YLN Posted June 13, 2012 Share Posted June 13, 2012 This is a bit of an unusual thread, but I thought I'd share this story with my VT friends in the hope that it might work for someone you know. My father's girlfriend's mother has alzheimers. She had started to go downhill very quickly and the family felt they had lost a lot of her. They did the clock test with her and she wasn't able to get anything like a clock drawn. Someone sent my father an email with a link to a about Mary T Newport treating her husband's alzheimers with coconut oil. They tried it with her mother and the improvements have been incredible. Just some non hydrogenated coconut oil mixed with porridge every morning and she is able to do the clock test no problem after a couple of months. She has returned to cooking meals, is able to make phone calls. It's like she has returned from the abyss. Her geriatrician is amazed. This reads like a scam, but if you know anyone with alzheimers and think suggesting something like this wouldn't be an invasion, maybe tell their carers about it. I was really sceptical when my father told me about it, but they persevered despite my cynicism and are delighted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BOF Posted June 13, 2012 Moderator Share Posted June 13, 2012 Good to hear. Thankfully I don't know anyone with that at the moment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjmooney Posted June 13, 2012 VT Supporter Share Posted June 13, 2012 What was the question again? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BOF Posted June 13, 2012 Moderator Share Posted June 13, 2012 Actually I take back my original post. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjmooney Posted June 13, 2012 VT Supporter Share Posted June 13, 2012 What was the question again? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maqroll Posted June 13, 2012 Share Posted June 13, 2012 Strange...I'll pass this on to my old man who thinks he's bound to get Alzheimer's cuz his mother died of it... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjmooney Posted June 13, 2012 VT Supporter Share Posted June 13, 2012 Strange...I'll pass this on to my old man who thinks he's bound to get Alzheimer's cuz his mother died of it... So did my dad Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CarewsEyebrowDesigner Posted June 13, 2012 Share Posted June 13, 2012 It's a bastard. There is always an answer though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leviramsey Posted June 13, 2012 VT Supporter Share Posted June 13, 2012 You know if you're getting forgetful, it's probably better to forget that you're forgetful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ender4 Posted June 14, 2012 Share Posted June 14, 2012 sounds strange. i'm surprised that no-one has tested coconut oil to see if it works generally on everyone for Alzheimers. or have they? My Gran has mild Alzheimers, but is just starting to go downhill. She's on some medication from the hospital/docs for it, some patches. I will mention this to my parents to try, but are there any links to any trials, so i can show my parents some info, rather than say "a guy on a messageboard told me". :| Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ender4 Posted June 14, 2012 Share Posted June 14, 2012 also, what sort of coconut oil are you giving? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
irreverentad Posted June 14, 2012 Share Posted June 14, 2012 I wonder if it acts as a preventetive too? I am getting more forgetful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YLN Posted June 14, 2012 Author Share Posted June 14, 2012 also, what sort of coconut oil are you giving? It's a non-hydrogenated coconut oil available from any health food store. I can't find anything on pubmed, but that doctor has written a book and an article here. The clock test is striking. I wouldn't let the absence of peer reviewed literature dissuade you from encouraging your parents to start it with your gran. It's a small change to make and the oil is very healthy regardless of any alzheimers effects. I'd like to hear if you have any success Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
limpid Posted June 14, 2012 Administrator Share Posted June 14, 2012 Placebos work even if you know they are placebos. But I agree with Yillan, there's nothing to lose if there are no contra indicators. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Houlston Posted June 15, 2012 Share Posted June 15, 2012 I'm not sure the placebo effect is relevant to people with Alzheimers though. When my nan had it, not only was her recollection/memory poor but she she got to a stage where she didnt even know what she was doing never mind know what sort of pills she would take. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon Posted June 15, 2012 Share Posted June 15, 2012 Yeah, I can't see how placebos would really work with Alzheimers TBH. Maybe there is something in this. Worth a shot! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
b6bloke Posted June 15, 2012 Share Posted June 15, 2012 My girlfriends nan has it and she sees her quite a lot and it destroys her seeing her get worse by the week. Last week she went into a panic about picking up her kids from school bless her and I have to comend my gf for how she deals with it. Last month she got the missing in action letter about her husband again which was obviously bad to deal with the first time, he was not dead in the end but a prisoner of war but how the hell do you deal with that! Thanks for the info and I will pass this on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darrenm Posted June 15, 2012 Share Posted June 15, 2012 Slightly off-topic but kind of related. I get GERD (lots of heartburn basically) and I either drink gallons of Gaviscon or take these acid-production-suppressant pills. I found that chewing 4-5 Almonds into a paste then swallowing works better than Gaviscon. There's a few reports on the Internet but nothing peer-reviewed or scientific. I'd love them to do some proper scientific tests as it seems to me that there is something in the Almonds which helps. It may be a placebo, but it's a bloody good one. Just making the point that while I'm always sceptical of anything that's not scientifically proven, I think it's also possible for natural remedies to slip through the net if there's not enough of a commercial reason for a company to sponsor research. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nigel Posted June 15, 2012 VT Supporter Share Posted June 15, 2012 Yeah, I can't see how placebos would really work with Alzheimers TBH. That depends on how long you have had it for and/or how serious it is. At the level when you are still cognitively aware (ie the drawing clock phase) its usually in the early stages and the placebo would work as well as with any other illness. My dad has had it for the best part of 15 years, and is now complely reliant on carers to live. We tried everything with him in the early to mid stages but found nothing worked. TBH this is a complicated alteration of the brain, a cancer of the mind, and its cure (if it ever arrives) will most probably be just as complicated. However, I know that if i knew somebody in the same situation i would give this a go, as someone said, why not! Horrible disease! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rodders Posted June 15, 2012 Share Posted June 15, 2012 will start on it right away hate the damned disease, my gran had it, and I was a bit young / unaware at the time, but looking back amazed how my mum held up at times, when she didn't recognise her kids anymore etc anything that could be a step closer to at the least controlling this is to be promoted! Remember watching the Terry Pratchett documentary on it last year - well moreso on assisted suicide, but it was obviously made with his diagnosis in mind. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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