the neuron is not functioning normally, and therefore may not produce the protein that it normally would produce, but instead produces an abnormal protein that then accumulates outside of the cells. This protein may be toxic to other neurons and worsen the situation but may not be the original cause of the situation (AD.) As we age, neurons are going to die and where do the remnants go? How would they be removed from the brain, which is different in so many ways from our other organs. The cells of the bowel slough off into the intestine and are carried away when they die. There isn't a similar mechanism for this to happen in the brain. All of this is just my opinion only, no proof.

Why we are using the MCT oil/Coconut oil mixture

2009-06-23T17:40:00.000-07:00

Rose asked me if we are using Axona and why or why not. We don't use Axona. It costs $100 per month for just one dose a day, is a prescription and Steve is doing well with what we are doing. I have read about some people who feel that the effect of the single dose of Axona wears off after a few hours and they have continued to use MCT oil and/or coconut oil later in the day. I have read that the people who make Axona say they only recommend one dose a day because they only studied one dose a day. We are using MCT oil because Steve's ketone levels were higher with MCT oil than coconut oil, but were also gone twice as fast (by three hours). We kept the coconut oil because the levels last longer (at least 6-7 hours). I figure that by mixing the two he will get the benefit of the higher levels from the MCT oil and the longer lasting levels of the coconut oil. Also, there are several other properties of coconut oil that may be helpful, such as the anti-viral, anti-bacterial, anti-fungal properties of capric and lauric acid, 2 of the medium chain triglycerides that are not found in Axona. There is some research by Dr. Ruth Itzhaki and others showing that, in certain people, the herpes simplex type I virus that causes fever blisters/cold sores is present in the plaques in the Alzheimer's brain. These two fatty acids kill this type of virus. Steve has a history of frequent and fairly severe fever blisters on his mouth and since we started using coconut oil has had only two very tiny blisters in the past year. The virus lives in the nerve and the nerves to the mouth start deep in the brain near the region affected by Alzheimer's. It seems logical to me that if an outbreak can occur on the lip it could also occur in the brain elsewhere along the path of the nerve. Coconut oil can also help one absorb certain vitamins and other nutrients better from the intestine. Some of the components of coconut oil support the growth of the normal bacteria that are supposed to be in the bowel.

Most of the time now Steve is getting just over 2 tablespoons of a mixture of MCT oil and coconut oil, three times a day, but we also use coconut oil to cook in and sometimes use coconut milk or grated coconut, and depending on how much is in the food, I may subtract a little from the mixture that he takes at that meal. This is not cut in stone. It is just what we arrived at after a lot of experimentation. We found out what the limits of his tolerance were for the oils and when we reached the point that he was having some diarrhea we cut back. Many people cannot handle as much of this as Steve can, so each person will to find their own limit. We push it to the limit to try to maximize how much ketone he will receive - the more medium chain triglyceride in his diet, the more ketones he should have available for his brain. That is how I look at it.

Curry and Alzheimer's disease

2009-06-22T04:35:00.000-07:00

There was a report on BBC News http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/8080630.stm that "weekly curry may fight dementia." It was reported by Professor Murali Doraiswamy of Duke University at the Royal College of Psychiatrists annual meeting, that eating curry once or twice a week appears to lower the risk of AD and dementia. He is assuming that it is the curcumin in the curry that is making the difference and noted that there are now studies in progress in animals using much higher levels. The part of this story that has caught my attention is the curry, which is usually made with coconut milk. Coconut milk is loaded with coconut oil, therefore contains medium chain fatty acids, which will be converted in the liver to ketones. If there is not enough curcumin in curry to make a difference maybe this other ingredient will!

Emulsification of coconut oil/MCT oil

2009-06-22T04:28:00.000-07:00

I want to share something I just learned about a way to make coconut oil blend in easier to certain foods. "Emulsification" of an oil does a couple of things, 1. makes it mixable with foods that contain water, 2. makes the oil particles much smaller so that more is absorbed and potentially higher ketone levels could occur. I want to thank Marjie, who is in the restaurant business, and told me that the addition of "lethicin" to the CO and/or MCT oil will emulsify it. So I bought some liquid soy lethicin at the local health food store that she recommended (Fearn brand for about $11 per quart) and have been experimenting a bit. It is very thick. I overdid it the first couple of times, but found that 1/4 teaspoon in about 8 ounces of the oils seems to do the trick. We add it to yogurt or kefir (liquid yogurt) and it mixes in much better with than without the lethicin. I plan to try it today with coffee, etc. There are many more ways that this could make a difference and easier for people to use this, such as orange juice, tea, coffee, smoothies, salad dressings and might not layer out on things like oatmeal so much. I plan to add it to plain old coconut oil also to see if it make its liquid at a lower temperature. Will get back to this after some experimentation over the next few days.

