In our last newsletter, I reported on a PWA, Chris D. of Cloverdale, IN who, based on his lab numbers, thought the end was near in September, 1996. His HIV viral load was over 600,000, CD4 count was 10 and CD8 at 300. He prepaid his funeral and decided to take his last vacation in the jungles of South America with an Indian tribe in the Republic of Surinam. Around October 14, 1996, he began eating daily a dish of cooked coconut which was prepared by the local Indians. By Dec. 27th, 1996, a mere 2 and 1/2 months later, his viral load was at non-detectable levels and he had gained 32 lbs and was feeling great. Since he continued the cooked coconut for breakfast every day after he returned, both he and I agreed that something in the coconut must have inactivated the AIDS virus(s) (HIV and HHV-6A). In last my phone conversation with him in January, 1997, Chris indicated that he planned to return soon to Surinam and would be there for a few months. I did not hear from him again until April 28th, 1997.

Mark: Welcome back. How are you doing?

Chris: I feel great. I have more energy that ever. I had one setback when I got shingles and had to take a prescription drug. At the time I had the shingles, my viral load increased to 5000. Since then it has dropped back to non-detectable levels.

Mark: Have you had other lab results?

Chris: My total White Blood Count (WBC) increased from 1.7 to 3.0. My RBC and HGB both have increased. My triglycerides have come down from 760 to 547. My platelets are up from 228 to 235. CD4¡¯s are up from 10 to 60. CD8¡¯s increased from 300 to 375.

Mark: Do you know of anyone else who tried the coconut treatment?

Chris: Yes, a friend with a viral load of 900,000 ate 1/2 a cooked coconut a day. After 4 weeks, his viral load dropped to around 350,000. After the second month, his viral load remained the same and his doctor added Crixivan to his protocol. He did not use AZT or 3TC. After 4 weeks, his viral load dropped to non-detectable levels.

Mark: Coconuts and Crixivan?

Chris: Yes.

Mark: Was your friend¡¯s diet the same as yours?

Chris: No. He ate red meats, hamburgers, pizza, french fries, the typical American diet.

Mark: What do you eat?

Chris: I do not eat fried foods, baked foods, red meat, hamburgers, lunch meat, french fries, pizza or bread or any products made from wheat (pasta, spaghetti). I eat raw and steamed vegetables, fruit, legumes and rice, some broiled fish and a little chicken.

Mark: It sounds like your diet is low in fat, gluten-free (no wheat products) and also free from hydrogenated fats and trans fatty acids.

Chris: That would be correct.

Mark: Did you find out why the Indians in Surinam eat cooked coconut every morning?

Chris: The Indian Chief told me that they use the coconut as the basis for all their medicines. They also use the milk from the inside of the coconut and also use other plants and herbs from the jungle to make these medicines. They eat cooked coconut every morning to help prevent illness.

Mark: How have you been making the coconut porridge every morning?

Chris: After I crack open the coconut, I peel the thin brown layer off the white meat and place 1/2 of the coconut meat in a microwave oven for 2 and 1/2 minutes. Then I run it through a food processor to make a fine paste. Then I cook it for 10 minutes and add breakfast cereal and cook them together until done.

Mark: If someone wants to contact you, would you mind giving out your e-mail address?

Chris: No. It is dafoe@ccrtc.com

Mark: Thank you for sharing this information with our readers. Note: Chris has recently been out of town for interviews for different employment positions he is considering.

PURE COCONUT MILK - OTHER CASE REPORTS Milwaukee, WI. Jim Prentice, whose experience with Eden, the olive leaf extract, was reported in Positive Health News, Report No 11, under the initials J.P. tried ¡°Coconut Milk¡± in May, 1997.

Around May 1st, Jim Prentice tried the coconut milk and liked it so much he drank up the whole can. Because of its heavy fat content, he later would divide it into 2 or 3 daily portions. His reaction: ¡°I love it, it makes me feel great!¡± After 3 days he reported the last traces of his neuropathy was completely gone.

Brooklyn, NY., Robert Marra tried the coconut milk but because of a gall bladder operation could not tolerate a whole can and consumed 1/2 can daily. He reported 50% of his neuropathy was gone after using it for 3 days. May 21st: In a phone call I received from Don from Jamaica, he had reported previously a persistent pain in his belly that he had had for several months. After starting to drink a large glass daily of ¡°Pure Coconut Milk¡± about a month ago, he reported the pain is completely gone.

While this report is about 5 cases, every new discovery has a beginning. The lab results in the first two cases are impressive but too small a number to draw definitive conclusions. However, the published scientific research on the antiviral properties for Monolaurin and its derivative, lauric acid, are well documented. There is a sound scientific basis for expecting broad spectrum anti-viral activity against all lipid envelope viruses from the consumption of coconuts, coconut milk and/or coconut oil.

Update: June 15th, 1997. Case No 6. This late-breaking news came too late to be printed in the hard copy of Positive Health News, Report No 14. On June 13th, a PWA from California called and told me the first lab results of any reported using canned Coconut Milk. He used 3/4 of a can of Pure Coconut Milk daily for 4 weeks. He reported his viral load for HIV dropped from 30,000 to 7,000. He used no other anti-virals. He also used some of the other immune based therapies like Naltrexone and Thymic Factors. He reported a doubling of his T cell counts (both CD4 and CD8) during the 4 week period.

