I recently started using extra virgin coconut oil. I was reading about the benefits of it (organic, non hydrogenated). It is a medium chain fatty acid that actually lowers cholesterol and kills off candida (a yeast in the digestive tract which can turn into a mycelial funagl form under certain conditions- like taking prolonged antibiotics- and causes a lot of health problems). Apparently carb (including alcohol) cravings are a common side effect of candida overgrowth. As the candida dies, it releases toxins which make people feel sick for a while (on the coconut oil I feel nauseated, but it is bearable)- this is called the herxheimer reaction. I tried the candida diet before but found it very hard to deal with.
ANYWAY, I started using it about a week or a week and a half ago. I had my last drink on December 8th, and my last smoke so far on December 9th at 12:45 P.M. What is unique about stopping booze and smokes THIS time is that my craving for BOTH is way down! I was at my buddy's tonight, I cleaned out his rat's cage for him, he offered me smokes several times. In the past, at this point in quitting smokes, I would have broken down and had a cigarette after 10 minutes, but this time... no urge. I do feel very spaced out (I always do about 72 hours into quitting nicotine and it might last up to 6 months for me, apparently) but I didn't smoke! No desire! NO DESIRE TO DRINK EITHER. I do feel a bit nauseated, and I had read about the benefits, but hadn't heard anything about extra virgin coconut oil helping with cravings.
I also used it on spme scars I had from an accident and already can see improvement! I have tried lots of health products in the past and so far, this is the only thing I have found that seems to really do anything noticable.
I don't know if you guys will have the same reaction, and if you feel nauseated or throw up, etc- that is a common detoxing reaction. However, I thought it was worth mentioning. It is relatively inexpensive, and I am excited. I can't explain how it works, but if you are curious you can google "extra virgin coconut oil benefits" or look it up in general.
Anyway, I thought I would share. Good luck, and if you do try it and it seems to help, please post. Also, remember, you may feel sick, so start with 1 teaspoon a day. I started with 2 tablespoons a day and felt like I had the stomach flu! You can mix it into coffee or tea or yogurt or eat it plain. Also, be sure to add probiotics like unsweetened yogurt to your diet to help with the die-off feelings. Good luck, and I hope this helps some people with their cravings.
I never would have believed this, and I didn't buy the oil for help with quitting drinking or smoking but for just general health and candida... but it IS helping. Stabilizing blood sugars? The worst thing I have done in the last few days is eat fast food at Burger King when I was out all day christmas shopping!
I usually think most health food claims are scams, and am naturally skeptical. But even if it doesn't work, it's actually a very healthy oil to cook with and use in baking. And if it does, great!
Good luck everyone. Oh yeah, have still been sober since my dec 8th quit date. So I am on my 6th day now! Tomorrow is the start of my 7th day, a week! :)
Thanks for posting this. i'm going to try it. I've been way off my diet. Seems like the change in the seasons triggers me to overeat and gain weight. I've been craving carbs, like thinking I want desert with every meal.
I quit smoking a month ago and have been on a sugar binge ever since. I did read something about coconut oil recently and it mentioned something about the oil being good for detoxifying fatty liver and helping maintain blood glucose levels. Thanks for sharing your experience with it here. You have inspired me to research it further. :)
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I think there's an invisible principle of living...if we believe we're guided through every step of our lives, we are. Its a lovely sight, watching it work.
Vixen, when you quit smoking, for a variety of reasons, your blood sugar drops. So your body craves food- especially carbs and sugars and alcohol. I think the oil is released for energy slower so it keeps the blood sugar more stable. Trying to quit drinking and smoking at the same time IS hard, but I have faith I can do both now. I am on my 8th day sober now and my 7th day without a smoke. I did feel like smoking and drinking about a day ago and got myself home. Took some oil. Felt sick. But the cravings diminished. I do feel a lot more tired, but I think my body is healing. I don't think it's a placebo effect because I didn't think tis would happen. I don't mind the nausea- better than cravings or putting poison (alc or smokes) in me! My buddy, who has been drinking a lot longer than me, took a tea spoon and liked the taste. 20 minutes later he was dry heaving. Neither of us is allergic to coconut, but the organic virgin oil is a strong detoxifier. if you think of your insides like a closet or locker that hasn't been cleaned out in a long time, at first, when you get healthy, you often feel worse.
Tips, well, the oil is solid at room temp (it is a saturated fat but a medium chain fatty acid). It tastes actually pretty nice, and I love the smell. I use nutiva which is a good price and has the smell and taste of coconuts. I eat it plain off the spoon but you can stir it into coffee or tea or cook food in it, whatever. It doesn't smoke even at very high temps and is a very healthy cooking oil anyway, so even if it doesn't help cravings, it is good for cooking and baking.
Dean, carb craving can be caused by candida. I didn't believe in it to the extent it is on the net at first, but the supplements I took gave me extreme die off. Also, right now I feel more clear headed when I eat carbs, sugars, etc because the die off stalls... but candida is always excreting low level toxins if its widespread. Everybody has a bit but poor diet, digestive problems, too many toxins (environmental, smoking, drinking) and especially strong antibiotics can kill off good bacteria in the gut and allow the candida to proliferate. Everyone has some of it ALWAYS but if it over-runs the body you WILL crave carbs/sugars (not to mention that by default you will crave alc even more, not even necessarily for psychological reasons but also physical). So... I am sticking with the oil.
Don't want to offer anyone snake oil or false hope, just state my experiences so far. Whatever helps helps. We are all different so I say, approach it slowly, research, maybe try the oil (the candida diet is very hard to stick to!) and don't be surprised if you feel nauseated. If you aren't allergic to coconuts regularly, the nausea is not an allergic reaction but a detoxification reaction.
MDs won't tell you a lot of this, but homeopathic docs will. Since I have gone the medical route and seemed to get worse, not better, I am trying more natural ways of healing now.
Anyway, good luck to you all. And if nothing else, the oil is good for your skin and smells nice (don't use vaseline or mineral oil- those are petrolium by-products and toxic)- coconut oil massaged into the skin can kill parasites, etc, but overall is very good for the skin. Some rashes and stuff at first can either denote detoxing OR allergy, but usually detoxing.
For anyone who has looked into the Atkins diet, the "induction flu" that they talk about is the same thing as candida de-off (and other parasites dying off). :) Anyway, good day everyone. Also, if you do get into herbology to get healthy, keep in mind your symptoms might get worse at first (my brain fog is significantly worse and abates if I cave and eat sugar and carbs- but if I stay on the course longer term my brain does eventually tend to clear up).
About quitting (I chose cold turkey)- this site is great. http://www.whyquit.com/ I forget which part of the site has info on why the blood sugar drops when you quit, but you can find it there. GOOD LUCK.
