Coconut & Colitis????

[Guest guest]

OK, this article really sounds weird but I'm certainly willing to give

it a try!! What I want to know is whether anyone has heard of or

experienced anything like this? I do know that Almond Joy is one of the

candy bars I can best tolerate.

My Mom brought this info to me tonight. It came to her from Bottom Line

Books, as an advertisement for their latest book " HEALING REMEDIES. "

Below is the text of the article.

Regards,

Carolyn B. in SC

===========================

DIARRHEA AGONY ENDED WITH THIS DELICIOUS COOKIE CURE

Not all cures in " Healing Remedies " are from the past. Here's a

brand new one Joan Wilen and Lydia Wilen believe will be around for a

long time.

Strange as it may seem, more and more people are discovering that

coconut macaroons are a quick and very pleasant cure for diarrhea.

One woman even wrote the Wilen sisters to say that two a day put

an end to her 12-year bout with diarrhea!

She had Crohn's Disease, and chronic diarrhea is a common and very

debilitating symptom of this vicious ailment.

And one young man says that Mounds bars (which are also packed

with coconut) helped his antibiotic-induced diarrhea.

As is so often the case, there's real science behind this

seemingly bizarre cure. Coconut has proven anti-inflammatory compounds

that soothe and heal. It also kills those troublesome germs that can

cause intestinal problems.

In fact, native healers in Hawaii have long used the jelly from

inside the coconut to heal stomach disorders. So what's new is actually old!

New or old ... strange sounding or commonplace ... delicious or

" takes a bit of getting used to " --- the Wilen sisters don't care, as

long as the cure helps people live better, healthier lives.

============================

[Guest guest]

>

> OK, this article really sounds weird but I'm certainly willing to give

> it a try!! What I want to know is whether anyone has heard of or

> experienced anything like this? I do know that Almond Joy is one of

the

> candy bars I can best tolerate.

>

> My Mom brought this info to me tonight. It came to her from Bottom

Line

> Books, as an advertisement for their latest book " HEALING REMEDIES. "

> Below is the text of the article.

>

> Regards,

> Carolyn B. in SC

>

This looked interesting so I did a simple medline search but didnt'

come up with much:

Here is an article that says that the HUSKS have antiviral and

antibiotic properties

: Res Microbiol. 2002 Dec;153(10):647-52. Related Articles, Links

Antimicrobial and antiviral activities of polyphenolics from Cocos

nucifera Linn. (Palmae) husk fiber extract.

Esquenazi D, Wigg MD, Miranda MM, Rodrigues HM, Tostes JB,

Rozental S, da Silva AJ, Alviano CS.

Laboratorio de Biologia Celular de Fungos, Instituto de Biofisica

Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro,

21941-590, Ilha do Fundao, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil. danesk@...

The decoction of Cocos nucifera L. husk fiber has been used in

northeastern Brazil traditional medicine for treatment of diarrhea and

arthritis. Water extract obtained from coconut husk fiber and

fractions from adsorption chromatography revealed antimicrobial

activity against Staphylococcus aureus. The crude extract and one of

the fractions rich in catechin also showed inhibitory activity against

acyclovir-resistant herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1-ACVr). All

fractions were inactive against the fungi Candida albicans, Fonsecaea

pedrosoi and Cryptococcus neoformans. Catechin and epicatechin

together with condensed tannins (B-type procyanidins) were

demonstrated to be the components of the water extract.

PMID: 12558183 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

Here is one that shows that the coconut water doesn't help much

J Am Coll Nutr. 1993 Apr;12(2):190-3. Related Articles, Links

Negative findings for use of coconut water as an oral rehydration

solution in childhood diarrhea.

Fagundes Neto U, Franco L, Tabacow K, Machado NL.

Department of Pediatrics, Escola ista de Medicina,

Universidade Federal de Sergipe, Sao o, Brazil.

This study reports the chemical composition of coconut water

during its maturation. Composition was measured at 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10,

11 and 12 months maturation. Concentrations of sodium and glucose, and

the osmolality values showed great variation throughout maturation.

The concentration of sodium remained constant between the 5th and 7th

months (mean 2.9 mEq/l), but increased after the 8th month (mean 12.5

mEq/l). The concentration of glucose remained constant between the 5th

and 8th months (mean 3392.4 mg%), but abruptly decreased after the 9th

month (mean 820 mg%). Osmolality followed the variation of the glucose

concentration averaging 377.3 mOsm/l up to the 8th month, then

decreasing to 310.3 mOsm/l after the 9th month. This study showed

great variability in coconut water composition during maturation of

the fruit. In no instance did the coconut water contain sodium and

glucose concentrations of potential value as an oral rehydration solution.

PMID: 8463517 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

All things considered, coconuts and macaroon are pretty tasty and

couldn't hurt anything.

[Guest guest]

....

> All things considered, coconuts and macaroon are pretty tasty and

> couldn't hurt anything.

Only sad thing is that coconut oil is high in saturated fat. But that

may not be all bad... following is from Wikipedia:

Coconut oil, also known as coconut butter, is a fat consisting of over

90 percent saturated fat extracted from coconuts and used in cosmetics

and in baking as a cooking oil. Coconut oil is rich in lauric acid, a

medium chain saturated fatty acid. Virgin coconut oil melts at

20-25°C. It is among the most stable of all vegetable oils, has a high

smoke point - higher than butter - and is resistant to light oxidation

and rancidity.

Coconut oil is high in saturated fat, which is commonly held to

promote cardiovascular and heart disease as well as diabetes. However,

populations consuming large quantities of coconut oil, eg Sri Lanka,

Kerala and the Philippines, have far lower rates of heart disease than

Westerners eating polyunsaturated oils. Like other oils, when

(partially) hydrogenated it forms trans fats, which have been

associated with heart disease. Coconut Oil is made up of Medium Chain

Fatty Acids, like those found in breast milk, making them very

different to other fats which are predominately Long Chain Fatty Acids.

(FYI) Other uses

Coconut oil has also been tested for use as a biodiesel engine fuel,

though the high melting point makes its use difficult.

In India, coconut oil is used as an oil for styling hair.

It is also excellent as a skin moisturizer. A study shows that extra

virgin coconut oil is as effective and safe as mineral oil when used

as a moisturizer, with absence of adverse reactions.[1]

Some people have reported improvements in skin conditions such as

eczema when using coconut oil.[citation needed]

Any excuse for the Mounds Bar... don't know that half a candy bar

would do too well as the skin emolient, although that would reduce the

calories consumed by half!

Joanne

(, Ca)