Getting the Message Out - Any help is greatly appreciated!

2009-06-19T09:08:00.000-07:00

Any help with getting this message out is very much appreciated. You never know who may come across it and then may experience a life changing event for the better. That is why I spend so much time at this and also carry copies of my article and diet guidelines in our car. Hearing about a response like my husband's really makes my day and makes me feel like the effort is worthwhile. I have heard back from and read about very many who have had improvements, some dramatic.

Steve and I make the circuit of the local health food and Asian stores every couple of weeks and they make copies available to their customers. This is how I started getting the message out when I couldn't get people in the media and the Alz Assoc to investigate this and tell people. I tried to get their attention very intensely for the first six weeks after Steve had his dramatic response and still do, but decided after their lack of response that at the very least, I had to go with the grass roots method to tell as many as possible. I could not live with myself, knowing how many could be helped, if I did not try to share this with other people. I suspect that the high profile people I have written to either haven't gotten or grasped the message, or just believe it is too easy to be real and toss it aside. The very long list includes Oprah (many times), Dr. Oz, Michael J. Fox (this may help with Parkinson's as well,) Maria Shriver (who we talked with personally in Washington DC and handed her a copy of my article and several related research papers,) Sandra Day O'Connor, Ellen Degeneres, Jenny McCarthy, David Hyde Pierce, Elizabeth Hasselbach from The View, several different people from the Today Show, many politicians, including Hillary Clinton and Obama,) all of the major nightly news channels, CNN, USA Today and many other newspapers, the producers of the HBO Alzheimer's Project (in person in D.C.)

I do want to mention that the regional newspaper, the St. Petersburg Times, did write up a story about what happened with Steve, and getting the message out grew by leaps and bounds thereafter, so I am very grateful to the editors and the author, Eve Hosley-Moore, for publishing the story last October 29, 2008. It was also then picked up by many groups who have published the information in their newsletters.

Also, to anyone out there who has seen an improvement, it would be very helpful and important to share your story with Dr. Veech to get the funding he needs to study his ketone in Alzheimer's disease. You can either email me details at preemiedoctor@aol.com or directly to Dr. Richard Veech at rveech@mail.nih.gov. His email address and other contact information can also be found under the heading of "ketones" in Wikipedia, for anyone who wants to verify his expertise. There are also copies of several of his articles on ketones available to print out on my website www.coconutketones.com.

APOE4 and medium chain triglycerides

2009-06-19T09:04:00.000-07:00

Due to results of studies done by Accera in developing Axona, there is a possible misconception that the medium chain triglycerides will not help people with AD who are APOE4. Steve is APOE4 and responded very well to the medium chain fatty acids. I also read this before trying this with Steve, and therefore expected that MCT oil would not do much for him. I decided to try it anyway in the form of coconut oil for Steve and the rest is history of the happiest kind.

Axona has only one of the medium chain triglycerides (C:8) but coconut oil has C:6, C:8, C:10, C:12 (all medium chain triglycerides) and five other fatty acids, including some monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids, including the essential fatty acid omega-6 (but no omega-3, which is necessary and should be supplemented.) It also happens to have some phytosterol, which is one of the substances that lowers cholesterol and is the basic component in some of the cholesterol lowering agents! It is very possible that each of the fatty acids in coconut oil plays an important and different role in the metabolism of our brains and other organs. Another possibility is that the Axona folks did not have a huge number of people in their trials and I often wonder if the APOE4 problem was a fluke in their study. Also, some people in their studies had "mild cognitive impairment," not yet diagnosed with A.D. Dr. Richard Veech of the NIH, an expert in ketones who makes a ketone ester, says that he can think of no biochemical reason why Axona wouldn't work for someone with APOE4.

