The Center for Disease Prevention & Reversal Blog

While I am not into fad diets or dieting, I do support creating the right diet for individual metabolic needs.

Over the years I have used virgin coconut oil in patients with everything from seizure disorder to metabolic syndrome and cancer. The benefits of virgin coconut oil are many: production of ketones due to the medium chain triglyceride (MCT) content, improved brain fuel, reduced insulin needs, improved immune function, catharsis (a laxative effect), reduced hunger, improved brain function, increased sex drive and more.

There has been a big misconception regarding coconut oil and its effects on the lipid
profile. The negative information was borne out of studies performed decades ago where coconut oil had been hydrogenated for export. Virgin coconut oil (VCO)is not detrimental to the lipid profile. In fact, using the oil regularly can lead to lowered insulin levels and hence larger, healthier LDL particles.

Another misconception is that eating lots of fish oil is great. While omega 3 oils are beneficial on the lipid profile, they leave the body's fatty acids vulnerable to lipid peroxidation or oxidative damage and free radicals. Coconut oil provides some protection against this process.

The word ketones often scare folks as ketones in diabetics can lead to something called acidosis and this is not a good thing. However, in those that are not diabetic, this does not happen and a bit of ketone production can be great for brain fuel, weight loss, and reduced insulin needs.

I have many patients who have successfully lost and kept weight off, improved libido, improved brain function and reduced or eliminated their seizures by eating a diet with VCO or MCT oil along with a low carbohydrate diet. One should not eliminate the essential fatty acids of omega 3 and omega 6, nor should one eliminate the other beneficial oils, 9 and 12. A diet with well rounded fatty acids while being low but adequate in carbohydrates (enough for individual needs, can vary depending upon how active one is) and in protein (approx 1gm per kilo of body weight) is best for most.

A favorite spread containing VCO is taking coconut butter (found online or at natural foods markets) and mixing some of this with either walnut, hemp or chia oil in a double boiler just allowing the oils to slightly warm for mixing purposes. once cooled, the butter is now spreadable. Coconut butter without mixing is quite hard at room temperature and doesn't contain essential fatty acids. The combinations allows for an easily spreadable yummy nut butter that contains MCT and omega 3 oils.

Many of my patients complain of having "no interest". While a small percentage of the population identify as "asexual", the majority of us do not and losing one's sex drive altogether can be disquieting. Sex drive often wanes as we age but it should not disappear completely.

There are physical and psychological reasons for a diminished sex drive and or response.
Among the physical contributors are chronic inflammation, not enough exercise, excessive exercise, prescriptions medications, poor dietary patterns, and fatigue. These contributing factors can all be easily reversed.

Low cholesterol can lead to a decrease in DHEA and sex hormones, especially testosterone as cholesterol is necessary for the production of stress and sex hormones. Chronic stress can also lead to low DHEA and sex hormones as stress utilizes all the precursor hormone (pregnanolone) made from cholesterol to produce the stress hormones. DHEA or pregnanolone supplementation can be helpful but so is turning off the stress response. Reflex biofeedback can do this almost immediately.

Psychological factors that contribute to diminished libido include anxiety, chronic stress, depression, guilt, grief and shock. While therapy is helpful and often necessary, it may not restore libido if the autonomic nervous system is stuck with high sympathetic (fight and flight) tone. Sometimes people find themselves not being able to "turn of" and reflex biofeedback is a very quick way of bringing up the parasympathetic (rest and relaxation) arm of the autonomic nervous system. Other treatments that work are acupuncture, homeopathy, breath work, yoga, meditation, massage and so on. I have found that the RITM SCENAR, a reflex biofeedback device, works the quickest and has the longest lasting results.

A combination of exercise, eating a non-inflammatory diet, adequate sleep and meditation can achieve the balance desired for a healthy libido and sexual response. Sexual response is two-fold and involves both arms of the autonomic system; the parasympathetic system controls the arousal phase and the sympathetic controls the orgasmic phase.

