This is the provocative title of a book, article and website by Dr. Mary Newport, MD, a specialist in newborns, medical director of the newborn intensive care unit at Spring Hill Regional Hospital in Florida and on the faculty of the Department of Pediatrics at the University of South Florida, and wife of Steve, an Alzheimer’s Disease patient.
In 2008, Steve Newport had been suffering from Alzheimer’s for 5 years. Several days in a row, he would be in a fog. Sometimes, he could not find a spoon or remember how to get water out of the refrigerator. He could no longer prepare simple meals for himself, had discontinued driving, and required supervision to dig a hole, replace a light bulb, vacuum, or complete a load of laundry. He was no longer able to use a computer, calculator or perform basic arithmetic. He often wore just one sock or shoe. He also had a hand tremor that interfered with eating and a jaw tremor while speaking. An MRI showed his brain had shrunk in several areas, a condition consistent with Alzheimer’s.
Steve was put on several FDA-approved medicines to help slow the progression of the disease, but he continued to decline. Fortunately, Steve’s wife was a doctor who became intent on finding a cure for her husband of 39 years. Her research led her to coconut oil!
She discovered that In Alzheimer’s disease, some brain cells have difficulty utilizing glucose—blood sugar, the body’s usual source of energy—and begin to die. However, they can utilize ketones—the chemical released when the body begins to burn fat. When you are fasting, the body produces ketones naturally. When digested, the liver converts coconut oil directly into ketones.
After starting Steve on the coconut regimen, Steve can now read, the tremors are gone as long as he gets his coconut oil on time, is no longer depressed, can finish a yard task without getting distracted and now wears both shoes and socks. Read more here
http://www.coconutketones.com/
Living Well supports the use of Expressive Arts to unfold wellness as well as to deal with challenging behaviors when working with people with Dementia. To this point, Dr. Ilene Serlin, frames Expressive Arts as a way of expression and healing, an ancient and modern tool to maintain balance. She says ” Expressive Arts … as preventive medicine have helped people maintain their balance among spirit, body, and soul … and harmonize the patterns of connection among themselves, the community, and the cycles and forces of nature. Expressive therapy helps many kinds of patients express their emotions, and share and dissipate their fears. It provides a way for them to deal with chronic illnesses and live healthier lives.” 