2009-06-11T14:09:00.000-07:00

Joan from www.thealzheimerspouse.com website asked me about a study (Danon, by Dannon Yogurt) using high levels of omega-3 for memory. Regarding fish oil, I believe that is very important to include lots of it in the diet, even more after reading a book that I am just finishing by Andrew Stoll, M.D., director of Neuropharmacology at Harvard, called "The Omega Connection." Coconut oil has everything you might want in an oil, including the essential omega-6, but has absolutely none of the essentail omega-3 fatty acids, which are needed in every cell membrane, for normal cell signaling and other functions, and is a very large component of the lipids in the brain. Much of it is passed from mother to child and Dr. Stoll believes that Americans have been losing the normal amounts we should have with each generation due to the way we eat. Americans have been found to be very deficient compared to other populations, and Dr. Joseph Hibbeln, a researcher at the NIH, has found that there is a direct correlation between omega 3 levels in populations throughout the world and frequency of problems like depression, bipolar disease, high blood pressure, heart disease, schizophrenia, dementia, diabetes, premature birth, etc, etc. For example, among the populations they studied, Japan has the highest fish intake (140 pounds per person per year!!) and the highest levels of omega-3 and the lowest rates of these diseases. The also have one of the lowest incidences of premature birth and infant mortality in the world. What researchers have learned is that omega-6 promotes vasoconstriction and is inflammatory (part of our immune response) and omega-3 promotes vasodilation and is anti-inflammatory. They balance each other. The American diet is so out of whack that instead of the 2:1 or 1:1 ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 that would be desirable, Americans consume something like a 20 or 40:1 ratio, since we mostly eat soybean, cannola and olive oil which are high in omega 6 and have little or no omega-3 relatively speaking.
For several years, Steve and I have been taking enough fish oil to equal at least 900 mg per day of the DHA part of the oil. We started doing this because there was a study in progress using this amount. I know that omega-3 is an essential fatty acid and didn't want to risk getting the placebo, so we just started using it. After reading Dr. Stoll's book, we are going to be taking at least twice that much. There are some concentrated fish oils that you can take by the teaspoon that are tested to rule out heavy metal contamination, such as mercury, that we are using instead of capsules because of how many we would need to take. We also eat salmon, fesh tuna and other fish at least twice a week.
Our diet has changed dramatically over the last three to four years to try to get away from overly processed foods to more whole foods, since these contain anti-oxidants and other imprtant phytonutrients that we wouldn't get otherwise. I have actually lost about 80 pounds since we started doing this around 2006! In my diet guidelines I encourage people to also include omega-3s in the diet.

Picking up from "To be continued..."

2009-05-26T14:25:00.000-07:00

Sorry, we went to visit Cincinnati for the long weekend and I just plain ran out of time! We celebrated his "Re" birthday on May 21 with our families.

After Steve was placed on Namenda, I couldn't say there was any obvious improvement, but it did seem like the process slowed down for a couple of years, although he continued to deteriorate slowly. He lost the ability to use a keyboard and calculator, do simple math, and read. He used to read novel after novel and he was at a computer every day for many hours, whether for work or play. It makes me question the "use it or lose it" concept. He was "using it" every day but lost it anyway. In the summer of 2007, things seemed to be going downhill faster. He was having more difficulty with direction and finding his way around while driving and could no longer read a map. He had a visit with an endodontist about 1/2 hour away and even with very good directions and me on the phone, he managed to get lost. They had to "talk him in" from the office. The second last time he drove happened when our daughter's car broke down near Tallahassee, FL, about four hours from our home. I was on call and couldn't leave the area. Her mechanic friend drove up with Steve but hopped in the car with Joanna on the way back. Steve was supposed to follow her home but he missed the turn off from I-10 to I-75 south. About the time I expected him to arrive home late in the evening, he called me on his cell and said he was in Jacksonville, on the opposite coast of Florida from where we live! All I could think was thank God and whoever invented the cell phone that he could call me. I stayed on the phone to get him headed back in the opposite direction. He still managed to get off course again, checked in to a hotel and I stayed on the phone with him in the morning until he pulled into the driveway - this was one of the worst nights of my life! The last time he drove, again Joanna's car died and we had to meet in Tampa to retrieve her care. He was supposed to follow me home through toll booths on the parkway, but drove by me with a big smile on his face and entered a toll booth without an attendant, upsetting every one who worked the other tollbooths. I explained that he had memory issues and wasn't to cheat. After they let him through, he tried to turn around and head the wrong way. I managed to catch up with him and get him going the right way and behind me again. When we got home, he was more than happy to turn over the keys.

