Bi-Weekly Tarot Reading: 11-16-14 through 11-29-14
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Blog #30: What Are the Benefits of Coconut Oil?
LEGACY OF THE DIVINE TAROT
PAGE OF COINS: You have the ability to get what you want, and being more child-like will help. Live in the present, don't take things so seriously, and have the confidence that if you set your mind to achieving something, you can be successful.
ACE OF SWORDS: This is a time to nurture new ideas and thoughts, and stimulate your mind so that you get yourself out of the box of stale thinking. This could be a new beginning for you, especially if you are looking for something different to do. Brainstorm, and you may be pleasantly surprised at the results.
ACE OF WANDS: If you have been procrastinating about starting a new project or venture, now would be a good time to move things forward. The Wands energy is helping you during the next two weeks to ignite a fire of motivation, so get started now to see positive results.
BI-WEEKLY THEME: A feeling of self-confidence will be evident, so use this to best advantage as you start thinking of new ways of doing things. New thoughts will be coming to you, as well as a renewed desire to make progress on things you may have allowed to fall by the wayside. With the double Ace energies working for you, the next two weeks will be a prime time to start making a positive difference in your life.
Blog #30--What Are the Benefits of Coconut Oil?
Retrieved from www.ayresbeauty.com
The many benefits of coconut oil are being publicized
more than ever before, even though there are not many research studies that have
proven the positive effects.
Nevertheless, there must be some good reasons for the rise in its
popularity. So what are they?
Coconut oil is used quite a bit in tropical countries, but
in western countries, its benefits have not been very well-known. Although it was quite popular in the past in
the west, in the 1970’s it was denigrated for its high saturated fat content,
as publicized by the corn oil and soy oil industries.
Although it is true that coconut oil contains much saturated
fat, surprisingly it is beneficial for the heart, because it contains about 50%
lauric acid. This is a fatty acid
contained in coconut oil that is a type of medium
chain triglycerides (MCTs), and it is what makes coconut oil so different
from other types of oils. It is also
what gives coconut oil its health-producing benefits.
“Fatty acids consist of long
chains of carbon atoms with hydrogen atoms attached. In this system you have short-chain fatty
acids (SCFA), medium-chain fatty acids (MCFA), and long-chain fatty acids
(LCFA). Coconut oil is composed
predominately of medium-chain fatty acids, also known as medium-chain
triglycerides (MCTs). The vast majority
of fats and oils in our diets. . .are composed of long-chain fatty acids. Some
98 to 100% of all the fatty acids you consume are LCFA.” (http://www.coconutresearchcenter.org/
That is, the
size of the fatty acid is very important, because our bodies metabolize fatty
acids differently depending on their sizes.
As noted above, the saturated fatty acids in coconut oil are of the
medium-chain variety, whereas the saturated and unsaturated fats found in meat,
milk, eggs, and plants (i.e., almost all vegetable oils) are long-chain fatty
acids. It is the medium-sized chains that
are so beneficial, such as lowering the risk of atherosclerosis and heart
disease. And it is the long-sized chains
that are not good for our bodies. Also,
“there are only a very few good dietary sources of MCFA. By far the best sources are from coconut and
palm kernel oils.” (http://www.coconutresearchcenter.org/
Some proposed
benefits of coconut oil include: (https://www.organicfacts.net/organic-oils/organic-coconut-oil/health-benefits-of-coconut-oil.html)
Ø
Hair care—helps with
healthy hair growth and makes it shiny.
Ø
Heart health—reduces
incidence of injury and damage to arteries so helps prevent hardening of the
arteries.
Ø
Skin care—effective
moisturizer for all skin types; also helps delay the appearance of wrinkles and
sagging skin.
Ø
Weight loss—the
medium-chain fatty acids are easy to digest and helps the thyroid and endocrine
systems function better; also increases body’s metabolic rate. Dr. Oz notes that:
“One 2009
study found that women who consumed 30 milliliters (about 2 tablespoons) of
coconut oil daily for 12 weeks not only did not gain more weight, but actually
had lowered amounts of abdominal fat, a type of fat that is difficult to lose,
and contributes to more heart problems.” (http://www.doctoroz.com/article/surprising-health-benefits-coconut-oil)
Ø
Immunity—contains
various lipids and acids with antifungal, antibacterial, and antiviral
properties.
Ø
Digestion—prevents
various stomach and digestion-related problems by dealing with different
bacteria, fungi, and parasites that cause indigestion.
Ø
Alzheimer’s
disease—Not much research is yet available showing that coconut oil helps
reverse early-onset Alzheimers, although there is one study begun in 2013 that
is gathering data about this. Also,
there is anecdotal evidence that coconut oil does improve and even reverse the
effects of Alzheimer’s. As one author
points out,
“Not everyone
who tries coconut oil with dementia or Alzheimer’s sees the same results as
reported in these testimonials. Coconut
oil does seem to be more effective in those who do not have advanced stages of
Alzheimer’s and are still in the earlier stages, although we have seen a
few testimonials for late-stage Alzheimer’s
as well.” (http://healthimpactnews.com/2014/new-alzheimers-drugs-continue-to-fail-where-coconut-oil-shines/)
Ø
Improved cholesterol levels—the lauric acid mentioned
earlier increases the good HDL cholesterol and can also help restore normal
thyroid function, which helps with good cholesterol levels (http://www.doctoroz.com/article/surprising-health-benefits-coconut-oil)
Ø
Improved oral
health—a technique called oil-pulling has helped people have whiter teeth,
improve gum health, and reduce bacteria (http://wellnessmama.com/7866/oil-pulling-for-oral-health/)
A final note: If you want to try coconut oil for some of
the benefits listed above, make sure you use virgin coconut oil, which is
available in grocery stores and health food stores. Although there are not many research studies
confirming all these benefits, the best thing to do is to try using coconut oil
yourself, talk to others who have used it, and read on the internet some of the
testimonials of people who have said it has helped them. Use discernment, and
decide for yourself.
Sources
Thanks for posting Kathleen! I enjoyed reading this!
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