I recommend staying "active" as it helps with balancing the autonomic nervous system. Whether my patients are in a relationship or not, I might recommend equipment. Just like having special equipment in order to enhance one's experience cooking in the kitchen, or in a sport, equipment in the bedroom can enhance the experience whether one is alone or partnered in the endeavor. For incredibly engineered and designed equipment, I recommend shopping at Lelo.com. Lelo is a swedish company (how surprising) that takes its' products seriously and has some the best designed products on the market.

Erectile dysfunction from non-pyschological issues is one of the first signs of a decrease in endogenous nitrous oxide production. Insufficient nitrous oxide (NO) production sets the stage for the progression of heart and vascular disease in general.

The implications of decreased NO spread father than vascular disease. Decreased vascular flow in the brain leads to dementia and Alzheimer's as well as hypertension and thrombotic events (stroke).

NO declines with age, but this is believed to be largely due to increased insulin resistance.
The increase in circulating glucose, insulin and cytokines that occurs in diabetes type 2 or pre-diabetes have all been independently shown to impair NO activity in experimental models.

Insulin resistance is controlled with dietary and lifestyle changes that can be quite rewarding in their own right let alone the beneficial domino effect in the bedroom.

Under normal healthy conditions, when sexually stimulated, NO is produced in the penis and signals blood vessels to dilate and accommodate more blood flow and volume. Without this pathway functioning, erectile activity is reduced and or non-sustained.

Note, this is the same mechanism for erectile activity in women of the analogous organs and without clitoral enlargement orgasm is difficult or impossible to achieve. And for achievement oriented people, this can be frustrating or in the case of many of my patients, depressing.

Proper NO production is essential for maintaining normal blood pressure, preventing clots, and healthy sexual function. The inability to generate adequate NO is one of the first signs of a number of chronic disease we associate with normal aging but needn't be.

NO levels can be tested easily employing a simple salivary test performed in my Chicago area office. Treatment consists of lifestyle changes and very specific supplements that enhance nitrous oxide production. Levels are then re-tested a few weeks into treatment or can be implicated in patient reporting.

One of the many advantages to being a mature doctor is the vast experience one acquires along the way. In my Evanston medical office, I have repeatedly seen a link between lowered sexual function or drive, and impaired autonomic nervous system function.

Often this is the case of a woman going through menopause. The chief complaint might be weight gain, hot flashes, wrinkling skin or insomnia but low libido or sexual response often accompanies these symptoms.

I also see men who complain of poor sexual function or lowered libido and discover they actually have some other complaints concurrently that seem to be associated with autonomic nervous system dysfunction or ANSD.

Once the ANSD is addressed and treated, the sexual function improves enormously and the patient feels relieved to have a part of their self back that had seemed lost.

ANSD can be acquired from longterm stress, acute stress or trauma, physically or psychologically. Typically an increase in sympathetic (the fight and flight arm of the system) tone is noted, especially in men. In women, often the fight and flight or sympathetic arm is shut down and the patient feels depressed and fatigued.

In either case, the employment of a reflex biofeedback device such as SCENAR to assess and treat the sympathetic tone can be an essential ingredient in returning balance, calmness and libido.

In my work in post quake Haiti, I treated dozens if not hundreds of patients suffering from post traumatic stress disorder including many of the responders. I discovered improved mood and emotional function once the autonomic nervous system was balanced.

Both the parasympathetic and the sympathetic systems are needed for sexual arousal and orgasm and they must work together. If one is stuck in an on or off mode, the response is limited or non-existant.

in addition to a tempered response, the adrenals are often affected which can then lead to weight gain, anxiety and fatigue.

Scenar, acupuncture, and meditation are all fabulous adjuncts to nutritional therapies and exercise that can improve the relationship between the sympathetic and the parasympathetic systems.

The use of great diagnostic tools and treatment plans make for a speedy recovery and the return of a healthy sexual response.