Giving up the keys is a very big deal for the AD person and the spouse. For the caregiver, it means that all shopping and every errand will now be your job, as if there isn't enough to do already, and your spouse will always need you to go along to every doctor visit or other appointment or social event. It is a very hard decision for both parties.

In August 2007, as I mention in the article, I had a very bad month and long hours at the hospital and over a three week period he lost about 10 pounds. He would tell me he had eaten when I got home but he hadn't except to nibble on fruit (lots and lots of fruit.) If he put something in the microwave at lunch, he would forget about it and it would still be there late in the evening. When I started paying more attention, I could find no evidence that he had eaten and had to encourage him to eat. I began to look into day care programs and even assisted living. I found out that there were no nearby day care programs for adults, and after visiting a local assisted living for AD, I was so depressed that I decided that would only ever happen as a last resort, for example, if he should become violent (he has not been this way to date.) Life was bad enough for us with Steve in the "moderate" range of this disease, but I couldn't imagine and really did not want to think too much about how much worse it was going to get. Over the next few months, he seemed to disappear more and more from a personality point of view, talking less and less. When we had a conversation about my job, problems, our daughters, etc., and I wanted his opinion, he would often be on a different wavelength and his response would have little or nothing to do with the subject at hand. This became very frustrating and this is when I began to feel very alone, like I was losing my husband. I felt that I would almost certainly be a widow before I was 60. By January-February 2008, he was talking and walking slower, had become apathetic, not interested in any social activities. He had a very significant tremor in his hands when he would try to eat and in his jaw when he was talking. His gait was weird, picking up his feet higher than normal and he said he couldn't run anymore. He spent nearly all of his days "organizing his garage" which is still anything but organized and looking for "something."

I was keeping my eyes open for clinical trials and made an appointment at our local ADRC center, the Johnny Byrd Alzheimer's Institute, for March 2008. We were disappointed to learn that there were no new drug trials at that point for AD, but he was enrolled in a study that involves a complete annual evaluation, including an MRI, and they ask about brain donation, which is optional. Like Steve said at the time, "I'm not ready to give up my brain yet!" The shocker at this visit was the marked change in his MRI from 4 years earlier when it was normal. This time there was extensive atrophy in the cortex, severe atrophy of one side of the hippocampus and amygdala and moderate on the other side, the structures specifically affected by Alzheimer's. He had enlarged areas of fluid that replaced the areas of brain that had now disappeared.
About six weeks later, I saw an add in the paper for a study starting at that center and made an appointment. This was for Elan, the vaccine that clears beta-amyloid placques, believed by many to be the cause of the loss of neurons in AD (I now believe it is an after effect of dying neurons.) We were excited because we thought he would easily qualify and it seemed very promising. Unfortunately, he qualified on all counts with the exception of his MMSE score which was only 12 - he needed at least a score of 16. While we were waiting for part of this study, he told me that the thermistat on the wall was moving around, the first insight he had offered into why he couldn't read any longer. The physician told us to try again in a couple of weeks and suggested that I prep him on the way there with the day, date, year, season, etc. He did not think it would help, but thought I should try anyway.

