Baby acne
Around two weeks after transportation person Patriarch domestic, lowercase bumps settled all over his face. By digit weeks old, those bumps turned red and light - a bad framing of baby acne.
Our midwife, and subsequent, our paediatrician, told us to going it unaccompanied. "Do cypher. It faculty go departed on its own." But as it continued to exasperate, and especially when I institute myself adjusting the illumination to pelt the symptom before winning a photo of Ben, I couldn't better myself.
Melting a dab of organic, extra-virgin coconut oil between my fingers, I applied it to Ben's face using a cotton ball. Within a few hours, it was significantly better. The very next day, it had all but disappeared! Coincidence? Perhaps. When the spots reappeared a couple of weeks later, I applied some coconut oil again and got the same results. This time, the acne did not return. I'm a believer!
The lauric acid in coconut oil is a known anti-inflammatory. Studies have shown that it's especially useful for skin conditions.
With that said, however, when Ben developed eczema on his belly and legs over the winter, coconut oil didn't work. Instead, I changed his diet (My bad - I was offering 8 month old Ben 1/2 of Olivia's gluten-free cookies now and then. Soooo bad! The tiny bit of sugar caused the eczema, even though Ben was getting - and still gets - probiotics every day.) and gave him omega-3 fish oil (both topically and internally) and that did the trick almost immediately.
Below is an article I wrote for Naturally Savvy. It reviews some of the benefits of coconut oil, particularly the research showing that it is an effective metabolism-booster.
We use coconut oil often in our cooking and baking. It has a high smoke point, so it's much safer to heat than olive oil and is especially safer than other vegetable oils. It's great in cookies, cakes and breads, too. If you like a little bit of a coconut taste, buy organic virgin coconut oil. If you prefer no taste, choose extra-virgin.
Why Coconut Oil is Good for You
Supermodel Miranda Kerr recently credited coconut oil as one of her beauty secrets, sending sales of the healthy oil soaring in the UK. The Victoria’s Secret angel says that she uses it daily in her cooking and applies it topically to her skin and hair.
Her statements have North American doctors in, well, a Kerr-fuffle. You see, coconut oil is a saturated fat (92% saturated), and aren’t sat-fats really bad for us? It seems like everyone dreads them and those ‘in the know’ about health go to great lengths to avoid them.
Saturated fats have long been picked on as a major factor in the development of heart disease. Looking at coconut oil as just another saturated fat, however, is missing the big picture. The difference between coconut oil and other fats is that about 66 percent of coconut oil is comprised of medium-chain triglycerides (or MCTs), whereas most of the other fats we consume – saturated or unsaturated – are composed of long-chain triglycerides (LCTs). The length of the fatty acid chain is important because the physiological effects of MCTs in coconut oil are very different from LCTs. In fact, it is coconut oil’s MCTs that provide the benefits to health it’s now recognized for.
Despite research showing its effects on health, consumers are most interested in its impact on weight.
A study found that consuming MCTs compared with LCTs resulted in an increased metabolic rate (higher calorie burning) and enhanced fat oxidation in obese women after only 27 days, suggesting that substituting MCTs for LCTs may promote weight control and prevent long-term weight gain.
Kerr, among other coconut oil enthusiasts, claims that consumption of the oil helped her regain her model-figure shortly after giving birth to her first child. Coconut oil proponents claim that taking several tablespoons a day promotes weight loss, not weight gain. The reason for this is because MCTs are quickly metabolized into energy, acting more like carbohydrates than other fats. LCTs, on the other hand, are metabolized more slowly and stored for use as a future energy reserve, causing weight gain.
Coconut oil’s MCTs, including lauric acid, capric acid, caprylic acid and myristic acid, have been shown to improve immunity, having antimicrobial and antifungal properties. Lauric acid, the primary MCT in coconut oil, is an important component of breast milk. In fact, it’s been added to infant formulas, as well as to nutrition formulas created for hospitalized patients for decades – which means that the medical community has been well aware of the health-promoting, easy-to-digest fat for a long time.
In 2010, researchers in Thailand found that coconut oil can relieve pain associated with inflammation and has anti-inflammatory properties. This might be useful for those with arthritis, heart disease, and other inflammatory conditions.
Choosing the paw food oil
The write of coco oil victimised in substance manufacturing is vulcanised and does not provide benefits to eudaemonia; actually, the "gracious, faded and deodorized," or RBD oil can be prejudicious and should be avoided. Face for fertilizer extra-virgin or virgin coconut oil at undyed fluid stores and most supermarkets. It's perfect for cooking and hot, and can be easily slipped into a phoney... and piece you're cooking, rub few into your skin and pilus for super-moisturizing during the cool, dry winter months.
While Miranda Kerr finds that foursome teaspoons a day in her salads and meals is "personally healthful," up to quadruplet tablespoons a day know been recommended by welfare experts - at lowest by those who bang updated their module of fats.
References:
St-Onge MP, Bourque C, Jones PJ, Ross R, & Parsons WE., (2003) “Medium- versus long-chain triglycerides for 27 days increases fat oxidation and energy expenditure without resulting in changes in body composition in overweight women” Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord. 27(1):95-102.
Intahphuak S., Khonsung, P. & Panthong, A. (2010) “Anti-inflammatory, analgesic, and antipyretic activities of virgin coconut oil”Pharmaceutical Biology. 48(2):151-157.