THAI Kitchen Pure coconut Milk(1) and Gourmet Awards Pure Coconut Milk(2) come in 14 oz cans without added preservatives. 11 ounces contain about 24 grams of lauric acid, the therapeutic dose suggested by Mary Enig. I knew if coconut were to be widely used as a treatment for AIDS or CFIDS, we would need to find a more convenient way of using it since many people won¡¯t go through the bother of cracking, peeling and cooking their own coconuts. (Note: Do not buy ¡°Lite¡± Coconut milk. It is watered down and contains about half the lauric acid of regular coconut milk).

1. THAI Kitchens, Berkeley, CA Whole importers - 510-268-0209 E-mail: thaikitc@crl.com

2. Gourmet Award Foods, St. Paul MN. Wholesale importers for grocery stores 612-646-2981

Since some of the lauric acid in coconut oil is converted by the body into ¡°Monolaurin¡± and the published scientific research indicates that Monolaurin dissolves the lipid membranes viruses, pure coconut oil or coconut oil found in coconut milk might be an effective, non-toxic, long term treatment for AIDS and CFIDS, inactivating not only HIV, but HHV-6A, EBV, CMV as well as other lipid envelope viruses.

Jarrow Formulas carries a ¡°Certified Organic Coconut Oil ¡°made by Omega Nutrition, Bellingham, WA. However, the demand for Organic Coconut Oil is often greater than the supply. As long as the coconut oil is natural and not hydrogenated, it should still work even if not certified ¡°organic.¡± Coconut milk and oil have three things going for it and two against. The three things for it are 1. availability 2. low cost 3. non-toxic/no side effects. The two things going against it are 1. Too few success reports at this time - only 5 persons have given feedback (although there are no failures to report either) 2. Low profit from sales - not likely to be heavily promoted in the media.

Update: A person with CFIDS whom I reported in my last newsletter who was 36 lbs underweight called me the other day to report his CD8 and CD4 counts have doubled and he has gained 15 lbs in the past 3 months. He eats 2 whole raw coconuts weekly, takes Naltrexone daily, supplementation with intestinal flora and received injections of L-Glutathione and ATP from Dr. Patricia Salvato (Houston, TX). He eats no fried foods. He eats squash daily, Okra and other vegetables. He says he is doing much better. John can be reached at dettling@tenet.edu.

IDEAS ON HOW TO USE RAW COCONUT, COCONUT MILK OR OIL Raw coconut - 7 ounces contains about 24 grams of lauric acid. For some persons, coconut are free for the picking. One lady in Hawaii told me ¡°we have coconuts all around here. There are several hanging in front of the window as we talk.¡± Raw coconut may be eaten plain or ground in a coffee grinder or food processor into fine tasty moist flakes that can be mixed with yogurt, applesauce or cereal.

Coconut Milk: To 2 and 1/3 cups of skim or low fat ¡°cows¡± milk add one 14 ounce can of pure coconut milk. Shake and refrigerate until used. Three 8 ounce glasses daily provides 24 grams of lauric acid. In place of regular ¡°cow¡¯s milk,¡± you may substitute lactose reduced milk or low fat soy or rice milk.

Other uses for coconut milk. Add 1/2 tsp. of vanilla to a can of coconut milk. Refrigerate. It thickens to the consistency of ice cream. Add it to dishes of berries, apple sauce or other fruits. Add coconut milk to ¡°Stir Fry vegetables¡± - Thai style with added curry.

Use coconut milk or coconut oil in place of vegetable oil for baking purposes.

Whole lemon/coconut oil drink - substitute 2 tablespoons of coconut oil (or 2/3 cup coconut milk) for 1 tbs. of olive oil. Add 3/4 cup pineapple or other fruit juice. Dose: about 12 to 14 grams of lauric acid per serving.

Add 1 scoop of Designer Protein or one packet of Immunocal to a jar and add 2/3 cup of coconut milk and 1/2 cup of fruit juice (pineapple?). Stir. Do this twice a day. This gives you 24 grams of lauric acid.

If you are Allergic to coconuts, use coconut oil The allergy is caused by proteins in the coconut, not the oil. Mix equal parts of melted butter and coconut oil together and use it in place of pure butter on bread, potatoes and vegetables as well as for frying and baking needs.

To make a drink, add 3 and 1/2 tablespoons of coconut oil to 2 and 3/4 cups of skim or low fat milk (or soy or rice milk) and place in a blender. Add 1 teaspoon of pectin and blend. Pectin is sold in grocery stores for canning jams and jellies. Three 8 ounce glasses daily gives you 24 grams of lauric acid.

Breakfast Pancakes - substitute coconut oil for butter or vegetable oil and double the dose. Two large buckwheat pancakes containing 2 tbs. of coconut oil provide 14 grams of lauric acid.

John Finnegan in ¡°The Facts About Fats¡± recommends the following brands of coconut oil: ¡°Only Omega Nutrition make organically grown, unrefined coconut oil that is packaged in light excluding containers.¡± Omega organic coconut oil is distributed through Jarrow Formulas.

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