In the interim, I came across another study at another location and scheduled the screening visits two days in a row. The night before the first screening was the beginning of our "new life." As a physician and caregiver, I wanted to find out everything I could about the two drugs Steve was screening for, the mechanism of action, the pluses and minuses, should he qualify for both studies, since you cannot participate in more than one drug study at any given time. One of the drugs was discussed in a press release with two other drugs about the most promising drugs on the horizon for Alzheimer's. One of the other drugs was Ketasyn by Accera, which is now on the market with a name change to Axona. The press release didn't say exactly what it was and neither did their website at that point, so I did a google search and found the patent application. It was fascinating reading for me, with an extensive discussion of AD and the concept of the "diabetes of the brain" aspect of this disease, the problem of decreased glucose uptake that results in death of the neurons, which appears to happen over decades before symptoms are obvious. Also, this same process happens in other neurodegenerative diseases, including Parkinson's, Huntington's and Lou Gehrig's (ALS.) Ketones serve as an alternative fuel for neurons and other brain cells (and all cells.) The "inventor" Dr. Samuel Henderson, a biochemist, had the insight to recognize that mild ketosis produced by eating medium chain triglycerides could provide ketones to the neurons and potentially improve cognitive function. Medium chain triglycerides are converted directly by the liver to ketones. These have actually been available for decades, bottled as MCT Oil and can be purchased in health food stores and online. I also learned that MCT oil is derived from coconut oil...the "aha" moment that changed our lives! I looked up everything I could about ketones, medium chain triglycerides and the nutrient breakdown of coconut oil and learned that it was 60% MCTs. I calculated from the patent application how much coconut oil (35 grams or 7 teaspoons) would be needed to give Steve 20 grams of MCTs. It was very early in the morning and I had to go to bed and unfortunately there was no time to find coconut oil before his 9 am appointment, so he scored dismally again on the MMSE and didn't qualify for that study. Thinking "What have we got to lose?" we drove to a store in Tampa (Whole Foods) where I had seen coconut oil on the shelf and the rest is history. I gave him 7 teaspoons "plus" the next morning and an equal amount for myself. It did not bother him although, minus a gallbladder, I felt like I had a big ball in my stomach for about five hours. This feeling went away after several days. I prepped him all the way to Tampa, but it did not seem to sink in, however, when it came time for the MMSE he had increased his score from 12 at the previous to that center to 18, qualifying him for the study. I didn't know right away if it was the coconut oil, a lot of prayer or just good luck, but we continued giving him this everyday at breakfast and by the 4th and 5th days we looked at each other at breakfast and remarked on how our lives had changed. He was alert, his personality and sense of humor were back, his tremor was much improved. He said it felt like a light switch came on the day he started the oil. When someone has AD, the areas of the brain that make you who you are as an individual deteriorate and the personality disappears. As a spouse or child you feel like you have lost your husband, wife or parent, because they just are not the same person and don't interact with you the way they used to. I felt like I was Steve's evil stepmother who made him eat and take his medications and told him what to do and not do. After five days on coconut oil, I began to feel like his wife again. His "libido" (interest in sex) which was pretty much dead, even came back to life rather dramatically, something most men will like to hear. This is rather personal, but I feel it is important to share, because it such an important aspect of being human. Two weeks and five weeks after starting the oil I had him draw a clock to compare with one he had drawn at the first drug trial screening. There was a vast improvement.

Thereafter I embarked on an internet research frenzy. I learned about the work Dr. Richard Veech of the NIH in Rockville, Maryland who has developed a ketone ester that can produce much higher, controlled levels of the ketone than one could get by taking the huge amount of MCT and coconut oil that Steve takes. I called him several times in the beginning with numerous questions about his ketone research. I didn't tell him what I was up to with Steve right away, but after he drew the second clock, I shared this story with him and faxed the clocks to him - the pictures struck a chord with Dr. Veech. He did ketone levels on Steve before and at hourly intervals after coconut oil at breakfast and lunch and then repeated the process a couple of weeks later with MCT oil. He was very surprised that such relatively low levels of ketones would produce such an improvement. He has since learned from his lab studies that medium chain triglycerides directly crosses the blood brain barrier and are also used as fuels by the brain - this is a new finding! He has also learned that a ketone supplemented diet stimulates a significant increase in certain brain peptides, at least in mice, compared to those on a non-ketone diet, the peptides include BDNF (brain derived neurotrophic factor) which stimulates new neurons to sprout and NGF (nerve growth factor) that stimulates new nerve growth (obviously). We are waiting to see if an MCT oil supplemented diet will do the same thing in mice. The increases in peptides explains why Steve has continued to slowly improve over the past year. On the website www.coconutketones.com , there is an update about Steve from early April 2009 with the changes that have occurred since May 2008. I will add to it soon, because the list continues to grow.

Along with the research frenzy I also became obsessed with getting the word out to as many people as possible, as quickly as possible. I will share that story another time.

By the way he had his lipid profile checked again early last week and these are the results:

Total Cholesterol - 175 / HDL - 68 / LDL - 93 / Chol/HDLC ratio - 2.6 Triglycerides - 72 He is taking Zocor 20 mg once a day. He may not need that much after getting this good news. These values are all improved from the levels he had before starting coconut oil. If coconut oil in and of itself would raise cholesterol, Steve of all people should be showing this in his lab work, but it is quite the opposite. He currently takes a mixture of MCT oil 4 parts to 3 parts coconut oil and is getting 8 tablespoons a day of this mixture. We recently increased from 35 to 40 ml (7 to 8 teaspoons each meal) three times a day.

