Coconut Oil and Selenium Help Fight HIV and AIDS

There is a buzz among people that there MUST be a cure for HIV and AIDS and that the government and pharmaceutical companies are preventing the general public from getting to it. Well, neither of these is a cure, but both items are completely natural and naturally help to fight the HIV virus that causes AIDS. Studies have been done and anecdotal evidence have proven that they work!

The antiretroviral medications that are prescribed to control the virus are being studied as preventative medications, as well. One, Truvada, has found to be reasonably effective as a prophylactic medication, blocking the HIV virus from setting in on someone newly exposed to the virus. However, Truvada has a host of negative side effects that coconut oil does not have. There is anecdotal evidence of coconut oil having the same preventative effect, as well.

One story that I read concerning the use of coconuts and the positive effect they have on AIDS is of a gentleman who, because of his viral level and because he had been suffering from one illness after another that occur only when someone who is HIV positive as progressed to AIDS, including wasting syndrome, was preparing to die. He got his estate in order, said good-bye to friends and family and decided to go on a trip to Africa that he had always wanted to take.

Instead of being a tourist in a populated city, he opted to camp out in the jungle, feeling he really had nothing to fear, since he was dying anyway. During his excursion through the jungle, he came across a tribe that kept itself removed from civilization and stayed with them for approximately 2 weeks, eating the foods that they eat and living as they did. Their diet was based on coconuts. This man found that he began to have more strength, to gain weight an genuinely felt healthier.

At the end of his vacation, he had a routine visit to his doctor to monitor his condition, which included checking his viral load. To his and his doctor's surprise, his viral load had decreased to the point that he was no longer at the brink of death. I don't know how much longer this man did live because of consuming the coconut regularly, or whether he is still alive, but he stated that he would continue his consumption of daily coconut for the rest of his life.

In 1995, there was an article in a newspaper discussing a presentation given by a doctor that told of a baby in the U.S. that had tested positive for HIV and how, using a formula that had a high coconut oil content, the baby subsequently tested negative for HIV.

The only other instance that I am familiar with having a claim like this is of an eight-year-old boy who had become HIV positive being taken to a Mayan priest in the Yucatan. He was treated with their snakebite remedy, which is reputed to clean the blood. According to that story, the boy became HIV negative after the treatment. However, I have read many accounts of coconut oil improving viral loads for HIV positive individuals. I have only come across the one account of the Mayan snakebite treatment. Personally, I would prefer to try the coconut oil first, if I were HIV positive.

According to the research I have read, our bodies use coconut oil to create another substance that is highly anti-infective. Research shows that this substance actually breaks-down the fatty outer shell of the HIV virus and causes the virus cells to explode and die, thereby killing the virus. Again, coconut oil has not been stated or proven to be an actual cure, but for those who are HIV positive or have progressed to AIDS, coconut oil can significantly lower viral loads, improving health and prolonging life.

Below are two links that explain the chemical mechanism of how coconut oil is changed in the body and how it works:

It is relatively general knowledge that soils are depleted of many nutrients and minerals, which is the primary reason for the smorgasbord of vitamins, minerals and a multitude of other nutritional supplements that line store shelves and even make up entire stores like GNC and The Vitamin Store. Scientists have been researching the trends of what nutrients are in the soils of different areas throughout the world. Where starvation and hunger are greatest, in Africa, Selenium is one of the trace element that is lacking in most of the soil. However, in the area of Senegal, the amounts of selenium in the soil are greater.

Interestingly enough, Senegal also has the lowest incidence of HIV and AIDS in Africa. Scientists looking for the reason for the lower numbers of HIV and AIDS sufferers checked the blood of people in Senegal and found the selenium levels in their blood considerably higher than in other areas of Africa. Incidentally, Senegal also has the lowest number of cancer patients as compared to other areas of Africa.

Conversely, the areas of Africa with the lowest selenium levels in the soil and blood have the highest death rates from AIDS. Studies have shown that AIDS disease progression involves a slowly progressing decline of selenium and CD4 cells (part of a healthy immune system), both of which are predictors of mortality.

Selenium is required by the body, normally in small amounts, for a number of biological processes, including regulation of the thyroid and in an anti-oxidant capacity, protecting the body against free-radicals. Free radicals have been cited as a mechanism for triggering the growth of cancer cells. A study by the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center indicated that selenium may reduce viral loads in patients with HIV. Selenium is said to act as a natural antiretroviral, inhibiting the reproduction of the virus. 200mg per day of selenium is the generally recommended dose of selenium for HIV/AIDS sufferers to slow the progression of the virus

The links below will give more detailed information on how selenium works against HIV and AIDS:

The books listed below are merely the first 5 books that came up with the search terms "HIV AIDS Natural." I have not read any of these books and I do not promote any of them. They are listed here for your convenience if you wish to continue research on this topic.

Additionally, so long as the coconut oil used is expeller-pressed or cold pressed extra virgin or virgin coconut oil that is unprocessed, it doesn't matter what brand you use. I have found it at reasonable prices at Whole Foods and I see many different brands and sizes on Amazon.com as well as numerous sites all over the internet. As far as the selenium, so long as you believe in the brand you purchase, that is what matters. You do want a quality product at 200mg per day. Other than that, I can't imagine that the brand matters there, either.

This article is meant to be informational only. I do not endorse not promote any product.