National Chancellor, International Association of Educators for World Peace, Philippines, UN-NGO (Conclusion)

In September of 1996 AIDS patient Chris Dafoe of Cloverdale, Indiana figured his time was running out. He'd lost a great deal of weight, lacked energy, aid felt worse with each passing day. The thing that drove the nail into his coffin was the lab results. The report showed he had a viral load of over 600.000 -an indication of rampant HIV infection and a sign that he didn’t have too much time left to live, so he made arrangements for his funeral, paying all the expenses up front. Before he died, however, and a while he still had some strength left, he wanted to take one last vacation to the jungle of South America. He flew to the tiny Republic of Surinam and wound his way into the jungle where he stayed briefly among a group of Indians. While there, he ate the same foods as the natives.

They used the coconut as the basis for all their medicines. They also used the milk from the inside of the coconut and also other plants and herbs from the jungle to make medicines. They ate cooked coconut every morning to help prevent illness. While there, Dafoe's health took a turn for the better, his strength and energy increased and he regained 32 pounds. Home again six weeks later he went on for another lab test. This time the result showed his viral load had plummeted to undetectable levels. The HIV virus that once flooded his body was no longer measurable.

He continuous eating cooked coconut oil for breakfast every day, mixing it with cereal. He is convinced that it keeps the virus under control and allows him to enjoy good health. With a zest of life he says, “I feel great. I have more energy than ever.”

Heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and arthritis are almost unheard of - at least among those who live on the traditional native diets.

The tree of life. The people in tropical paradise enjoy a remarkable degree of good health relatively free from the aches and pains of degenerative disease that plague most of the people are robust and healthy. Heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and arthritis are almost unheard of - at least among those who live on the traditional native diets. Researchers have long noted that when these island people start to abandon their traditional in favor of the western foods, their health deteriorates. The more westernized the people become, the more their disease mimic those commonly found in the West.

Ian Prior, M.D., a cardiologist and director of the epidemiology unit at Wellington Hospital in New Zealand, says this pattern has been very clearly demonstrated with Pacific Islanders. “The more the Islander takes on the ways of the West, the more prone he is

to succumb to our degenerative diseases.” He states that the further the Pacific natives move away from the diet of their ancestors “the closer they come to gout, diabetes, artherosclerosis, obesity and hypertension.”

For centuries these people have lived on the native foods without experiencing the degenerative disease so common in our society. It wasn’t until they began taking on the lifestyle and the eating habits of the West that these diseases began to surface. While most of the people inhabiting the island of the Pacific have adopted the use of modern food, those who retain their native culture and diets remain remarkably free from the ills that plague most of the rest of the world. While many factors may be involved, an obvious influence is the change in diet among these people.

	It is the 'good oil' that promotes better health. Researchers have studied coconut oil as it has emerged as the premier dietary oil of all time.

We are told that in order to reduce the risk of heart disease we should limit fat consumption to no more than 30 percent of our total calorie intake per day. However, Polynesia people consume large quantities of fat in the form of coconut oil. For some, it comprises up to 60 percent of their total calorie intake - twice the limit recommended as prudent. The 30 percent limit is probably a good standard with oils typically eaten in Western countries, but coconut oil is different. It is the "good" oil that promotes better health. Researchers have studied coconut oil as it has emerged as the premier dietary oil of all time, providing health benefits that surpass even those of other highly regarded oils.

Coconut oil has long and highly respected reputation in many culture throughout the world, not only as a valuable food but also as an effective medicine. It is used throughout the tropics in many of the traditional medicine. For example, in India it is an important ingredient in some of the Ayurvedic medical formulations; Ayurvedic medicine has been practice in India for thousands of years and is still used as the primary from of medical treatment by millions of people. In the Central American country of Panama, people are known to drink coconut oil by the glass to help them overcome sickness.

They have learned over the generations that consuming coconut oil speeds recovery from illness.

They have learned over the generations that consuming coconut oil speeds recovery from illness. In Jamaica, coconut is considered a health tonic good for the heart. In Nigeria and other parts of tropical Africa, palm kernel oil (which is very similar to coconut oil) is a trusted remedy for all types of illness. It has been used here with success for so long that it is the most commonly administered traditional remedy. Among the Polynesian people the coconut palm is valued above all other plants for its nutritional and health-giving properties. The healing miracles of the coconut have long been recognized in those cultures where it is grown. Only recently are these benefits starting to become known to the rest of the world.

Related Information:

· Comparison of Dietary Fats

· Fatty Acid Composition of Various Fats and Oils