Steve feels great, no longer depressed for many months now, and is volunteering two days a week in the warehouse at the hospital where I work. I cannot say enough about the people in the warehouse who work with Steve. It takes patience to work with someone like Steve that needs some supervision, and I appreciate it that they are willing to do this for him. He bounces out of bed when I tell him he is working that day and he comes home with a smile on his face, no longer feeling bored and useless.

Steve "Re" Birthday

2009-05-20T08:05:00.000-07:00

This week we will be celebrating with family the first anniversary of the day Steve started taking coconut oil, May 21, 2008, the day the pilot light came back on in his brain, and the day that there was new hope for both of us. So much has happened since then, it is hard to know where to start. So I will start at the beginning.
Steve and I both grew up in the same vicinity of Cincinnati, Ohio, and have been together for 40 years, since I was a senior in high school and he was a college sophomore. We were married in 1972 and it has been a roller coaster ride like all marriages but with more ups than downs. The downs were mostly related to my career, very long hours during medical school and, ever since, too much time at the hospital in the evening and the night, disruptions to meals and sleep and family activities. I am a physician, a neonatologist caring for sick and premature babies. These tiny babies often deliver unexpectedly and at inconvenient times, resulting in an unsettling and unpredictable life for doctors like me and our families. I cannot tell you how many times we have just turned out the lights to go to sleep or sat down to eat, or worse yet, just put something into the oven, and I have had to drop everything to run to the hospital. It is a chaotic and stressful lifestyle, but looking back, after weighing the pros and cons, I would do it again, although I would look for a situation with fewer nights on call. The rewards of saving a new life and following that baby through to going home from the hospital with the parents far outweigh the inconveniences. I feel privileged to have had that calling in life.
After ten years of marriage, when we decided to have children, Steve suggested he stay home with them rather than sending them to day care. He was able to do his accounting work for my practice from home and provide the stability for them that I couldn’t. He volunteered in their elementary school clinic and eventually became the “clinic coordinator” and helped organize, and even invented and built games for, the annual “Pioneer Day” fundraiser. If someone didn’t show up at the clinic on a given day, he would run right over to help out. As an employee he was the same way. No matter what needed to be done, he would drop everything else and get it done. He was, and still is, very well-liked by everyone, cheerful and funny, kind and generous.
Not everyone likes their spouse as time goes on, but I have always liked Steve, even when we hit our rough patches. He gave up the opportunity to have a career outside of the home so that I could follow my dream of being a doctor, making it possible for me to have children, my other dream. He says taking care of our daughters was the best job he ever had. This is why I fight so hard for him now.
When he began to have “memory issues” in 2001-2002, our older daughter, Julie was in college and Joanna was in high school. She was an angry teenager and Steve became quite depressed, we thought, for this reason. Memory problems are often associated with depression and so we went with this theory of why this was happening for a couple of years. He would hang a sign on the end of a long piece of tape in the doorway to remind him about appointments and other things he needed to do. This seemed to help for while. When began to have trouble remembering if he had been to the bank and the post office, that did not seem normal to me.
In 2003, we decided, with mixed feelings, to move about an hour north to Spring Hill so that I could open a new Neonatal Intensive Care Unit in a semi-rural area. It was close enough to our previous home that our girls could continue in their respective schools, but far away from the politics of hospital mergers that was about to change my practice from a one hospital to a multi-hospital circus. Life was already stressful enough.
Within months of moving, it became very clear that Steve had a serious, progressive problem. Spring Hill is a small place with just a few major arteries, but he had great difficulty learning his way around as never before. He began to spend hours, sometimes all day, looking for “something” in the garage. Beyond a certain point, he couldn’t remember what he was looking for, but that didn’t stop him from looking. As someone who values every minute of day and would like to have more hours in the day, the number of hours he spent in his garage seemed like a terrible waste. I just didn’t get it. He was also having difficulty completing even the simplest of accounting tasks for my practice, which was considerably smaller now. He knew something was very wrong, and began to teach me how to use the accounting program, cut checks, pay bills, keep track of everything, and eventually the 941 quarterly reports and unemployment taxes.
I called the local Alzheimer’s Family Organization and they recommended a local respected neurologist who cared for many of their patients. He performed the usual battery of tests to rule out other causes and decided that he had dementia. He did not want to call it Alzheimer’s in the beginning – doctors want to see a steady worsening of the disease, which is the hallmark, before committing to such a dire diagnosis. After about a year, with continuing decline, he decided to start him on Aricept and a year later, added Namenda.

To be continued…